During these challenging times when we are all cooped up given the reality affecting the world, the time for our sempiternal âI-will-do-it-when-I-have-some-extra-timeâ has finally arrived. Every expert, every magazine and every everyone is coming up with suggestions for good uses of your time, do-it-yourself videos or online classes. Why would Foultips.run be different? even if we are just recycling an old YouTube video from 2013.
I had some tight hip issues for a while and during the 2018-19 racing season I suffered a lot. As I was doubled in pain during the last mile of a half marathon in Miami Beach, a friend who was reeling me in told me she would send me a link to some exercises sheâs been doing for her hips. The rest is history. I was a convert after my first try.
She sent me a link to a video by Runnerâs World called the âMyrtl Hip Routineâ. A series of 12 floor and stand-up exercises that can be done in less than 10 minutes. Performed twice or three times a week will do wonders for your tight hips. I can only talk through my experience but unless you have underlying orthopedic issues, I donât see why it wouldnât work. I started with 10 of each move; then went up to 15 and 20. It may not be necessary to go that high, but as runners we are well known for being obstinate and overdoing things a little from time to time.
I tried to do some research to figure out who came with this routine but was unsuccessful. What I did find is that many coaches recommend with slight variances, which makes no difference. Also found that contrary to what you may think, Myrtl is not the person who developed this routine. Somehow the name is based on the are the routine is focused in, which I didnât get either. Anyway, this is just anecdotal.
 What is a fact is that all exercises are designed to increase the range of motion and strengthen your hip area. And I can guarantee you they do work. So, take advantage of your indoor, social distance time and get those hips ready for when the doors are opened again and you are ready to charge your running as if you were a bull on the streets of Pamplona during the San Fermines.
With the cancellation or postponement of three races in my calendar, as activities all over the world came to a halt because of the Covid-19 pandemic, my 2019-20 running season comes to an abrupt end. I understand the reasons behind it, and they are justified. Yet, on a personal level, this is a reflection on how rough the season was for me.
Season best at the 305 Half Marathon in Miami Beach
I had a couple of non-running related injuries, which took me twice to the operating room, and had me limited in my athletic activities since May 2019. I have been able to keep myself active, first by walking and then going back to my old friend racewalking. I racewalked from 2012-15 and really enjoyed it. It was my way back into the sport after a long hiatus. But then on 2015 I started running again and improved plenty through the seasons despite the almanac doing its thing.
For the 2019-20 season I was already registered in three half marathons, which is by far my favorite distance, so rather than skipping them I trained to racewalk them. After flirting with the sub-2 last season, I had to settle to see if I could go sub-3 this season. It was a struggle to find myself towards the end of the pack after being in the middle of it no so long ago. It was a struggle to ask my friends to wait for me at the finish line party when I was arriving an hour after most of them. It was a struggle at times to reach mile 9 around two hours knowing you had another full hour to go.
My personal triumph was to go sub-3 in all three races, including a season-best of 2:54:23 at the 305 Half Marathon in Miami Beach in early March. During the season I also participated in two 5Ks and one 10K race, just for the pleasure of keeping myself competing in the activity I love and sharing my friendsâ achievements.
With my 3 runners from the Miami Marathon
There were highlights to my season, though. I had the chance to run an entire 5K with my dad and finish together, holding hands. I had three coaching clients finish the Miami Marathon, two of them smashing their PRs. I was also able to lock in four more runners who requested my coaching services. Also, my half marathon count reached 40, which I take as a secondary milestone.
It is a dilemma to be so thankful about being able to keep active and participating yet being so frustrated when you see a season pass by without being able to accomplish what you would have hoped. But as the sports clichĂŠ goes: âthere is always next seasonâ and, as the suffering Brooklyn Dodgers fans used to say: âWait till next yearâ. Even though I am not completely healed from my ailments, I already started running a little bit and enjoying the runnerâs high, the camaraderie and the time alone with myself on the road. So, I look forward to a better season recap a year from now.
Thanks for all the support. I couldnât have done it without it.
 Today, March 11th, 2020, my dad, Adolfo Salgueiro, Sr. is turning 82 years old. He is still running 3-4 times a week and competing in local 5Ks. The experienced runner and running coach that I am today would have not been possible without his inspiration and encouragement to get started over 40 years ago.
Finishing together a 5K in Plantation, FL in February 2020
My running story has been tied to my dad since its very beginning, probably in the mid-to-late 1970s, when we lived in Caracas, Venezuela. He would run starting from our home and my mom would go pick him up after a predetermined time while making sure she noted the odometer reading. I remember many times being in charge of either spotting my dad or being in charge of the odometer read. I could have been as young as 10 or 11.
Soon after, my mom was not only picking up just my dad but also myself and my twin brother, Jose. Maybe we ran one kilometer, maybe two, who is to know? Tough to recall 40+ years later. But somehow, we became a running family. Living in Venezuela in the mid-70s, I knew no other road runner than my dad. This was at the time when nobody ran. When people would stop to ask if we were escaping from the police or would throw their cars at us just for the fun of seeing our reactions.
Even though my dream was becoming the first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, I kept running on and off with my dad. I was a junior in high school when he encouraged me to run my first 10K race, an unfathomable distance for a 16-year old. I ran a few more 5 and 10Ks here and there, but baseball was my first love and I would play it at often as possible.
One day in mid-1982, my dad came back from his weekend run and stated: âI am going to run the New York City Marathonâ. We all thought he finally lost his marbles, paid not much attention and let him enjoy his delusion. But, long story short, on October 24, he took the start at the Verrazano Narrows and finished in 4:36:37. He was the first person I ever knew to run a marathon. I couldnât believe it. My dad ran a marathon!
Half Marathon in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, in 1983
A month or so later, the Caracas Marathon has held in my hometown and my dad went to the 30k mark to meet a friend and run him in (it wasnât frowned upon then). I went, too and was amazed by what I saw. I jumped in and ran the last 12k, where I saw first-hand the emotions, the suffering, the effort, the triumph. So, I told my dad: âOne day, I will run one of theseâ. Seven weeks later we both were in front of the Orange Bowl Stadium in Miami lining up for the start of the 1983 Orange Bowl Marathon. Even Bill Rodgers was there. I was still a Senior in high school. I was 17.
My dad held me back when I wanted to surge, he reminded me to drink water, brought me back to focus when I got distracted by a hot girl running in front of us, etc. As planned, at 35K, each man was on his own and he left me in the dust. I struggled the last 7K, cursing my bad judgement for wanting to do this stupid thing. I limped into the stadium only to see my Dad with a big smile, cheering me up and letting me know he went sub-4. I went around the track, crossed the finish line and collapsed in my dadâs arms. He was so proud of me. The only words I could muster were: âwhen are we doing the next one?â.
The answer came rather soon. 10 months later we were both lining up in front of the Verrazano Narrows at the 1983 NYC Marathon. On December 1984 we both set up PRs in the Caracas Marathon. He ran 3:47 and I ran 3:32. In December 1985, once again we ran the Caracas Marathon. Then life and injuries got on my way, but he kept going for another 30+ years. He ran a handful more marathons and even set a better PR of 3:43. When for his 30th birthday, my twin brother wanted to run New York, my dad trained with him and at 57, ran his last marathon. My dad beat my brother by 3 minutes or so.
Three Generations of Adolfo Salgueiro finishing the 2016 Miami Turkey Trot
After a 27-year hiatus, I came back to road racing in 2012 at the Miami Half Marathon. As I picked up my race kit, I was so happy, in disbelief of what I was about to do after such a long time. My mind went back to running with my dad all those years ago, enough that I even sent him my race shirt with a message thanking him for initiating me in this wonderful sport.
Through the years, there have been many more running experiences. In December 2012, we had the opportunity of running my dad, myself and my son, all three of us named Adolfo Salgueiro, in a 10K race in Miami Beach, where we finished all three together. In November 2016, we did that again. The day he turned eighty, 18 family members accompanied him completing a 5K race, in which the race director was gracious enough to hold number 80 for him. Last February I ran a 5K race with him, at his pace, and we crossed the finish line holding hands.
I donât know how many more chances I will have to share races with my dad, but what I do know is that I plan to keep running as long as the good Lord keeps me around. And as this happens, it will be thanks to my dad initiating me in the sport, over 40 years ago, even when my favorite sport was baseball.
Finishing strong at the Miami Marathon 2020 with a massive PR of 10:30.
As he finished the 2020 Miami Marathon with a 10+ minute PR, I have been working with Yolmer G. (43) as a trainee for a little bit over a year. When I met him running in the Pompano Beach Airport park, he was a guy who loved to run and did whatever he felt his body allowed him to. He had enough ability to run a few half marathons around 1:42 with not much problem. Not only he wanted to run a full marathon, he had already registered for Miami 2019 and was going to do it, rain-or-shine.
Given the short time before the race, I started working with him on building distance. No time for speed, he had to go with whatever he already had built. In just 10 weeks we were able to build enough for him to complete the race in 4:16:31. Not bad at all, especially with just 10 weeks of focused training, but not even close to his potential. Yolmer is still a very young runner when it comes to running age. Plenty of space for improvement.
He was lucky enough to get into the New York City Marathon for November 2019. We set up a 20-week training program with all the elements for him to get where he needed to be. His biggest challenge was not running too fast. He did the speed work, bridge work, long distance and recovery. A PR was a given, it was a matter of by how much. Unfortunately, Yolmer has severe leg cramping as he god back from the Bronx to Manhattan and his finishing time suffered considerable. Still, he finishes in 3:54:36, a 22-minute PR. An amazing performance regardless, and gutsy given the circumstances.
Then came redeeming time in Miami 2020. A plan was set to destroy the NY PR and maybe get close to a BQ. At the start of the program, he received the amazing news that he was accepted to the Berlin 2020 Marathon, so we adjusted the plan to take it easier in Miami, have a more enjoyable run in which he could build the confidence that he is able to finish strong and without cramping, so he can have self-assurance going into Berlin. Despite a bumpy last month of training, when life and work got in the way of training, Yolmer was able to set a 10:30 PR in Miami, finishing in 3:43:36 without cramping.
From Miami 2019 to Miami 2020, Yolmer improved his PR by 32:55 and he hasnât run his fastest marathon quite yet. I have no doubt that a BQ of 3:15 is just around the corner. Maybe even closer that he or I think. Berlin 2020? I know heâll try.
UPDATE: Yolmer ran the 305 Half Marathon in Miami Beach on March 1st, and set up another PR by finishing in 1:35:50 despite taking it easy the three weeks in between and not doing any specific training towards this race. The sky is the limit with a runner like this one.
![\"Finishing](\"https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/1582040984649-WTKKCX24YY81A02X08EK/36+-+Yolmer+Garcia+%283+43%29.jpeg\")
