Racing: Will Gebrselassie break the marathon world record?

Back in April, I went out on a limb predicting Haile Gebrselassie would break the World Record in the marathon in the 2007 London Marathon. He didn’t break the record that day, largely, I feel, due to the weather conditions. On a warm day, many of the favorites, including Gebrselassie flamed out and dropped out [...]

Training: Should I nap when I’m training hard?

Ah, I love naps. Naps are one of my favorite things in the world. I enjoy them for two reasons: first, because I love my bed and second, because they make me feel better. People are always asking me if they should include napping as a part of their training routine.
If you can: yes, absolutely.
Sleep [...]

Training for the White River 50 Miler: Week 7

With all of the travel this past week, I forgot to give an update on my own training for the White River 50 miler. I already wrote extensively about our last long run a week ago Sunday, so I don’t need to go back there again.
My long run this weekend consisted of my work [...]

Training: Should I run when I’m sick?

It seems that the Summer cold and flu season has arrived once again. Personally, I’ve had a cold all week and I just haven’t been up to running. But I get asked the question all of the time: “should I run when I’m sick?”
First, the biggest issue that most runners have here is that they [...]

Debate: Do you cherry pick races?

There was an interesting and excellent article in the Wall Street Journal on June 22nd called “How to win a marathon.” The basic premise was that there are people out there that pick their races specifically so that they can win them - meaning they look for races with not a lot of competition.
There is [...]

Training: how do you prepare for a multi-leg relay like Hood to Coast?

I’ve received a number of questions about preparing for a relay like the Hood to Coast Relay. In these events, runners are expected to run multiple legs over the course of a one or two day period.
The tough aspect of running in these events is not so much the distance, but rather the short [...]

Morning Light at Mile 1

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Originally uploaded by Coach Joe English

A beautiful morning was the backdrop for the Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon on June 23rd, 2007. Runners passed moose, streams, even a bear-cub along the way.
Read more on Running Wild with Coach Joe and check out a slide show [...]

Race Review: Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon Anchorage

Just before 8:00AM, we headed out of a high-school gym on the outskirts of Anchorage into the cool, bright morning. Some scattered clouds hung in the air over small foothills rising in the distance. In the parking lot were assembled almost 2,000 runners and walkers, milling about before their journey. A radio DJ was playing [...]