I've encountered questions regarding my qualifications to conduct the seminars and the validity of the material that will be presented. For those who don't know me, here are some brief comments to address these points.
I have considerable running and racing personal experience.
- *32 marathons, age-group placed in many, Some notable ones: 1st at Shamrock; 3d in 2007 USATF National Masters Marathon, etc.
- *4 Bostons, in the 80s when qualifying times were tough
- *Over 200 races of 5K thru 1/2 marathons; recently, 1st age-group National 1/2 Marathon
- *4 50 mile ultras
- *Most of my last 90+ races are shown here Athlinks
- *I am a Certified RRCA [Road Runners Club of America] Coach
- *Have taken advanced running-science training under Qwen Anderson, PhD.
- *Have written numerous running-science based articles. See some examples here Running Science Articles
- *I've conducted two successful seminars "Running Injuries Avoidance" and "Running Economy & vVO2max"
I had Owen Anderson, PhD, review most of my seminar material for technical accuracy. Owen Anderson is the author of three books - Lactate Lift-Off, Great Workouts for Popular Races, Aurora, and The Science of Running (to be published by Human Kinetics in 2010). Click here for more about Owen and the Educated Runner mission. Educated Runner
Owen has traveled to Kenya on five separate occasions to study the training techniques of the top Kenyan runners, and he has assisted such notable Kenyan runners as Tegla Loroupe (quadruple world-record holder) and Sammy Lelei (59:24 PR for the half-marathon, 2:07:03 for the marathon) with their training programs
Additionally, I had Diane Palmason review my "Running Injury Avoidance" seminar. If you are not familiar with her, here is a partial bio:
She's held Canadian track and road records in every age category from 35+ to 70+, and at all distances from 100 meters to 80 kilometers. She broke world records on the track in 45+, 55+, 65+ and 70+. In 2003, she set four world records for W65+ in the 400, 800 and 1500 meters, and the mile. The 400 record (68.21) and the 800 record (2:41.81) have yet to be surpassed. Also, she still holds the Canadian records for the marathon in 45+, 55+, 60+ and 65+. And, she's been a running coach for 20 years from 1988 to 2008 and is certified in both Canada and the United States. Recently, Diane was inducted into the Canadian Masters Athletic Hall of Fame.
Her response: "That looks like a very well designed seminar. And I note that you are an RRCA certified coach. I was part of the team - along with Roy Benson and a man from Georgia (forget his name) who designed that certification program in the mid 90s. My role was to provide input based on my experience with the Canadian coaching certification program - in place for years - I had level II endurance with the Athletics Canada; and the USATF program - I took my level II for that in Provo in 1991 with, among others Fred Wilt. I totally agree that running injuries are so preventable, and I give credit to years of Owen's RSST routines for the fact that I had so few over the years"
I also asked her opinion about my "Running Economy & vVO2max" article. Her answer: "Well done, Al. I wish I could put some of it into practice! " [Note, she currently has a back problem unrelated to running]