It’s the final 400 meters in the biggest race of the year. You can see the finish line ahead and the clock counting away the seconds. Your personal best time is within reach, but you’ll need to dig deep, ignore the searing pain in your quadriceps, and commit to one last surge. Your arms feel numb and heavy as you gulp for air in rapid breaths. The clock will not slow down. Will you? 

At first glance, you might think you need superhuman courage to mount a strong finishing kick when faced with these painful barriers. But how a runner reacts in moments like these has more to do with experience than with courage.

The more familiar you become with the sensations of extreme exertion that come in the final parts of a race, the less scary they become. You must practice this feeling well before race day if you are going to perform at your highest level when it matters most. 

Here are three tips to help you develop a winning kick:

1.  Select a specific distance: The type of exertion it takes to run the last 200 meters of an 800-meter race is very different than the last mile of a marathon. Select a specific race and the length of the kick you are trying to develop. 

2.  Simulate the finish: You do not need to run the entire race distance to simulate what it will feel like during the finishing kick. Run a shorter distance at a faster pace to simulate the fatigue you will have when it is time to kick. Then, focus on running hard to the end.  For an 800-meter race, this might mean running an all-out 400 meters and then pushing through the last 200. To practice the last mile of a 10K, run 3 miles at 20 seconds per mile faster than your 10K pace, followed by a hard mile.

3.  Reflect and repeat: While the memory of the workout is fresh, reflect on your finishing effort. What did it feel like? How long did it take to recover? What did you learn about yourself and what you can handle? Could you go even harder next time? If time allows before your big race, schedule two or three of these sessions to really improve your performance.

Here is a real example of the above tips:

Olympian Kara Goucher’s coach wanted her to practice the pace and exertion it will take to contend over the last four miles in the Olympic Marathon next month in London. Last week, at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships in Duluth, Minnesota, Kara ran the first 9 miles at a quick pace but waited until the 9-mile mark to really push hard. Her 2 miles, from 9 to 11, averaged 5:15 per mile and she ran her last 2 miles with an average 5:08. Her simulated finish gave her confidence in her ability to compete in the last stages of the race. Her reflection? She can go even harder!

Consider this new scenario, once you’ve practiced your finishing kick:

There are 200 meters to go now as the relentless clock continues to count down the time between you and that new PR. But you are equally relentless; you have been here before. You have practiced for this moment. You are not afraid. You burst across the line and stumble around on wobbly legs. The new PR feels great but knowing you had the courage and strength to finish that fast feels even better.  

What innovations and improvements to your training have helped you reach a new PR?

—Adam Goucher and Tim Catalano, Running Reporters

Running the Edge co-authors Adam Goucher and Tim Catalano became instant friends while running together at the University of Colorado. After college, Adam went on to have a very successful professional career that garnered eight national championships and an Olympic berth; Tim became a psychology teacher and high school coach in three different countries. They write about their passion for running on their blog, Run The Edge and on Facebook.

Our running courtroom has five controversial rules of running etiquette are on the docket this week. We will hear arguments from the prosecution and defense for each case and then submit our verdict for your consideration. Keep track of which side you are on and whether or not you agree with our verdict.  

Case #1: To Wave or Not To Wave

Are runners required to be friendly and personable on a run, or do they have a right to be in their own worlds, ignoring everyone else?

Prosecution: Runners should be friendly to each other. We all share the roads and trails. A simple hello or a smile with the wave of a hand can go a long way in contributing to a more friendly running community.

Defense: Sometimes runners are “in the zone” or running so close to their threshold that even a smile might put them over the edge. A runner in the middle of a hard workout, or just choosing to be alone with their thoughts, deserves a free pass on the wave and hello.

Verdict:  Runners should wave or at least acknowledge one another. Do your best to be friendly even if you are too tired to smile.  

Case #2:  Headphones or No Headphones

Many runners enjoy wearing headphones and listening to their favorite tunes while working out. However, headphones mean that runners are not as aware of their environment and can pose a risk to themselves and others.

Prosecution: The risks are too great both for the runner and for others. They will not be able to hear “On your left” from cyclists. They are also deaf to the sounds of traffic and the friendly “hellos” from other runners.

Defense: Headphone use is not a big deal and is the choice of the runner. Runners should be allowed to listen to their music just like people get to listen to the radio in their cars. 

Verdict: Headphones can be used but at a reasonable volume to allow the runner to hear other sounds in the environment. If a runner is on a track or trail, feel free to crank up the volume.

Case #3:  Dogs or No Dogs

Some runners prefer furry four-legged companions to human ones. But dogs will be dogs and their running owners have a special set of rules of etiquette to consider.

Prosecution: Most runners have had an encounter with a dog. Even if the dog turns out to be friendly, the adrenaline shot a runner gets in that moment of doubt can ruin a run. There is also the problem of runners not wanting to stop and clean up the dog’s mess.  If a runner is planning to run hard and not stop, leave the dog at home.

Defense: Running with dogs can offer security for people running alone. They provide motivation to get off the couch and out the front door. If dogs are our best friends then shouldn’t we be allowed to share our favorite hobby with them?

Verdict: If a runner runs with a dog then the dog (not the run) is the first priority. Dogs, even friendly ones, must be on a leash. Runners with dogs should pause to allow other runners to pass before continuing on. No matter the pace or scheduled workout, a runner must always stop to clean up all dog messes.   

Case #4: To Spit Or Not To Spit

Bodily functions do not stop when a runner heads out the front door. Mucus builds up and sinuses need to be cleared. The question is how do we deal with these issues while on a run to be polite to other runners or people on the path?

Prosecution: Spitting is rude and should not be done in public. Just swallow it and call it re-hydration. Other runners and walkers should not have to see, hear, or possibly step in your bodily fluids!

Defense: It is OK to spit or crank out a snot rocket as long as the runner looks around to make sure it will not be getting on anyone. If running in a group, runners should move to the back of the pack before attempting a farmer’s blow. 

Verdict: Go ahead and spit. Make every effort not to get it on anyone or leave it in a place it might be stepped in. If you are in a pack, move to the back first.  

Case #5: Obeying Traffic Laws

Do red lights and 4-way stops apply to everyone? Do pedestrians always have the right of way?

Prosecution: No workout is worth putting your life or the lives of others at risk. If you choose to run the roads in a city, then you need to respect the rules and obey all traffic laws as if you were a car or bike.

Defense: Runners do not want to mess up their splits by waiting for a light to turn green. If they can safely dart through traffic without getting hurt then they should be allowed to ignore the law and get in their workout.

Verdict: Runners can cross roads without going all the way to an intersection and can go through red lights when it is safe to do so. However, if runners do not obey traffic laws and get hurt, they are the only ones to blame.

You be the judge: Do your running verdicts match ours? How would you rule on each case in your own running courtroom?  

—Tim Catalano & Adam Goucher, Running Reporters

“When you say you are ‘slow,’ do you mean compared to the 93% of people who can’t run a mile without stopping, or the majority of Americans who never exercise?” We asked a runner this question at a recent race expo. She was trying to convince us that she was a “slow runner” and we were trying to convince her that there is no such thing as slow. (To be honest, we made up the 93% number. Fortunately, she didn’t ask us where we got our statistics.)

Sensing that she needed more convincing, we tried another approach. “If a woman qualifies for the Boston Marathon, does that make her fast?” She nodded enthusiastically.  

“What if she finishes the marathon in last place? Does that make her slow?” The look of compassion on her face communicated that she felt sorry for these two men desperately trying to impart anything close to wisdom. We wished her good luck in her race and requested that she let us know how she did when it was over.  

Two days later we received an email informing us that she had improved her best time in the  half marathon by over two minutes. She went on to explain that even though she was slower than most of the other competitors in the race, she was faster than any previous version of herself. The runner she was three months earlier would have looked at the runner she is now with admiration and respect. Now she wanted to train harder than ever to be an even faster runner in her next race.  

She ended the email with this thought, “From Olympians to runners just trying to finish a 10K, we are all fast. Runners at every level are pushing their limits and trying to see how good they can be. The only way to be slow is not to run at all.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

—Tim Catalano & Adam Goucher, Running Bloggers

Ever forget to put your underpants in your gym bag and end up going “commando” to a work meeting? That happened to professional triathlete Chrissie Wellington, too. Only her work meeting happened to be at 10 Downing Street, the British Prime Minister’s office. 

Wellington’s candor in her new autobiography, A Life Without Limits: A World Champion’s Journey, is not limited to the humorous side of her rise to be the world’s best triathlete. There’s a dark side, too, one that includes a battle with eating disorders, a renegade coach, and the bullying she experienced by fellow triathlon team members, perhaps spawned by jealousy: Wellington turned pro just before turning 30 (ancient by professional standards) and won her first Ironman World Championship —a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run — at the Hawaii Ironman a mere six months later. She has gone on to win that race three more times, along with every Ironman triathlon she’s ever entered. Thirteen, to be exact, in only five years.

Her story is compelling and her life thus far has been extraordinary. We had a few questions for her and Chrissie Wellington shared her answers.

Innovation for Endurance: For most professional triathletes, triathlon is all they know; it’s the only job they’ve ever had. But before you turned pro, you spent years as an adviser in international development for the UK Government, even rolling up your sleeves to aid people in third-world countries. How do you think your perspective on human suffering affects your personal capacity for your own physical suffering?

Chrissie Wellington: These life experiences have definitely shaped me into the athlete I am today, enabling me to develop independence, strength, and perspective. It made me realize the power of sport to make a difference in people’s lives, in developed and developing countries. It has enabled me to see wonderful landscapes and meet some great friends. I bank these memories and draw heavily on them when I am training and racing, especially to get me through the tougher, darker times. Most of all, traveling—and the things I have seen—have taught me so much about our capacity to endure and overcome hurdles, to never take for granted the opportunities I am given, to appreciate the simple things in life rather than placing value on material possessions, and to seize every chance that comes my way. 

IFE: “Still got it.” That’s a sentence that repeats throughout your book regarding the memorabilia you’ve saved throughout your life. Of all the things you “still got,” is there anything you prize most of all?

CW: The scars born of the crash before Kona 2012: They tell more than a thousand words.

IFE: You took up cycling while living in Nepal and rode extensively in the shadow of the Himalayas. You have said in your book, describing those amazing rides, “I’m sure it was the making of me.” What would you say makes up the total Chrissie package?

CW: I don’t think my success is down to one single quality, but rather a whole package of traits: drive, determination, consistency, self-belief, a great support structure, physiology, and good genes (or failing that, an ability to look good in jeans!), positivity, ability and willingness to overcome adversity, an ability to rest your mind as well as your body, a competitive fire, my life experiences and yes…..big calves.

IFE: Your fastest marathon time in an Ironman race (2:44:35) suggests a real possibility that you would be equally competitive in a straight marathon. Has competing in other sports, be it running, swimming, cycling (or something removed from triathlon) crossed your mind?

CW: Of course, I am always open to a challenge and I would love to do a big city marathon, to test myself to the limit and see what kind of time I could achieve.

IFE: I suspect you will live the next 35 years as passionately and productively as the first 35 years of your life, and will need to write a second memoir. What will be the highlights in that book?     

CW: I think this great question is best answered by plundering the final paragraph of my autobiography ….which goes a little something like this….

“…how can I speculate on what the future holds, when the present is so astronomically removed from whatever expectations I might have had in my youth? My only policy throughout has been to keep an open mind and, whatever I may do, to give it my all. It still takes my breath away to think where that simple outlook on life has taken me. I never set out to be a world champion – not many ordinary girls from Norfolk do – but neither have I ever wanted to be left wondering, ‘What if..?’ At so many stages along the way, the limits that I thought I could see lying ahead dissolved as I approached them. And that has been the most exciting discovery of all”.

— Kara Thom, Runner’s World Reporter 

Photos courtesy of Chrissie Wellington and Center Street Publishing 

In his memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami focuses on the physical and mental transformation he underwent when transitioning from a smoking, drinking jazz bar owner to an ultramarathon runner. Beginning at age 33, he gradually went from 36 miles a week to running marathons in under 3 1/2 hours, to, finally, completing the grueling 62.137-mile race known as the ultramarathon.

Though many runners stick to a traditional 26.2-mile route, a growing number are no longer content with such a straightforward course. Instead, they might opt for five marathons in five days — along with 560 miles of cycling and 12 miles of swimming. That’s exactly what endurance athletes Richard Roll and Jason Patrick Lester accomplished in May 2010, when the two friends completed five Iron-distance triathlons over five days. To really stamp “epic” onto their achievement, they did each race on a different Hawaiian island.

Are you saying, “Five? Is that it?” If so, maybe you’re the type of athlete who needs at least 365 marathons in a year. Pushing the boundaries on the extreme — pushing well-passed those boundaries, in fact — comes Stefaan Engels, who already held a record for completing 20 Ironmans in a year. In February 2011, Engels completed 365 marathons in as many days. (Being that the old record for one year was 52, Engels must have felt he really had to make his mark.) After completing that quest, Engels said he felt like “Joe Average” going to work every day. It’s now going to take a leap year for someone to outdo Joe’s legacy.

I know what you’re thinking after viewing the photos in the links above: These runners are just not muddy enough. Thankfully, US Mud Sports responds to that challenge with the Ultimate Mud Run, a two-day event happening this weekend in New Jersey. Sure, it’s only seven miles, but throw in 25 obstacles, uneven terrain, and lots and lots of mud, and you have one of what is arguably the weirdest and certainly the most fun races to ever take place.

Sometimes just one element is not enough, however. Who doesn’t want to run through a raging fire and barbed wire as part of their workout? As the Spartan Race sub-header states, “You’ll Know at the Finish Line.” This two-day event held all over the planet features lots of Gladiator-style photos and messaging to inspire those on the fence. The organization points out the puniness of simple marathons and triathlons, and asserts that you’ll go “well beyond your comfort zone” as you climb, dive, slide, jump, and most probably despise your existence as you try to “conquer the Olympic Super Spartan” within you.

What sort of ultimate race have you tried, or would you like to try?

— Derek Beres, Women’s Health Reporter

Photo courtesy of RichRoll.com. 

It was so hot at the Boston Marathon! How hot? This tweet from @runningtimes sums it up:

Kipyego missed bottle at 25 miles and went back for it. Korir almost came to stop to grab water cup. Must be brutal out there.

When elite runners are willing to sacrifice time in order to cool off, it’s hot. Elite runners finished the race as temperatures reached 78, but slower runners can expect to feel the mid-80s before they cross the finish line today. If they don’t run a personal record, they might be able to say they ran a different sort of record. Boston’s record high for April 16 was 84 degrees set in 2003. Today’s high is expected to hit 86 degrees.

In fact, the forecasted heat led race organizers to extend the unprecedented offer to defer registration to next year for the nearly 27,000 runners. Those who carried on with their 26.2-mile journey started the race with the temperature in the low 70s, some 30 degrees warmer than the 46-degree start in 2011. 

The warmer weather translated into slower times for this year’s winners, which is better than the alternative: Defending champion Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya, who recorded the fastest marathon finish on record at Boston last year with a 2:03:02, dropped out due to cramping.

But it wasn’t slow for everyone. In the men’s wheelchair division, Canadian Josh Cassidy set a new world record in 1:18:24.

It’s no secret that “explosive” exercises are a smart way to supplement your running training so you get faster. What we have come to know as plyometrics is, simply put, a method to the madness of jumping around: With these moves you’re teaching your muscles to pop off the ground faster to increase efficiency in your stride and also teaching your muscles to push off the ground with more force, which increases your power.

And where there is power, there is speed. 

How do plyometric exercises work?

They are effective because they involve both concentric contractions (in which a muscle shortens under tension), which recruit all muscle fibers, with eccentric contractions (during which a muscle lengthens under tension), which mainly recruit fast-twitch muscle fibers. It’s these eccentric contractions that make plyometrics different from strength training. Almost any kind of jumping — broad jumps, box jumps, squat jumps — include both the concentric contraction, when muscles are shortened as the feet are grounded before or after the jump, and the eccentric contraction, when muscles are lengthened during the jump.

This repetition of rapid eccentric contractions is the basis of plyometric training and what ultimately benefit runners like 29-year-old Mackenzie Lobby of Minneapolis. After looking at photos and video of herself running she knew she could benefit from incorporating plyometrics into her training. Lobby, who has a master’s in kinesiology and coaches high school track, wrote a 2010 article about plyometrics for Running Times (you’ll find a plyometrics training plan for runners here too). Her article explains how plyometrics help to shorten the concentric phase, or landing while we run, thereby increasing the efficiency of our stride, while teaching our muscles to use energy more effectively during the eccentric phase, so we can push off the ground with more power. 

Plyometrics does this by improving muscle recruitment. The rapid eccentric contractions teach your body to tap into muscle fibers you might not use otherwise. If you always run at the same pace you aren’t using your muscles’ full potential.  “You can get away with long, slow distances for some of your training, but in the latter stages of a marathon the slow twitch muscle fibers are so exhausted you need to transfer over to fast twitch fibers,” Lobby says. “By doing those more explosive exercises you can get at those fast twitch fibers so they are ready to assist later in a race.”

In addition to helping the body recruit more muscle fibers, plyometrics increases strength and includes dynamic stretching. “It’s an all-in-one routine,” Lobby says. “If I had to chose one supplement to my run training it would be plyometrics.” 

Lobby is taking her own advice. “My stride feels more efficient, especially going up hills,” says Lobby, who hopes to see the payoff in speed at this summer’s Minneapolis Marathon. “So far, being able to train this whole winter without injuries is the proof that plyometrics work.” 

Plenty of top-level running coaches have seen big benefits from these leaps and bounds too. “My own athletes — 100/200/400m sprinters — [do] plyometrics twice a week,” says Brian Mackenzie, a level-4 performance coach at UK Athletics, the United Kingdom’s national governing body for track and field; he’s also known as the expert behind the Sports Coach website. Because Mackenzie wants his athletes to focus on quality of movement, the plyometrics training is separate from run workouts, and he allows 72 hours of recovery between each session.

Tell us: Do you use plyometrics as part of your running training? If not, why not? If so, how has it helped?

—Kara Thom, Runner’s World Reporter

As I have been preparing for next month’s Olympic Marathon Trials I have been reflecting on my journey in running so far and all the obstacles I have faced.  I was remembering my junior year at Stanford when I was dreaming of making it to the Olympic Track and Field Trials when I was sidelined with a strain to my upper hamstring.

The injury to my hamstring ultimately ended my dreams for the 2004 Olympics; however, a few weeks later I was eager to get back into training after taking two weeks off to let my hamstring heal up.  I thought rest was the only thing that would fix it; I was wrong.

Despite the two-week break, when I resumed my training my hamstring felt as bad, if not worse, than ever. I didn’t know what was going on. I had always been told that rest fixed everything. I had to search for alternate ways to get my hamstring back to 100 percent. What I found was a foam roller and a softball.  I think I spent more hours rolling my hamstring over the roller and softball than I did actually running, but the more I worked on my hamstring the better it got, until the problem slowly disappeared completely.

Over the years I have found more and more that better than resting an injury is to figure out what is causing the injury and fixing the root of that problem. It takes a lot of patience to address an injury in this way because sometimes it takes time for the symptoms to recede, even after you have fixed the problem. But, in my experience, if I just treat the symptoms then usually the problem comes back.  I have learned that the symptoms are there for a reason; they are there to tell us there is a problem and we should fix it.

I must say that there are certain injuries, like stress fractures, that can only be healed with rest. However, I could also argue that oftentimes stress fractures are caused by nutritional deficiencies, bad shoes, running on hard surfaces, ramping up training too quickly, etc. There is always a cause behind injuries. It’s easy to treat the pain, but the real answer lies beneath the pain in the cause of the
problem. Next time you are sidelined with an injury, treat the symptoms, but more important, think about and consult with others about what the underlining problem may be.

—Ryan Hall, Record-breaking Marathoner

It’s interesting that every major marathon (Berlin, Chicago, London, Boston, and NYC) has had its course record broken in the latest running, but breakthroughs aren’t just happening at the major marathons — they’re happening all around.

Even smaller marathons are seeing near world-record runs, like in Frankfurt this year when the winner just narrowly missed the newly-set world record. We are seeing races being run on all types of courses that we never thought possible. We are seeing minutes taken off records that have stood for 10 to 20 years. It really is incredible to watch and partake in what is happening in the marathon. All of a sudden the question of a sub-two-hour marathon is being asked more and more, when just a few years ago it seemed ridiculous to even mention it.  I personally am certain a two-hour marathon is possible. I am also certain it is going to take a very special day in perfect conditions, but I believe it’s coming. 

I’m not sure if this is a common reaction to watching someone break through, but my initial reaction is usually discouragement. Initially, I find myself thinking, why can’t I break through like that? Or, I am so impressed by the performance that I think, I will never be able to do anything like that. What I am getting better at (note the word “better”) is turning these discouraging thoughts into positives. I turn my thoughts of envy into thoughts of thankfulness for that person and how they have paved the way for me to enter into that same breakthrough.

There is no better classic example of someone showing everyone around them that something seemingly impossible is possible as when Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile. Within months of people around him seeing and hearing that it is possible to run under 4 minutes many more broke the same barrier. Roger paved the way and eliminated doubts in the minds of his peers. In turn, his peers were able to enter into his breakthrough because they now knew with all certainty what was possible. For Bannister to go under 4 minutes it took strong faith to believe he could do it. For everyone else, it took someone else doing it first.

The question then is: Do we have faith, as Roger did, to enter into new breakthrough in our lives? If the answer is no, then at least are we able to look at the breakthrough around us and enter into it? I’m trying to do both at the moment. I really do believe that breakthrough is possible and at the same time I am seeing others break through, which has increased my faith even more. 

Now, in training I am expecting more in my workouts and pressing in for more than I ever have before.  I am learning to listen and respect my body in every way and at the same time asking it to rise to new levels. With less than nine weeks ‘til the Olympic Marathon Trials, which are on January 14th in Houston, Texas, I am training not harder than before, but with more faith than ever before and believing that Houston is indeed “the land of the breakthrough.”  I have gotten many questions about what kind of time do I think it will take to make the Olympic team, or how fast the winner will be, to which I don’t have good answers.

The coming months of training will play a large part in how fast the top three run and then, of course, things outside our control, like the weather, will play their part. But at the end of the day, my feeling is that the top three runners will all experience a sizeable breakthrough. It’s with this goal that I train day in and day out, expecting to be amongst them. 

—Ryan Hall, Record-breaking Marathoner  

With the growing popularity of the marathon, it takes an extraordinary finish to raise eyebrows anymore. At more races, it seems like running 26.2 miles is hardly news.

Unless you give birth after crossing the finish line. Amber Miller, 27, was almost 39 weeks’ pregnant with her second child when she finished the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9, by alternating walking and running every two miles. Her finish in 6:25:50 wasn’t her fastest but she surprised even herself by finishing at all. Her husband, Joe, who finished 19 minutes after his very pregnant wife, said he was in a lot of pain too, but thought better of complaining. Why? Because shortly after crossing the finish line Amber went into labor and at 10:29 p.m. that night she gave birth to a 7 lb. 13 oz. baby girl named June. These back-to-back endurance events put Miller in the world news spotlight, dominated social media chatter, and even made the late-night comedy circuit, inspiring a funny video from Conan O’Brien.

Miller’s healthy baby girl might be considered the youngest marathon finisher, which puts the recent marathon finish of 100-year-old Fauja Singh in perspective: The centenarian Singh completed the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 16 in 8:25:16, getting more attention than the marathon’s winners — or even 80-year-old Ed Whitlock, who finished the race in a record 3:15:53. Unfortunately, the Guinness Book of World Records won’t recognize Singh’s achievement because he doesn’t have a birth certificate, which means he’ll be left out of the long list of fellow Toronto Waterfront Marathon finishers that day who did make the record book.

Tell Us: Are these marathoners simply very devoted runners — or are they taking things too far? Are you satisfied with running 26.2 miles, or do you plan a marathon finish with flair, too?

—Kara Thom, Runner’s World Reporter

Photo Courtesy ©Chicago Tribune Company