In Mint Shape

Peppermint mint be more than just a way to freshen up your breath. Studies have shown that peppermint aroma has the ability to increase cognitive and athletic abilities. A 2001 study done by the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, had 40 athletes perform a series of physical tasks, once with a peppermint odorized adhesive strip under the participant's nose and another round with an ordor-free strip.

Peppermint was found to increase running speed as well as handgrip and upper-body strength. Additionally peppermint odor significantly reduced preceived physical effort and frustration, and the particpants rated their energy higher and exhaustion lower.

Here is a resource for more information on aromatherapy.

www.naha.org

2009 Recap:

As the 2009 year comes Let's do a quick recap of the year. For me 2009 was a year of firsts; it was my first Boston Marathon, first time running more than 2 marathons a year, first trail race, first 50k race, and first 50 mile race.

I also did quite a few race, as followers of this blog know, and I do not see myself slowing down much in 2010. I don't know that I have a single moment that I could say was the pinicale of my 2009 year, there were so many. If I had to narrow it down though I would have to say, the entire weekend of the Boston marathon and the Supieror 50 mile trail race had to be up there.

I had such a great time in Boston and it was great that I could do it with my Dad, the race was amazing I set a new PR and the whole weekend was really great. The Supieror 50 mile race was an amazing experience as well. I accomplished something I never thought was possible and had an unbeliveable time doing it. All in all 2009 was a great year for me and a great year for running. It is only the start of what is to come, I hope that I can continue to expand and imporve upon what I have done this past year and further test my limits.

Happy New Years to everyone and keep up the good running.

What is a Workout?

Great blog post from a pretty crazy ultra runner himself.

Enjoy!

What is a Workout?

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone. The holidays are a tough time to keep up with training. I travel to the northern reaches of Minnesota for the holidays, which normally means if I want to do some running its out in the cold and up and down county roads. This year is a bit different now that my home town with the population of 1600 people now has a Anytime Fitness I have no excuses to not workout. Other than the normal excuses.

A quick injury update, I went to a chiropractor and got some minor adjustments and some strength exercises to help with my hips. The chiropractor said that I slightly supinate my right foot, which is causing the hip and knees problems. It seems to be a bit better and I have started the exercises and went for a easy 4.5 miles with no problems.

7 Ways to Sneak in a Holiday Workout | Active.com

With the Holidays coming it is difficult to get your workouts in. Especially if you are like me and the winter months are your off months and you are not training for a specific race or goal it can be hard to stay focused.

I have had a tough time getting my workouts in due to work, knee problems and it being really cold outside. It has helped that I am have been doing some spin classes and strength training to break up all of the running. Here is a good article with some quick tips to help you fit in your holiday workouts.

7 Ways to Sneak in a Holiday Workout | Active.com

The Key to Speed:

Interesting fact from a book I just read, The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle. The book talks about how we develop skills on a neurological level as well the methods to teach and absorb these new skills. One interesting point that he talks about is the psychological aspect as well. I will not go into detail, but an interesting point he makes on why some people are faster than others.

Speed is generally thought of as a natural ability that can be improved but "some people just have it." Right? Maybe not. Think back to when you were in school, who were the fastest kids you knew? Think of the top three...now think of if they had any brothers or sisters. I bet they do and I bet they are older than the speedster. Coyle does not propose this as scientific fact but make some interesting observations about why certain people are speedy.

Why would this matter? Well Coyle believes that growing up as a younger sibling you are often in a situation where you don't want to be left behind. Some more scientific information to back up his point.

Here are the birth order and ranks of the 10 previous world-record holders of the 100 meter dash.

1. Usain Bolt (2nd of 3 Children)

2. Asafa Powell (6th of 6)

3. Justin Gatlin (4th of 4)

4. Maurice Greene (4th of 4)

5. Donovan Bailey (3rd of 3)

6. Leroy Burrell (4th of 5)

7. Carl Lewis (3rd of 4)

8. Leroy Burrell (4th of 5) (Repeat)

9. Carl Lewis (3rd of 4) (Repeat)

10 Calvin Smith (6th of 8)

Of course there are plenty of other factors that play into this, but I thought that this was quite an interesting point. It also give me hope that speed can in fact be acquired you don't just have it or don't.

Investing for the Long Run

Here is a good article that talks about running and simple investing strategies. I personally am quite conservative when it comes to my money, I do not buy anything that I don't think I can afford and work towards paying off my debts before adding too many more.

Don't worry it is pretty short and straight forward.

Enjoy!

Investing for the Long Run:

Injury!

The thing that I dread more than anything is injuries, minor or major they are a pain. Generally it's not even the actual pain that is so bad its the fact that I can get out there and do what I want to do or to the degree that I want. On Sunday I tried to run on the treadmill and I made it about 2.5 mile before I started getting sharp knee pain. I am pretty sure that it is due to my hips as they have been bugging me for a while now and I have have problems with them in the past.

I can really do anything but run. I have done a few intense Spin classes now and have had no problems and I have been strength training for the past month and a half now and don't have any problems. It is just when I run, I just made an appointment with a sport doctor to check it out and see what I have to do. I about 90% sure that I'll get a hip alignment or lower back alignment and told to take it easy and given some strength exercises to do. If I only knew hoe to align my own hips I think I would be able to safe a lot of money.

Down Time/Rest & Recovery:

Despite all of the running that I do I generally take it pretty easy during the winter months. During the end of November, December and January. This year especially after all the racing and miles I am definitely taking it pretty easy these past few months. Personally I really like not running much for a few months and focusing on strength training and cross training, generally basketball.

This year having some nagging injuries after the Superior 50 miler and the Twin Cities marathon it is nice just focusing on getting back to 100% and building a good base for next year. Last year I put on about 2-4 pounds of what I hope was mostly muscle of the fall and winter months which I think really helps me in being able to stay injury free and do so many races.

The one thing that I have learned this year is that everyone is different and what will work for me might not yield the same results for others. The really good runners, or athletes in generally I believe are great at really being able to listen to their bodies and know when to push themselves and when to take it easy. That being said here is some general advice about the importance of down time and recovery.

Enjoy!

7 Tips For Taking Time Off:

First Ever Spin Class

I just did my first Spin class and it was a really good workout. It really got my heart rate going from the start and was quite challenging. I have been a bit reluctant to do a spin class in the past, but I really enjoyed both the workout and the change of pace. I think spinning will be a great cross training activity and can really help me with increasing my VO2 Max and pace or turnover.

I would recommend this as a great activity for any runner, especially those of us up north that have several long months of snow and cold. It is a great change of pace. Here is my workout you can really only see my heart rate, but as you can tell it is a pretty intense workout.

Garmin Connect -
Activity Details for
First Ever Spin Class

The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle

I just got finished reading The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle, it was a great book. It talked about how we as humans acquire skills, talent and ability. It broke down how experts have acquired the skills that they have to a basic neurological level and practical level. The main theme of the book is that you are born with talent but great talent is achieve through practice and dedicated effort.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone especially aspiring athletes and coaches. Evan sports like running it reinforces the concept that you need to put in the dedicated time and effort into something to be succeed at it.

Mega Marathoners:

Interesting Article about the the rising culture of not only marathoners but marathoners that take it to another level. Check it out.

Mega Marathoners

Tracking my Workouts:

I think this will be a bit easier to post my daily and weekly workouts instead of separate post. I'll simply update each daily workout on the side, along with the weekly milage totals. Next year I hope to have a a running total of number of miles I ran for the year. Might be a good new years resolution.

Tracking my Workouts:

Multi-Functional Running Gear:

I just figured out that my running head lamp also works great for a reading light. With 100 hour life on one set of batteries, you could even use rechargeable ones, you should get plenty of use out you headlamp now.

Follow me on Twitter!

Ok, don't...really don't I will probably be the most boring person to follow. The only good things that I will "tweet" about would probably tell you to check out something on my blog. I may be the only American that doesn't think I have an interesting enough life to were the general public would want to know what I'm doing and thinking at all times.

That being said I am on twitter usename jhanlon31 and I do have a follower. I utilize twitter mostly for my job and I really do not tweet at all, so feel free to follow me but be prepared not to get too many tweets.

Twitter

I Will Teach You to Be Rich

Well, I won't teach you to be rich but, here is a great book that will actually teach you to be rich. Not the quick and easy way but the smart way over time, being smart with your money, and not wasting it on numerous fees and other pitfalls.

Yes, I know not running related at all, but the one thing that I have learned this year about running is the it can be expensive, as my prior post(The Opportunity Cost of Running) calculated that the opportunity cost of running this year was about $15,350.00, which is a lot to me.

The thing I like the most about this book is that it is straight forward advice targeted towards younger people just starting out, but is good for anyone who wants to be smarter with their money. It talks about everything from how to maximize your credit score, which in turn can save you thousands when buying a house, car or any type of loan. So forget saving $10 a week by not buying a few lattes, get your great score up and save $20,000 when you buy your first house. The big message that he pushes is that you have to take the initiative.

One problem that I feel that lead to the decline of our economy was not just greedy bankers, toxic loans, and politicians; it was that America as a nation that was built on hard work and perseverance starting trying to create wealth without having to work for it. I know that I have posted this before but here is a great video(Mike Rowe Celebrates Dirty Jobs) from a great website (TED.com) that speaks to that subject. Sorry that was my soap box moment for the night.

The advice in this book is no secret and many of us are doing a lot of these things already but this book lay it out very nicely and straight forward. You do not have to be a financial wiz to incorporate these technics, yes people with strong background in finance, the economy and the stock market can take investing to the next level but by being smart and having a plan you can still get a great return for your money without having to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal.

Trust me the book is only $10 on Amazon (I Will Teach You To Be Rich)
and free at the library it is well worth your time. Now all you have to figure out is how to financially justify all those pairs of running shoes, or in my case $110 pair of winter running tights.

Also great information on the Author's site.

www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com

Prize Money!

No, its not that cold in my apartment that I have to wear a hat and gloves. I finally cashed in my 2009 prize earnings, that totaled $30 in Scheels Sporting Good money. I managed to almost completely pay for the hat and gloves. I haven't used them yet as it has been gorgeous out the past few days and I have been a little limited in my running due to my recent wisdom tooth extraction.

Though I did manage two 10 mile runs this weekend, but I'm going to have to take it a bit easier for a day or two here. I really want to be able to hit the weights hard for a few months now and I don't want any lingering problems.

Also sorry I have not been posting my workouts as of late, I guess with no race looming I have been a bit sporadic with my training. I took today off as the vacated spaces were my wisdom teeth were ached pretty bad today. Yesterday I did a pretty aggressive tempo run I'll post the link as soon as Garmin is done up grading their servers and let's me log in.

How to Eat a Chicken Wing

Ok sorry completely not related to running, fitness or really anything other than eating chicken wings, but I thought this was a great video.

Enjoy!

How to Eat a Chicken Wing:

Stubborn Runners Part II:

Just a quick follow up I did end up going out for a run and not only was it a gorgeous fall day out but I felt great too. I went for an 10.5 mile run I wanted to go more but didn't really want to push things. All in all I felt pretty darn good teeth and all even got to run at least one more day in shorts, comfortably that is. Here is the run just in case you don't believe me.

Garmin Connect -
Activity Details for
Untitled

Stubborn Runners

I like so many of us runners are a pretty stubborn bunch. I myself am a big fan or taking a post workout sauna, of course this is not good for you, as the last thing you want to do after a workout is further dehydrate yourself, but I still sneak one or two in every once in a while. We are especially stubborn when it comes to things that deny us our sacred runs.

Such as injuries and things that life throws at us that makes running less than convenient. One such event has occurred in my life just recently. I just had my wisdom teeth pulled out yesterday, which was not nearly as bad as I though it was going to be. This is not really a big issue but the dentist said I was not to run until Wednesday and then start with half the workout I normally do.

I have always respected the wishes of any medical practitioner that I have dealt with, but I am having a lot of trouble sitting on my couch when it is nearly 60 degrees outside and frankly I feel great. I can barely feel the 4 holes in my mouth and haven't taken any pain killer for a while now. This might be the last nice day out to run this year, then it will be a lot of cold windy running outside and long boring miles on the treadmill inside.

I can't really figure out how running will even effect my mouth or the formal real estate where my wisdom teeth once resided, so on that note I'm out the door for a run...I just hope that my dentist doesn't read this blog.

So What Do You Eat?

Ok a lot people ask me what do I eat? How much? Do I carb load? What about supplement? Vitamins? Do you drink?

I have fairly normal diet to be truthful. I do not follow a particular plan, I just try and eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies and lean protein. I still still have the occasional late night drive thru burger and fries, I guess in my case I usually go for about 3-5 burgers and fries...I do eat a lot. Generally I have a Green Smoothie for breakfast, but other than that it is really a wide range of things.

I have read and learned a lot about the benefits of raw food i.e. fresh fruits, veggies and nuts. The one real benefit that there is to a high raw food diet is that fruits and veggies are all high nutrient dense foods. So this means that yes there is not as much protein in a handful of spinach as there is in a steak but the ratio of calories to protein is much higher.

I don't think I'll ever give up a great steak right off the grill but I better not plan on running for a few hours after. Having a meal of raw fruits and veggies and in 30-60 minutes I'm out the door, no food hangovers, which also helps at work, I'm not a zombie for an hour after lunch.

If to sum up what I eat or my diet, I guess I would say I eat what helps me enjoy running more. Just like hot wings, nachos and beer help watching the Vikings play on Sundays, fresh fruit, vegetables, and lean proteins make running more enjoyable.

I'll try and post some more websites and resources on nutrition that I have found insightful.

Quote of the Day:

"Believe in yourself, know yourself, deny yourself, and be humble."

- John Treacy's four principles of training prior to Los Angeles 84 Olympics

Why Soda(Pop if you're from MN) is so bad for you:

I have since given up soda a while a go and prefer simple water, juice, coffee, tea and of course an occasional beer now and then. I am glad that I have changed my ways from back in high school sitting in the senior commons (lounge for seniors) downing 2-4 Mountain Dews a day.

Read this yahoo article on why soda is so bad for you. (As evident by the picture above) Enjoy!

Why Soda is So Bad For You:

NYC Marathon

No, I did not run the New York City Marathon, but for those of us who did watch it, from the comfort of my couch, it was an amazing race. Meb Keflezighi, a 34 year old American won with a time of 2:09:15. He is the first American to win the NYC marathon since Alberto Salazar won in 1982.

I am extremely exited about the resurgence of the US marathon runners, both the men and women. It has been quite a while since American runners have consistently contended in major marathons. Now with Meb Kelezighi, Ryan Hall for the men and Kara Goucher for the women US runners have really been able to challenge the Kenyan and Ethiopian runners.

Runners like Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley have been waiting for a while for some company. Again I am energized and motivated by the strong showing that the US has been able to show this year. Congrats Meb and keep it up.

Running and Weight Loss

I know that many people enjoy running for the competitiveness, achievements, and pure enjoyment, but there are plenty of people that run to stay in shape and lose weight.

That is not the reason I run, I actually have to make sure to eat enough and get enough calories to properly fuel myself. But for those of you who main goal is weight loss and better general fitness here is a post for you.

An important thing to know is that you body burns fuel (that Big Mac you just ate) differently depending on how you exercise. Most trainers and people workout and try and burn as many calories as they can in a given time, so it is recommended that you do high intensity workout, get your heart rate into the fat burning zone (about 65%-80% of your Max heart rate). A good way to get an estimate is by taking 220 minus your age to get your Max Heart rate.

(220)-(my age)=Max Heart Rate

200 - 25 = 195

By being in your "Target Heart Rate" or fat burning zone optimized the amount of calories you are burning the most calories at a given time. This means that if you are below or even above this zone you are not burning the most calories. So make sure if your goal is to burn calories you get in and stay in that target heart rate zone. A good general rule to make sure your in the right zone is if you have to take a breath while talking and speaking a full sentence you should be close.

For example is you are on the treadmill and you can say out loud. "My name is Jordan and I like to exercise because I like to eat pizza." without having to take a breath you need to kick it up a notch, but if you need 3 o r 4 breaths to say that sentence out loud you are probably going a little too hard.

One thing that many people do not know is that when you are in your zone 1 heart rate your body actually burns fat directly. When you are in you THZ you are burning the most calories but they are the energy stores(carbs) in your muscles and liver. So if you burn 600 calories during your workout great, but just make sure you are not eating 800 calories as soon as you are done, otherwise you are just replacing the calories you burned. Be warned though you actually lose more weight by refueling after a workout with carbs and protein, than if you were to not properly refuel.

So why don't people just take it easy and exercise in their zone 1 HR and burn direct body fat? Well, it takes about 30 minutes for your body to "warm up" and start burning fat and then to actually burn any significant amount of body fat you would have to exercise for 2-4 hours in your zone 1 HR to see significant results. Not a problem if you are training for an Ultra marathon where that is all you do 6 days a week is run in your zone 1 and 2 for 3 hours a day. I even managed to lose 3lbs, this was after running 4 marathons earlier in the year.

In conclusion if you have the time and energy and want to burn that body fat all you need to do you go for a few 3 hour jogs 4-5 times a week.

Cold weather running:

Tips for Cold Weather Running:

• Make sure to stay hydrated: Even though you may not sweat as much and feel thirsty you are still losing a lot of fluids. Remember that when you can see your breath in the cold you are losing that much moisture every breath.

• Staying warm: Yes, it is important to stay warm but remember that your body warms up roughly 10 degrees fahrenheit once you are warmed up. You should be slightly cool when first start running.

• Make you warm up and cool down inside: Especially cooling down. When its cold outside you cool down fast as soon as you stop running, so make sure to get inside soon after your run.

• Keep a look out: With daylight saving time coming up and the daylight already fading fast make sure you are carrying a headlamp and wearing reflective gear if you are running near traffic. Do no assume that any cars see you.

RUNNING WILD: Motivation

Here is a great post from a friend's blog. Certainly motivating. Enjoy!

RUNNING WILD: Motivation

Quote of the Day:

"It is simply that we can all be good boys and wear our letter sweaters around and get our little degrees and find some nice girl to settle, you know, down with...Or we can blaze! Become legends in our own time, strike fear in the heart of mediocre talent everywhere! We can scald dogs, put records out of reach! Make the stands gasp as we blow into an unearthly kick from three hundred yards out! We can become God's own messengers delivering the dreaded scrolls! We can race black Satan himself till he wheezes fiery cinders down the back straightaway....They'll speak our names in hushed tones, 'those guys are animals' they'll say! We can lay it on the line, bust a gut, show them a clean pair of heels. We can sprint the turn on a spring breeze and feel the winter leave our feet! We can, by God, let our demons loose and just wail on!"

Great Quote from a Great Book "Once a Runner" by John Parker Jr.

(PR) Personal Records

At this point I think that I am going to call it a year. I don't think I am going to enter any more races this year. I have had a lot of fun running the ones that I did and set PR's (Personal Records) in my Marathon, 25K, 50K and 50 mile distances. The biggest record being the Marathon because I have only ran one each of the other ones once. Next year I think I'm going to go for quality over quantity. 2009 was a year of a lot of races and I had a blast, I raced 203.7 miles this year and a considerable amount more in training.

2010 I think I'm going to focus in on more PR's, I have never ran a 10k or Half Marathon and haven't done a 5k since really high school. I think that while I am still young and able to have the time to really focus in on the marathon I'm going o try and maximize my potential in that race. I figure that I can switch over to the ultra marathons when I'm older. Dean Karnazes didn't start really running until he was 30 and most of the top ultra runners are in the mid 30's to early 50's. I think I will try and focus in on my marathon time and use some short races 5k, 10ks, Half Marathons to tune up for those races.

The only thing that will be tough is that I really started to enjoy the trail races especially the ultras. I mean where else can you get the chance to see 50 miles of some of the most beautiful countryside in MN in one day? I will also miss getting to know more about the Ultra marathon community, it is definitely a different and diverse group of people and not very big, understandable, so they seem to be a pretty close knit bunch. Marathoners on the other hand are a whole different breed, sort of the speedsters of true distance running if you will. Note that I consider the marathon the shortest "distance" race. For now I will be cutting back the miles and ramping up the weight training, I really believe that the work that I did last winter in the weight room really help me to be injury free and able to run the amount of races that I did.

On that note here is a good article from Runner's World about how to work towards that new PR. Enjoy!

Magic Mile Repeats at Runner's World

Charitable organizations from RunnersWorld.com

As the cold weather moves in, earlier than usual here in MN, it gets a bit tougher to find the motivation to run. One thing that always helps me is running for a purpose, and often times it is for a personal goal which is a great motivator. If you are still in need of more motivation running for a cause and to help others is a great reason too. There are plenty of opportunities out there to do so, see article from Runner's World, and if there isn't create your own ask people to sponsor you for a charity in your next race, there are tons of ways to incorporate running into a worth cause.

Charitable organizations from RunnersWorld.com

Running Art

Here is an interesting article that I found in the NY times. I know that some of your have seen the workouts that I have posted from my Garmin GSP watch. It records my route and maps it to google maps. Well people are taking that to a whole new level. Enjoy!

The Big Draw of a GPS run:

Quote of the Day:

Here is a great quote that is a really great response when people ask about why you run, especially so many races and the Ultramarathons.

"A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for." - William Shedd

Twin Cities Marathon 2009

Despite, one hectic week of traveling, presentations and recovering from a hamstring injury I did run the Twin Cities marathon. As I was sitting on the plane Friday evening I was sort of doubting whether or not I really wanted to go through with it. I know I was in good enough shape but still have some questions about my hamstrings and was simply exhausted from all of the traveling. When I got home I have to help move all of our furniture into our new apartment, so less then ideal circumstances for preparing for a marathon.

I did end up running the race and it went a lot better then I expected. I actually felt great for the first 18 miles or so and was on pace to beat my personal best up until then. But the last 6-8 miles I dropped off quite a bit from 6:20 to 6:35 minute mile pace to 7:00 to 8:30 minute mile pace. I am also paying for pushing that hard and potentially not fully recovering form the 50 miler and all of the above mentioned activities.

The Twin Cities marathon is always a great race and a lot of fun. You get to see a lot of both Minneapolis and St. Paul and its as close to a home field advantage as I can get. Being that I now live in the Minneapolis area and I went to school in St. Paul I used to run many mile up and down the last 1/3 of the course and now I currently run most of my miles on the middle 1/3 of the course.

Here are the results and you can see my pace results from my Garmin watch.

Chip Time:2:56:24

Overall Place: 205

5k Split: 20:26

10k Split: 40:58

Half: 1:25:26

30k Split: 2:02:02

20 Mile Mark: 2:11:14

Avg. Pace 6:44

Garmin Connect -
Activity Details for
Twin Cities Marathon 2009

Not Quite the English Country Side

Well a quick post here, I have been out of the country in London and now Paris for the past few days now and I managed to get in one run at least. Monday Morning, I went for 5 miles from our hotel, which was very close to the Heathrow Airport, so again not quite the English country side.

But I felt ok and the legs felt pretty good, though it was a bit of a challenge crossing the road being the they drive on the other side of the road I always had to remember to look the other way before crossing.

Running Abroad

Well, it's 8:30pm and I'm about to hop a plane to London and Paris for a week for work. Exciting I know, but our schedule is very busy and I have the Twin Cities marathon a week from tomorrow.

The challenges of fitting your runs in while vacationing or traveling for work is alway a challenge, especially while traveling abroad. I will need to get at least a few runs in, but being that this is my taper week and I'm still taking it easy after the 50 mile race. I am happy to report that my hamstrings are feeling much better and I went for a 5 mile run yesterday and felt ok. It was still a little tough to run faster that a 8:30min pace, but with one more easy week I should be fine. Won't be setting any PR though.

I'll try and fit my runs and posts in while abroad, and hopefully can post some pictures of some sites, I'm planning on bringing my camera on any outdoor runs.

What's 4 Minutes?

The Short-Intense-Workout that Delivers:

I'm talking about Tabata Training, a short intense workout that is supposed to yield major gains. What is Tabata Training? It was created in Japan in 1996 by Izumi Tabata from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, who was searching for a better training protocol for the Japanese speed-skating team.

It is simple and easy(relatively). All you do is a quick 4 minute interval workout.

20seconds Sprints all out

10 Seconds rest

8 times for a total of 4 minutes.

Sounds easy enough and it is recommended that you start out incorporating it into your normal workout and once a week for beginners, 2 for intermediate and 3 times a week for advanced runners. According to a study done participants using the Tabata interval technique for 6weeks improved 14% verses 10% for non users. in max aerobic capacity. They also improved there anaerobic capacity by 28% while none user saw no gain.

While I can not fully endorse this training technique as I have not used it yet. I think I can spare the extra 4 minutes to give it a try and see what results I get.

Once a Runner: Book Review

There are two books that are considered by many as the best running books ever. Once a Runner: A Novel the other one is Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It is difficult to say which is better, because Once a Runner is a novel and Born to Run is more of a memoir/documentary that recounts the author's amazing experience.

Once a Runner is a novel that follows Quenton Cassidy, a track runner at Southeastern University in Florida, as he learns what it takes to truly be a great runner. Quenton is a one of the best runners the Southeastern has ever had he runs the one mile just a few second above 4 minutes, but he realizes that to become a great miler has has to put all of his time and energy into running.

The book was great and really takes you into the mind of a runner. Parker does a great job of describing and recreating all of the sensations of "the big race." It really brought me back to my track days and reminded me of the pain of the interval training and the emotions of those types of races. I think that this book would be great for all sorts of readers but it certainly has grown in popularity with the distance running community, to the point of near cult following.

I think this book was great in so many way and is certainly a must read for all runners, former or future and even none runner would enjoy it and get a little insight as to the reasoning behind The Trials by Mile, Mile of Trials.

Far better book review at Slate.com