Running

Stay In Your Lane

There are many aspects to being a great coach… Reliable. Professional. Knowledgable. Adaptable. The list goes on. However, one aspect of being a great coach that is often left off the list is that of staying in your lane. While this falls under the ‘professional’ category listed above, unfortunately, it is all too often ignored … Read more

Three Reasons Trail Running Makes You a Faster Road Racer

Trail running is a valuable training tool for any runner to keep in their tool chest to help them improve. Even if your goals are exclusively limited to road races, you’ll give yourself a big competitive advantage by strategically training on trails. In other words, run trails to become a faster road racer. Getting off-road … Read more

The Science of Stretching – Simply Explained

Pre-stretching reduces performance. Stretching is dangerous. You must hold a stretch for at least 10 seconds. These are just a few of the topics surrounding stretching that are thrown around with some frequency. So what is the truth about stretching and what is shall we say… less than accurate? To get to the bottom of … Read more

Role of the Big Toe in Running

Within the world of running, there is a lot of information about biomechanics – primarily in respect to the knees, hips and ankles. What is often left out is the toes and more specifically, the big toe. The body is one big kinetic chain which means that when running, no body part functions in isolation. … Read more

Carbohydrate vs. Fat Burning – A Comprehensive Review

So you want to learn how to fuel for your upcoming marathon? No problem. Just do a quick Google search for burning carbohydrates and fat and… oh God!! Your search returned about 41 million (41,300,000 to be exact!) search results, all of which likely differ in the advice given. The topic of fueling is very … Read more

What is a Side Stitch and Why Won’t It Go Away?

If you run, you’ve likely experienced a side stitch. If you haven’t, consider yourself lucky! A side stitch is a cramp-like sensation occurring toward the bottom of the rib cage area and usually on the right side of the body. The sensations can range from slightly annoying to a more severe stabbing-type pain. WHAT THE … Read more

10 Differences Between Road Racing and Ultramarathons

I’m not going to lie – prior to creating the UESCA Ultrarunning Coach Certification with ultrarunning coach, Jason Koop, I must admit, I fell into the group of people that more or less viewed an ultramarathon as just a ‘long marathon.’ As such, I deduced that in order to create an ultrarunning program, all you … Read more

Reverse Periodization

Periodization is a pretty common term and training practice within the realm of endurance sports. When most endurance athletes think of periodization, they think of a pyramid; with the lowest intensity/highest volume at the bottom and the highest intensity/lowest volume at the top. This pyramid is typically designed to peak for one event per year, … Read more

Overtraining Syndrome

This blog post is largely taken from our certification content and is contributed by UESCA advisor, physiologist and overtraining syndrome expert Alexandra Coates. While everyone has heard of the terms “Overtraining” and “Overtraining Syndrome”, there is a lot of confusion as to what overtraining really is. In this section we will define the components of … Read more

Environmental Physiology and Training Considerations

There are a lot of unique things about endurance sports. However, perhaps one the most unique aspects is the influence of the environment on athletes. As an example, the Bob Cook Memorial Hill Climb (Mt. Evans) ascends 6,630 feet and tops out at a dizzying 14,130 feet! Whether it’s altitude, heat, humidity or cold weather; … Read more