NFL

Running has always been an integral part of my life.

During my most competitive years, the challenges of training, racing, and putting forth my best efforts became a positive addiction.

As I get older, less competitive (and slower), I thoroughly enjoy passing on my knowledge of the sport through coaching.

Currently, coaching on the collegiate level, at Penn State Schuylkill campus for the past eight years has been an absolute pleasure. I have been fortunate to coach two state champions, and a one All-American.

A few years ago, I coached the junior high school track team at Pottsville Area High School, in my hometown.

Obviously, my expertise lies in the area of long distance running, but I love coaching sprinters. Secretly, I'm envious of sprinters. Their speed and smoothness is a stark contrast to my plodding style of 'grind it out' distance running.

On of my team members, young man from Pottsville, Anthony Kelly, a sprinter, impressed me with his speed, his positive attitude, and his willingness to learn the sport. He was a standout as a 100 and 200-meter runner, and a member of the 4x100 relay team.

I followed Anthony's high school football and track careers, as he excelled as a sprinter and a wide receiver.. He then went on to become a standout star at tiny Kutztown University, a small college, nestled in the hills of Pennsylvania Dutch country.

Kutztown University has produced several NFL players, most notably Buffalo Bills Pro Bowler, and recent NFL Hall of Fame inductee, Andre Reed.

Over the weekend, Anthony's skills,  dedication and work ethic paid off, as he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League.

Yesterday, I was honored, as one of his former coaches, to be part of a ceremony celebrating his send-off to Tampa later this week.

Congratulations to this fine young man and his family.

I wish him great success and star-status during his NFL career.

OUT OF THE DARKNESS

In a little over two weeks, we will "spring forward," as in most parts of the United States, we will set our clocks an hour ahead as we move into Daylight Savings Time.

About a week later, Winter will officially end, and our long period of darkness will lie behind us.

For many, these milestone dates will mean more time to train at the end of the day as well as more pleasant training conditions.

To be sure, this winter, for most of us, has been a mild one, with a single major snowstorm here on the east coast, and few bitter cold days.

Enjoy the spring, as it is a great time to train and race. Spring marathons will abound, and shorter races will bloom like spring crocuses. Hopefully, your winter training will propel you to many spring successes.

Remember to get to the nearest track to run your speed workouts, but also travel to your local track to support the young high school men and women who are competing in track and field. They often do not receive the adulation often afforded to the "high profile" sports, but, as we know, they work just as hard. Cheer them on. They will appreciate it.

The darkness will subside soon.

Let's all take advantage of, and enjoy the light.

FOUR PILLARS

A great equalizer in our sport is that all runners who choose to compete, no matter if they are world-class or jogger; whether they are male or female; no matter what age, or if they hail from Kentucky or Kenya, all runners want to improve their times.

Age slows us all down a bit, but we have our age groups, which always keep us competitive, at any age.

Like a sturdy structure, our improvement as runners, junior or geriatric, rests on four major pillars.

Keep these pillars sturdy, and your running times WILL improve.

Let's examine the pillars of running improvement.

1. Speed Work-If you're not racing, you had better be running a speed workout this week. Speed work enables us to become faster because, well, we run faster. Run your speed sessions FASTER than your race pace. Repeat 400s are ideal for 5K races. Mile repeats are great for marathons. Remember, shorten your rest intervals for better results.

2. Tempo Runs-You can run a tempo run in addition to, or instead of your speed workout. Select a distance from 2 to 5 miles, jog a warm up mile, and run your tempo run at about 75% of your race pace. Cool down with a mile

3. Long(er) Run-Again, once a week if you're not racing. Now, here's the key. No smelling the roses on your long run. Make it count. In other words, run your long run at a steady pace. I'll give you an example. Before the 2013 Boston Marathon I ran four 20-mile long runs. My pace for the 20-milers was between 7:15 to 7:30 a mile. I ran the marathon in a time of 3:04:13, a 7:03 pace. If you're running 5K races, your long run really doesn't have to be over 8 miles, but make it a quality 8 miles.

Seeing a pattern here? If you want to race faster, you must train faster...most of the time.

4. Rest Days-Now, THESE are the days you should be smelling the roses. Run with your kids, your spouse, the dogs. Enjoy, take a selfie. Get out there and run, but allow your legs to rest. If you are running high-quality speed workouts and long runs, and if you throw in a tempo run, you must give your body a break..

If these four pillars are the foundation of your weekly running, your race times will tumble.

Now, if you want to get personal, visit www.fiverr.com, go to 'Running Shorts,' and I can write you a personalized training plan, which will incorporate the four pillars. I've written hundreds of them for runners all over the world.

My books, at www.muldowneyrunning.com, and amazon.com/author/joemuldowney, offer valuable training advice, as does my training offer on the site. Check out the "Super Sevens" chapter in Personal Best, and you will achieve running success.

SUPER SEVENS

It's the question every runner asks of one's self.

How do I become faster?

There are many different theories out there, but the one I've practiced seems to work.

It's my "Super Sevens" program.

It has worked for me, and it can work for you...at any level. Simply apply me "Sevens" principle to your proposed pace, and you WILL race faster.

Following is an excerpt from my latest book, Personal Best. www.muldowneyrunning.com, the chapter entitled, 'Super Sevens.'

If you read the entire chapter, and for that matter, the entire book, the concrete training advice WILL guide you to your personal best times at every distance.

 'Quite simply, to race in the sixes, you should be training in the sevens, so ‘Muldowney’s Super Sevens’ is a sound, race-tested method of training.

 Super Sevens have enabled me to run a 2:58 marathon, at Philadelphia, as a 57-year old, and a 1:28 half marathon, at the Louisiana Marathon, at the ripe (or rotten) old age of 59.

 The core principle of Super Sevens is quite elementary. Train seven days a week, and keep all of your training miles in the sevens, or better. With minimal exceptions to the rule, if you are not going to run in the sevens on a given day, then don’t run. Your miles are “empty,” and you are doing yourself little good. Rather, take the day off. Rest, relax, and turn in a better workout tomorrow.

Let’s say for your sevens, you have selected a 7:30 training pace, meaning your workout is going to average 7 minutes, 30 seconds a mile. For your 7-mile run, you should run a time of 52:30.

If you are tired, sluggish, or weary from a race the previous day, take the day off, and run that 52:30, on fresh legs, the next day. Feeling guilty about that day off? Work on some upper body weightlifting instead. You’ll be resting everything from the waist down, while strengthening muscles that don’t see a lot of work on our daily runs.

You’ve raced on Saturday. It was a good one. You smashed the 20-minute mark, averaging under a 6:30 pace for a 5K. Obviously, your training methods are sound. Now it’s time to try Muldowney Super Sevens and watch your times plummet'

Now, this is just a tease.

Check out www.muldowneyrunning.com, where, this month we have a sale on a book AND a training plan for you. Or, you can go to Amazon, where you can buy the book(s) and get 'Muldowney Sevens' working for you.

WHY ARE YOU STILL RUNNING?

After my speed workout, consisting of 4x800 meter repeats on the track yesterday, I went about my daily chores. At a stop at a local gas station, a well-meaning gentleman, after observing my wobbly gait, asked, "Why are you still running?"

I know, I know, I could have retorted with a wise guy remark, like "Why are you overweight," "Why do you smoke," or another snarky rejoinder. Instead, I politely said, "I still love it."

I'm not really sure I convinced him, as he responded, "You're crazy."

That well may be, but as I drove home, I thought about his question, and I concluded that I run for many of the same reasons you do.

Among them:

--I like the way it makes me feel.

--It feels pretty darn good when you look at others your age and realize they really look old.

--Setting race goals, then achieving them, brings tremendous satisfaction.

--It's fun being able to eat and drink most anything I want. (moderation is still the key though)

--I like runners. My oldest and dearest friends are runners.

--On days when the sidewalks are melting from the heat, or when there is a torrential downpour, or when the snow, wind, and ice drive others indoors, I run. I complete my workout, and I feel superior to other mere mortals.

--Running along the beach, on the streets of the big city, leaping over a snake while it suns itself on a shaded mountain trail, are all moments I cherish. I've been fortunate enough to run along the Atlantic shore, and along many a waterway. I've felt the spray from  Niagara Falls, run along the mighty Mississippi in both Minnesota and Louisiana, received strange looks from men wielding machetes while cutting sugarcane in the Dominican Republic, struggled for air at 8,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains, and have loved every step of the journey.

--I have run a marathon with my daughter and a half marathon with my wife.

--Each day I run is a new adventure. In 39 years, running has never become boring.

--Running keeps me sane.

--Running has helped me through the most difficult days of my life.

--Running allows me to think more clearly. It makes me more rational. I would like to think it has made me a better father, husband, teacher, coach and friend.

I retired from teaching last year, but I never plan to retire from running.

Why am I still running?

I'm still running for the same reason I breathe the air, eat food and drink water. I run because running sustains me. The daily question, "When am I going to run?" is to me as important as asking, "What's for dinner?"

So, I'm an addict, and I bet you are too. Embrace your addiction as perhaps the most positive thing you do in your life. You are perfecting and preserving the temple of which we are issued only one. Your running is a positive addiction that positively impacts those who are in your orbit.

And that is why you are still running.

www.muldowneyrunning.com

TRAIN FASTER...BE FASTER

You've run your first marathon, or 5K, or even the 1600 meters (mile). You like this running stuff. After a couple of races, your times get faster, but then you level off, become stagnant, or, God-forbid, your times get slower.

If you want to get faster, you need to train faster.

Grinding out long runs are a necessity for a marathon, but they are not an absolute necessity if you're concentrating strictly on 5K events. And once you've gotten that first marathon in the books,speed is essential if you want your time to come down.

Last summer, I was contacted by the father of a young man who runs on a local high school track team. The boy was a sophomore with terrific desire and a great deal of running potential. His coach seemed insistent on steering him toward the 3200 meters (2 miles), but he appeared to me to be ideally suited to the 1600 meter race. In addition, the coach seemed to stress slow runs of 5 to 7 miles, with few speed workouts.His best time for the 1600 meters was 4:54. Beginning last summer, I placed him on a steady diet of a weekly speed workout. Distances ranged from 200 meters to 1600 meters, with plenty of repeats. He was diligent and dedicated. Two weeks ago, he completed his junior season at the district track meet by turning in a time of 4:33 for the 1600 meters, a personal best, and some 20 seconds faster than a year ago.

On the other end of the running spectrum, good friend and one of the featured runners in the chapter entitled, 'Extraordinary,' in my latest book, Personal Best, Father Chris Zelonis, began his marathon career by running a 3:36 in September 2013. Together, we designed a program that would bring his time down. It featured a weekly long run at a faster pace as well as a weekly speed workout. He followed the plan religiously. (sorry) In November, he brought his marathon time down to 3:08, qualifying him for the 2016 Boston Marathon Two weeks ago, despite tropical conditions at the Pocono Run for the Red Marathon in Pennsylvania, he lowered his personal best further, crossing the finish line in 3:03:12

In order to run faster races, you have to train faster. It's just that simple. If you need help with a training program, I can write one for you. (I've written hundreds of them) Go to my website: www.muldowneyrunning.com and check out the personal training option. Or, you can check out my gigs on Fiverr, www.fiverr.com, Look for me under, 'Runnin Shorts.'

Train faster, cut down on 'junk miles,' do your speed workouts, and your times will plummet..

BACK ON TRACK

After a long, cold, dreadful winter, I finally made it back to the track today, with a good friend, and one of the people featured in the chapter entitled, 'Extraordinary,' in my latest book, Personal Best, www.muldowneyrunning.com, Father Christopher Zelonis.

Father Zelonis is a Roman Catholic priest who displays as much zeal in his running workouts as he does in his ministry.

Today, we ran a set of 4x800 meters, with a 400 meter jog in between. I say "we," when in fact, he was way ahead of me, so to be more accurate, I "attended" a track workout with him.

There's nothing like speed work. It builds not only speed, but endurance, and mental toughness as well.

Now that spring is here, you should "religiously," (sorry, I couldn't help myself) make it a point to turn in a speed workout on a weekly basis.

Your speed workouts will pay big dividends in your future races.