Phil Maffetone: Java (No) Jive

More Coffee?
Dr. Phil Maffetone/December 10, 2019

I enjoy writing about coffee, especially over my first morning cup. This update adds to my other articles on coffee, caffeine and their many potential benefits.

The high caffeine content of coffee makes it one of the most popular psychoactive drugs in the world. It also may be the most popular — and legal — performance-enhancing substance among athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

Coffee’s fat-burning effects can help athletes go farther, faster. Even the caffeine from one cup can increase oxygen consumption, blood circulation, muscle function, and mitochondrial activity (fat-burners in our cells). The increased fat-burning conserves glycogen stores, and, despite claims, it won’t dehydrate you. In addition, caffeine can also help recovery...

(Link to article and podcast here)

Outside: On Your Left?

Runners, Stick to This Side of the Road
Martin Fritz Huber/Outside, Mar 30 2015

If you keep tabs on aging rockers and their brushes with the law, chances are you read about a recent incident involving David Crosby and an ill-fated roadside runner in California. Crosby was driving about 50 miles per hour in a black Tesla when he slammed the runner from behind. The runner suffered several fractures and lacerations after impact, and needed to be airlifted to a Santa Barbara hospital. Crosby, 73, who was driving the speed limit at the time, maintained that he was blinded by the sun and didn’t see the runner, who is expected to make a full recovery.

It all seems like an unfortunate accident, but there’s a catch: The runner, it appears, was running with traffic, not against it. Though not illegal on a national level, that move goes against common sense...

(Link to article)

Runner's World: Prognostication for the Running Nation

The 8 Trends, Events, and Phenomena We’re Watching in 2018
From the women’s marathon to a hot hashtag (seriously!), the new year of running looks like an exciting one.
Runner’s World/December 20


Here at Runner’s World, we’re pretty excited for the New Year. How could we not be, given everything that happened in 2017? We saw Eliud Kipchoge almost break the two-hour marathon barrier, and we saw American runners win for the first time in decades at Chicago and New York. But what will 2018 bring? We’re hesitant to make out-and-out predictions (as runners, we know anything can happen!), but here are eight things—call them trends, phenomena, events, whatever—we’ve got our eyes on in the next 12 months...


(Link to Article)

Active: Dead Leg Day No More

9 Ways to Help Your Legs Recover in 24 Hours
Jennifer Fox/Active.com


If you've been a runner long enough, you've inevitably encountered a workout or run that's left your legs (and body) totally drained. Think: yesterday's hilly tempo or Saturday's 12-miler.


Part of success in running is consistency--the ability to get out there day after day and put in the work. When your legs are so trashed that you have to take unplanned days off, it can impede your progress.


But here's the good news. You can take steps to mitigate post-run soreness, so you can get back to training ASAP...


(Link to article)

Training Peaks: Fruitcake or Fast-Pace Work?

3 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Train This Winter
December 15, 2017/Andy Blow, Training Peaks


On the whole endurance athletes are a pretty self-motivated bunch. But even endurance athletes are only human, and as a result we suffer from the same fluctuations in “get up and go” as everyone else from time to time. These dips in motivation can range from the nagging desire to skip training for a day or two to full on slumps where you lose your workout mojo altogether for extended periods of time.


And this time of year can be particularly challenging from a “mojo” point of view because, for the most part, the “A” races for the year have disappeared into the rear view mirror but next season is still a good way off over the horizon. There are also dark mornings and evenings with often colder, wetter weather to contend with (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere at least). At this time of year it’s easier than ever to just skip training altogether.


Don’t get me wrong, I do believe in taking a decent end-of-year break if you’ve had a long, hard season. This is crucial for mental and physical recuperation. But, assuming that your planned downtime is coming to an end sometime in the near future, I thought it might be a good time to offer up a few tips gleaned from more than 20 years of tricking, cajoling and persuading myself to go out and train when frankly I’d much rather have hit the snooze button or spent more time working on the Homer Simpson-esque butt indentations in my sofa instead.... (link to article...)

Runners' World: Not Just Warm Clothes and Cold Beer...

4 Things You Should Always Have Ready in Your Postrace Bag
The tools you need repair aching muscles and ensure a speedy return.
Pam Nisevich Bede/Runners' World, September 11, 2017


Seasoned runners know the drill—cross the finish line, jump for joy (if able), grab the medal, thank the volunteers, and find some of that free food in the tent. But the biggest key for your recovery could be that bag you checked before the race.


Pack it right and this postrace recovery bag can offer more than just a set of warm clothes; it can help your weary muscles refresh so your body breaks down less throughout the day. Make sure these essentials are ready to go on race day so you can walk easily—rather than hobble—to your car or the postrace party...


(Link to Article)

Runners' World: Want to Help Houston?

Here’s How Runners Can Help With the Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts 
There are several opportunities for runners to help.
 Emilia Benton, Runners' World/September 1, 2017

 Although the sun is shining again in Houston, the aftermath and recovery process is far from over. 

After Hurricane Harvey made landfall last weekend, officials began calling it one of the nation’s worst-ever natural disasters, with estimates of up to 40,000 destroyed and damaged homes. Runners might not have been thinking about the destruction of their favorite routes as they helped neighbors escape waterlogged homes and cars by boat. But now as the water leaves, the running community in Houston will start to rebuild...

(Link to Article)

Trail Runner: 126-Mile Record Weekend For Wardian

Michael Wardian Sets New Record for Leadville-Pikes Peak Combo
The jack-of-all-distances finished 10th in the Leadville 100, and then seven hours later ran the Pikes Peak Marathon.
Ariella Gintzler/Trail Runner, August 22nd, 2017


Completing the Leadville 100-Mile in 20 hours 18 minutes is impressive, with its 17,000 feet of climbing and average elevation over 10,000 feet. But, when Michael Wardian crossed the finish line of the iconic Colorado race, at around midnight on Saturday, sleep and recovery were far from his mind...


(Link to Article)

Outside: Ten From Alberto

Alberto Salazar's Ten Golden Running Rules
Justin Nyberg/Outside, October 15 2013


Alberto Salazar knows a thing or two about his sport. A former world-record holder in the marathon, and three-time winner of the New York City event, Salazar was the face of American distance running's last golden age, which peaked during the Reagan administration. Salazar also learned his lessons the hard way: The famously competitive runner's body broke down at age 27, as a result of years of superhuman,150-mile training weeks. Now fully recovered, the 55-year-old coach of Nike's Oregon Project, which includes 2012 gold medalist Mo Farah and silver medalist Galen Rupp, has paired cutting-edge technology with meticulous workouts to shape some of the most successful American runners in a generation. This is a man who has almost given his life to the sport on multiple occasions—he was once read his last rites after crossing a finish line with a 108-degree fever—and he's lived to share a few pieces of essential wisdom...


(Link to Article)

Outside: Even Rest Takes Work

5 Questions to Determine if Rest is Best
Lindsey Emery/Outside, July 12 2017


For most sane people, a day off from exercise is a welcome chance to kick back and rest. Talk to many athletes, and they’ll tell you that a rest day feels counterproductive at best and alarming at worst. But no matter your goal, recovery is an integral part of any training plan and crucial for optimal performance, says Michele Olson, adjunct professor of exercise science at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama. That said, effective recovery—things like getting a massage, meditating, stretching, rehydrating, and eating well—takes work, so don’t think you can sneak in a few “rest” days when you’re feeling a little lazy, she says. Instead, ask yourself these questions to determine if today’s fine to skip or if you should power through...


(Link to Article)

What's Good For A Hundred Might Not Hurt For Less

Seven Steps to Recovery After Running 100 Miles
Jason Koop, CTS/June 27


I just returned home from supporting athletes at the 2017 Western States Endurance Run, and I’m tired. I need a recovery week and I didn’t even run the race! Congratulations to everyone who toed the start line, fought through their individual rough patches, and persevered to the finish. It was an exciting race, full of inspirational stories and great displays of sportsmanship. Now that it’s over, or when you reach the end of your 100-mile ultramarathon, it’s time to recover.


The biggest misconception about recovery after a 100-miler is that it happens quickly, and the biggest mistake athletes make is getting back into structured training too soon. To be a healthy ultrarunner and continue racing or participating for a long time, it’s essential to give your body and mind a significant break between events. For many athletes, running is an integral part of your lifestyle, which means the recovery period following a 100-miler requires patience and an unfamiliar change to your routine. It’s worth it, and here are some tips for optimizing recovery so you can continue to run strong...


(Link to Article)

MapMyRun.com: Just Don't Cheat

The Major Half-Marathon Cheat Sheet
Abbie Mood/MapMyRun.com/April 11, 2017

In 2015, almost two million runners completed a half-marathon — that’s more than marathon and 10K finishers combined. This magic distance continues to grow in popularity, and Matt Fitzgerald, running coach and author of “The Endurance Diet” explains that “the half-marathon is long enough to present runners with a serious challenge and a great sense of accomplishment when they conquer it. But at the same time, it requires less training than a full marathon does, and the post-race recovery is much quicker.”

We know that sometimes the hardest part of racing isn’t necessarily the training, but figuring out which race to run, so we’ve taken the liberty of rounding up 10 of the best half-marathons to inspire your next training session...

(Link to Article)

Training Peaks: More Than "Run, Run, and Run..."

The 5 Training Habits For a Successful Marathon 
APRIL 4, 2017//SUSAN LEGACKI - Training Peaks

Qualifying for the Boston Marathon is considered by many to be the Holy Grail of running performance. Runners who make it to the starting line in Hopkinton are among the fastest, most determined and most dedicated marathoners in the world. After the 2016 Boston Marathon, TrainingPeaks looked at more than 1,300 Boston finishers’ data starting four months out from race day to determine what training habits led to a successful marathon. We discovered that these five marathon training habits were present in all runners who finished in the top 25 percent of our testing sample. Whether you’re looking to qualify for Boston yourself or attempting 26.2 for the first time, by using these five tips (along with a solid recovery, strength and marathon nutrition plan) you have the greatest chance of showing up on race day at your peak performance level...

(Link to Article)

Outside Online: It's Not "Orthopedic, Marriage Counselor, Suicide Hotline..."

Your Step-by-Step Post-Marathon Recovery Plan 

Remember to take care of yourself after your big day 
Adam Elder/Outside Online/Apr 6, 2017 

Reaching the finish line of a marathon takes planning, discipline, and a whole lot of sacrifice. For most runners, the race has been on their minds for months. But what about a plan for the moment after you cross the finish line? Besides a splurge meal and a cold adult beverage, most people don’t give much thought to what they should (and shouldn’t) do in the hours, days, and weeks after a big race. What’s the best route to healing yourself and bouncing back as quickly and completely as possible?

(Link to Article)