Tag: Running
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The rebound effect
There’s something powerful in the post-injury experience. In the immediacy of the weeks and months following an injury. You’re still weary. You’re still hot dogging every downhill, expecting for every step to hurt. But over time, when you learn those steps no longer hurt like they used to, you gain confidence. Over time, you realize…
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How I dress to impress myself & the coyotes on the trails
Running in something snazzy and looking fly, will help you legitimately fly. These days, there are so many accessories that trail runners can customize to handle long days on the trails, and look good in the process. After all, fashion is one of the three most important things when it comes to trail running. Here…
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Quebec Mega Trail 50K Recap – We all fall down
QMT 50K this year was a rough one. Raining all morning – the course was as slippery as can be, especially in the already incredibly difficult Mestachibo.
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How to train for a mountain race without any mountains
I don’t have any mountains. I move mountains. But I don’t have any to train on. Often times, I feel like I want to escape. To train in the mountains so that I can match the mountain goats stride for stride. But in reality, you can train for mountainous terrain without mountains.
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Why it’s okay for your vision to evolve from initial intentions
Whenever creating content, it needs to be intrinsically motivating far more than extrinsically. Dedication and hard work can only get you so far. If you’re not enjoying the process, it’s far easier to quit, and leave that path behind in the pursuit of other passions. Other things that actually bring you joy.
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The Bad Thing 50K – Race Recap – Racing Smarter, Not Harder
I almost quit running altogether. From 2009 to 2018, I did well in school. But I struggled to be smart when it came to running. After hitting the final straw with a torn hamstring in 2018, I took four years to fall back in love with the sport. Normally love like this would be doomed…
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Merging repetition & race-practice together
There’s often a conflict between the old-school coaches who design “drills” focused on repetition, and the new-school coaches who provide actual education toward what players will encounter in a game. But in reality, the two can easily be merged together. You see, game-realistic activities around a specific session topic naturally allow for repetition toward the…
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Visualization and race-specific training
I’ve always had a wild imagination. Growing up, I’d play hockey and soccer in my basement for hours on end. Every single time, I’d visualize being the best in the world. I’d break all the records, score the wildest of goals, and mesmerize the commentators every time. When I quit hockey at age 12 and…
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My theory on race stimulation: 2x race practices
For every short distance run I’ve done over the years, I’ve always held onto a critical rule of thumb. Sometime in training, usually with three and then two weeks to go until race day, I practice my race distance at tempo pace. The point of these runs is not to actually test the intended race…
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Busting the 10% rule in endurance sports
It’s long been hypothesized that athletes like runners should increase their training volume by no more than 10% a week. This is generally considered to be one of the golden rules to injury prevention. But as I’ve constantly revised my own return from injury training plan, and religiously studied the training of elite athletes on…
Rhys Desmond 