Letter from the Editor, November 2019

Hello Subscribers, and welcome to the November 2019 edition of The Hurdle Magazine. 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 written by myself.

In “Lack of Sleep and Decreased Performance: Can Meditation be Part of the Solution?” Willms delves further into the topic of sleep deprivation, pointing out how it is prevalent in people from all walks of life in the modern world, and discussing how developing a daily meditation practice can serve to address this issue.

In Willms’ other article, “Turmeric Curcumin: Uses for Athletes and for Health Solutions,” she goes in depth about the anti-inflammatory Turmeric/curcumin, and its ability serve as both a pain reliever and a supplement.

In Savannah Cress’ article, “Guess Who’s Back?” she addresses the issue of female athletes being forced to choose between their careers and being parents. The article is centered around the recent announcement from Dawn Harper-Nelson that she plans on making a comeback next year after retiring from the sport last year after giving birth to her daughter. Cress also talks about track moms Nia Ali, Allyson Felix, and Alyssa Montano, while also providing context in regards to women in the workplace in general, and the issues they are forced to deal with when pregnancy and motherhood “interfere” with their professional careers.

In my first article, “How Low Should the Hurdles Go?” I discuss the ways in which I use mini hurdles in my training of hurdlers at various ability levels. I also discuss the potential pitfalls of over-using such hurdles.

This month’s workout, “Five-Stepping Workout,” is a basic off-season conditioning workout for 100/110m hurdlers that I used fairly often in my early years of coaching, and that I recently used again with one of my athletes who is coming back from a hip injury.

In my last article, “A Look Back at the Men’s Hurdles at the 2019 World Championships ,” I take a detailed look at the good, the bad, and the ugly that took place in the 110 hurdles and the 400 hurdles from last month’s World Championships in Doha.

Enjoy the articles, thank you again for your support, and if your indoor season has begun, I hope that training goes well.

Steve McGill