Letter from the Editor, March 2019
Hello Subscribers, and welcome to the March 2019 edition of The Hurdle Magazine. We’ve got another good one for you, as we transition from the peak of the indoor season to the beginning of the outdoor season for many of you.
In this month’s issue, we have two great articles from freelance writer Melinda Burris Willms, and four from myself. In Willms first article, “Technological Doping: Can Scientific Advancements Actually Cheat the Sporting System?” she furthers her discussion from her article in last month’s issue about technological advancements in sports, and the effect they have on maintaining a level playing field.
In Willms other article, “Overtraining: The Dangers, the Signs, and how to Avoid It”, she discusses the discusses the topics that are mentioned in the title. The hard-working athletes are the ones who run the danger of overtraining, so it’s important for athletes and coaches alike to identify the signs.
In “Balance of Power,” I discuss my philosophy that power in a hurdle race is not something that should be forced, as the attempt to be powerful can cause mistakes. I argue, instead, that running a balanced race is the key to feeling powerful, and to feeling more powerful as the race goes on. In the article, I identify and discuss some of the main technical mistakes that can cause a loss of balance, and, therefore, a loss of speed and power.
This month’s workout, “Late-race Strength for Long Hurdles Workout,” is a workout designed to help the long hurdler who tends to fade toward the end of races. The workout consists of a combination of sprinting reps with no hurdles and sprinting reps over hurdles, so that athletes are forced to manage fatigue and maintain stride pattern while fatigued.
For this month’s great race, I look back to last week’s “instant classic” at the NCAA Indoor Championships, where University of Florida’s Grant Holloway set an NCAA and American record of 7.35 in the men’s 60m hurdles, with Kentucky’s Daniel Roberts hot on his heels in 7.41. Based on this performance, it wouldn’t be surprising to see both of these young men dip under 13.00 outdoors this year.
Finally, in “Cycle Arms Update,” I discuss the progress of my athlete, Falon Spearman who has adopted this style of hurdling that I “invented” (for lack of a better word) after experimenting with it on the low for several years. Falon has mastered the basics of cycling the arms with the legs, and is in the process of making it her own. The article includes a description of the style as well.
Enjoy the articles, thank you again for your support, and I hope everyone gets off to a good start this outdoor season.
Steve McGill
