Training Tips

Presented by Altra Running

Please follow or use these ideas at your own risk, and as always, we suggest consulting with your physician before starting any training programs. The Colfax Marathon has not tried, tested, or endorsed all the programs and articles on these training pages.

Sleeping Importance by Orangetheory Fitness

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Stretching tips by Orangetheory Fitness

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Runner Tips from Orangetheory Fitness – Warmup

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Acupuncture for Endurance Athletes

Scott Clemensen, MD DABMA; Kaiser Permenente Baseline Medical Offices; Family Medicine; Centers for Complementary Medicine As a family physician and medical acupuncturist practicing in the front range of Colorado, I have a great opportunity to…

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Benefits of Orangetheory Fitness in Marathon Preparation

Strength training Improving strength helps you become a more efficient runner as well as helping to prevent injuries. Strengthening multiple planes of movement (not just forward and backward like when we run,…

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Working out at Orangetheory Fitness

Build the volume of your weekly training at a safe progression, but also to a level that will prepare you for the 26.2 mile race. Lay out the number of weeks until…

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Avoiding illness and injury in the final month

Catching a cold or developing an injury in the final weeks before an important race can be an extremely frustrating experience. You’ve worked hard and made many sacrifices to be fully prepared…

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The Importance of Sun Protection for Your Eyes

Around half a million people nationwide are completing marathons every year, so it’s no secret that runners spend a great deal of time outdoors. The pursuit of running as a pastime greatly…

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Alcohol and Sports Performance

Do you enjoy a beer after work or a glass of wine with dinner? Or do you find your recycle bin has enough bottles in it to suggest that you had a…

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Gatorade Endurance Formula on the Course

Gatorade Endurance Formula on the course for the half marathon and the full marathon at every hydration station: what it is and why you use it! It is designed to hydrate athletes…

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What to Eat and Drink on Race Day

We’ve been asked about supplements and hydration on the race course. For both full marathoners and half marathoners, what you should do on race day is what you’ve been doing in training….

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All About Protein

Let’s talk about protein. What’s the difference between animal and plant protein? How much protein do runners actually need? When is the best time to take in protein? In this episode, we…

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Keep strong on the Final Miles

We asked the experts for tips on how to keep going strong on those final miles of the race! “For a runner of any pace, I recommend utilizing a negative split strategy,…

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Running at Elevation

Host Ricardo Balazs decided to take a run up near Lake Tahoe, and the elevation got to him. Used to living and running at sea level, maintaining a normal pace and heart…

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Keeping Your Kidneys Happy

In 490 BCE, the Athenian soldier Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens to bring news of their victory over the Persians. Over 2000 years later, marathons and running races have become popular…

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Morning Runs

The early morning is a beautiful time of day: the sun is rising, the streets and trails are quiet, and often the only sounds are you and your footsteps. If you’re out running like…

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Runner’s Advice from the Chiropractor

Getting to the Core of the Problem by Meghan Dukes, DC, MSPT, Kaiser Permanente Centers for Complementary Medicine Chiropractic Physician One of the most common questions I get from runners is which…

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Train Mind, Body and Spirit

Train for the race using Mind, Body and Spirit at Kaiser Permanente Centers for Complementary Medicine – for everyone! Want to improve posture and spinal alignment? Increase flexibility? Provide relief to sore…

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Navigating Aid Stations

Running a long distance race is different for everyone. Individuals have their own approach and with it their own results. There are many obstacles you will face, but one that should never…

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Sleep tips

Much like food and water, sleep is integral to your health. And when you’re working your body, it becomes even more important. For runners, sleep is not only a time to rest…

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The Latest Sports Nutrition Trends with Mitzi Dulan

As an athlete, it can be challenging to keep pace with all the latest nutrition trends.  On this episode, we speak with nationally recognized sports nutritionist, Mitzi Dulan, to shed some light…

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The Recovery Period

It may seem that your workout ends when you stop moving but your downtime may be one of the most important parts of building fitness. In that vital recovery period, your body…

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Sugar During Exercise

There is a world of difference between sugar consumption in a person’s daily diet and sugar consumption during exercise but they often get lumped together with the message that sugar is ‘bad’….

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Are you eating the right amount?

Are you eating too much, too little, or just the right amount? Eating is complex. We have intricate and numerous pathways, hormones and sensors that regulate the amount of food we eat…

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Baby-On-Board

A lot of runners out there enjoy not only the fitness benefits, but also the time spent in relative solitude while they’re out on a run. However, for a growing number of…

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Getting the Swing of Runner’s Shoulder

A common misconception in the realm of athletic injuries is that since runners are pounding the pavement so hard and repetitively, any injuries they sustain are confined to their legs. While most of…

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High Intensity Interval Training

Is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) right for you? Although there are many different training approaches to prepare for a marathon, most plans are designed to help the runner gradually adapt to…

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Marathon Long Runs

By Jon Sinclair For marathoners, longer runs are crucial for success and should be the focus of any training program. If you’re self-coached, use a calendar that maps out your long runs…

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Longevity: Is running the key?

Want to live a long life, free of chronic disease and disability? Short answer: The recipe for staying well to live past the average life expectancy of (men 76.4, women 81.2) is:…

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Winter Training Tips from the Ambassadors

By Mitch Dulleck, Colfax Marathon Ambassador. Training during the winter months can be tough. It’s cold, it’s dark, and most people are torturing themselves inside, on the dreaded Treadmill! But with a…

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Sweat Rate Testing – how much fluid do you need during a marathon?

Sweat Rate Testing How much fluid do you need to consume each hour during your marathon?   Remember aid stations with Gatorade and water are every 2 miles starting at Mile 2 Do…

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Training with Asthma and Allergies

Here comes the sun, yay! Oh yeah, that means it’s time to train for the Colfax Marathon. Whether you’re training for a shorter relay distance or the whole 26.2, Asthma and Allergies…

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Before You Get Started…

By Jeff Galloway There are very few people who should not exercise because of cardiovascular, structural, muscular, or other problems. It is very important to ensure that you are not in this…

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Coming Back from Injury

By David Manthey Unfortunately injuries can and do happen with running, whether training for a 5K or targeting a marathon. Some are small little tweaks that may only take a week to…

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I’m Pooped!

By David Manthey Remember that fatigue during training is VERY normal, especially as you are increasing your mileage and doing long runs. Recovery weeks are a necessary part of any training program…

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Half Marathon Tips

By Jon Sinclair For a beginner, just finishing might be the goal. A beginner’s training should center on a progression of long runs that reach only 12 or 13 miles… enough to…

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Fuel for Distance Runners: Before, During and After

Before Goals: Consume a carbohydrate-rich snack or meal before exercise to top off muscle stores. With pre-competition jitters, liquid meal replacements may be a better choice than whole foods. Include small amounts…

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Hydration: Should you Trust Your Thirst?

Proper hydration during endurance events will not only improve your performance, it may also save your life! Finding that just right balance between drinking enough but not too much does not have…

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Carbohydrate Loading: Does it Really Work?

Yes, it really works. Would you rather start a cross country road trip with your gas tank at full or with the needle nearing empty? Since your muscles, liver and blood hold…

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