Letter from the Editor, January 2020
Hello Subscribers, and welcome to the January 2020 edition of The Hurdle Magazine. Hope everyone is having a good start to the new year and new decade. This month’s issue features two health-related articles from freelance writer Melinda Burris Willms, one article from freelance writer Savannah Cress, and three articles from yours truly. All of the articles I wrote for this issue are focused on the long hurdles, as I feel I haven’t been giving that event as much attention in recent issues.
In “Benefits of a Plant-based Diet,” Willms discusses the recent trend in our society toward plant-based diets, and discusses the benefits of such a diet for athletes. While plant-based diets are nothing new, it’s always important to educate oneself on the positives and potential negatives.
In Willms’ other article, “Ergonomic Training for Hurdles and Track,” she discusses ways to avoid the types of injuries that are most common for track athletes.
In Savannah Cress’ article, “Sports and Arts: Maybe Not so Different,” Cress takes a close look at the relationship between sports and the arts, and concludes that the two have much more in common than is evident on the surface. This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, as it relates to my personal approach to coaching, and Cress provides many insights that I hadn’t thought of myself.
In my first article, “The 400 Hurdler during Indoor Season,” I I discuss the types of workout strategies and competition schedules I prefer to use for long hurdlers, whose specialty event is not offered during the indoor season. I make the claim that the extra time they have to build a base and to address technical flaws will ultimately help them, unlike the 100/110m hurdlers who are already competing indoors over hurdles.
This month’s workout, “Back & Forth Workout for 400m Hurdlers,” is a workout designed to build hurdle-endurance for long hurdlers. It’s one of the few workouts that I used way back in the day that I still use today, as it serves so many purposes simultaneously.
My last article, “Technique and Stride Pattern Development in the 400 Hurdles,” is actually an excerpt from a book I’ve written entitled The Art of Hurdling. The book, which is a coach’s guide to coaching hurdlers, is not out yet. I plan to publish it as an eBook within a month or so. I’ll be putting ordering info on the front page of the website soon.
Enjoy the articles, thank you again for your support, and I hope everyone’s indoor season is going well.
Steve McGill
