Core strength is vital to being a consistent, healthy runner. I’ve covered this in great detail here, here, and here. If you think your “core” is just your abs – you’re very wrong. It includes everything from your hips and glutes to your lower back and hamstrings. A good core routine will work all of [...]
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Are you a creature of habit? I definitely am. My training is predictable even though I know the serious benefits of variety in any program. I run the same trails, do similar workouts from training cycle to training cycle, and always stick to the same core routines. This needs to change if I want to [...]
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Would you like to run more and train harder with fewer running injuries? If you have a time goal for your next race or want to run in less pain, of course you want to train more consistently! Last week I spoke with coach Jay Johnson about his DVD series Building a Better Runner. Both [...]
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I love this analogy: Don’t let your engine outpace your chassis. It’s a simple analogy that refers to your metabolic or aerobic fitness (endurance) vs. your structural fitness (bones, tendons, ligaments, and muscles). I like to tell my runners that you never want a Ferrari engine in the frame of a Geo Prizm. That engine is going to tear [...]
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The Standard Warm-up is a dynamic flexibility and stretching routine that is done before you run. This series of light strength exercises and mobility drills help prepare your body to work harder. What I love about this routine is that it takes about 8 minutes once you learn the order of exercises. You can do [...]
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New runners often struggle with training because they have so many questions about day to day training. Resources like Runner’s World and Active provide large forums for runners to get feedback but I’ve found some of the suggestions there incomplete at best and even potentially dangerous. Runners need support and community driven motivation is very [...]
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The last major injury I had was a severe illiotibial band (IT Band) injury after the New York City Marathon in 2008. I took 9 days off from running after the race and then started to slowly run a little bit, only to have sharp pain on the outside of my left knee. I couldn’t run [...]
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Runners can be in great shape, but most of them aren’t very athletic. Two of the worst basketball players I’ve ever seen were three-season runners. Ask most runners to hurdle, dribble a soccer ball, or cut back and forth on a football field and you will see some of the most laughable movements. This is [...]
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I sat down with my good friend Adam Fitzgerald (no relation) to talk running and got a helluva interview. Adam is a Division III Cross Country All-American who’s run 2:25 in the marathon. But his freshman year in college he was running 5k’s in over 17 minutes. He’s also only had 2 injuries in the [...]
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Running injuries happen for so many reasons – aggressive mileage increases, running too fast on your easy days, poor running form, muscle imbalances, and lack of recovery between hard workouts. Do you notice a theme here? All of these reasons for injury are preventable. What if I told you that you could improve your running [...]
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I'm Jason Fitzgerald, a 2:39 marathoner and running coach. I want to help you get faster.
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