For many athletes, there is a support system of family and friends who train with and encourage reaching personal goals. When race day comes, it is so special to have that support system alongside cheering throughout the event.

Here in our hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky, the Wendell Foster center hosts an annual Half Marathon in November. This year it occurs on November 12th.

This event raises funds for the great mission of Wendell Foster of “Empowering People With Disabilities.”  To find out more about this awesome race, click here:  Wendell Foster Half Marathon & 5K site

For athletes and their fans, we have created a “Fan Plan” which provides many cheering opportunities without crossing the runners' path for the half marathon.

This fan plan was based on spectating someone running 7 minutes per mile and being familiar with the roads to get to the next location.  If you are unfamiliar with the streets or are spectating someone faster,...

Several athletes have expressed interest in the Ashland City Half Marathon on March 5th. We had hoped to video the actual course, but the course is changing due to road construction. The video shows many of the roads that will still be included. The course goes along the Cumberland River and through the woods on the Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail. Should be a fast course. The race director says the course is certified with a course record of 1:03. Should be fun.

Updated 1/9/2022

The updated course map can be found here:

https://www.strava.com/routes/2906647957207975206

By following the route on Strava, the trail and the road along the river are in the reverse direction of the video.

As triathletes, one of the things we have to wrap our minds around is that triathlon must be treated as one sport and not three separate sports thrown together on one day.   Obviously, there are three disciplines – swimming, biking, and running; but each discipline is approached much differently in a triathlon than as individual sports.

In this blog, we are focusing specifically on the bike portion of the triathlon, because that’s where many athletes destroy their race.  In most triathlons, the bike portion of the race is the longest portion, both in distance and in time.  Athlete’s rationalize that since it’s the highest percentage of the race day, then that’s the leg that has to be the best and the fastest.

When a triathlete tells us they had a great bike split, but fell apart on the run, we have to hold our tongues.  We want to say, “No you didn’t.”  There are a plethora of reasons for the run to fall...

Kenny Rogers' song “Know When to Fold ‘Em,” has nothing to do with endurance sports training, however, when it comes to training and racing, it’s important for athletes to know when to hold and when to fold.

Recently, one of our athletes was in a training block preparing for an event that was only about three weeks away.  Her knee began bothering her.  As athletes, we hate when our training is interrupted by injury.  We are constantly talking with each other about this or that ache or pain and deciding whether to push through or halt training.  It’s hard for us to halt our training, but we’ve learned the hard way, that if precautions aren’t taken at the onset of pain, what may have been a sideline from training for a few days, becomes weeks or months of recovery.

I (Paula) am the poster child for why pain should not be ignored.  In 2013, I did my first intense marathon training cycle with a time goal in mind.  I...

As endurance athletes, we invest a lot in our hobby.  Not only financially -  on shoes, bikes, subscriptions, health club memberships, coaching, entry fees, physical therapy, and more.  But, we also invest a lot of time.  Endurance sports imply exercising for a long duration.  In addition to the actual workouts, we also do conditioning, stretching, icing, foam rolling and more to prevent injuries or prepare our bodies to increase either speed, distance, or both. 

 To say the least, endurance sports takes a commitment of time.

 How do you balance endurance sports with all of your other life commitments?

 Paula and I have found ways throughout our marriage to balance training and racing with our careers and family.

Early in our marriage, Paula and I worked hard to start our careers and start raising a family.  During those early years, our exercise was limited and squeezed in when possible.  I would wake up before the kids and...

Heading into a new year is a great time to begin mapping out a training calendar.  This is the time of year many begin thinking about New Year’s Resolutions and start thinking seriously about getting fit for the upcoming race season or starting a healthy habit.

There are so many Bible verses relevant to planning.

Proverbs 16:9 – The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 19:21 – Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

I love these verses because it calls Christians to action.  We are called to make plans and these plans are made using our hearts and minds.  Therefore, it is critical to align our hearts and minds with Christ.  How do we do this?  We spend time with Him through the study of His word – the Bible.  We praise and worship Him.  We spend time praying and seeking His will for our lives.

Psalm 119:11 – I have stored up your...