Letter from the Editor, November 2016

Hello readers, and welcome to the November 2016 edition of The Hurdle Magazine. This issue features a smorgasbord of articles, as I tried to cover topics that are on people’s mind as we head toward a new indoor season.

This month’s workout, “Hurdle/Sprint Workout,” is designed for the 100/110 meter hurdler to get in some volume sprinting while also getting in some hurdle work at the same time.

“Learning to Deal with Losing” is an article about the difficulties hurdlers face when transitioning from one level to the next. In this article I offer advice on dealing with such difficulties and on how to stay confident in the face of stiff competition.

“Practicing the Curve” is an article for the 400m hurdler. In this one I give advice for training to prepare for hurdling on the curve, as I feel that challenges the curve presents can be addressed directly in practice with the use of a little creativity.

“Life after the Fall” is an article about coming back from major hurdle-related injury, emphasizing the need to be patient in one’s rehab, and to trust the advice of the doctors. A lot of times coming back from injury can be psychologically exhausting, not to mention physicall draining.

“The Second Step” is another article specific to the 100/110m hurdler, focusing on the importance of the second of the three strides between the hurdles. The second stride is one that helps hurdles to make up ground on the ground, and can be the only stride in which faster hurdlers have an opportunity to even remotely feel like sprinters. So taking full advantage of the possibilities this stride represents can be critical to maximizing one’s race potential.

“2006 World Cup” is a look back at the 110 hurdle final from that event, in which Allen Johnson defeated Liu Xiang and Dayron Robles in a winning time of 12.94. I plan to get in the habit of looking back on great races in history in future issues of the magazine, so I decided to start with this one, as I feel it serves as a testimony to Johnson’s brilliance as a technician and as a competitor.

Enjoy the articles, good luck with your training, and thank you for your support!

Steve McGill