Letter from the Editor May 2014

Consider this issue of The Hurdle Magazine our first hot weather issue, as the temperatures are rising and so is the level of competition. A lot of collegiate conference meets and high school state meets are taking place, and the pros are also starting to ratchet up the intensity level. So, heading toward the big national meets in June, what’s more important than staying hydrated?

That’s why a key article of this issue is “Staying Hydrated When It’s HOT HOT HOT!” For this article I interviewed my health-expert wife Joy, who broke down the do’s and don’t’s of hydrating and fluid intake during the warm weather months.

Speaking of experts, this month’s injury-related article relies on the expertise of Dr. Kelsey Armstrong, who breaks down the causes of ankle sprains, how to prevent them, how to treat them, and how to return from them.

Keeping with the theme of taking care of your body, Keare Smith ventured away from his “Way of the Warrior” series for this month’s issue to share his passion for dieting and eating healthily in “An Odd Approach to Healthy Living.” In the article, Smith tells us a bit about how he came to realize the importance of a healthy diet. He plans to continue to discuss this topic in more detail in future issues.

So to fill the “Way of the Warrior” gap, I wrote an article inspired by the Smith series, entitled “A Different Kind of Warrior.” In this article, I explain how the principles detailed in The Art of Peace by Morihei Ueshiba regarding the martial art of Aikido can be applied to the art of hurdling. It was a fun article to write, and one in which I learned a lot through the course of writing it.

This month’s athlete profile details the hurdling career of Kendra Harrison, a junior at the University of Kentucky who is one of the best double hurdlers in the NCAA right now. A former athlete of mine, she was a joy to work with and I’m very excited to see her continued success. A fierce competitor with a genuine passion for the sport, Harrison is a living example of what it means to be a hurdling warrior.

This month’s workout – the “Full Flight Low Height Workout” – is a championship season workout, designed to prepare the body and mind for the speed of major competitions.

The instructional video is not yet uploaded due to my never-ending struggles with camera glitches. It will feature some 3-step walk-over drills as well as some variations on them that I came up with. Should be really cool, and I should be able to get it all finished within a week.

Thanks to my wife, Dr. Armstrong, Harrison, and Smith for their contributions to this issue. Thanks to web designer Chris Brajer for putting the articles into the mag and for keeping the machine running. Special thanks to all of our loyal subscribers; hope this time of year finds you reaching new hurdling heights.

Steve McGill