TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More! - TheFinalSprint.com is the Premier Destination for Track & Field, Marathon, Cross Country, Olympic and Road Racing Enthusiasts.

Lead Stories: Thursday, August 28, 2008

Short of Conditioning, Keflezeghi Withdraws from London Marathon

Posted March 18th, 2008 at 11:45 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Short of conditioning, reigning Olympic Marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi of San Diego, Calif., has withdrawn from next month’s Flora London Marathon. In a statement released by his brother and manager, Merhawi, the man who has twice made the podium of the ING New York City Marathon confirmed what had been rumored for several weeks.

“Meb Keflezighi has decided to pass up on the 2008 Flora London Marathon,” read the statement. “Meb is short of the conditioning he and Coach Bob Larsen would like before racing in one of the finest and competitive marathons in the world. Meb and Coach Larsen feel it would be too risky to rush the workouts in preparation for London, during an Olympic year. While Meb is disappointed he will not have a chance to set a significant personal best in London, he realizes it is better to be cautious during the Olympic year. Meb will now give his complete focus on preparing for the USATF Olympic Trials.”
Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink

Cross-transference can help you maintain conditioning while recovering from injury

Posted March 5th, 2007 at 8:45 AM by Jamal Walker

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

Most athletes are so afraid to lose conditioning that they get very frustrated when they are injured. They can maintain fitness by using a training technique called cross-transference, and so can you.

It surprises most people to hear that exercising one leg or arm helps to maintain strength, endurance and power in the other limb. A review of 16 well-controlled scientific studies shows that strength training of the opposite limb strengthens the inactive muscles by about eight percent, equal to about half the increase in strength of the trained side (Journal of Applied Physiology, November, 2006).
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Help prevent injuries by performing proprioception & balance training

Posted January 17th, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Richard Quinn

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Training Tips, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

Many regard running as a warm up activity or as a simple cardiovascular exercise. People will often go to the track and/or their favorite course and immediately launch into an intense workout without thinking twice about it. It is not uncommon for people to skip their pre- and post- workout stretching; one reason why runners suffer so many preventable injuries and never reach the top of their potential.

Training for running is no different than training for any other sport. In order to stay healthy and reach peak performance, an athlete must train in a variety of ways and be conscious of keeping their body healthy and free of injuries. Two types of training that are increasing in popularity and can help a runner achieve these goals are: proprioception and balance training.

Although proprioception conditioning has long been used for rehabilitation, it is also now being utilized as a method of injury prevention. Proprioception is an automatic sensitivity mechanism in the body. This mechanism sends a message through your central nervous system for analysis. The information is then relayed to the rest of the body about how to react and with what amount of tension. This can be seen in everyday activities, such as the ability to walk though a dark room without losing balance.
Read the rest of this entry »

4 comments, add yours | Permalink