Letter from the Editor, October 2014
Welcome, readers, to the October 2014 issue of The Hurdle Magazine, our 14th issue in all. Let me go ahead and give you a breakdown of the content of this issue.
Firstly, hurdler Keare Smith is back with another article. In past issues he has written about his personal journey, and he has also given us insights into healthy eating and healthy living. For this month’s issue, he continues on the health theme, but from a slightly different angle. Here, he discusses his love for bicycle riding and how bike riding can serve as a very effective cross training method for hurdlers. I can attest to the fact that riding around the streets of New York City has made him very strong in the lower body. So much so that I’m thinking about trying to include ways to incorporate bike-riding into a regular training regimen for all of my hurdlers.
In last month’s issue I wrote about steps 2-3 of the “Seven Steps to Hurdle Heaven.” Here I detail step 4, which involves being motivated by a love for the thing itself. I had planned to write about steps 4 and 5, but step 4 ended up being longer than I had anticipated, and it really does need to stand by itself, as things get more and more intricate as we get into these upper levels.
Since I’ve been depending on my iPhone so much, and in so many different ways, in my coaching, I decided to go ahead and write an article on that topic, sharing with you how the iPhone has made me more effective in my coaching and how it has allowed me to do things that otherwise would be more time-consuming, more difficult, or plain old impossible otherwise. Though I’m far from a technology freak, I’m always willing to try things that are helpful and practical.
In last month’s issue I took a look back at the 2014 year in the men’s 110 meter hurdles. This month I take a look back at the 2014 year in the women’s 100 meter hurdles. Like I did last month, I discuss the performances of the world’s top hurdlers and also look ahead to 2015. The fan in me enjoys writing such articles, as the evolution of the hurdling events is something that fascinates me to no end.
This month’s more research-based article focuses on the foam roller – a massage tool used by many athletes at all levels. I discuss the benefits of foam rolling, the mistakes to avoid, when and how to use it, and the types of foam rollers available in today’s market. There are so many tools available to modern athletes that didn’t exist back in the day, and the foam roller is definitely one worth taking advantage of. If done properly on a regular basis, foam rolling can be hugely beneficial in preventing injury and maintaining muscle elasticity.
This month’s workout is a sprint workout that doesn’t involve hurdling. I’ve often found that hurdlers too often focus on the hurdles and not enough on what they’re doing between them. So a speed workout that emphasizes turnover is a good idea to implement once a week in the fall to remind the body that speed must not be undervalued in the quest to master technique.
For this month’s instructional video, I provide some practice clips of Keare Smith doing some explosive drills designed to help him “get into hurdling position,” as we call it, and to be quick between the hurdles. If you have any questions about any of the drills in the video, or the purpose behind them, please contact me at smcgill@hurdlesfirst.com and I will explain.
Thanks to Chris Brajer, my web designer, for putting together another issue of the mag. Thanks to Keare Smith for his article on bike-riding and for bringing the joy of coaching back into my life these past couple months that we’ve been together. Thanks especially to you, our subscribers, for your support and for sharing my passion for the hurdles. It’s nice to know I’m not the only hurdle nut in the world, haha.
Enjoy, and I’ll see you next month!
Steve McGill
