Magazine
- 3. TRAININGPLAN
THECOLDESTRACE
ONEARTH
P.32
OURHEROS
InMichael’sown
words:
“Dad,Iwanttorunto-
gether.”
Donald’seyesbeamed
enthusiasm;hebe-
lievedthiscouldbe
somethingspecial.I
wasnorunnerbuthow
doIsayno?
Fivedayslater,Donald,
inanoldstroller,pulled
mealongasIpushed
withallmymightin
a5K.Mysonhasce-
rebralpalsylimiting
theuseofhislimbs.
But,pleaseunder-
stand,heisanAthlete.
Donaldisfiercelyded-
icatedtoanythinghe
undertakes.Hismental
fortitudeisinspiring.
Hesimplydoesn’thave
thebodytorun.Sohe
allowsmetheprivilege
ofteamingupwith
him.
Sincecrossingthatfin-
ishlinetwoyearsago,
we’vecompetedindoz-
ensofraces,including
twomarathons.We’ve
wonmyagegroupnu-
meroustimesandeven
beenontheoverall
podium.
We’recurrentlytraining
toqualifyforBoston.
Donaldwasright;
wefoundsomething
special!Runninghas
unitedusinwaysIcan
barelyexpresswithout
tears.Butithasalso
liberatedus:mefrom
thestressesoflifeand,
moreimportantly,Don-
aldfromhisdisability.
Donaldhascommu-
nicatedthatwhenwe
run,heforgetshehas
adisability;hefeels
likejustanotherrunner.
That’senoughtokeep
usrunningforever.
famousTeamHoyt,inwhichthefatherpushes
hisson,whohasCerebralPalsy,throughmar-
athonsandIronmantriathlons.Donald,who
isnow20,wassoexcitedhesaid,“Dad,let’s
gooutsideandrun.RIGHTNOW!”Theyran
theirfirst5Ktheverynextweekend,andsince
thatdaytwoyearsagotheyhaverecordedPRs
of18:55inthe5Kand3:25inthemarathon.
“Whenwerun,Donaldsayshefeelsthewindin
hisfaceandforgetsabouthisdisabilities,”says
Michael.“Wealwaysgettheloudestcheersat
thefinishline.It’sfun!”
Thatisthetrulywonderfulthingaboutrun-
ning.Ithelpspeopleforgettheirproblemsin
theworld.Itbringscommunitiesofpeople
togetherforanexcapeintoblissful,adrena-
line-rushedjoy––thehealthykindofexcape.
Watchingtheircommunitycometogether,Mi-
chaelsays,towatchhimandDonaldachieve
theirdreamstouchedthemdeeply.
byMartinFreeman
Michaelandhiswifewerespecialeduca-
tionteacherswhentheywenttoJamaicain
thesummerof2010tovolunteeratahomefor
kidswithdisabilities.Theretheymet,fellinlove
with,andeventuallyadoptedateenagedboy
withcerebralpalsynamedDonald.Oncehome,
thefamilywatchedadocumentaryaboutthe
MICHAELANDDONALDHARMS
“Whenwerun,heforgets
hehasadisability;hefeels
likejustanotherrunner.”
5 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY 2017
FITNESS
Page8
STRETCHESFORRECOVERY
byJohnnyDepp
Thebeststretchestoimproveyour
strengthandflexibility.
Page50
CROSSFITFORDUMMIES
byMr.Rogers
Whendoneright,Crossfitcanhelp
runnersimprovetheirstrength
withoutbulkinguptoomuch.
FOOD
Page52
VEGANCOMFORTFOOD
byHelenMirren
VeganFoodcanbehealthy.....and
alsomakedeliciouswintercomfort
food!
Page57
THEHEALTHBENEFITSOF
CHOCOLATE
byEllenPaige
Yes,youreaditright.Chocolatecan
behealthy!
COMMUNITY
Page4
OURHEROS
byMartinFreeman
ForMichaelandDonald,racingwas
awaytoforgettheirdisabilities.
Page59
RUNNINGTOTHETOP
byJeremyIrons
Meettherunnerwhoisrunningher
waytothetopofMountEverest.
Page59
OVERCOMING
byJeremyRenner
Meetthemother/daughterduo
whobeganachartityorganiza-
tion,“RunnersAgainstCancer”to
raiseoverfiftythousanddollarsfor
cancerresearch.
ABOUTRUNNING
Page7
SEVENRESOLUTIONSFOR
RUNNERS
byMatthewMcConnaughey
BecomeabetterrunnerthisNew
Yearandlearnhownottoprocrasti-
nateonyourgoals!
Page8
TOHITTHETREADMILLOR
GOOUTDOORS?
byGeorgeClooney
Learnwhengoingoutsideisthe
bestoptionforexercise.
Page8
THEMINDCLEARING
MAGICOFRUNNING
byNataliePortman
Howrunningaffectsthemind.
Page9
KEYSFORGETTINGBACK
INSHAPE
byJohnnyDepp
Setyourgoalsandsticktothem.
Page10
READYSETRUN!
byTomCruise
Runningoutdoorscanbetricky,es-
peciallyinthewinter.Hereishow
tostaysafe.
Page10
HOWTOLAYERFOR
WINTERRUNS
byJenniferLawrence
Layeringcanbetrickyinthewinter,
exspeciallywhenyourbodystarts
towarmup.
4 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY 2017
- 4. WARMUPS
7
NEWYEAR’S
RESOLUTIONS
FORRUNNERS
byMatthewMcConnaughey
Wanttobecomeabetterrunnerinthenewyear?
Ofcourseyoudo.January1inspiresmostofusto
dreambig.We’lllose20pounds,runregularly,earn
thatfinisher’smedal.It’sgoodtosetgoals:After
all,peoplewhomakeNewYear’sresolutionsare10
timesmorelikelytoachievetheirgoalsthanthose
whodon’t,saysJohnC.Norcross,Ph.D.,aUniver-
sityofScrantonprofessorofpsychologywhohas
studiedthefollow-throughofResolutionaries.As
thesayinggoes,youcan’thitatargetifyoudon’t
haveone.Butdreamingisn’tenough,andprocras-
tinationwillmake2017lookalotlikelastyear.So
we’velaidoutstepsyoucanstartrightthisminute
tosetyouupforsuccess.
RESOLUTION1:STARTRUNNINGREGULARLY
Dropthemagazineandplugfourorfive15minute
runsintoyourschedulefortheweek.That’senough
tobuildfitnessandestablisharoutinewithout
overtaxingyourbody.Writethemdownbefore
theweekbegins,andmakethemnon-negotiable.
Createaprogresschartandrewardstofuelyour
motivationafteryourinitialenthusiasmhasebbed.
RESOLUTION2:DIVERSIFYYOURDIET
Chooseaningredientyoualwayshaveonhand
andcollectthreerecipesthatuseit.Theydon’t
havetobecomplicatedmaindishes.Simplesides,
soups,orsaladsalsocounttowardyourgoal.After
you’veworkedthroughthose,pickanotheringredi-
entandcollectrecipesforit.
RESOLUTION3:RUNYOURFIRSTHALF-MARATHON
Signupforahalfthat’satleastthreemonths
awayandwithindrivingdistance.Racingcloseto
homemakesiteasyforlovedonestocheeryour
progressandcelebrateyourfinishwithyou.
RESOLUTION4:LOSEWEIGHT
Drinkwater.Hungerpangsoftensignalthirst,not
aneedformorefood.Clearyourfridgeandpantry
ofhigh-caloriejunkfoods.Mostpeopledon’thave
thedisciplinetoturndownaHersheybarifit’sright
there.Thenmakeaweeklymealplanandmatching
grocerylistandsticktoit!
RESOLUTION5:STAYMOTIVATED
Identifyyourbugaboo:Coldweather?Dark
mornings?Nothavingaraceonthehorizon?
Figuringoutwhattriggersyourofftimesputsyou
inabetterpositiontoengineerthefix.Pickagoal
thatwillgetyououtthedoor.Youdon’thavetotrain
forarace,althoughthat’sonepopularobjective.
Youmightrunsoyoucantreatyourselftonew
runninggear,orleadthepackduringyourweekly
grouprun.
RESOLUTION6:GETINTOYOGA
Callore-maillocalstudiosandseekadviceonthe
bestclassforyou.Askforabeginnerfocus,soyou
canlearnproperalignment,butlettheteacherhelp
youdecidewhatstylecanhelpyouachieveyour
goals--whetherthat’stoincreaseflexibility,tobuild
strength,ortocalmyourmind.Completefourshort
yogasessionsathome.Withyoga,frequencyis
moreimportantthanduration.
RESOLUTION7:RUNATRAILRACE
Searchthewebtofindlocaltrail-runninggroups
andclubs,andmakeplanstojointhenextmeet-up.
You’llgetpointers,andsuggestionsonwhereto
race,fromveterans.Startbuildinghipstrengthand
flexibility,andlogyourfirsttrailrun.Pickashort
route,sincetrails’obstaclescanmakeadistance
thatseemseasyontheroadsmorefatiguing,and
don’tworryaboutspeed.
Whenisitbettertorunonatreadmillthan
outside?Becausewenowknowthatrunning
outsideandrunningonthetreadmillarebasically
thesameata1%grade,wecanidentifythe
specificworkoutsorinstanceswhenrunningona
treadmillmightbebetterthanrunningoutside.
Runningindoorswhentheweatherisbadisthe
mostobviousbenefitoftreadmillrunning,but
it’simportanttoincludebecauseelementseffect
everyrunnerdifferently.Somepeoplehaveadif-
ficulttimewhenit’shotorthereisbadfooting;
butwhenputonaclearroadonacoldor
rainydayareamachine.Youmaybethe
opposite,sodon’tbeafraidtohitthe
treadmillonthedaysyouneedto.
Oneoftheuniquebenefitsofa
treadmillistheabilitytosimulate
yourgoalracecourse.Manyof
themoreadvancedtreadmills
allowyoucreateyourown
uniquecourseprofile,whichyou
canusetosimulatetheexact
courseyou’retrainingfor.Just
programthemachine,orifyou
don’thavethatoption,manually
adjusttheinclinelevelsbased
onthecoursemap,andyou
cantrainonthecoursefrom
home.Forrunnerstrainingfor
theBostonmarathon,youcan
evenputliftsunderthebackendofthetreadmillto
simulatedownhillrunning.
Whilerunningonthetreadmillcanhavesome
uniqueadvantages,itcanalsobedetrimentalto
yourlong-termdevelopmentiftheonlytimeyou
runoutsideistorace.Herearesomespecific
areasyouneedtowatchoutforifyou’reahabitual
treadmillrunner:
Youwon’thavelearnedpaceingonatreadmill.
Whenrunningonatreadmill,it’seasyto“setit
andforgetit”andjustlockintoatargetpace.Un-
fortunately,thismethoddoesn’tteachyouhowto
properlyfindandmaintainpaceonyourown.Asa
consequence,youstuntthedevelopmentofyour
internaleffortandpacinginstincts.
Onraceday,whenexecutingracesplitsiscritical,
youwon’thavedevelopedthatfinesenseofpacing
TOHITTHE
TREADMILLOR
GOOUTDOORS?
byGeorgeClooney
5 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY 2017
- 5. thatiscrucialtorunninganegativesplitandfinish-
ingstrong.
Also,thetreadmillisboring.Withoutscenery
passingyoubyandsomethingtotakeyourmind
offtheblinkinglightsinfrontofyou,it’stooeasy
tolookattheclockevery30secondsandgetdis-
couragedthatmoretimehasn’tpassedsinceyour
lastglance.
Whenyou’rerunningatoughworkoutoutside,
youcan“feel”thefinishlinegettingcloserandyou
haveamorenaturalsenseofthedistanceleft.
Onatreadmill,yourmindcan’tvisualizethefinish
line,soitbecomeshardertoconcentratewhen
thepacegetshardandyouneedtopushyourself.
Andnothingbeatsthefeelingofthewindrushing
inyourhairandonyourskinwhileyourunthrough
thegreatoutdoors.Ultimatelythough,itisupto
youwhetheryoudecidetorunoutsideornot.
WARMUPS
THEMIND
CLEARING
MAGICOF
RUNNING
byNataliePortman
Itissomethingofaclichéamongrunners,
howtheactivityneverfailstoclearyourhead.
Doessomecreativeblockhaveyoufeeling
stuck?Goforarun.Areyoudeliberatingbe-
tweenoneoftwopotentiallylife-altering
decisions?Goforarun.Areyoufeelingmild-
lymad,sad,orevenjustvaguelymeh?Gofora
run,goforarun,goforarun.
TheauthorJoyceCarolOatesoncewroteina
columnfortheNewYorkTimesthat“inrunning
themindfleeswiththebody…inrhythmwith
ourfeetandtheswingingofourarms.”Film-
makerCaseyNeistattoldRunner’sWorldlast
fallthatrunningissometimestheonlything
thatgiveshimclarityofmind.“Everymajor
decisionI’vemadeinthelasteightyearshas
beenprefacedbyarun,”hetoldthemaga-
zine.ButImaybelikethewayarunnernamed
MonteDavisphraseditbest,asquotedinthe
1976bookTheJoyofRunning:“It’shardtorun
andfeelsorryforyourselfatthesametime,”he
said.“Also,therearethosehoursofclear-head-
ednessthatfollowalongrun.”
Agoodruncansometimesmakeyoufeellike
abrand-newperson.And,inaway,thatfeeling
maybeliterallytrue.Aboutthreedecadesofre-
searchinneurosciencehaveidentifiedarobust
linkbetweenaerobicexerciseandsubsequent
cognitiveclarity,andtomanyinthisfieldthe
mostexcitingrecentfindinginthisareaisthat
ofneurogenesis.Notsomanyyearsago,the
brightestmindsinneurosciencethoughtthat
ourbrainsgotasetamountofneurons,and
thatbyadulthood,nonewneuronswouldbe
birthed.Butthisturnedoutnottobetrue.Stud-
iesinanimalmodelshaveshownthatnew
neuronsareproducedinthebrainthrough-
outthelifespan,and,sofar,onlyoneactivity
isknowntotriggerthebirthofthosenewneu-
rons:vigorousaerobicexercise,saidKaren
Postal,presidentoftheAmericanAcademyof
ClinicalNeuropsychology.“That’sit,”shesaid.
“That’stheonlytriggerthatweknowabout.”
Theotherfascinatingthinghereiswhere
thesenewcellspopup:inthehippocampus,
aregionofthebrainassociatedwithlearning
andmemory.Sothiscouldhelpexplain,atleast
partially,whysomanystudieshaveidentified
alinkbetweenaerobicexerciseandimprove-
mentinmemory.“Ifyouareexercisingsothat
yousweat—about30to40minutes—new
braincellsarebeingborn,”addedPostal,who
herselfisarunner.“Anditjusthappenstobein
thatmemoryarea.”
Otherpost-runchangeshavebeenrecorded
inthebrain’sfrontallobe,withincreasedac-
tivityseeninthisregionafterpeopleadopta
long-termhabitofphysicalactivity.Thisareaof
thebrain—sometimescalledthefrontalexec-
utivenetworksystem—islocated,obviously
enough,attheveryfront:It’srightbehindyour
forehead.Afterabout30to40minutesofavig-
orousaerobicworkout–enoughtomakeyou
sweat–studieshaverecordedincreasedblood
flowtothisregion,which,incidentally,isasso-
ciatedwithmanyoftheattributesweassociate
with“clearthinking”:planningahead,focus
andconcentration,goal-setting,timemanage-
ment.Butthere’sanotherbigmentalbenefitto
gainfromrunning,onethatscientistshaven’t
quietyetmanagedtopindowntopokeatand
study:thewonderfulwayyourminddriftshere
andthereasthemilesgoby.Mindfulness,or
beingherenow,isawonderfulthing,andthere
isaseeminglyever-growingstackofscientif-
icevidenceshowingthegooditcanbringto
yourlife.Andyetmindlessness,orgettinglost
inyourownweirdthoughtsisimportant,too.
Consider,forexample,thisargument,taken
froma2013articlebyatrioofpsychologistsin
thejournalFrontiersinPsychology:
Wemindwander,bychoiceorbyaccident,
becauseitproducestangiblerewardwhen
measuredagainstgoalsandaspirationsthat
arepersonallymeaningful.Havingtorereada
lineoftextthreetimesbecauseourattention
hasdriftedawaymattersverylittleifthatat-
tentionshifthasallowedustoaccessakey
insight,apreciousmemoryormakesenseof
atroublingevent.Pausingtoreflectinthemid-
dleoftellingastoryisinconsequentialifthat
pauseallowsustoretrieveadistantmemory
thatmakesthestorymoreevocativeandcom-
pelling.Losingacoupleofminutesbecause
wedrovepastourofframpisaminorincon-
venienceiftheattentionlapseallowedusto
finallyunderstandwhythebosswassoupset
bysomethingwesaidinlastweek’smeeting.
Arrivinghomefromthestorewithouttheeggs
thatnecessitatedthetripisamereannoyance
whenweighedagainstcomingtoadecisionto
askforaraise,leaveajob,orgobacktoschool.
Justbecausethebenefitsoflosingyourself
inyourownthoughtsarenoteasilymeasured
doesn’tmeanthey’renotofvalue,andthere
arefewwaysIknowofthatinducethisstate
ofmindmorereliablythanalongrun.Ahand-
fulofrecentstudieshavetriedtoanswerwhat
everyrunner,whetherproorhobbyist,hasno
doubtbeenaskedbyfriendsandfamily:What
onearthdoyouthinkaboutwhileyou’reout
thereforsomanymiles?This,asthewriterHa-
rukiMurakaminotedinhisWhatITalkAbout
WhenITalkAboutRunning,isalmostbesidethe
point.Sometimeshethinkswhileontherun;
sometimes,hedoesn’t.Itdoesn’treallymatter.
“Ijustrun.Iruninvoid,”hewrites.“OrmaybeI
shouldputittheotherway:Iruninordertoac-
quireavoid.”
KEYSFOR
GETTINGBACK
INSHAPE
byJohnnyDepp
1.Haveagoalinmind.
Agoalmaybeassim-
pleasgoingoutto
doyourfirstrun.Ask
yourselfwhyyouwant
torunagain.Toget
inshape?Toimprove
yourprevioustimes?To
competeinaparticular
race?Planyourtraining
wellaheadsoasto
achievethatgoal.
2.Considerhowlong
you’vebeengone.De-
pendinguponyourtime
awayfromfasttraining,
youwillhaveaneasyor
hardtimecomingback.
Expecttospendat
leasttwodaysgetting
backinshapeforevery
daylost.
3.Forgetthepast.
Workoutsdoneyears
agobearnorelevance
towhatyoucando
today—andcanbea
causeofinjury.Once
youregainyourbase
fitness,askyourself
whetheryouwantto
resumeoldtraining
patterns,including
speedwork.
4.Consideryourage.
Runnersintheir20s
canheadbacktothe
trackasthoughthey
nevertookanytimeoff.
Itbecomesprogres-
sivelymoredifficultto
regainlostspeedonce
intoyour30s,40s,50s,
andbeyond.Butit’snot
impossible.
5.Approachspeed-
workcautiously.Some
speedworkseemsnec-
essarytoregainpeak
performance.Butuntil
yourebuildyouraerobic
base,intenserunning
maycauseexcessive
fatigueanddiscour-
ageyou.Yourtendons
andligamentsmaynot
supportthenewpow-
erdevelopedbyyour
lungsandmuscles.
7 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY 2017
8 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY 2017
- 6. READY...
SET...
RUN!ByTomCruise
Itseemslikeovernighttheweatherwentfrombreezytobrutally
cold.Nowyou’resingingthewinterblues:It’stoocold,toodark,
tooslipperytorun.Butfallingtemperaturesdon’thavetodeter
you,saysexercisephysiologistJonathanCane,co-founderofCity
CoachMultisport,inNewYorkCity.Tapthesestrategiestoescape
thedreadedtreadmill.
STAYVISIBLE.Thisisthegoldensafetyrule
duringaseasoninwhichitstartsgettingdarkat
(sigh)4p.m.:Besureyou’rewearingatleastone
pieceofreflectiveorneon-coloredgearsocars
canseeyouaquarter-mileout.Atnightyouwill
wanttobeespeciallycareful.
TWEAKYOURFEET.It’ssmarttotakeitslowin
slickconditionstopreventaspill.Butequallyim-
portantisincreasingyourcadence,orthenumber
oftimesyourfoothitstheground.“Shortening
yourstridethiswayencouragesyourfoottoland
underyourcenterofgravityratherthanaheadof
it,”saysTerryChiplin,ownerofActiveatAltitude,
afacilitatorofendurance-athletetrainingcamps
inEstesPark,Colo.“Thisputsyoumoreincon-
trol”forbetterbalance,heexplains.
LAYERUP.Startwithawickingbaselayerand
finishwithawind-resistantshell.Thecolderitis
out,themoreyoushouldlayer,butremember:
whenyouarerunningitwillfeelalotwarmerout
thanitactuallyis,somakesureyoudressasifit
isabitwarmerthanitactuallyis.Formoretips
onhowtolayerwellwhenrunningoutsideinthe
winter,takealookatpage22.
HYDRATELIKEIT’SSUMMER.Surprise:Chug-
gingwaterisjustasessentialduringcold-weather
runs.Whileyoumightnotgetassweaty,you’re
stilllosingliquids,saysVondaWright,MD,anor-
thopedicsurgeonatUPMCCenterforSports
Medicine,inPittsburgh.Ifyoudon’treplenish,you
couldbecomedehydrated.Researchshowsthat
beingdehydratedbyaslittleas2percent(mean-
ingyou’vedropped1to3poundsafteraworkout)
canleadtocramps,headachesandfatigue.Don’t
waituntilyou’rethirsty—that’sasignthatyour
bodyisalreadyparched.Instead,sip20ounces
onehourbeforeyourrun,thendownanother20
within30minutesoffinishing.
WARMUPS
STRETCHESFOR
RUNNINGRECOVERY
TOLOOSENHIPS
FORA
HAMSTRING
STREATCH
TOSTRENGTHEN
YOURBACK
- 7. Inadditiontoattaininggold
medalsandrecord-breaking
speed,thesprinterhasbuilt
oneofthebestbodieson
theplanet.Andwhileyou’ll
nevercatchhimonthetrack,
youcanstealhisoff-season
workoutregimen.Sohow
doestheworld'sfastestman
staymotivatedbetween
olympicgames?
HewasafavoriteattheRioOlympicsthis
summer.Heisknownastheworld’sfastestman.
Hehasbecomeahouseholdname.Hetowers
abovehisopponentsonthetrackfield.Hemay
looklikeapowerfulathlete,butthetruthis,Usain
Bolthadtoworkextremelyhardtogetwhereheis.
Theproudownerofoneofmankind’smost
sculptedbodies—andthreeworldsprinting
records—hasanadmission:Hestrugglestohaul
hissix-foot-five,207-poundframetothegymeach
morning.“Iamsupposedtobeatthegymat10,
butthat’swhenIgetup,”saysUsainBolt,asix-time
Olympicgoldmedalistwho,asapreteen,excelled
atcricketandhadtobestrong-armedbyacoach
intogivingsprintingatry.Sohowcanhestayahead
ofthecompetitionwhileseeminglylivingonisland
time?Bygoingwithhisgutandputtinghisback
intoit.MostofBolt’scompetitorsareshorter(as
topsprinterstypicallyare)andhaveanadvantage
poweringoffthestartingblock,buthisfreakishly
long,ultra-efficientstridetakesover.Whilemost
toprunnersneedabout45stridestocover100
meters,Boltdoesitinabout40.Tomaintainthat
edge,the26-year-oldJamaicanhitsthegym—
eventually—for90-minuteworkoutsgearedtoward
developingexplosivenesswhilemaintaininghis
leanphysique.“Idoalotofhamstringcurlsandleg
extensions,”hesays.“Itrynottogettoobulky.”
Muchofhisconditioningiscore-centric.“My
backisslightlyweak,”heexplains,referringtothe
scoliosishe’shadsincechildhood.Slackingoffon
backandcoreworkcausedBoltmorethanjustdis-
comfort—afterfinishingsecondinthe100-meter
and200-meter2012JamaicanOlympictrials,he
confessed:“Ibackedoffafewdaysonmyback
workandmycoretraining.”
13 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY 2017
14 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY 2017
WrittenbyJulianneMoore
PhotographedbyMichaelKeaton
- 8. technique,specificendurancequalitiesaswellas
speeddevelopment.
Theprogramshouldbedesignedaroundthe
energysystemsandbio-motorabilitiesneededto
runfast.Accelerationmechanicsandmaximum
velocitytrainingshouldcomebeforespeedendur-
ance,accordingtheUSATFCoachingCurriculum.
“Focusondrivingforward,keepastraightback,
drivefromthehips,getfullextensionandput
somearmsintoit,”Boltsays.“Don’tfocusonthe
guynexttoyou.[Hemight]beveryquickoutofthe
blocks,whichcanmakeyoulose[concentration].
Stayfocusedonwhatyou’regoingtodoandrun
yourraceatalltimes.”
EatingRoutine
UsainBoltisoneofthefewprofessionalathletes
whodoesnottakesupplements.Headmitsto
takingvitaminC,butnothingelse.Instead,Bolt
optsforahigh-energydiettomaintainhisengine,
ensuringthateachofhissixdailymealscontain
60%protein,30%carbsand10%fats.Sprinters
shouldconsumeonegramofproteinperpound
ofbodyweighttobuildandmaintainmuscle.So
atapprox.14-stone,Bolt
needstoconsume196
gramsofmuscle-building
proteineveryday.He
allegestoachievethis
byeatingalotofchicken
fillets,porkandfish.On
thedaythathebeatthe
world100mrecord,he
describedhispreparation
as:“Iwokearound11amanddecidedtowatch
someTVandhadsomenuggets.”
Boltalsoloveshisyams,whichareanexcellent
sourceofenergy-transportingcarbohydrates,
digestion-aidingfiberandvitaminsCandA.Yams
areatropicalrootvegetable,butcanoftenbe
purchasedfromshopsinCaribbeancommunities.
UsainBoltiscurrentlysponsoredbyPuma.An
UsainBoltdietwillnotsuitallathletes,andmany
believethatsupplementsplayavitalroleinobtain-
ingpeakperformance.
AboutLife
UsainBoltenjoyslie-insandpartiesand“messing
around”withgirls.Headmitshavingdabbledwith
marijuanainthepastandhelovesjunkfood,once
eatingahundredchickennuggetsinaday(while
competingintheOlympics).
YetgivenBoltisthefastestmanonEarth,nobody
candisputethathe’sawinner.Hischarismaand
hisevidentloveofpeoplehavealsomadehim
oneofthemostpopularsportsstarsintheworld.
ThedifferencewithgolferTigerWoodsisstark.It
showsitcantakeallsortstowin.Butamidthe
Mills,hehadpoormechanics.UsainBoltran
behindhiscenterofmass,whichcausedinjuries
andsub-parperformances,comparedtohislater
results.CoachMillsisatechnicalcoachinthe
sprints,focusingonsmallchangestogetbig
results.Sprintingtechniquehasbeenoneofthe
mainreasonsforUsainBolt’sdominationinthe
sportoftrackandfield.
Duringintensetrainingsessions,sprinttechnique
canbreakdown,onewaytoovercomethefatigue
istodevelopstrength.Asprintertodaylookmore
likeabodybuilderbecauseoftheneedforforce
developmentinhigh-endsprinting.
CoachMillsstates“herewebelievethatthe
developmentofthehip-flexortocoincidewith
thestrongupperbody,andcore”.Improperbody
alignmentresultedinslowerperformancesandfar
moreinjuries.
Strengthtrainingforspeedandpowerwill
improveperformancesandreduceinjuries.
UsainBolt’strainingincludesdevelopingproper
strengthtowithstandtheforcescreatedwhile
runningover27milesperhour.
Strengthtrainingwithgeneralexercises,core
work,powermovements,olympicliftingand
multiplejumpsand
throwscombinations
arethebestmethods
toimprovespecific
strengthforsprinters.
Toimprovesprintme-
chanics,CoachMills
notonlydeveloped
UsainBolt’sstrength
butimprovedhissprint
technique,“Coaches
havetocontinuouslyreactandreplayandredo
thedrills,gettingtheathletetorunoverandover
tobreakhabits”,statedCoachMills.UsainBolt’s
trainingincludedalong-termplanandtooktwo
yearsofreworkinghistechniquebeforethe2008
OlympicsinBeijing,hisbreakoutasthefastest
manintheworld.
Executingbasicsprintmechanicswithprecisionis
thekeytotransformingtechnique;properpractice
repeatedovertimewillyieldimprovementsin
performance.Sprintdrillsneedtodevelopcoordi-
nation,balance,goodtimingandmoreadvanced
skillssuchasgroundcontacttime,stridelength,
stridefrequencyandrecoverymechanics.
CoachMillsstated“Oncetheathlete’sstride
lengthreduces,everythingisgoingtobenegative
orimpactnegativelyinthegroundcontactand
recoverymechanics”.
Theprimarymethodstodevelopsprintmechan-
icsincludedynamicwarmupdrills,acceleration
trainingandmaximumvelocitytraining.Thefocus
onmechanicsisnotonlyduringwarmupdrillsbut
alsoduringallrunningworkouts.
TheProgramdesignforsprinterswillfocuson
Whatdrives
him?“Idon’t
wanttocome
insecond.”
Hisrigorousroutinebuildsthestabilityrequired
tohitatopspeedofover27mph.Sowhatdrives
him?“Idon’twanttocomeinsecond,”saysBolt,
beforeaddinganothermotivatingfactor:“When
I’matthegym,Ithinkaboutchicks,goingtothe
beach,andlookinggood.Idoitforthegirls.”
CoachGlenMillsfromJamaicahashelpednot
onlyUsainBoltbecomethegreatestsprinterever,
buthashelpedJamaicagaintheidentityofthe
sprintcapitaloftheworld.UsainBolt’strainingplan
includedstrengthdevelopment,sprinttechnique
andproperprogramming.
Ifyouseehimtrain,myGod,heworks.Vomiting
ontheunassumingtrack,attheUniversityof
WestIndiesinKingston,afteraparticularlytough
session.Butifhiscoach,GlenMills,tellshimhe
hasto‘goagain,’hegoes.Millsistheonemanwho
canalwaysgetBolttodowhathewantshimto;his
Mumtheonlywoman.Theimageofthehappy-go-
luckycoolguy,wholovesplayingfootballwithhis
mates,stillfantasisesaboutplayingforManchester
United,andstillhastobelecturedaboutdiet,
andstilllovestogoclubbinganddancing,belies
anabsolutesteelwhenitcomestotraining,and
abovealltocompeting.
Sprintersofshorterstaturecanmorereadilycycle
theirlegstogetuptospeed.At6’5”,Usainisat
adisadvantagegettingoutoftheblocks.Earlyin
hiscareer,hereliedonsuperiortop-endspeedand
longerstridestorunpastguyswhobeathimoff
theline.ButUsaintargetedhisdisadvantageand
eventuallyturneditintoaweapon.Henowrunsa
perfect,almostunbeatableracefromstarttofinish.
Toimprovehisquicknessoutoftheblocks,Usain
incorporatedexplosivestartsintohison-track
training.UsethisdrilltogetherwithUsain’s
race-daycoachingpointstoattackthefirst20yards
ofyournextrace.
WhenUsainBoltstartedworkingwithCoach
Eventhoughheisapowerful,
hardworking,topathlete,Usain
Boltstilllikestoenjoylife––going
tothebeachandplayingsoccer
givehimanicebreakfromwork-
ingoutallthetime
Heonlystarted
reallytoflourish
whenhestopped
caringaboutwhat
peoplethought.
15 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY 2017
16 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY 2017
- 9. ‘fooling-around’imageandtheamazingnatural
talent,itispossibletofindpointsofconnection.
Boltloveswinning,hateslosing.Heknowsthat
heneedsotherstopushhim,andmadesuretofind
therightcoachforhim,GlenMills,whobecame
likeasecondfather.Helearnsfrommistakes.He
haslearnedtoendurephysicalpainintrainingand
incompetition.Hehaslearnedtousesetbacksas
opportunities.Heonlystartedtoflourishwhenhe
stoppedcaringaboutwhatpeoplethought.”
WhenBoltwasyounger,healwayswantedto
impress.“Ialwayswantedtoimpress,tobegood
formycountry,tomakethemfeelgood,andsome-
timesthatmeantIdidn’tfocusonmyselfenough.
IlearnedIhadtoputmyselffirst.Andit’sfine
becauseIwantformethesamethingthatthey
wantforme,whichistowin.”Win.Winning.When
allissaidanddone,thatiswhatheisabout.The
facthedoesitwithsuchstyleandgraceisjustthe
addedbonusthatmakeshimBolt,notanyother
medalwinner.
Themanisagenuinesuperstar.Atotallegend.
Andatopbloke,whichiswhyallaroundtheworld,
thereareblearyeyestoday,andsofasthattooka
batteringaspeopletheworldoverjumpedupand
downincelebrationofhislatestincredibletriumph.
WorkoutPlan
AccordingtoUsain,anyonecanrunatsuchstag-
geringspeeds.But,youneedtofollowhisrigorous
traininganddietregimentobuildstabilityand
enhancestrength.Hismaintipsare:
►Tomakethefirstpartofasprintraceyour
strongestelement,youshouldstartoutofthe
trackblocksquickly.
►Weighttrainingisnecessarybecauseyouneed
todevelopthepowertodowellonthetrack.
►Astrongcoreisimportantforsprinting.
►Donotrushtogettothetopspeed.Startout
byleaningforward,holdthedrivephasefor
20-30meters,andthenaccelerategradually.
Togaincorestrengthandimproveflexibility,the
mainfoundationthatbuildsagoodsprinter,Usain
Boltusesthefollowingwarmuproutine:
►LegRaises(sets:3,rest:30secs)
►SideSweeps(3setswith30secsrest)
►ReverseCrunches(sets:3,rest:30secs)
►SidePlankClams(3setswith30secsrest)
►BunnyHops(sets:5,reps:20)
►BoxJumps(sets:4,reps:8)
►Bounding(sets:3,reps:10)
►CableKneeDrives(sets:3,reps:10)
►HangingLegRaises(sets:3,reps:10)
LegRaises(sets:3,rest:30secs)
SideSweeps(3setswith30secsrest)
ReverseCrunches(sets:3,rest:30secs)
SidePlankClams(3setswith30secsrest)
BunnyHops(sets:5,reps:20)
BoxJumps(sets:4,reps:8)
Bounding(sets:3,reps:10)
CableKneeDrives(sets:3,reps:10)
HangingLegRaises(sets:3,reps:10)
Helearnsfrom
mistakes.He
haslearned
toendure
physicalpain
intrainingand
incompetition.
Hehas
learnedtouse
setbacksas
opportunities.
- 11. ADVENTUREMARATHONERSandultra
athletesarealwayslookingforthenextbig
challenge.Itcouldbearemotedesertmara-
thon,ahighaltitudemountainmarathonora
junglemarathon.However,mainlandAntarc-
ticarepresentsthelastfrontier,thefinalgreat
wildernesstobeconquered.Andnowadven-
tureathleteslikeyoucandoit.
Alongtheway,competitorswillbetreated
tosomeofthemostscenicviewsAntarctica
hastooffer.TheAntarcticIceMarathonisthe
southernmostmarathononearthandaunique
opportunitytocompleteamarathonthatis
trulyworthyoftheseventhcontinent.Youcan
jointheexclusive7ContinentsMarathonClub
bycombiningthisracewithmarathonson
eachoftheothersixcontinents.Don’texpect
torunyourquickesttime,however,aswinds
canblowfromthePoleatasteady10-25knots.
Also,forgetaboutpenguinsorcrowdscheer-
ingyoualongtheroute-nopenguinslivethis
farsouthandyouwillhavetorelyuponyour-
selftopushonwardinthehushed,indomitable
surroundings.Thiswilldefinitelybeoneofthe
mostmemorable,uniquecoursesyoueverrun.
UPCOMINGDATES2017:
ANTARCTIC100KJanuary18-24
ANTARCTICICEMARATHONNovember16-21
WHAT’SINCLUDED:
□AirporttransfersinPuntaArenas,Chileforthe
Antarcticflights
□RoundtripflighttoUnionGlacierfromPuntaArenas,
Chile
□MealsandtentedaccommodationinAntarctica
□Polarsleepingbags
□Checkedluggageupto55lb(25kg)
moredetailsatwww.icemarathon.com
CHALLENGINGTHEELEMENTS
Thisracepresentsatrulyformida-
bleandgenuineAntarcticchallenge
withunderfootconditionscompris-
ingsnowandicethroughout,an
averagewindchilltemperatureof
-20C,andthepossibilityofstrong
Katabaticwindstocontendwith.
Furthermore,theeventtakesplace
atanaltitudeof700metres.
HALFDISTANCE,SAMEADVENTURE
TheHalf-Marathonwillalsoberunonthe
dayoftheMarathonrace.Thisisyourop-
portunitytorunonthe‘whitecontinent’
andfinishthesouthernmosthalfmara-
thonontheplanetandthepossibilityof
strongKatabaticwindstocontendwith.
- 12. BROOKSLSDTHERMALVEST
$110brooksrunning.com
WOOLXEXPLORER1/4ZIP
$110brooksrunning.com
MONTANEYUKONBEANIE
$22amazon.com
SMARTWOOLCREWSOCK
$22smartwool.com
BROOKSLSDTHERMALVEST
$110brooksrunning.com
MARMONTVARIANT
JACKET
$170amazon.com
LULULEMONTIGHT
STUFFTIGHT
$98lululemon.com
NIKEDRI-FITFLASHTIGHTS
$150nike.com
NIKEINSULATEDGLOVES
$15nike.com
WINTERLAYERING
CHEETSHEET
byJenniferLawrence
50-59degrees:shortsleevetech
shirtandshorts(whilerunning
feelslike60-79degrees)
40-49degrees:longsleevetech
shirt,shortsortights,gloves
(optional),headbandtocover
ears(optional)(whilerunning
feelslike50-69degrees)
30-39degrees:longsleevetech
shirt,shortsortights,gloves,
andheadbandtocoverears
(whilerunningfeelslike40to
59degrees)
20-29degrees:twoshirtslay-
ered—alongsleevetechshirt
andashortsleevetechshirtor,
longsleeveshirtandjacket—
tights,gloves,andheadbandor
hattocoverears(whilerunning
feelslike30-49degrees)
10-19degrees:twoshirtslay-
ered,tights,glovesormittens,
headbandorhat,andwind-
breakerjacket/pants(while
runningfeelslike20-39degrees)
0-9degrees:twoshirtslayered,
tights,jacket,tights,pants,
headbandorhat,andgloves
ormittens(whilerunningfeels
like10-29degrees)
below0degrees:stayinside!
GEARUP
