Well, it finally happened. After toying with fast 800m times earlier this summer (June 1:42.04 / July 1:41.51) David Rudisha finally delivered the goods. A breathtaking 800 meters in 1:41.09. I remember how long it took for someone to break Sebastian Coe’s 800m record of 1:41.73. It seemed like an eternity and solidified just how [...]

One of the signature training methods I use with my runners in the Marathon Performance Training Group are steep hill sprints. These short, maximum-intensity efforts against gravity provide two key benefits. They strengthen all of the running muscles, making the runner much less injury-prone. They also increase the power and efficiency of the stride, enabling the [...]

Goal: Track your progress toward a race goal with a key weekly workout. Here are three typical examples and their ‘better’ counterparts. Typical: Pick one workout you think is important to do for your goal race. For example, for a 5K, 6 x 800m with a 400m recovery jog. Better: Map out a series of [...]

Although I would have preferred to include 800m-1500m discussion in Run Faster, there wasn’t a market for it at the time. The following may prove to be useful for those who are interested in learning more about it. If you have spent any time reviewing elite program training in the 800m, chances are you’ve seen [...]

I have gotten quite a few questions about racing well in the mud (10-12km) vs. a faster cross country surface. The first thing to understand is that the two most important things to racing well in cross country are the connection to strength endurance and power endurance related to your aerobic support (normally 4mmol threshold) [...]

The following is adapted from the book, “Run Faster From the 5k to the Marathon : How to be your own best coach”. Authored by Brad Hudson. After a bad race or two, or a spell of sub-par training, it’s common to think, “I don’t feel fit.” Unfortunately, it’s also common to resolve to ramp [...]