Mojo For Running

Boston. That word inspires emotion in every runner, as it does with me. I’ve always been a word person, which is just part of the reason I was an English teacher for 15 years. I think about words. Those six letters move me. They have for years but much more, now. Six letters that, to me, carry a level of emotion just below the word, family, and that is saying a lot. Whether you’ve only watched the race on TV, been one of the thousands lining the race course on marathon race day, or you’re working toward a BQ right now, the word has the power of few others. I hope you enjoy this podcast about my Boston Marathon race a couple of months ago, the first time I have ever qualified to run it. Whether you ever get to do that race or not, I highly recommend you travel to Boston and do one of the many races there that you can get into every year. I took my Run Tampa group to Boston to do the Boston Run to Remember Half and 5 mile in May of 2018, a fantastic trip. The course is different, but we went out and ran the l

If you just do one exercise for your core, this should be it. Planks have many benefits for runners. In this episode, I explain the various ways of modifying the standard plank for even more benefit.  Adding this exercise to your cross training, will, I guarantee, impact your running performance and go a long way toward preventing injuries.  With publication of this episode, I’m launching a Plank Challenge. Instructions in the podcast. I hope you’ll participate. It starts on Sunday, May 26th. Become a Patron! The post MFR 136: Three Reasons to do a Plank Every Day appeared first on Mojo for Running.

I know very few runners not focused on getting better, improving their running performance, scoring PR’s, but sometimes there are ways to improve, even quite basic ways, that never become common knowledge to non-elite runners, certainly not common knowledge to people who aren’t working with a coach. One of the most basic concepts is periodization, which means, in case you didn’t listen to Episode 134, the period of training, usually several months, leading up to your goal race, and that period of time is broken into three segments or microcycles. In this episode I explain what those three segments should look like and why. Become a Patron! The post MFR 135: How to Crush Your Goal Race With Microcycles appeared first on Mojo for Running.

Most runners run because they know it keeps them fit and because it’s a great hobby. For some, it’s mainly the camaraderie. Others are attracted by the endorphin rush, but virtually all runners also want to get faster.  Is that you? Even if you only do the occasional race, you may want to keep improving, […] The post MFR 134: How to Optimize Performance with Periodization appeared first on Mojo for Running.

The topic of Episode #132 was dreadful runs. This is a followup that, I hope, will always help you put those runs in perspective. But more than that, it shows you what can happen later in your running career. No matter where you are, now, in your running journey. You can still set lofty running […] The post MFR 133: From Brutal to Boston appeared first on Mojo for Running.

If you have never had a bad run, then you haven’t been running long.  Truth. Every runner of every level has bad runs now and then. Now if you have them often, that is, of course, a problem, but as a rule, if you haven’t had a lousy run in a while, I’d say you […] The post MFR 132: Explaining Dreadful Runs appeared first on Mojo for Running.

One of the things I appreciate most about running is that it’s such a simple sport. You can do it anywhere, and the only equipment you need is a pair of shoes.  That said, everybody loves running gear and most of the runners I know love gadgets as well. So, since it’s the holiday season, […] The post MFR 131: Gifts for Runners appeared first on Mojo for Running.

Of the 52 weeks in every year, most runners find the ones between Thanksgiving and New Year’s to be the most challenging from a running perspective. There are just too many things competing for your precious time. I get that. In this episode, I help you with putting it in perspective and managing to do […] The post MFR 130: Running Through the Holidays appeared first on Mojo for Running.

Not all electrolyte replacement products are the same, not even close.  Jen has been running a while, but she hasn’t ever trained for marathons. Now, she’s often running for two hours, and she’s finding that she really starts to feel fatigued. She assumes it’s that she’s not eating correctly or that her training hasn’t been […] The post MFR 129: Electrolytes Part 2 appeared first on Mojo for Running.

Have you ever had a dreadful race but were unable to put your finger on the cause? Of course, there could be many causes, but one of the first places to look is at your electrolyte replacement regimen. What? You don’t have an electrolyte plan? Well, that’s okay if you’re not running farther than 90 […] The post MFR 128: Electrolytes appeared first on Mojo for Running.

Have you ever been in the predicament of not knowing how to compensate for a day when you ended up missing the training on your schedule? Have you ever planned our own training schedule but wondered if the way you were doing it was optimal? Whether a new runner or a runner with years of […] The post MFR 127: Training Fundamentals appeared first on Mojo for Running.

Yes, I’m back. I know, you probably thought you’d never hear another episode, but surprise, I’ve just finished three, and I have plans for at least another nine. After the main topic of this podcast, the documentary film I helped to make, I’ll explain more about the future of this podcast. It’s in your hands. […] The post MFR 126: Running Documentary The Human Race and Much More appeared first on Mojo for Running.

At any given time, a percentage of runners will be suffering from a not so uncommon running malady, loss of their running mojo, the state of being without motivation, of feeling more like sitting than running. This is serious but not uncommon. I’ll tell you this:  As a longtime coach, I’ve seen this many times. […] The post MFR 125: When You Lose Your Mojo appeared first on Mojo for Running.

Unless you live in a very remote area, you likely can choose from several half marathon options every month because with every passing year, we see more halves, and that’s not surprising because they are, I think the ideal race distance. In this episode, I explain all the reasons why this race distance continues to […] The post MFR 124: Half Marathon Magic appeared first on Mojo for Running.

This episode is about knee surgery for runners, the considerations, topics for thought. It will not tell you when you need surgery. I’m not a doctor. It doesn’t bash knee surgery, not at all, but it is food for thought, things to consider, if knee surgery may be in your future, or if a medical […] The post MFR 123: Thoughts on Knee Surgery appeared first on Mojo for Running.

If you haven’t run off road – or on trails – I hope this episode will convince you to give it a try. I explain the many of excellent reasons why you should run trails, and I explain how to get started. I’ve said it many times, I live an hour from Disney World and […] The post MFR 122: Run Off Road and On the Trails appeared first on Mojo for Running.

Most runners want to get faster. Not everyone can afford to hire a coach, and not everyone has time to train for a marathon, but most runners hope to set new PR’s on a regular basis. This is absolutely possible, but you need to know how to direct your time. Most people have full-time jobs. […] The post MFR 121: Three Key changes to Help You Run Faster appeared first on Mojo for Running.

It’s the little things that often have the greatest impact, and so it is with the concept of focusing on the fact that when running, you are always, 100 percent of the time, putting the full weight of your body on just one foot or the other. Oddly, you don’t hear much about this, and […] The post MFR 120: One Foot at a Time appeared first on Mojo for Running.

We all think of ourselves as intelligent runners, of course, but even the most experienced, veteran runners sometimes lose sight of the wise and effective path to their goals. Why does this happen? I think because we get caught up in the here and now, the ‘today,’ instead of keeping our eyes on the long […] The post MFR 119: Five Pillars of Intelligent Running appeared first on Mojo for Running.

If, where you live, it gets cold in the winter – and I mean cold – then you’re probably just coming into the time of year when you need to make accommodations to be able to run outside, safely and comfortably. No matter how cold it gets, in most cases, if you’re healthy, you can […] The post MFR 118: What to Wear for Running in Cold Weather appeared first on Mojo for Running.