Coach's Blog

New PROGRAM, ONE STEP AT A TIME

2008-09-17T07:49:00.001-07:00

Urban Athletics and Run Urban are proud to present a new program!

Please check out our training page to read up on all the information for our brand new program!

2008-08-31T14:52:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from Haruki Murakami's "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running"

Every time I visit New York to run the marathon (this will be the fourth time) I remember the beautiful, smart ballad by Vernon duke, "Autumn in New York." It's autumn in New York. Its good to live it again.

New York in November really does have a special charm to it. The air is clear and crisp, and the leaves on the trees in Central Park are just beginning to turn golden. The sky is so clear you can see forever, and the skyscrapers lavishly reflect the sun's rays. You feel you can keep on walking one block after another without end. Expensive cashmere coats fill the windows at Bergdorf Goodman, and the streets are filled with the delicious smell of roasted pretzels.

On the day of the race, as I run those very streets, will I be able to fully enjoy autumn in New York? Or will I be too preoccupied? I won't know until I actually start running. If there's one hard and fast rule about marathons, it's that.

Interview With Cara Goucher

2008-08-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

2008-08-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

Linsday lent me Murakami's most recent book, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. Good read for anyone who is a running enthusiast.

Excerpt:

I've shed a few pounds, too, and my face looks more toned. It's a nice feeling to see your body going through these changes, though they certainly don't happens as quickly as when I was young. Changes that used to take a month and a half now take three. The amount I can exercise is going downhill, as is the efficiency of the whole process, but what're you going to do? I just have to accept it, and make do with what I can get. one of the realities of life. Plus, I don't think we should judge the value of our lives by how efficient they are. The gym where I work out in Tokyo has a poster that says, "Muscles are hard to get and easy to lose. Fat is easy to get and hard to lose." A painful reality, but a reality all the same.

TEAM CHAMPS

2008-08-25T10:08:00.001-07:00

Here are few pics provided by Shawn from Team CHAMPS

Philosophy of a Back Ache

2008-08-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

At this very moment I am sitting in the park, under the clear blue sky, observing people pass by; dog walkers, tourists, speed walkers, joggers, runners of all shapes and sizes. And I am not surprised to say that most, if not all, of the faces of the runners show vexation.

I woke up today with a tightening pain in my lower back. I know why. In a nano second my body and my mind had a brief and heinous conversation about the speed workout I did the day prior and its direct correlation to my back pain. My mind made a fastidious rejoinder during the workout, in the depths of oxygen debt, it questioned my intentions for putting my body through such torture. I hobbled to the shower where I took a few minutes to ponder my condition
We have all heard the saying or read on a tee shirt,

Pain is weakness leaving the body. My response to the wit of the true optimist who created that banal statement, “I don't think it's leaving, it seems to be here to stay.”

Let's take a step back and talk for a minute about what this article is really about; life. I know what you are saying, here we go, philosophysing about running pains and how it can be used as an apt metaphor for life. And yes you would be right, partially. The question I would really like to pose is what would life be like without pain? Would the rewards from running be as copious?

Is not part of the fun, testing the limits? If you subtract pain out of the equation there is no other variable to set limits, in a sense it would be a free range, we would be inexhaustible, without transcience, and perhaps devalued...what does it mean if we could all jog 20 miles without the slightest discomfort? (it would do a lot to solve gas prices though). This is why we have superheroes. We can't all be Hancock and live reside outside the laws if the universe.

Now a step forward into actuallity, as the laws of the universe go, pain exists and manifests a very real existence-, humans and their vessels have limits and are made to suffer. But how much? How much can we take? The human body is an amazing piece of work, a real force of fortitude. Our bodies can take a beating. Need an example, just imagine the compulsive ultra runners who do runs of 100 plus or the worlds strongmen who move semi trucks. Let me proceed to the next linked postulation: mathematically, would that force and our bodies dilligence to work within its' limits be less if the factor of pain were negated. The answer is yes and here is why,

Returning from the brutal workout the other day I asked myself why I did such a terrible thing to my body? Because I knew it would make me better? In a sense yes, the answer though, lies somewhere even more subterranean. I am addicted to suffering. Lance Armstrong would taunt his competitors by telling them via the press that he enjoyed to suffer. Lance is one of the worlds finest athletes, and being Americans we only take our advice from the best ('be like mike' need I say more?). To be an elite does not lie solely in good genes but also in the capacity to cherish and almost revel in pain and suffering. I know that may strike you as Quixotic; the habits and thinking of someone who is unhinged and a bit demented, but it speaks to the vital principal at hand. With that in mind do you know why lance rode 6 hours plus in the off season in all sorts of sordid conditions? Because with great pain comes great rewards.

Here comes the philosophy like clothes down the hamper shoot-- life is dualism, pain and suffering balance out pleasure and joy. In order to feel deeper joys we often times need to experience more severe grief. Take a side note from Ishmael in Moby Dick,

The more so, I say, because truly to enjoy bodily warmth, some small part of you must be cold, for there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself. If you flatter yourself that you are all over comfortable, and have been so for a long time, then you cannot be said to be comfortable anymore.

The crux is in the contrast, pleasure only exists because pain exists.

Our existence and survival is primaly in relations with us going, “ouch”, “ooof”, “ooohhh”, “shhh”, that hurts. Without our nerves we would not know when we were burning ourselves. Physiologically speaking, it would be plausible then to run until our legs fell off if they never got tired, heavy and leaden with lactic acid. Wouldn't that be a sight? Limbs falling off left and right at the Olympic Games.

Before I dispatch from the park (the blue sky has turned to dark grey) let me leave you with this thought: you spend hours upon hours adjusting your body to discomfort and suffering just for a few moments of utter elation. The causticity being that you prefer the moments after the suffering because, and only because, the suffering gives the final accomplishment value. Life without painful achievement is a shallow valueless life. Because after all pain is an addiction. Need I say, go out there and get your fix.
No pain no gain.
Corsair

Do I Smell A Scandle???

2008-07-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

So here I am, tapping hopelessly at my computer. For the last 30 minutes of eternity I have been excruciatingly lettering together a novel about running. In a moment of clairvoyance I imagine it to be the lone standing quintessential work on running. A story that mimicks Gabe Jennings spectacular stunts (qualifying for olympics while at Stanford, riding 10 speed bike down South America, you name it.), a work so postmodern and witty that people that have absolutely no sentiment towards running will buy it at full price. I am only doing it now because I have intended to do it for the past year and just haven't found the time nor stamina to accomplish it. Also, Haruki Murakami is publishing a book in the next coming weeks titled, "What I think about when I think about running" so that gives me 23 days to finish my prodigious work and ride his coat tails.

But in all honestly, writing a novel, let alone a short story, is tougher then raw hide left out in the rain. I mean, it isn't blogging. If writing a story is racing then blogging is just the first couple minutes of the warm up. I like to think I am the first to admit when I am being dillusional. "Jeremy you are being dillusional." Thanks to whoever just said that. I understand that as you read my opening comments you were pegging this as me staring deeply into the pools of narcissism but really it has a point of benefit to you, the reader. I think.

Without the breadth of research, the background, the history written on little yellow sticky pads, there is little content to write about. I have plenty of history but none of it is formed into nicely lined notes; it is jumbled in my head and it pops out as sporadically as a garden sprinkler. I remind myself of the NBC Track and Field commentators, sitting in a shallow puddle of running history and having to make terse remarks and judgment calls on something I obviously know little about. I guess this is the conjunction I am getting at that may be of use to you. I didn't know it at the time but I was rather upset at NBC's ill coverage of the Trials. I mean, yes there were moments I could pinpoint my frustation--as in stopping talking about Adam Goucher when he is in 8th place the entire race and not even close to qualifying, please oh please just mention once the other 5 guys way in front of him that I do not know.

Just how cheaply crafted NBC's narration was dawned on me when watching the Tour de France. Negate the doping scandal and you have a great sporting spectacle to watch from your couch. Even as a novice I was able to revel in the strategy and the changing of the yellow jersey and the tragic crashes. But only because the announcers are so danm good. They know it all and they keep you on the edge of your seat, spinning the prestigious sports tales, the entire 2 1/2 hours every day for 3 weeks. You can tell that they love and breathe cycling. Also the camera angles are from all sorts of interesing vantage points. The channel that hosts the tour is a little channel named Versus and they do such a great job that I pray someday they cover track and field. I am sick and tired of the announcers and the inhibited camera work. People outside of the circle think Track is a bore, and I can tell you where they get such an idea. (To be fair to NBC, ESPN, a sports network does not possess any more editorial ilk then NBC.)

I feel like all blogs should have a point to them, a moral, what have you. So here it goes--maybe if we continue to sell track in a creative way, illuminating its purity and grit, in all mediums such as letsrun.com and flocast.com and literature and so forth and so on, then someday a little guy like Versus will become the big guy and champion track and field as a contender all four years around...not just when the Olympics come by to claim it. We can only hope. Because when watching the most inspiring moments of track and field I can only wish that non trackophiles can grasp a breath of why my mouth gapes in amazement.

Back to my NBC quality short story. If you keep running then I will keep writing.

NYC 1/2

2008-07-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all of the UATH team members who completed the NYC Half Marathon. Some very impressive results, take a LOOK

Galapagos

2008-07-15T12:13:00.001-07:00

The book , "Stumbling on Happiness" makes the hypothesis that our happiness is built upon how we visualize our future and the author comes to the conclusion that we can best foretell the future by asking other people about their experiences and learning from them.

"The irony, of course, is that surrogation is a cheap and effective way to predict one's future emotions, but because we don't realize just how similar we all are, we reject this reliable method and rely instead on our imaginations, as flawed and fallible as they may be."

To me, the funny thing is, that in this Galapagos of NYC and even the Upper East Side there is a wealth of people and knowledge to learn from each other and yet we don't tap into that as much as we should. As runners, we can learn a lot from the coaches and athletes that have been at this game a while. I guess that seems like common knowledge but I do think that often times we bury ourselves in books or google searches instead of asking those surrounding us in the park. Hearing from a fellow runner that it is okay to miss your goal time by one minute because they did it and their life went on. There is something about shared human experience that allows us happiness. And I am not talking about that in terms of some hippy commune, I mean in more every day occurance type ways.

Perhaps this is why RunUrban has been so successful. IF the Galapagos is survival of the fittest we are pretty fit only because we have taken it upon ourselves to be educated by surrogates who could help us foretell what 6 months of proper training could do for a marathoner instead of relying on our imaginations...although our imaginations are a pretty strong secondary machine when we need to fabricate an innovative workout.
I hope this post has helped someone. I will leave you with this-

"As It turns out, the benefits of practice and coaching are not limited to any particular skill. In fact, practice and coaching are the two means by which we learn just about everything we know. Firsthand knowledge and secondhand knowledge are the only two kinds of knowledge there are, and no matter what task we master that mastery is always a product of direct experience."

Run Urban 10 Week Reset

2008-07-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

It is about that time, we are wrapping up another successful Speed & Form 10 week session. But do not fret because July 7th is a day of new beginnings, a new and fresh 10 week session abounds. Not certain about joining? I will let the numbers do the talking. Posted on the blog you will find a few of Run Urban's athlete's vast improvements in their mile time trials between the winter and spring sessions--take a look:

Mason- Winter: 6:24 Spring: 5:42,
Norbert- Winter: 6:46 Spring: 6:29
Rina- Winter: 7:43 Spring: 7:11
Robin- Winter: 7:12 Spring: 6:43

And we are looking forward to seeing the leaps and bounds made by our athletes in this new session. For those of you that want to take your training to the next level for a fall marathon then the Marathon training program is for you. There are 4 months left in the program and it is a good time to join! Our USAT&F certified coaches have had a lot of coaching success with the Marathon program, it is above par any other program in the city.

Pricing
Marathon Program: $1,000 or 2 payments of $500.
Speed and Form- $175 for 1 night and $225 for 2 nights a week. (FYI: 2 nights is really the best way to train and is needed to meet your optimum performance)

Also, don't forget that this Thursday, July 10th Cara and her nutrition team are going to be educating us on "Running Nutrition" at the uptown store at 7pm. All are invited. Lastly, feel free to join us on Sunday's at 8am for the the Run Urban long run...who knows, you just might win a pair of shoes!!!

Still not sure about joining? If you haven't trained with us before and you would like to try it out then come try a session for free. We promise that you will love it.
Any questions? Email info@urbanathleticsnyc.com

U.S. Olympic Trials---Eugene OR.

2008-07-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

After spending a day learning coaching tips from coach Dwayne Miller his athlete Lashawn Merrit dethroned Jeremy Wariner of the 400M title. It was a special event and a highlight of the trip to witness such an amazing race!

Hanging at the Hilton

2008-07-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

"Room Service," she said in an unknown accent while banging harshly on the door to our room. I rolled over, the clock read 7:15 am and Todd was still fast asleep across the way. I trudged to the door, "No thanks, gracias," I said and headed back to bed. Minutes later we both were geared up, riding in the Hilton elevator and recapping our previous days entrapments. The elevator stopped on the 2nd floor and in walks Jeremy Wariner, all 6 ft 3 of him.
We had mapped out a run that was fixed to stop at the Oregon University campus for some pictures for this very blog, and then on to the Pre Trail (trail named after the Eugene legend Prefontaine) where we presuppositioned we would see some stars.
"What did you think about Dwaynes ( coach of LaShawn Merrit, a olympic hopeful and promising athlete in the 400m) take on breaking the race down as a coach and focusing on the details?" asked Todd.
"I thought that was interesting but it is hard to do that with road races, I mean we aren't coaching people on a track where we can see there every movement."
We took pictures and moved on, "I think this direction is right." We continued our conversation recapping what we had learned the previous day at the USAT&F Coach Podium Summit. We got so engrossed in the conversation that we soon were lost...and we didn't know it. Luckily the locals were nice enough to give us directions when we finally realized our mistake in navigation.
"I really want to see the 800m race on youtube. All the papers were mentioning how it was one of the best finishes ever." I said.
"Yea, we should check it out online when we get back to the hotel," Todd replied. ""Hopefully on Thursday the races are as promising."
I said, "Yea, I'm glad we were able to snag tickets for at least one day."
We ended up climbing a long and steep hill where once at the top a young fawn leapt in front of us on the road. The park was gorgeous and it offered a view of the University of Oregon campus and its magnificent and redone track. The evening prior Todd and I had ventured to the track where they were holding children's races.
"That track was so cushy right?" I asked
"Man, that thing is amazing. Just being able to step onto it made this whole trip worthwhile. A real work of art." Todd said. "Hey, what does that sign mean? Pre's Rock."
"Oh, that is the memorial where Prefontaine crashed his car and passed away."
We took a few pictures of the vigial and then headed down the hill.
We were still lost by the way. At the bottom of the hill we stood hungry and tired next to a little coffee bodega mapping our next move when a runner quickly zipped by us. We both looked at each other, "That was Meb Keflezgi," we said in unison. We followed the professional runner through a tunnel and over a bridge. I bet Todd to challenge him to a short race. Meb dissappeared around a corner and we realized we have finally made out destination, Pre's Trail. I will save you the details but during our run we experienced a runner's geek opendium. We ran by Diego, from the UofO NCAA winning XC team, then we passed Ryan Hall who was peddling along the path with a buddy, and then we witnessed Meb again. The trail was a beautifully groomed sawdust path that led you in a 1.66 mile loop by a stream and through some peaceful woods; a far cry from the prefabrication of the Reservoir. It felt so silly being so excited just to see so many professional athletes but it is an experience I wouldn't trade for most denominations of money.
With thirst creeping up on our heels we finished up the trail and bolted back to the hotel.
"It was really interesting to hear the coaches yesterday talk about their backgrounds. It seems like there are so many ways to become a coach. No one set path, ya know," Todd said.
"That was nice to hear, I mean, it seems all of them had their own path they took to become successful- to have athletes at this level," I said.
"Totally, and the tenure that some of the coaches possess was impressive," Todd said.
"Right, and it seemed like once they got one great athlete, if they did well with them, then others flocked to be coached by them. But the sticking point seemed to be getting that one athlete," I said.
"That is the way the business works," Todd said.
We entered the hotel through the back door with sweat on our brows with a stench iminating from our pores.
"Is that Abdi," I asked.
Sure enough, Todd and I rode the elevator to the 4th floor with Abdi. This was no longer a dream, but it was slowly fixing itself, coming into focus as actuality- a happy reality. We were at the Olympic trials brushing elbows (or riding elevators) with the worlds best athletes in the sport we love so much. Can it get any better then this? Stay tuned.

Central Park, the nether regions

2008-06-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

Very cool article in the NY times that has a virtual map that explains great spots to run in Central Park.
click here

Injury Prevention

2008-06-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

Last night, Run Urban invited Dr. Shawn Williams to present our very first Run Urban Education clinic. Sean orated an excellent talk on "Preventing and Dealing with Running Injuries." Afterwards there were plenty of questions from our athletes. Hopefully we all were able to take something away from the session. Below is a copy of Shawn's powerpoint presentation. If anyone wants to add what they thought about the clinic or mention something they learned or even ask Shawn a question then feel free to leave a comment on the blog.

PowerPointPresentation

If you want to set up an appointment:
Dr. Shawn Williams DC, FICPA Chiropractor
212-935-1700

Lagat in NYT

2008-06-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

If you missed the article...it is worth reading (click link below)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/sports/olympics/24lagat.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=lagat&st=nyt&oref=slogin

German Fernandez 1600m 4:00.29

2008-06-20T15:31:00.001-07:00

WOW!

Little Brown Takes Over the Town

2008-06-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

Danny has won the proverbial racing circuit triple crown; thus deeming himself little Brown. By winning the
Harbor Fitness 5K on SUN MAY 31, the YAI 5K on SAT JUNE 5TH @ Central Park and the Sloan Kettering 5K on June 6th at the West Side Highway- he has usurped Big Brown who came up way short in the final race! What is next? Congrats!

Nike Prefontaine Classic 2008 Mens 2 Mile Last Lap

2008-06-10T09:01:00.001-07:00

Check out their closing lap. This is what Brooks Johnson calls "the critical zone". Focusing on the ability to be able to race the last 400m of a race at a very fast intensity in order to compete. It is where races are won and lost and Lagat is a champ in the critical zone, he executes every time. Look forward to witnessing more of this at the Olympic trials and the Olympics.

Mini (Cooper)

2008-06-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

So I saw a mini Cooper last night in this stunning blue color. I had the same reaction I do when I see people with their iphones, "I want one."
The only reason I bring that up is because it has the word "mini" in it and this past weekend the Urban Ladies put together a solid team effort at the Mini, including a little brunch at one of my favorite spots for coffee (La Pain Quotidian). Great Job, it looked like fun, but being a male myself, I was excluded from the fanfair...

ASUDA MAKIKO 43:15
PERKINS MARTHA 43:40
LABINER NANCY 44:34
TAKEICHi AYA 46:55
MARGULIES DENISE 47:29
MCINTYRE KAREN 47:44
KONRAD EVELYN 48:59
RODIN JANIS 49:05
BEROTTI SUSAN 49:14
SMITH JANINE 50:59
BOTT ELISABETH 52:26
YOUNG SHAWN 55:44
ALVAREZ ALICIA 55:51
KAVOULAKIS JESSICA 56:53
SUMMERSON CHRISTINE 58:11

You are so Irresistable

2008-06-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

If reasons were as plentiful as blackberries, I would give no man a reason upon compulsion. -Shakespeare

A day before the Brooklyn Bridges 125th anniversary I found myself pedaling across the bridges wooden slats. When I gazed up at the clock on top of the Watchtower it read- 3:15 am. I was the only person on the bridge. I was in awe in the moment, it seemed like one of those really heartfelt but sacharrin moments in an indie film...cue the theme song please.

The real fun part came when my girlfriend found out what I had done, "What drove you to be so stupid?" (I know guys, you asking why I told her. Good question). She was completely fair in asking, I mean I had asked myself the same thing when I woke up with aching legs and my throat parched. But I figured the answer was simple; I decided at 2:30 that it would be a good idea to hop on my bike and ride across the Brooklyn Bridge. I know it could have been dangerous and something bad could have happened to me but I was acting off of-
An uncontrollable impulse to perform and act, often repetitively, as an unconscious mechanism to avoid unacceptable ideas and desires which, by themselves, arouse anxiety.
It was an act of compulsion and I was focused on the moment as a moment of freedom, not one of anxiety. That is what compulsion provides us as humans. It allows us to suspend our anxiety in order to feel a false sense of short lasting freedom. Just think of all the forms of compulsion we as humans take part in; compulsive eating, drinking, drugs, obsessive compulsive behaviors. All of these things free us for a moment in time. Frees us from what you ask? Some form of torment that has manifested in our every daily life.

I would like to, at this point, show you that endurance sports, such as long distance running, attracts and welcomes impulsive behavior because, to an extent, it rewards compulsive behavior. Don't believe me? I can't tell you how many people, upon impulse, decide to change their regimen days before the marathon. They decide to take GU or take try a new pair of shoes and more often then not they pay the price. These people act impulsively because they are tormented that they are not doing everything right and that they need something "else" to make their marathon perfect.

As an athlete I lied multiple times to my coaches about my mileage because I knew they would disapprove of how much I was doing. Now as a coach I know I will receive the same treatment from my athletes. I know when I tell an athlete to not do their long run after the race they just ran hard or I tell them not to add so much mileage into their program so quickly they nod yes and then go out and impulsively, against their will and mine, do the opposite. And if they are lucky they will not get injured by such behavior or be too over trained that they burn out. Actually some of the best athletes I have known are super compulsive; they run lots of miles, train injured, and they obsess about perfection. The difference is that these athletes at some point learn how to harness their behavior. Most of them actually learned the hard way, they got injured or burnt out and then changed their behavior when they returned.

So riddle me this, if I am out running a lot of hard miles every week because I want to win races. If I am out in Central Park every moment I can get training. If I am so focused that I only run, eat, sleep. What is wrong with that? And I will say nothing, at least no yet. But the moment you get a knee injury and your coach and Dr. tell you to take a little time off and instead of listening you go out and run just as hard then I will question your reasoning. It at that point has become compulsive because remember, compulsion is an impulse that is used as an unconscious mechanism to avoid unacceptable ideas and desires.

A plausible analogy that will stick is the alcoholic. The moment you find yourself at the bar drinking when you know your life, family, and well being is on the line and yet you can't stop yourself from grabbing that drink and experiencing its momentary freedom, then something is wrong. Impulse is a hard thing to fight against because its very definition is that we don't have to rationalize our behavior since we keep it unconscious and in the dark. So then how do we fight it?

First off, be honest. Telling my girlfriend about my compulsive bike ride allowed me to logically hear her input, which in a way, enlightened me on how silly and impulsive my behavior was. Tell your coach the truth, even if you know he will come to a conclusion you don't want to hear or follow. We can't beat compulsive behavior until we deal with the consequences. Which leads me to my second point, prior to acting impulsively, think rationally and logically about what you are doing. If you have a fracture in your foot and you can feel it on mile one of a long run you shouldn't be doing, then listen to the pain, listen to your body. Realize that your body is telling you that the consequence of this pain could be even more enduring pain later on.

So, last night I found myself riding my bike at 2:30 in the morning again. I thought logically about it and realized that there weren't many consequences to my actions. And any consequences I could imagine were outweighed by the freedom I felt riding my bike in the silent and open night air. I plan on not telling my girlfriend this time though (although she will read this) which makes this bonafide compulsive behavior. Maybe at some point this behavior will become unhealthy or dangerous and at that time I will hopefully think logically and rationally, working to dispel my angst in a healthy way rather then acting impulsively. If you try I promise I will too.

Keep Running.

Usain Bolt 100m world record 9.72

2008-06-01T06:37:00.001-07:00

Last night we attended the Reebok Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium. The early rain put a damper on things but the meet was by no means a dissapointment. The best part....new world record. Second best part...after party with primo tequila!!!

Numbers Talk

2008-05-30T09:39:00.001-07:00

As a coach I have a tendency to always be looking forward, thinking of what is to come next. Sometimes it is good to look back though and delve into the results of your labor. When trying to conceive a recent workout I became frustrated and stared at the groups time sheet blankly for what seemed like 5 minutes. What I found came as a surprise; all of our runners who ran a mile time trial with us in the winter ran faster in their most recent mile time trial. RESULTS RESULTS RESULTS. The speed and form work we did with our athletes over the winter really paid off. From a coaches standpoint it made me more confident in our training and coaching philosophy. Here are some of the more outstanding results:

Jessica K
Winter: 7:23 Spring: 7:14

Mason S
Winter: 6:24 Spring: 5:42

Norbert K
Winter: 6:46 Spring: 6:29

Rina K
Winter: 7:43 Spring: 7:11

Robin G
Winter: 7:12 Spring: 6:43

Great job guys.
We also had some stellar performances for individual athletes who took the plunge into spring races. Anthony Crichton- Stewart and Andrea Kent both performed at the Boston Marathon and ran 3:32:47 and 3:34:12 respectively.

After some intense winter training Mason Sung headed to his home state of Oregon and competed in the second annual Eugene Marathon. He ran an impressive 3:31:55 for his debut marathon.

Rina ran the Jersey half marathon in 2:01, just short of her goal of 2:00. She ran a courageous and fast last 4 miles but wasn't able to close the time gap. We know she is capable of running much faster and we are looking forward to posting her times come fall.

Also, Emily Moqutadari (Sp?) came to me the other day and mentioned she had PR'd in the Jersey half. She attributed her success to the speed work she did over the winter with us. She is now training for a fall marathon with TNT and we wish her the best.

Up next: Fall marathon training, come join us Tuesday and Thursday nights- also Sunday mornings long runs, 8am, at the Uptown Urban Athletics.

See you in park.

Recession is an Ugly Word (A post for Monica)

2008-05-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

I was on my way to the bank the other day when a Barron's article on the impending recession came to mind. I had a gloomy feeling that was not only sticking to my mind but was sucking it of cerebral strength. The word "recession" has such negative connotations, think about it: Receding hairline, Receding a promise, Receding the lawn. Ok, maybe not the last one but you get the point. A recession basically means options are diminishing. Sad right? I mean, we are Americans and we love having our countless options, 42 flavors of ice cream, 67,000 different options at Starbucks, 100 different shoes to choose from at Urban Athletics.

I am the first to admit that I have a bit of a post modern mind; so I thought about what a recession in running would look like. Is it something we should worry about? And I don't mean recession as in, we had the big running boom in the 80's and now less and less people are taking up the sport (although that may be an interesting piece also). I am posing the question: If there is such thing as an absolute dollar but its value fluctuates is there such thing as an absolute comparative in running? For instance, if 1 dollar is always 1 dollar then 1 mile is always 1 mile. But the value of the dollar is effected by the state of the economy. What does this mean for the mile?

What I realized is that there is a value in workouts that most athletes don't notice. I don't want to say that "Running Economy" is definitively the correct term but I am going to use it and explain it here.
Running economy- There is a value in your form, value in your fitness, and a value in how you perform your workouts as a runner. I only know this because I have studied it as a coach, in recession terms you can think of me as your broker who is going to save you lots of money and hardship.

When most coaches say running economy they mean 'form'. This is partially true, the formula being that the proper form means the least amount of body exertion getting the most forward output or motion. At Urban we see this as a proper forefoot strike, arms fluid and moving almost mechanically back and forth, and correct slightly leaned posture. We have all seen the person hobbling around the park with horrific form and could automatically tell they were wasting lots of energy. It is important to learn proper form because every step in a race counts and if you are running a marathon that is lots of steps.

But you can't take those steps and hold proper form unless your body is fit. You ever watch the olympics with Michael Johnson demolishing the competition in the 400? If so, you witnessed him take every step just as strong as the last while his competitors lost posture and seemed to flail towards the finish line. You need long runs and some core strengthening exercise in order to strengthen your economy and hold form.

And lastly, the one that most people don't realize, is workout performance. If you go out and run a mile as fast as you can right now you would be getting a good workout but if you went out and ran it slower it could be just as beneficial to you. Why? Because of training specificity. If you are training for a marathon it is important that you get interval training in. With intervals you are testing your Vo2max and strengthening your lungs. But it is just as important to get your long runs in also so your body adjusts to running the distance you are going to be racing. So essentially, to do your best, you need both speed and long runs. (You also need Tempo runs but we will save that for another day)

At Urban we understand the necessity for specificity and that is why we have speed and form classes and a marathon training program. Your running value can only go up training with us. Are you one of those people who train by only doing long miles but never get in any speed work? Just ask some of our current athletes and they will dispel such a regimen because they did that but have now seen the light, so to speak. So if you feel like you are in a running recession (your options are diminishing, you can only put so many longs runs together in a week and your times aren't improving) and you don't expect the government to fix the issue then come see us at Urban and we will help you raise the value of your dollar.

Sold on Failure

2008-04-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

As a certified running coach I highly promote failure. I'm sure you did a double take when reading that line, am I right? I am not talking about failure in the sense of, "we all learn from failing." I am meaning failure as in, "run until you feel like you can't anymore."
I, as well as the rest of the RunUrban coaches are proponets of interval training. We have seen major results from this type of workout even in the beginner athlete. Not only does speedwork done in the form of intervals test your VO2max (your lungs) it reminds you that you have another gear. This is the type of thing we do with our two day a week Speed & Form sessions. For example, we may ask our athletes to due 12 400's w/ a rest of 1:15 to 1:30 at a pace we figured out from a time trial. When done correctly this type of workout feels easy for the first 3-5 but on the 6th one you usually feel the lactic acid burn in your body and a shortness of breath.
How many of us have seen marathoners who train only with long mileage all the time? Any given day they can go for 10 miles at an 8 minute pace and then another day step on the track for a one mile race but still only run 8 minute pace. Not that 8 minute pace is bad. But not being able to break that barrier and run a faster pace is not good for further development.
When Todd and I were at the USAT&F Olympic Track & Field coaching summit a few months back, a well known and credible coach who has trained multiple olympians was quoted as saying, "We recently realized that we were being beaten by the rest of the field because we were trainer runners and not athletes." Meaning, that the coach realized that they were teaching them to run but not be athletic. Athletic being agile, strong, quick on the toes. Plyometrics is a good place to start to build a well rounded athlete. But when asked by a fellow coach what is the fastest and best way to train someone to become a well rounded athlete he replied, "speed and form training, being able to not only run the miles but being able to run repeat 400's at a fast clip. In the international field our athletes have been keeping up with the rest of the world for most of the race but then we get dusted in the final laps. The Kenyans and Ethiopians are able to pull off a sub 55 bell lap in the longer races. We can't compete if our athletes cannot perform at high speeds in the big races." He then went on to play video of Bernard Lagat winning the 1500 M at the World Championships. He pounded into our brains how fast Lagat ran his last 300 of that race and how the race was won in milliseconds.
Now, I know most of us are not looking into being future Olympians but it has been proven that speed work keeps you sharp and makes you a better athlete, and thus a better runner. That is why at Urban we tout speedwork that pushes you to your limits, and towards failure. Along with speed we also critique running form because there is such thing as proper form. There is a science to it; having the proper form means you are getting the most distance out of your energy through fluid forward movement. This all may sound a little eccentric or grossly difficult but it really isn't and it can be a lot of fun. As coaches, during this last ten week Speed and Form session we have taken a lot of enjoyment out of seeing our athletes improve in leaps and bounds by supplementing their weekly routines with intervals and tempo runs. Mason, one of our athletes, recently mentioned how he is running his long runs a little faster without noticing right away because it felt easier. Don't believe me? Come give it a try.
We also have a marathon program starting on May 1st which is worth its weight in gold. You will get advice from top coaches like I have just provided plus access to that coach via email and the two speed session a week. So if you are looking to qualify for Boston or just to complete your first marathon come and join us. You won't be disappointed.

Speed & Form Training

2008-02-21T15:30:00.000-08:00

Todays is the last day of our first 10 week speed & form session. Next Tuesday is the start of the next 10 week session. Most people from the last group are continuing over and training is going well for all. WE are most excited for the weather to start to clear up and spring to usher us into the marathon season. If you are interested in our second session of speed & form then please give us a call or email us at info@urbanathleticsnyc.com. See everyone out there.