by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | May 31, 2022 | Article, List, Reflection, Science
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
Since the majority of my readers and trainees are in the Northern Hemisphere and the weather is warming up rapidly despite being three weeks away from the Summer Solstice, the time has come to remind all athletes that running during the hottest times of the year requires purposeful and intentional adjustments. These modifications are not optional. If you donât alter your habits, you will not only be unable to maintain or increase your fitness, but you could get seriously hurt.
Heat related injuries wonât break your bones, but they could have lasting effects on your body, and thus, on the future of running.
So, here are 5 tips to adjust to summer running.
1 – Understand what is happening – There are two basic things that happen when you run in a hot and/or humid environment. They just are, so there is no use in fighting them.
1A – The first one is basic physics: Humid air is denser than dry air, so it takes more effort to displace a heavier mass of air, thus enhancing the effort it takes to run at the same speed.
1B – The second one is basic biology: The human body cools off by sweating and the blood contains about 92% water. The more you sweat without replenishing fluids, the more water gets sucked out of your bloodstream and the ticker blood becomes, making it more difficult to circulate. That alone, spells deep trouble.
If you canât adjust the time of your tun, you may end up on the dreaded treadmill (Julia Larson, Pexels)
2 – Adjust the time of your running – If you live in places like Florida, Texas or similar, your two options are adjusting to run in the heat/humidity or not running at all. If you want to continue running, you must do it at the coolest time possible, when it is gentler to the body. Before sunrise or after sunset are the basic choices. Wake up earlier or wait until later. If you canât then the dreaded treadmill seems like your option, but that comes with its own set of particularities that you will have to deal with.
A good hack is to keep your running shirt and hat in the freezer and put them on right before you hit the road. This will cool off your core and provide you with a few comfortable initial miles before the inevitable sets in.
3 – Slow your race â There is a reason most mainstream races take place in the fall or the spring. Who wants their goal race in the thick of the scorching summer? So, since summer is usually the time to get ready for the upcoming season, it is the perfect time to take care of the feared strength training and to build up your aerobic engine, which is done by running slower than usual. Your fall and spring PRs are built during the summer. Take advantage of it. Donât worry about what the fast people in your running group may say or what your Instagram followers may think.
Hydration during the summer months is key, but overhydration can be a life threatening condition (Ketut Subiyanto, Pexels)
4 â Careful about overhydration: Hydration is key during the summer, but hydration is not only what you consume as you run. Hydration should be a 24/7 habit that will put you as close to fully hydrated when you start your GPS watch. Your body is designed to lose fluids and run without replenishing every single drop of water you lose. Donât fall into the temptation of overindulging on water or sports drinks or you could experience hyponatremia, a condition in which the sodium levels are so diluted that it could cause seizures, coma and even death. For more on hyponatremia, I invite you to read what the Cleveland Clinic website has to say about this serious condition.
5 – Beware of the signs â Running during the summer has challenges that go beyond having to run earlier, later or slower. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are two of the most serious perils from running in inhospitable climates. It is important to know and recognize the symptoms of each one, so you can adjust properly and avoid a mishap that with luck, it will only keep you out for a few weeks, without it, it could kill you. I wrote an earlier post on heat exhaustion vs. heat stroke. I invite you to revisit it by clicking here.
Running in the heat and humidity is no joke. Please be careful out there. Never lose sight that you need to live to run another day. The line between toughness and doing something stupid is very thin and if you cross it, you can get seriously hurt.
There are no medals or podiums during training, so, be smart out there and remember you are only getting ready for next season.
by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | May 17, 2022 | Article, List, Reflection
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
A good friend of mine shared a post in LinkedIn, last week, where 10 tips for CEO success were listed. The further I read, the more I felt this advice could perfectly translate into our running lives. After all, everybody should the CEO of their own running.
Obstacles are inevitable whether in business or in running. You better be prepared to face them (Photo: Ann-H, Pexels)
It is important to note that my friend specified he could not find the source of these tips, so neither him nor I are claiming ownership of them.
Below, I am duplicating the tips for CEOs as I got them (though translated from Spanish) and then sharing how they apply to taking charge of your running life. Letâs get started.
1 â Focus on the important issues â There are way too many diversions fighting for your attention. Too many goals, too many races, too many social media platforms competing for your likes, etc. If you are to take charge of your running life, you need to pick your direction and your goals, so you know what you are working towards. Setting up PRs in all the distances, every race, every season, is unfeasible. So, choose where youâre going and start focusing on it, now!
2 â Make quick decisions and apply them as soon as possible â Just as in running a company, there are multiple options to choose from, but you must stop procrastinating and pick the one youâll pursue. You canât wait for the stars to align before you define if you are changing your season goal to a marathon when youâve been training for a 5K PR.
3 â Use few rules, as too many rules prevent flexibility, change and innovation â A training plan must be dynamic and everchanging. Donât overthink every single aspect of your training to the point that youâd rather get injured than adjust. Focus on the main parameters, not on the minutiae. Be openminded enough to realize when your plan needs adjustment.
4 â Learn to say No â When you decide to go for a running goal, you are to be 100% focused. So, to continue your progress you may have to skip certain parties, happy hours or comfort foods for a while. Nobody expects you to miss your best friendâs wedding because you have a long run, but you should not get drunk out of your mind at the party if your goal marathon is in two weeks. Focus now, party later!
5 â Keep a goal in mind, even if it is difficult to achieve. Have a long-term vision âRunning is a journey, not a quick weekend road trip. Your goal may take more than a race or a season to achieve. Some runners have worked 10+ years towards their BQ. Accept that there will be bumps along the road, learn from them, and keep running towards that goal.
Your goal may take more than one race and more than one season, but if you keep focused, you may achieve it (Photo: Iconcom, Pexels)
6 â You should be willing to spend many hours at work â Hard work require long hours. It is that simple. There are no shortcuts, simply hard work.
7 â Study, learn, update your knowledge â You wonât be able to improve if you keep doing the same thing over and over. Thereâs new science being published every month, there are books, articles, podcasts and magazines to guide you through your journey. And, if you donât feel like doing this part of the job, hire a coach who will do it for you.
8 â Be courageous when facing adversity because you will find obstacles â It wonât be easy. Face it and accept it. It will require sweat, pain, funds and sacrifice. Sometimes, even injury. Be ready to work through it because these obstacles are coming fast at you, so you better be ready to confront them.
9 â Put passion into your work â You canât run a marathon or train year-round just to please someone else. You must enjoy it and be willing to invest the time and sweat this requires. If you are not passionate about it, do yourself a favor and find another hobby.
10 â Develop communicational skills â Even though ours is not a team sport, running in a group or a team can ad so much to your running life. Sharing your journey with friends, or through social media groups specifically created for this purpose, can boost your confidence, knowledge and experience. Donât go solo in your running life, especially in the 21st Century.
Take charge of your running in the same fashion as you would take charge of your own business. If you visualize it, focus and work hard towards your goals, there is a good chance you will achieve them. Nobody will do it on your behalf.
Any thoughts?
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by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Apr 12, 2022 | Coaching, List, Reflection
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
As runners, we would all like to improve on a weekly or monthly basis. If we could set up PRs in all our trainings, races and in all our distances, why wouldnât we? It must be a lot of fun. But the human body is not set up for an indefinite, upward linear progress. There comes a time when such progress wanes down. And there are also times when you get in a running rut.
Keeping the motivation alive is the key to the success of your running journey (Photo: run-ffwpu, Pexels)
It is easy to lace up and hit the asphalt or the trail when things are going well. When you are running in-the-zone, effortlessly, when the miles pile up without feeling them. But the key to becoming a successful and life-long runner is to be able to keep your motivation up when things are not going well. When you are injured, when you canât figure out why your body doesnât give you more than 4 miles, when it hurts just to think on putting on your running shoes, when everything just sucks.
 Fortunately, there are plenty of strategies to apply to keep that running journey alive. To get back to where you want to be. Here are eight of them:
 1 â Create feasible, short-term goals to keep you focused: Regardless of where you are on your journey, having an achievable goal in front of you is crucial to keep moving forward. The operating adjective here is âachievableâ. Even amid a long-term goal, such as a BQ in 3 years or running 2000 miles this year, you must structure a plan that will allow you small triumphs to keep your dream and your motivation alive.
 2 â Register to a race, now: I am convinced there is no bigger motivation out there than being registered to a race. This way, you know you need to be ready to run X distance by X Day. This will allow you to set up a plan, set expectations and motivate you to keep moving forward during the inevitable challenging times. Even more, let everyone know you have registered, so it is even tougher to back out.
 3 â Find a running partner/group: While running could be the perfect time for introspection and solitude, having a running partner with similar goals to be accountable to, is always a good strategy. You can also join a running group or team where you can find yourself welcomed and become part of your local running community. This will change your running life. Guaranteed.
Diet doesnât have to be fancy. Just eat more of the the good stuff, cut the junk, and you will see immediate improvements. (Foto: Polina Tankilevitch, Pexels)
4 â Dial in your nutrition: If you eat junk all day, there is no training plan able to help you become the best runner you can be. Nobody expects you to never again eat a donut, but you canât eat six them and flushing them down with Coke, every single day. A solid and balanced diet will take you a long way. It doesnât need to be a fancy nutrition plan. Eat your veggies, consume good carbs and fats, take it easy with the alcohol and donât overindulge. That alone, will take you a long way.
 5 â Make rest part of your program: You can work as hard as you want, but if you donât allow your body to heal and repair, you will become overtrained and injured. Not a matter of if but when. Cross training days, when your body works out but doesnât receive the pounding, or a weekly day with nothing in your schedule, should be an integral part of your plan, so you can keep healthy and so you wonât burn out.
 6 â Do not sacrifice sleep: Remember you donât improve when you work out, you improve while you sleep. The long run, the tempo, the weightlifting, or the speed session damage your body. It is when you sleep that your body gets repaired. If you skip on sleep, you wonât realize all the benefits of the training, but you will keep the muscle damage. It is that simple.
 7 â Work with a coach: This is not a self-serving tip. There are reasons why even multi-billion dollar companies hire consultants. Someone who can see things from the outside and assist in maximizing their resources to improve results. Same applies to your running journey. The knowledge and experience of a specialist at your service, can only enhance your experience and thus, your performance.
 8 â Just have fun: If you donât have fun, you wonât last as a runner. It is that simple.
 Any other tips you may want to contribute?
by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Jan 11, 2022 | List, Personal
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
In my New Year Running Resolutions for 2022 post from last week, suggestion #8 was to âread at least one running bookâ. As much as I believe this is an important resolution, I confess that I kind of threw that one in at the last minute, mostly because I was selecting the running books I want to read this year.
A few readers contacted me letting me know this is a clever idea and they will either pick or have already picked their running book for 2022. As an avid reader, I canât but be delighted on the reception this suggestion had. Now, one of my readers (and dear friend), asked me that, based on this suggestion, what is âthe one bookâ I will recommend for someone to read in 2022.
If you want to get better, learning about our sport is as important as putting in the miles. Being knowledgeable is always an advantage
The question was so broad that I didnât pay much attention to it, at first. But as the week progressed, I kept circling back to it. Sure, there is not a straight answer to it but there must be a way around it. Somehow, this remained in my brainâs backburner and would not go away. So this is what I have come up with:
There is no way to recommend just one book. No one book encompasses everything, nor it can satisfy the curiosity of every reader. In the post, I stated that âIf we want to get better at our sport, we must learn about its science, its practices, its history, and its top performers. Personal experience is important, sure, but it is not the wherewithal to become the best runner you can be.â
Based on this, I decided to segment that suggestion and propose one book from each category. So, based on your particular interest, you can have âThe One Bookâ. It is not what was asked but I hope it fits the bill.
Science â The Science of Running, by Steve Magness: If you want to geek out and dig deep into the science of what happens inside your body when you run, this is the book for you. It is dense, full of biology, scientific references and it is not the most fun to read. But if you decide to go through it, you will come out with a deep understanding on the physiology and mechanics of what happens when you run and why.
Practices â Run for Your Life, By Dr. Marc Cuccuzzella: The author has run Sub-3 marathons for over 30 consecutive years. In this book he mixes science and personal experience in an easy-to-read narrative, without geeking out on the science side of things. He explains the importance, the right way, and the approach to human movement so you can do it smarter, stronger, and springier. This book is as much for a sub-3 marathoner as it is for a walker wanting to complete a first 5k.
Reading while running is neither safe nor necessary. This is a real photo.
History â Kings of the Road, By Cameron Stracher: This is the story of Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, and how they fueled the first running boom after Shorterâs marathon gold in the Munich Olympics (1972). It shows how running went from a niche activity by a bunch of crazies to the foundation of the New York City Marathon. This is the base for what came later, and thus, what we are enjoying, today. These were the pioneers who brought marathoning to the mainstream of participation sports.
Top Performers â There are great bios out there on Rodgers, Shorter, Johnny Kelly, Steve Prefontaine, Haile Gebrselassie and many more. But if you are delving into running bios for the first time, 26 Marathons, by Meb Keflezighi could be a good place to start. Beyond his running acumen, most of us can relate to him because he is a contemporary figure. We can also learn plenty from each one of his 26 incursions into the 26.2 monster.
Special Mention â Â Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall: An indispensable read for anyone interested in understanding how the human body was built to run, told through superb storytelling. This book has become a classic and there is a good reason for it. Just beware that his praise for minimalistic running shoes and barefoot running has been disproven. But other than that, it is a gem.
What is your book recommendation?
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by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Jan 4, 2022 | List, Reflection
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
 As a new year dawns on us and we focus on what we want to accomplish during the coming 12 months, our running lives should not pushed to the back burner. If we want to make sure that come December, we are not regretting a wasted athletic year, or cramming up the miles, the time to set up the course is now.
Running goals are very individual. Qualifying for Boston may be the goal of a lifetime for someone, while others qualify every year. Finishing your first marathon can be a tough yet achievable goal for you, while others are focusing on their 10th 100-miler. Goals need to be feasible and, mor important, individual.
These are a few running goals you may consider for 2022:
1 â Set up a mileage goal â One thousand miles in a year is an immensely popular and achievable goal. The 4-digit number is more of a psychological barrier than anything else, but it is feasible. The key is to break it (or whatever number you set your mind to) down to small segments you can easily manage. For 1000 miles, this is just 83.33 miles per month, or 4.8 a day if you run 4 times a week (less if you include a weekly long run). If this goal is for you, I recommend you join the 1K Run Club in Facebook, with over 8000 runners from all over the world.
Set up your course for 2022, now, so you are not cramming up, come December
2 â Add one more day of activity per week â If running mileage is not your thing, adding another day to your training is an effective way to increase your activity. If you run 2-3 times a week, that 3rd or 4th day is viable. If you run 5 or 6, this may not be a goal for you, but you can always add a yoga class or a cross training day. The key is to increase your activity as long as you are not sacrificing your recovery.
3 â Add strength training to the weekly routine â It is the most neglected part of every training cycle, yet the most beneficial to make you stronger, faster and deflect injuries. This is usually the first casualty of a busy lifestyle. But consider this: As runners, we pound on our musculoskeletal system with 3-4 times our body weight into each leg, about 800 times per mile. If we donât prepare our bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments to take on the workload, we will be rehabbing instead of running.
4 â Set up a PR Goal on a Specific Distance â Setting up for a PR in every distance in the same season is a recipe for injury. Going for a PR in every race, every week is the fastest way to burning out. Set up your main goals for the season and focus on them. If you want to run your best 5K ever, a marathon PR may not be a good mix. Figure out what is important to you and go for it.
5 â Concentrate on running easy on easy days â The biggest mistake runners make is to go to fast on easy days. There is a good reason why easy days are labeled as âeasyâ. It is because you are supposed to run easy. These are the sessions when you recover so you can go faster later, when you develop the cardiovascular system so you can go faster later, when you prepare your musculoskeletal system to adjust so you can go faster later. Science has determined that you wonât get slower by running slow. Quite the contrary. You must run slow to eventually be able to run fast.
In 200,000 years of history, humans havenât evolved not to sleep. So hit that pillow in 2022 (Photo: Andrea Piacquadio, Pexels.com)
6 â Focus on Sleeping âSleeping is the number one device in our recovery tool bag, and it is mandatory. Consider this: The Homo Sapiens emerged about 200,000 years ago and during its evolution, the need for sleep to recover and reset our systems has not disappeared. That alone should tell you why you canât skip it. So, make sure 7-8 hours of sleep a night is part of your daily training for 2022.
7 â Keep a running log â Sure, Garmin, Runkeeper, Strava, etc., keep track of more parameters you could ever understand or need. But keeping a personal log, either handwritten or in a computer file, on your daily activity, will make a noticeable difference in the understanding of your training.
8 â Read at least one running book â If we want to get better at our sport, we must learn about its science, its practices, its history, and its top performers. Personal experience is important, sure, but it is not the wherewithal to become the best runner you can be. Reading may not be for everybody, but one book a year should be easily manageable. Find a book on a running subject that interests you and give go for it.
Of course, these are not the only athletic goals you may set up for 2022. They are just ideas to help you define what you would like to achieve this year. Pick one, pick two or pick them all, but get started right away.
What are your running goals for 2022?
by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Nov 30, 2021 | Article, List, Science
 By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
 Not to be super graphic, but we runners behave like little kids when it comes to bathroom issues and bodily functions related jokes. A fundamental truth of our sport is that if you havenât pooped your shorts while running, you just havenât run enough. Keep running and you will.
We even have a term coined to describe that inescapable moment when we will inevitably have to face nature: âCode Brownâ. Descriptive enough.
Make sure you know where is the best place for a pit stop, before you may need it (Photo: Pexels)
I do believe that gastrointestinal issues in runners are as unavoidable as falling. Still, we must do our best, prepare as thoroughly as we can, pray for the best and eventually both fall down and poop our pants, anyway. But for that part that we can control, the key is to get intimate with your gastrointestinal systemâs nuances. To build a relationship with it, so you can learn to listen to each other start working together.
But, as with any best friend, a spat here and there are part of the package. So, here are a few things you can work on to avoid unpleasant, running GI issues for as long as you can hold them at bay:
1 â Befriend the trial-and-error method: Make sure you take notes, mental or written, of what works on your behalf, and what doesnât. This will allow you to know what is best to eat, when to eat it and, how much of it to eat. At the same time, it will let you know what to avoid and how far in advance to avoid it.
2 â Plan ahead: Even though GI issues may happen at any time, the most dreaded time is in the middle of the long run, when most likely youâll be farther from home but hopefully, close to a stinky port-a-potty. Most of us have a solid idea on when we will be hitting the road, so we should time our food intake based on the best practices we have developed through time.
3 â Map out the bathrooms along your route: Hopefully, you wonât need them, but it is always good to know where they are, just in case. Gas stations, drug stores, supermarkets or isolated bushes will do the trick, but only if you know where they are.
4 â Time your pre long-run/race dinners: Some runners swear by the night-before pasta, others go for a burrito or a pizza. Regardless of the nutritious value of your meal, the key is to make sure it has been digested by the time you go to bed and/or start running. The timing of such meal, as well as pre-run snacks, is key to avoid unscheduled and unpleasant stops.
You need to get intimate with your GI system so you can manage unpleasant stops as much as possible
5 â Try various fueling products until you find âthe oneâ: There are hundreds of in-run fueling options in the market. Gels, powders, chewables, drinks, you name it. They also come in unnumerable flavors, concentrations and with added stimulants. After awful experiences with a certain brand of sugary gel, I found my favorite and I know what works for me. The time to figure out you canât stomach a fifth gel should not be in the 22nd mile of your marathon.
6- Figure out how fiber, sugar and caffeine affect you: While all these substances are useful when consumed in the right quantities and times, each runner has its own level of tolerance for them. A bowl of oatmeal may be good for someoneâs pre-run breakfast while it will have others running to the bushes. Same with caffeine. Sugar can hit your stomach hard if you consume too much of it during your run, especially as an ingredient of energy gels. Know what is best for you.
7 â Stay hydrated: This doesnât mean only during your run, but in general, throughout your day. Dehydration can lead to GI issues such as constipation, bloating, nausea, ulcers, and acid reflux, among others. Remember that consuming alcohol sucks the moisture out of you, so avoid it, especially on hot days.
Any tips or horror stories you would like to share with my readership?
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