I have one warmup activity that’s absolutely non-negotiable: a dynamic range-of-motion stretch for my calf muscles. It warms up and lengthens both the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles and puts a real spring in my step. I teach it to all my clients as well because it can make more of a difference to your running … Read more
Running has a reputation for giving the body a pounding, and for some runners with lower back pain that can be a very real experience. For others, running itself is fine but the pain appears afterwards. The solution is the same in either case, and believe it or not it doesn’t involve stretching. The solution is … Read more
Autumn has set in where I live, with grey skies, gorgeous foliage, and the slightly cooler temperatures that remind us why, in Scotland, damp is not an adjective but a noun. Catarrh, which I though was a quaint medieval term for a cough until I moved here, is a wet, hacking ailment so common the … Read more
As the finish line of 2017 comes into view I decided to spend a few moments looking over my blogging of the past year. I thought I hadn’t written much, but in fact I wrote 31 posts, covered a lot of ground, and learned a great deal. It may seem like I blog to teach, and while this is … Read more
This week as I’ve introduced The Balanced Runner Online Camp, a number of people have emailed me with questions about it. Since they’re mostly the same six questions, I thought it would be helpful to share the answers with you in case you have one of these questions too. The Most Important Factor The key … Read more
I’ll have an analysis of the elites in today’s Chicago Marathon for you tomorrow. Meanwhile, I want to share a bit of good news I got this week: Runner’s World UK included me in their “70 Most Influential People In Running” piece in the November 2017 issue. Having an influence–helping fewer runners get injured and more … Read more
Have you been struggling with an injury for what seems like forever? Or are you worried that’s what’s going to happen? If you’re like a lot of my clients, you’ve already been to a doctor, physical therapist, massage therapist, Pilates teacher, yoga class, acupuncturist, and you’re foam rolling religiously. And still your problem lingers. This … Read more
Have you been struggling with an injury for what seems like forever? Or are you worried that’s what’s going to happen? If you’re like a lot of my clients, you’ve already been to a doctor, physical therapist, massage therapist, Pilates teacher, yoga class, acupuncturist, and you’re foam rolling religiously. And still your problem lingers. This … Read more
There are many possible causes for your shoulder tension when you run. Your shoulders might feel tight because you’re running with your spine slightly flexed; learn more about that here. Other likely causes, however, are the very things you’re doing to try to improve your running technique. If that’s the case with you, then I … Read more
When I see a new client for the first time I always ask them, “Is there anything you try to do with your form when you run?” By far the most common answer is something along the lines of, “I try to keep my shoulders relaxed because they get pretty tight.” For clarity’s sake I … Read more
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of being interviewed on one of my favorite podcasts, Endurance Planet. Tawnee Prazak, the host, has an open mind, a lot of curiosity, and a powerful drive to help athletes, so I enjoyed the conversation tremendously and think you’ll enjoy it too! The show title is, … Read more
Making significant changes in your running technique is deep work. It means changing not only the way you run, but the movement habits you have all the time. However, small simple factors you never even think of can have a large effect on your running and are a good place to start changing your gait for the … Read more
In this quiet time at the end of the year our hopes and dreams for the year to come begin to take shape. Perhaps some of yours have to do with running–what you’d like to do, how you’d like to feel, the problems you’d like to finally shake off. To give you a hand, here … Read more
I’ve had ample opportunity recently to think about stress and movement. As I sought ways to ease my stress over the past few unsettled months–four moves in two months with my family, living out of suitcases in a new country where we speak the language to only a limited degree–I found that movement was the stress-reducer I … Read more
