Article courtesy of John Howard • John Howard Performance Sports

Challenging terrain is what cycling is all about. Unless you are a born and reared, stay-at-home flat-lander you are no doubt aware of the effects of gravity and the need to become a better, more efficient climber. Getting better at cycling uphill requires improvements in both strength-to-weight ratio and technical skill. This article will address technical skills and save the strength-to-weight issue for later. Let’s start with a few seldom discussed basics of seated climbing and literally go up from there.  

1. Your first reaction should be to shift into a smaller gear, maintain your RPM’s and try and hold on to your speed. In order to keep your heart rate down you will want to stabilize your power with a gradual increase in effort level. The natural way to hold the power steady is to stay in the saddle.

2. Fight the tendency to keep shifting gears as the climb steepens. This will reduce your speed to a crawl and put you behind your peers. A good goal is to keep your heart rate in check, but accept the fact that it will continue to rise. As your speed drops and the lactic acid builds in your legs slide back in the saddle to change the firing order of the muscles and leverage more force from your glutes and quads. Try pointing your toes to bring the lower leg muscles into the firing pattern. This will add more fire to the back side of your stroke in hip flexion. Allow your heart rate to climb slowly and focus on the LIFT in your stroke.

3. Avoid falling into the novice trap of sitting up high with straight arms, usually with a bent back and a pedal stroke led by the heels pointing down. This disconnects the powerful stabilizing core muscles and the usually throws off the rhythm of your stroke. Instead, strive for a flat back with bent elbows, which lowers your center of gravity. By pulling from the contracted, supporting muscles of the core we can delay the accumulation of lactic acid in the primary muscles. What this looks like to the thongs of spectators lining the roads of the big tours is a rider with a neutral expression, bent elbows and gentle rocking from side to side while building forward momentum. 

4. Maintain your focus. Novice riders typically get distracted when they can’t see to top of the grade. They forget to breathe or breathe shallowly which causes form and focus to deteriorate as leverage and muscular force head south. Pay attention to your RPMs. Should a climb continue to challenge you, as they always seem to do, watch as RPM drops off. If more than 10 percent of your target range, of say 65 to 70 RPM’s is lost, it may be necessary to either shift again, increase power, or maybe leave the saddle which is always your last resort since it will increase your metabolic burn rate.

John Howard is a USA Cycling Hall of Famer, 3-time USA Olympic Cyclist, 1981 Hawaii Ironman World Champion and an 18-time USA/NORBA Elite and Masters National Champion. He holds cycling world records at both ends of the sport’s spectrum: Speed at 152.2 mph and 24-hour endurance at 539 miles in 24 hours. Since 1982 Howard has coached hundreds of national and international champions. JohnHowardSports.com.

Article courtesy of Sabrina Grotewold, Sr. editor, Competitor magazine

 It’s true that we can’t do anything about things that are out of our control except manage our reactions to them, but there are many things that are within a marathoner’s control that can be determined long before race day dawns. Here’s a guide to help you avoid some of the most common marathon mistakes.

 1. Over-training & Under-training – It will do you no good to show up exhausted on the starting line.  It’s true that to achieve a personal record at any distance requires executing new strategies—from increased mileage to marathon-specific workouts to even a different, but well rehearsed, fueling plan—but showing up at a marathon start line without an adequate-for-your-body taper, sore and taxed legs, an injury, or ill-stocked glycogen stores will almost guarantee a bonk. And while toeing the start line a little under-trained may end up working out for some more experienced distance runners, too few completed long runs will make the last 10K of the race much more painful than it needs to be. In short: Respect the distance.

 2. Completing Long Runs Too Fast – “During the 40 years that I’ve coached marathoners, even a slightly-too-fast long run pace has resulted in injuries, lingering fatigue, mental burnout and slower race times,” noted Olympian Jeff Galloway, a monthly columnist for Runner’s World who has coached over a million runners through his training programs. “When runners get a reality check on their goal and then pace the long runs at least two minutes-per-mile slower than current marathon pace, most of the issues go away.”

3. Experimenting On Race Day – Race day is not the time to try new shoes or a new sports drink. There’s a reason this statement has become a running cliche of sorts—because it’s true. The opportunity for testing new paces, nutrition, sports drinks, socks, racing flats or even a hat ended with your last long run. Stick to what you know and have tried during training so you can contemplate things you can’t control on race day, like the weather.

4. Going Out Too Fast – You can lose much more in the first few miles of a race than you can gain. Most coaches and experienced marathoners will tell you: The marathon doesn’t become a race until the final 10K. In order to reach the final 6.2 miles with enough juice in your legs to race toward the finish, you need to relax and settle into a rhythm for the first 20 miles. This is the key to a negative split (running faster over the second half than the first).

5. Placing Too Much Emphasis On Time – Aim to run your best on race day. The time on the finish clock doesn’t define you. “Runners can set themselves up for emotional failure by pinning their goals, dreams and marathoning aspirations on finish time,” says coach and author of “Marathoning for Mortals” Jenny Hadfield. “Elite runners race for the strongest performance on the day; time is only an outcome of the race performance. Unless, of course, they’re going for a world record. Mortals tend to do the opposite. They define success based on the finish time. Every marathon is a mystery and each holds a unique set of challenges. The key is to run the marathon you’re in and race for the personal win. Go in with a goal to run your best on the given day and let the clock be the outcome of that performance. Every marathon finish is a gift.”

Sabrina Grotewold is a senior editor for Competitor. Christened the Kitchen MacGyver by her husband, she’s determined to persuade people to eat their veggies.

1. Slow Cadence – Running speed is a result of stride length multiplied by stride frequency. That said, many runners will first attempt to increase stride length, which in turn reduces their stride frequency, which, under optimal conditions should be around 180 foot strikes per minute. The easiest way to count stride frequency is to count your steps for 15 seconds and multiply by 4. If you count 40 steps in 15 seconds of running–meaning your are currently taking 160 foot strikes per minute–gradually make the jump to 180 foot strikes per minute by focusing on increasing your turnover.

Take a few minutes to listen to your feet hit the pavement when you run. The more time your feet spend on the ground, the more energy is required to propel it forward. Focus on increasing your cadence, and in turn, your efficiency.

 2. Heel Striking – Slow cadence often goes hand-in-hand with heel striking for many runners–or, as I like to think of it, your hips are behind your feet.

Imagine this: you cannot push off your foot when it is in front of your hips. Your hips must come over your feet in order to propel you forward.

Arsenault argues that “most people suffer from a poor sense of the relationship between timing of forward movement and foot contact on ground. This results in reaching the foot forward to land and pushing off too far from behind to propel.”

 A lot of attention has been given to the barefoot and minimalist running movement. Arthur Lydiard, one of the most well respected coaches of our time, encouraged minimalist footwear decades ago. Why? To avoid heel striking. One of the advantages of running barefoot or in minimalist shoes is that it will hurt if you strike with your heel.

 3. Lack Of Mobility – As mentioned earlier, stride frequency and stride length are the two components that determine running speed. Mobility trumps all else when it comes to running fast and staying healthy. If you lack complete range of motion anywhere in your lower body, you are going to be more susceptible to injury. A good way to increase running-specific mobility is through Active Isolated Stretching, a method made popular by stretching guru Phil Warton. His techniques are focused on how to lengthen the muscles properly in order to prevent injury and improve performance.

One of the best ways to establish forward momentum is to lean from the ankles. This forward lean will also help you avoid running vertical miles. Keep your head as level as possible, and avoid bouncing up and down as you propel yourself forward.

 4. Unrelaxed Upper Body – One of the most difficult things to teach a runner, beginner or experienced, is how to run fast AND relaxed. A good way to do this is by using the example of a world-class sprinter. If you slow the footage down, you will see how relaxed his or her jaw is, how effortlessly their knees drive up toward and through the hips, and how the shoulders are relaxed and hanging away from the ears.

 Here are a few tips to ensure that your upper body is relaxed and you are carrying your arms properly.

* Keep the angle of your elbows at 90 degrees, and be sure not to release that angle in the back swing, as it will only waste precious energy.

* Raise your shoulders to your ears at each mile marker during a race, and then drop them back down into their ideal, relaxed position.

* Perform the “Hands on Head” drill. Start by interlocking your hands on your head. Focus on keeping your core solid and straight while keeping the hips and shoulders level and relaxed. Start jogging. This drill will help you to eliminate any left to right movement through the hips and help eliminate a criss-crossing, side-to-side arm carriage.

 5. Not Running Fast – Univ. of CO. Cross country and track coach Mark Wetmore, who said: “Distance doesn’t kill speed, not doing speed kills speed.”

So what’s the easiest and most effective way to work on your speed? Start by performing a few strides after your easy runs, or add a session of weekly hill sprints into your schedule. It’s hard to run fast, especially uphill, with inefficient form. From there, start sprinkling some small doses of speedwork into your training schedule, which will help fine-tune your form, while improving speed and efficiency.

 Tim Bailey, a sub-4-minute miler from Great Britain, once said it shocked him that people never learn how to run despite most sports having a foundation that is primarily running-based. Arsenault also mentioned that the biggest mistake people make is “not taking lessons to learn or improve running technique.”

Brandon Laan is a runner, coach, and entrepreneur. He is the co-owner of RunnersFeed.com and Race Director for Rock The Road 10K. He is a Level II Certified USATF coach and holds personal bests of 1:06 and 2:21 in the half marathon and marathon, respectively. He also enjoys running to eat, not eating to run…and always will.

Fear #1: I can’t run that far.  If you are a healthy and somewhat experienced runner with the desire to run a half marathon, then you already have what you need. Goals are powerful tools for the mind, and your positive state of mind will be a huge part of your running success. Thirteen miles may seem like a big number right now, but as you cover longer distances in your training, you’ll start to see that number shrink. Remember when you thought three miles was far?

Fear #2: I’ll have no time to train.  Everybody is busy…job, spouse, housework, bills, kids, social life and the list goes on. But there’s still time to train for a half marathon. Just make it happen. Get up an hour earlier a couple times a week, make Sunday night’s dinner big enough for leftovers, get off Facebook, or DVR your favorite show. When you miss a workout or two, don’t sweat it – it’s not the end of the world. Get back on track and refocus your efforts.

Fear #3: I’ll finish last.  Try not to forget that this is only your first half marathon, and you shouldn’t worry about how fast you’ll run it. Your goal today should be to run 13.1 miles, get yourself across the finish line, and no more. You can worry about speed next time. Besides, no matter how long it takes you, you’re going to set both a distance and a time PR that day.

Fear #4: I’ll get injured.  Yes, you might. But this sometimes happens to runners. If you’re smart though, it probably won’t. You can increase your chances of staying healthy if you eat balanced meals, stay hydrated, do some cross-training and always listen to your body.   Follow the training plan as much as you can, but if you feel fatigued or overly sore on a run day, make it an easy run. Lower the mileage or skip it altogether. Take time off when you need it. And if you have the luxury of extra time, start your training plan a few weeks early to give yourself some wiggle room for those inevitable off-days.

Fear #5: My training isn’t good enough.  It’s a good idea to follow a training plan designed by a knowledgeable, experienced and professional licensed coach.  A Coach will take out the training guesswork, provide feedback, accountability and training consistency.  The most important part of a half marathon training plan is the long run. A good plan will steadily add mileage to your long runs, but also step you back to lower mileage to avoid overtraining. Many half marathon plans also incorporate cross-training,  hill workouts and speed training, making you a more well-rounded runner.

Besides training plans, be smart and train for the race you’re running. Run course-specific. If it’s a trail race, try to do most of your long runs on trails. If the course is hilly, make sure you train your legs to handle hills. By the time you reach the end of your training plan on race day, you’ll be prepared to cross the finish line.

Don’t over think it. Stop letting fear get to you. Just get out there and have fun!

Can I Burn Fat By Running?  I’m trying to lose fat. Should I be running at a certain pace to burn fat while running? Answer: Running is a great way to lose weight and inches, but it’s important to understand the difference between “burning fat” and “losing fat,” as well as what it takes to actually lose weight.

 What It Means to Burn Fat by Running

The body primarily uses carbs and fat as energy to fuel runs. The ratio of carbs and fat changes depending on your speed and intensity. For high-intensity running, such as interval workouts, the body will rely more on carbs for fuel than fat because they’re a quicker source of energy. For long, slower runs, your body starts using fat as an energy source.

 What It Takes to Lose Fat by Running

 When you’re trying to shed pounds, it doesn’t matter what type of fuel you use. Just because you’re using more fat as energy doesn’t mean you’re losing fat or burning more calories. In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you’re taking in, simple as that. With running, as with other forms of exercise, the harder you work, the more calories you’ll burn.

 How to Burn More Calories Running

To burn more calories when running, you need to run at a higher intensity. High-intensity running is running at about 80-90% of your maximum heart rate. You’re not doing an all-out sprint, but you definitely shouldn’t be able to carry on a conversation.

 While you’ll burn more calories during high-intensity runs, it’s important that you don’t do all your runs at a high intensity. Some of your runs should be easy runs so that you protect yourself from overuse injuries and give your body a chance to recover and rebuild itself to get stronger. It’s also good to vary the intensity of your runs so that you don’t get burned out or bored with your routine.

 If you’ve been running several days a week for at least a few months and you’ve built up a good running base, it’s safe to introduce one or two high-intensity runs into your weekly workout.  After a good proper warm up of (40 min. ez run or 2 mile ez run), try doing a 20-minute run at approx. 80-90% effort. Or, do an interval workout, where you alternate between running at a fast pace for short intervals.  Example: Run hard 1-3 min.; then recover at an easy pace for 1-2 minutes. Try doing 10 hard and easy intervals. As you become more fit, you can increase the time of your intervals or do more repetitions.