Now that summer is in full swing, many of you will be running in one of the many 5K road races offered around the country. If you are a competitive runner (or at least semi- competitive), speed is a must. While speed work is an important part of training for just about any distance, let's don't forget about some of the other components that make for successful running (nutrition, running form,etc.)

Now, let's get started!

Jeff Ray Jeff@TheRunningAdvisor.com

Running Quotes

"Running has given me the courage to start, the determination to keep trying, and the childlike spirit to have fun along the way. Run often and run long, but never outrun your joy of running,"

-Julie Isphording, ran in the first Women's Olympic marathon (1984), and won numerous marathons along the way

Ray's Rambling's

Fast Talk: "There's only one way to get faster," Francie Larrieu Smith once told me. "You have to teach your legs what it feels like to run fast." She recommends some sort of speedwork, whether repeats, intervals, fartlek, or whatever. She concedes that runners can improve their times by slowly conditioning themselves-the same pace, day after day-but eventually, improvement ceases. Runners hit a plateau. That's when speedwork can help. - From Run Fast by Hal Higdon

Coach Speak

Keep Your Head Up. "Many racers run with their heads down and eyes focused just a few feet ahead. This is especially true near the end of a race, when neck and shoulder muscles fatigue and it seems easier to rest your chin on your chest. But for optimal performance, you need to run with your head up and eyes forward. This way, you can see what's going on ahead of you. You can breathe easier, too, as your lungs will be able to fully expand. And tactically, you'll be able to keep contact with other runners and close gaps when necessary. Once your head and eyes go down, you're no longer racing, you're surviving."-Ed Eyestone

Injury Prevention and Treatment

Get Strong Shins and Calves. Here's how: For your shins, stand about 6 inches from the wall, knees straight, back pressed against the wall. Lift your toes up as far as you can and hold for 3 seconds, then lower. Repeat 10 times. For your calves, stand on the edge of a step and let your heels drop down slightly. Starting in that position, raise your body up on your toes. Repeat eight to 10 times. To work another part of the calf, try seated calf raises. Sitting on a bench with a 20-pound weight across your knees, raise your heels as high as you can eight to 10 times while keeping your toes on the floor. Add weight to increase resistance.

News Flash

Good Joints: Running increases you muscle tone and bone density, which in turn improves joint stability. A review in the American Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that running may also help maintain cartilage and synovial fluid surrounding joints.

Nutrition Tips

Increase your intake of antioxidants to fend off muscle soreness: Try apples, oranges, and dark leafy greens, but also add cranberries. The little red berry contains very high levels of disease-fighting phenols, an antioxidant believed to reduce the risk of cancer, stroke, and heart disease.

Workout Spotlight
Intervals: Training in which short, fast "repeats" or "repetitions" often 200 to 800 meters, are alternated with slow "intervals" of jogging for recovery; usually based on a rigid format such as "six times 400 meters fast [these are the repeats] with 400-meter recovery jogs [the intervals]," interval training builds speed and endurance.

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