No running today but I did spend the entire day at the Boulder Running Clinic hosted by Jay Johnson. Really valuable presentations but, as always, I learned a lot more at the post seminar social. It's amazing how many top coaches go to this sort of thing. Coincidence? For those of you who don't know, Jay Johnson is one of the most valuable resources in this sport. Jay was an above average high school runner who walked on at the University of Colorado and became part of its' first NCAA championship in cross country. In baseball there's an old adage that great players rarely make great managers. The great managers usually turn out to be the guys who topped out at AAA or managed a few years in the majors as a utility infielder. These are the guys who had to work hard to maximize every shred of their ability and so they mastered the nuances of the game. When it comes to managing and coaching, these guys have the edge over guys that the game came a little easier to. I think of Jay as this kind of guy in running. Jay runs a series of camps for high school runners, coaches, and adults who's focus is road racing and marathons. I recommend checking it out. Some take-aways 1. Ice baths - no evidence that they do anything and they might be harmful 2. Chocolate milk after workouts has real, measurable benefits both for short-term recovery and long-term adaptations 3. Static stretching is NOT bad. The studies that claim it is are BS. 4. 20 mile runs are critical for marathoners no matter what the Hanson's say. 5. If periodization isn't dead, it is definitely dying. Every relevant performance quality must be worked year around. 6. You must challenge the nervous system during the entire year. 7. Cross county and track and field distance training should be the same. 8. General strength and mobility training should not be viewed as an afterthought, but as an essential part of most workout sessions. Tomorrow morning I'm heading up to Magnolia Road for a 14.5 mile run.
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