Letter from the Editor

Welcome, readers, to the February 2015 issue of The Hurdle Magazine, and I hope you enjoy your Valentine’s Day weekend with loved ones. This month’s issue features a collection of articles centered around the theme of balance.

“A Balanced Life” is the first article I wrote for this issue. In it I discuss my very recent transition to a new job as an English teacher at a school three hours from my home. I’m renting a room from a friend and traveling back home on the weekends, and for the first time in my adult life I’m kind of out of the track loop, as the school where I teach has a very small team. In the article I talk about this transition and what it has taught me about my relationship with track and field, and with the hurdles in particular.

In “Overtraining” I discuss the dangers of overtraining as it pertains to hurdlers and to track athletes in general. A former athlete of mine sent me an article on the topic, which inspired me to write this one and to ask the opinion of others, namely professional hurdler Hector Cotto, who offered his insights on the matter.

“Hurdling Alone” is my ode to practicing the hurdles by oneself, without the presence of a coach or teammates. While I don’t advocate making a habit of hurdling alone, I do feel that it can be beneficial in many ways if done periodically and if the hurdler is advanced enough to know what to feel for.

“Timing On Top” continues the article from last month’s issue on the same topic – “Timing Aspect of Take-off into Hurdle.” In this month’s article, I move from the take-off to positioning on top of the hurdle.

This month’s workout is a demanding one for 300/400 meter hurdlers looking to get race ready for the outdoor season. It involves running 300’s (for 300m hurdlers) or 400’s (for 400m hurdlers), clearing the first few hurdles, with target times to hit.

Keare Smith is back this month with another juice cleansing article, “My Juice Cleansing Experience,” which he wrote after doing a six-day cleanse a couple weeks ago.

This month’s video will feature a few of my athletes working on their start under the guidance of my friend and partner Kevin Howell. Since I was out of town, I had the crew hold it down for me, and they did a great job.

Thanks to Hector Cotto for answering my questions about overtraining on very short notice. Thanks also to Keare Smith for contributing another very informative and enlightening article. Thanks to coach Kevin Howell and athletes Arthur Njemanze, Lamar Brewer, and Kennedy Thorne for making and taking part in the instructional video. Special thanks to Arthur for putting it all together. Finally, thanks to web designer Chris Brajer for teaching me how to put the magazine together myself, and for checking behind me to fix my goof-ups.

And of course, the biggest thanks of all goes out to you, our subscribers, for your loyalty and trust. Welcome aboard new subscribers as well! Good luck to everybody with your hurdling endeavors. Enjoy the mag!

Steve McGill