Chicago Marathon training update

So, with a bit less than 12 weeks until the Chicago Marathon I've received a few questions from my running-oriented friends concerning how my training is going, and what will be my race goal. To the first question I'm happy that my training has gone fairly well, thanks to the Kenyan Way Saturday morning long run and my perfectly steady-paced training partner Alison. While I've also managed to get in good weekday training runs (thanks to the well situated 24 Hour Fitness Center that's close to the scenic and well shaded Rice University outer loop) my refusal to do speed or tempo work on the cooler indoor treadmills will compromise any realistic shot for an ambitious Chicago goal. So, presuming ideal Windy City weather (i.e with finishing temperatures no higher than 70F) my goal time will be an easy 3:29, running at a steady 8:00 pace with the Nike pacing group.  

Looking deeper into my proverbial crystal ball in the subsequent three months between Chicago and Houston, if all goes well my Houston ambitious goal will be to P.R. with a 3:19. We'll see!  

Olympian Paula Radcliffe: “I can't imagine living and not running.”

Use your Alarm Clock to Beat the Heat

To prevent another self-interrupted long-run swelter fest I decided to start my run an hour earlier than Kenyan Way's normal 6:00 AM group start. I'm glad I did!

To comply with Sean Wade's bot-generated Chicago Marathon training plan I wanted to get a full 15 miles in today. With pre-dawn Houston temperatures forecast - again - to be hot and humid (77°F with a 73°F DP), and with the rising sun quickly worsening those conditions, I arranged with my wonderfully steady paced training partner to meet an hour early. Besides the earlier start we agreed to back down a bit on our pace for the first half of the run, to ~8:15 or so. The combination clearly helped, demonstrated by our achieving our target negative split and feeling strong throughout.  When faced with hot and humid conditions use your alarm clock and a somewhat slowed target pace to help you achieve your training objectives nevertheless.

Side Bar. Read this fascinating Globe and Mail article on running in the heat.  Also, if you don't already follow these excellent blogger runners, here are two especially interesting recent ones: Pete with Runblogger and Jaymee with Run Away Fast.

Temperature + Humidity + Wind + Sun; Warm-up?

On this morning's Kenyan Way training run I bonked beginning in the seventh mile, which with the benefit of hindsight was entirely avoidable. What misled me in deciding my target pace was the forecast starting temperature and dew point being 82°F and 74°F, both exactly the same as last Saturday's successful long run. The key difference, however, was today's absence of a breeze (versus last Saturday's average 11 mph wind with gusts up to 18 mph) and the cloudless sky.

In my experience the humidity - more-so than temperature - played the biggest part in my prior melt downs, leading me to frequently parrot the line I've heard from wise old-time runners: "Humidity - not temperature - is the silent killer." While true, the absence of wind and the strength of the sun are also key in determining the exogenous heat transferred to your body, and thus your ability to run at a given pace.

Sadly, the four key factors which determine the rate of heat transferred to the runner's body: temperature, humidity, wind, and sun, are probably too complex in their individual interplay to allow one to confidently assess one's optimum pace. Fortunately, however, we're all equipped with our highly evolved brains, which, presuming we utilize same - and don't become 'slaves' to the Garmin Forerunner around our wrists - should allow us to continuously adjust our pace throughout our run as necessary. Through continuously adjusting our pace via our perceived level of exertion we simultaneously adjust for the heat which is stressing our bodies, as well as elevation changes, our extent of fatigue, dynamic course conditions, etc.. I hope the this lesson re-learned will pay-off on my next warm-weather run: Don't be so mechanical in using my target pace to over-ride my common sense!

On another running-related topic, earlier this week I read with interest a good NY Times article discussing whether one should stretch statically in advance of one's run. Personally I only use static stretching after my run (the efficacy of which was unfortunately not studied). Also not explored in the article are the benefits of dynamic (vs. static) warm-up techniques.

My curiosity thus piqued on my morning's routine iPad perusal of running related articles (thanks Zite!) I stumbled on an interesting article, which included two recommended warm-up routines from Coach Jay Johnson. These look very interesting and I intend to try them out. Thoughts?





Finally, a link to my ever growing inspirational running quotes and mantras.

Running truly is 80% mental

Joan Benoit Samuelson dramatically won gold in the women's marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the year that event was first introduced for women. Afterward she was quoted as saying: “Running is 80 percent mental.” I fully agree, and this morning's training run demonstrates why.

I ran with the Kenyan Way training group beginning at dawn, on a typical hot and humid Houston early morning. The temperature was already 78F, the humidity was a dripping 90%, and the sun - though low on the horizon - was already baking. I felt drained after only seven miles when we temporarily returned to base for fluids. Despite my growing fatigue I had held onto the group's 8:00 pace for the entire distance, but unlike prior cooler training runs it was truly an absolute struggle. Consequently, I was ready to hang it up, and began to imagine the delicious thought of taking an early shower.

With my mind nearly made I suddenly remembered the commitment I'd given to the friend running beside me an hour before, that I'd run the entire planned 11 miles. So, despite my doubts, I decided to run with the suddenly enlarged group for the remaining distance. The psychological benefit of being part of a group paid off! I was drawn into the group's conversation, and by doing so appropriately slowed my pace somewhat. Before I knew it we were back at base! Afterward, looking at my Forerunner I was delighted to realize that we'd maintained the same consistent 8:00 pace throughout the entire distance - despite the warming conditions.

If you're training for a longer distance race such as a marathon or half-marathon you really should join a group, ideally one such as Kenyan Way as it is led by a great coach who provides individualized training plans and replicates race conditions by providing both sports drink and water every two to three miles. You'll enjoy the benefits of running with others who are at - or ideally slightly faster than - your training pace, will treasure the group's companionship, quickly make friends, and will discover the training benefits to be huge. The latter owing to running longer distances than you'd otherwise manage, and being much more consistent both in pacing and in overall frequency.

Houston Half - Here I Come!

Earlier today I attempted the Kenyan Way 22-mile long training run, targeting an 8-minute pace for the first 16 miles, and my goal Marathon Pace (7:30) for the final 6 miles. This was a huge day for me, having unaccustomedly bonked in the late miles of both the recent Chicago and San Antonio Marathons it was important to test my fitness level to determine whether to remain in the Houston Marathon, or to drop to the Half.

I got as far as 17.5 miles, and though I'd held my desired goal paces until the final quarter mile, my body guided me to the right decision - I'll be running the Houston Half in January. I'm relieved by my decision, and am excited to hopefully excel at the half-marathon distance. Since with my coach I'd previously committed subsequent to the January Houston race to take six-months off from marathon training and endurance-oriented competition via concentrating instead on speed, through running the Houston Half I hope to have an excellent transition in that direction.

The weather conditions for this morning's run were warmer than I'd hoped, starting in the upper 50's and finishing in the low 60's with very high humidity. Nevertheless, I don't hold that as an excuse, especially as the conditions were well within the expected range for the end-of-January Houston race.

Until mile 17 I had the benefit of running with an evenly-matched friend training for Boston. The miles always go by much quicker with companionship and conversation, and today was no exception. Nevertheless, beginning at the 14th mile it became very clear from my exertion level running at only an 8:00 pace that the 7:30 marathon pace would prove difficult. As I'd feared upon speeding up at mile 15 my rapid and labored breathing in the remainder of the run provided evidence that I'd not be able to complete the full 22 at my intended pace. This was confirmed in the final half mile slow-down, and after re-hydrating at the Kenyan Way staging area I noticed that I felt as I had in Chicago and San Antonio while nearing glycogen depletion. Though initially disappointed I know I'm making the right decision, and look forward to training for the Half.

“Nothing endures but change.” –Heraclitus

Got Pace?

Finally, the weather has begun to cool! This morning's pre-dawn Houston temperature was a comparatively moderate 72°F with a dew point of 70°F. While 90% relative humidity is clearly not optimal, I'm thankful for the improved conditions since as recently as two weeks ago we routinely started our long-runs with temperatures in the low-80's. I'm looking forward to doing more of my forthcoming weekday tempo, progressive and interval training runs outdoors, since over the past three scorching months I've only been able to run fast indoors on the treadmill.

With the Chicago Marathon now only five-weeks away I've been contemplating my goal finishing time. Things used to be simple, as in my initial marathon my sole focus was to finish. Upon completing my first glorious marathon this goal transitioned to setting a new personal record. Once I got within 20-minutes of achieving a Boston Marathon qualifying time that became my new target. Now that I've run Boston twice I'm back to targeting new personal records again - while beginning to dream of someday crossing the three hour threshold.

Negative split *every* run

Having the good fortune of training in Houston through the excellent Kenyan Way program over the past several years I've repeatedly heard Coach Sean Wade's introductory comments to new runners. In each case he says with his greatest vehemence: "If you remember just one thing tonight, it should be this: You should negative split every training run and every race. This does not mean pushing the pace but rather starting out super easy and increasing the pace naturally as you warm up."

Sean Wade's opinion matters. Currently 44 years of age, and a native of New Zealand, he was named the fastest master's runner in the world in 2006 by the RRCA, and was selected the 2006 Masters 40-44 Runner of the Year by Running Times Magazine. Wade is one of only two men over 40 years old to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Trials by running 2:20:00 at the 2007 Houston Marathon. Other achievements include competing in the 1996 Olympic Marathon for New Zealand, qualifying with his personal best marathon time of 2:10:59.

Additional elements of Sean's training philosophy are that: "The key to improved running is consistent steady training with a slow increase in weekly mileage. You need to know your different training paces (recovery, long run, threshold and 5K paces) and be sure to run easy on your easy days. Too many runners don't run slow enough or fast enough. Everything just blends together. Tempo runs, hill, intervals at goal race pace, and long runs are all important pieces of the puzzle. You have to listen to your body and take an extra recovery day or skip a hard workout if you are not feeling up to it."

To help the Kenyan Way runner, Sean converts his successful training philosophies into reality by providing access to powerful web-based tools which automate the creation of a custom training plan. The runner merely inputs their recent 5K race result, their next race, goal finishing time, the number of days per week that they are willing to train, and the extent to which heat affects them (clearly, a huge factor in Houston!) Upon doing so the custom calendar is built, which provides detail surrounding every day's run, distance and goal pace.

Consistently achieving a negative split in all races and training runs requires a fundamental shift from a typical runner's approach. Particularly in races, with the athlete well rested and eager to begin their race, the jolt of adrenaline at the gun often overwhelms reason - with the predictable disappointing end result. Often erroneously described as "just a Rookie mistake", it actually afflicts nearly all runners - including unfortunately myself on countless occasions. Sean's antidote is for the runner to fully utilize their Garmin Forerunner in the early miles, then keeping their pace within their pre-established initial plan. When I have departed from this sound advice I have regretted it (as I have also when I ran ahead of my marathon pacing group in the first 20-miles).

Ultimately, Sean's emphasis of building a strong base of endurance, then negative splitting every run makes perfect sense by requiring the runner to begin their run at an appropriate pace, then to naturally speed-up as their muscles warm-up. Running faster while fatigued builds the required mental discipline for success, accelerates beneficial physiological training adaptations, and is very motivational.

When planning your next race or training run keep Sean Wade's 'Negative Split' strategy first and foremost in mind!

Austin Marathon Race Report!

This morning I ran the Austin Marathon, and while I found the hills HUGELY challenging versus the much easier Austin course that I'd run five years ago I neverthless narrowly managed to eke out a personal record by one-second!

When I'd last run Austin five years ago the course was both faster and easier since it started twenty-miles north of the city and finished downtown, providing a gentle downhill for much of the course and an overall net elevation decline of more than 400 feet.  Unfortunately, the growing logistical challenges of busing race participants, and dealing with the frustration caused by traffic jams on the surrounding narrow roads in the north Austin area caused race organizers to adopt the current course - which is a technically challenging looped course through most of Austin's many hills (see link).  Nevertheless, though challenging the course was both interesting and achievable.

The race began with a pyrotechnics display directly over the start line.  In downtown Austin's pre-dawn darkness the pyrotechnics were spectacular, however due to the lack of wind the resulting fumes lingered in the starting area - which we were unfortunately forced to breathe as we started our run.

Quickly getting past the starting line the weather conditions were good, as fortunately a predicted cold front with accompanying strong winds and rain held-off until just after the marathon finished.  The sky was crystal clear, and as a result the temperature quickly rose from the initial mid 30s to the mid 50s - though perceptually warmer still owing to the high humidity.

As with other recent successful recent marathons I made the decision to run with a pacing group, on today's occasion the 3:20 group since I was hoping to beat my prior personal record of 3:19:38 set on Houston's flat course one-month ago.  The two Austin 3:20 pace group leaders did a fantastic job of keeping the group organized, motivated and encouraged.  They demonstrated incredible running discipline and strength by holding an extremely consistent pace - whether running up or down hills.  As I didn't possess the strength to easily match their pace on the steepest up-hills I ran behind the group at those points (though always keeping the group in sight), then caught them on the ensuing downhill.  Even more-so than in prior marathons the pacing group was pivotal in allowing me to set my narrow personal record.  Thanks again, pacers!!

Miscellany:

• Another P.R. on my Newtons!
• Encouraged by Houston's recent success I ramped-up even further my use of Gu's Roctane (to one every three - versus every four) miles. Again, no stomach upset or digestive issues.
• Credit, again, to the Kenyan Way training program for my clearly improved personal fitness.
• I successfully used ThinkGeek.com's "spy" sunglasses with built-in digital camera and remote control shutter release (in my hand throughout the race) to capture these photos.  While the picture quality is nowhere close to that provided by a conventional one-megapixel digital camera the quality was certainly acceptable!
• Official Stats:
  Overall: 221/4039 (top 6%)
  Males: 196/2462 (top 8%)
  Division (50-54): 6/202 (top 3%)

Five Ways To Beat Anxiety on Race Day

Great tips from Kenyan Way describing five excellent ways to beat anxiety on race day (this was sent in the final days preceeding the Houston Marathon):

Get Focused on Your Body
Good athletes know their bodies well. It is important to be present and aware of how you are breathing, what your muscles are doing, etc. Take some deep breaths. Count up to four or five as you inhale and out to five or six as you exhale. This will help you relax and stay in your body. While your competitors will be stressing out and wasting energy, you will be able to stay positive and perform well.

Trust Your Training
There is an old farm saying that goes, “The hay is in the barn.” What this refers to is that there is a time when a farmer cuts his hay, bales it up, drives it into the barnyard, and stacks it in the barn. When this is done it is a huge sigh of relief. You know the animals will be fed for the winter. The same applies to your race day. Your “hay” is in the barn. You have done all the training up to this point and have earned the right to celebrate your skills on this important day. Don’t try to sneak in any more training or try something different at the last minute. Trust that your body and mind are ready to compete and enjoy the race.

Don’t Let Yourself Get Distracted
While others may be distracted by weather or the conditions of a track or course, you should stay focused and do what you came to do. Distractions take energy away from you. Conserve that energy for the race. Stay on task by visualizing yourself running strong and fast.

Use Your Recall Button
Great athletes do not predict their next move or action based on their last failure. They stop, do a little positive self talk, replay a great race in their head, and perform in the way they know they are capable. Hanging on to a less than stellar event will affect your performance. Recalling a past successful race will help you perform at your peak.

Prepare Yourself for “Glitches”
We are good at visualizing great race strategies and seeing ourselves move up through the pack. What we also need to do is to prepare ourselves for those times when our bodies throw us a “glitch”. This might include a potty break, muscle spasm, a side ache, a fall or a slow start. Visualize this and then see yourself recover from it immediately. Having this image will help reset you on the path to success without losing ground or wasting energy.

Dallas White Rock Marathon - Personal Record & Boston Qualifier!

Earlier today I had the fantastic experience of running the 2009 Dallas White Rock Marathon, and loved it!  My reasons:

• Beautiful course - especially around White Rock Lake.  I enjoyed the diversity between White Rock's nature and scenery and Dallas' urban landscapes;
• Great pacing groups!  The 3:20 group helped control my normal impulse to jack-rabbit the critical initial miles.  Though I could not hold onto the group past the two "Dolly Parton" hills at miles 19-20, I appreciated the group tremendously;
• Supportive Dallas spectators;
• The topography of the course provided a moderate - but not an overwhelming - challenge that added interest to the course.

During this marathon I managed to simultaneously accomplish five goals:

1. Personal Record with a 3:22:38 (by 3-minutes);
2. Boston Re-Qualification;
3. Marathon Maniacs Qualification;
4. Surpass 2009 miles during the 2009 calendar year!

5. Finish the marathon strongly (in the final six miles I passed 56 other marathoners, while only 3 passed me - link)

My pacing (not ideal, as I had a positive second-half split of 3:32):

• Through 10K @7:37 - perfect - running with 3:20 pacing group;
• 10K through Half @7:34 - minor mistake - too fast; ran a minute faster than the pacing group;
• Half through 20.1 Miles @7:52 - Ouch!  "Dolly Parton" hills were tough!  Unfortunately, I lost the pacing group in the distance;
• 20.1 through 26.2 Miles @7:51 - Kicked 'er in on the downhill stretch - feeling tired but in control.  Great support from Gloria, then as the clock ticked down I realized I'd just P.R.'d!

Factors which I credit for my White Rock P.R.:

• I was more diligent in following the KenyanWay program incorporating guidance provided by Coach Sean Wade.
• Losing weight!  Subsequent to my last P.R. at the Chicago Marathon two-months ago I'd lost five-pounds.  Importantly, I'd lost this weight not in muscle, but in fat.  Dr. Jack Daniels book and his VDOT correlations reveal the huge benefit of weight-loss to running performance (see this site for a great spreadsheet which simplifies the numerics).  Losing one pound of surplus weight translates - everything else held constant - to a predicted faster marathon time of one minute.  Adjusting for White Rock's two disadvantages - its hillier course and warmer temperatures - the correlation works as I believe a 3:20 would have otherwise been attainable.  Regardless, for both health and running performance reasons it's wise to lose those surplus pounds!
• My Newton stability trainer running shoes.

Chicago Marathon - 7-minute personal record!

This morning I had the fantastic experience of running the 2009 Chicago Marathon. The results were beyond my wildest expectations since I completed the marathon in 3:25:32, which improves by over seven-minutes my personal record and re-qualifies me for the Boston Marathon! I was especially delighted since up until only six-weeks ago I was unable to run for a month while recovering from a minor stress-fracture.

I was very familiar with the Chicago course, as it was my 4th (and 14th overall marathon distance or beyond). The race temperature was absolutely perfect: 34 to 41°F, minimal humidity with a moderate 5-8 MPH wind from the north. While it was admittedly very cold during the pre-race waiting period, through wearing a disposable sweatshirt, hat and gloves (which I tossed at the start) I was able to remain comfortable.

I was very happy with my pacing consistency, as is shown on this chart. My first half-marathon time was 1:43:08 (7:52 pace), and I managed a rare negative-split in the second half with 1:42:24 (7:49 pace). Proving especially helpful was running the first 5K with the 3:30 pacing group as this mitigated my unfortunate tendency to jack-rabbit the start. Though I gradually ran ahead of the pacing group after that point, it played a continuing psychological benefit since I knew that if the group were to catch me I would then be able to hang-on with the 3:30's until the finish line. On reflection, during both my recent marathon successes (Houston and Chicago) I benefitted by pacing groups, where-as my recent April Boston Marathon was a partial disappointment (in terms of my completion time - not the fantastic overall experience) due in-part to their absence.

With regards my recent successful stress fracture recovery I credit my coach's excellent recommendation that I pool-run and bicycle during my five-week recovery period. Additionally, I credit myself for having the wisdom to follow my doctor's sage advice to interrupt my marathon training while giving my minor stress fracture time to fully heal. The bottom line lesson-learned was was not to give-up following an injury! Instead, keep-up the hard work and your positive attitude via finding healthful alternative activities to maintain your physical and mental health!

Additional elements which helped my Chicago performance:

• Other than my stress-fracture recovery period I closely followed the excellent Kenyan Way marathon training program. I highly recommend this program for any Houston based advanced marathoner.
• Rather than consuming my normal Crank eGel I tried out a new product - Gu's Rocktane (Vanilla/Orange flavor). Though eGel has more sodium and potassium per packet (220 vs. 125, and 80 vs. 55 mg respectively), adjusting for its 50% larger volume, both are comparable in electrolytes (though the smaller Rocktane size allows more frequent consumption and therefore provides a more consistent electrolyte and blood sugar levels). Two additional ingredients found only in Rocktane are 1200 mg of amino acids (the building-blocks of protein needed for muscle repair) and 35 mg of caffeine (which I've been convinced since my April 4-mile run helps my performance). I took my first Rocktane 10-minutes prior to the race start, then took an additional packet every 5-miles.
• My Newton stability training shoes (which I also had excellent results with during my recent Chicago Half Marathon) proved to be well worth their higher cost. Somewhat similar to a natural barefoot landing the Newtons help promote a more healthy and efficient mid-foot landing - which is especially important when running on typical concrete race surfaces.
• Upon approaching the half-way point of the marathon I realized that despite temperatures then in the upper 30's I was sweating heavily. Consequently, I removed my thin Boston Marathon shirt that I had been wearing and ran shirtless the final half. Though attracting odd-looks from the jacket and hat-laden spectators, I'm convinced that doing so helped tremendously. Since I had clipped my race number to my running belt/gel-holder (instead of pinning it onto my shirt) I was easily able to remove the shirt without worries of being interrupted as a suspected bandit!
• Finally, as I was seeded in one of the leading corrals that are restricted to qualifying runners I avoided the typical frustration of weaving in-and-out of slower marathoners in the initial miles. This is definitely something for advanced marathoners to check-into whenever registering for a large urban marathon!

Miscellany:

• My preliminary results were: Division Place, M50-54, #129/1471 (top 9%); Gender Place, #2,828/18,983 (top 15%); Overall Place, #3,258/33,608 (top 10%)
• My Forerunner 405's Connect.Garmin.com log.
• On October 14th I participated in a Runner's Roundtable podcast featuring a number of runners who participated in various distance running events worldwide over the weekend.  To listen to the banter click here.

Kenyan Way Rocks!

At the advice of a friend this week I joined an excellent Houston-based marathon training program, called The Kenyan Way. I am very thankful for this advice, as the program offers some distinct advantages versus other Houston-area programs.

The Program:
Based on the season Kenyan Way offers programs year-long. In preparation for my Chicago marathon I signed-up for the Fall program. Participating in my first long-run this morning, I was delighted to discover that water and sports drinks are provided every two-miles along the course. Additionally, I was very glad to see Coach Wade lead-off the groups unambiguously, such that every experienced runner is led to join a group appropriate for their pace. Thus, as my marathon P.R. is 3:32, and my goal Chicago Marathon is 3:30 I joined the 3:30 - 3:40 group, which the Coach instructed us on departure to run approximately 30-seconds slower than our Marathon Pace - and as a consequence we ran at a good 8:30 pace.

The obvious advantages of running with a pacing group matched well to the individual's desired pace is to encourage conversation, while causing the time to seemingly fly by. Talking through the run additionally builds camaraderie while - through the physical act of conversation - demonstrating that each runner is not running anaerobically.

Other Benefits:
When you join one of the Kenyan Way programs you will receive more than just a training schedule. You will also receive access to a vast array of information that will help you train smart and remain injury free. Remember, steady consistent training is the key to success.

Expertise:
Sean Wade, a native of New Zealand and graduate of Rice University has competed for more than 20 years as a professional runner both internationally and nationally. He is currently the fastest master's runner in the world being undefeated in 2008. Sean was named 2006 Male Masters Runner of the Year by The Road Runners Club Of America (RRCA), as well as being selected as the 2006 Masters 40-44 Runner of the Year by The Running Times Magazine. Sean Wade has a personal best marathon time of 2:10:49 and was the winner of the 2003 Houston Marathon.

In addition to being an accomplished runner, Sean Wade is an outstanding running coach with more than 10 years of coaching experience. Members of Kenyan Way programs not only benefit from running Sean Wade’s carefully designed workouts but also have access to his running expertise. Members are always encouraged to ask Coach Wade questions about their training. Sean Wade ensures that members of the Kenyan Way get the most out of their training and meet their personal goals.

Camraderie & Customized Training Schedule
Running as part of a group, particularly with others running at similar paces, allows you to push yourself harder while still having a good time. The Kenyan Way has groups of runners at all paces so that everyone is encouraged to reach their full potential. The Kenyan Way has runners of all ages training for many different races.

Enrollment in any Kenyan Way training program includes online access to a complimentary personal training schedule. You are assigned a training schedule based on what program you are enrolled in and which race you are training for (if any). When you log in you will be asked to fill in information about how you would like to schedule your week and your current fitness level. The schedule is then tailored to your personal training needs using advanced computer algorithms designed by Coach Sean Wade. The Kenyan Way’s advanced schedule customization techniques ensure that you do not over or under train as is often the case with more generalized training programs. The schedules are designed to provide runners with workouts that push them to unleash their full potential.

Instructional Videos
Members have access to instructional videos covering a variety of running topics which include hydration, nutrition, strength training, core training and stretching. Are you stretching and warming up safely and effectively? Members can watch Coach Sean Wade’s instructional video on the topic. Or members might want to watch his multi-part video series on building your core strength with essential core exercises.

Wade Running Technique
Is your running technique flawed? Do you tend to get injured as you ramp up your training? The Wade Running Technique describes and promotes an ideal style of running that helps reduce injuries and improves economy and efficiency. Just think – faster running with less injuries! Give it a try!

Online Training Log
Keeping a running log is a great way to keep track of your training and further motivate you to stick to your training schedule. Members of Kenyan Way programs each receive a complimentary online training log. The training log is easy to use, cuts down on paper clutter, and allows you to quickly navigate through your past training.