Posts by stevemagness
A Brief History of Track and Field in the US
The sport of track and field has a long history dating back to the Ancient Greek Olympics and other festivals in which athletics played a key role. There have been many books and articles detailing the ancient Olympic Games and the modern Olympic games, which began in 1896. However, few have looked into this sports…
Read More7 Quick Thoughts on the IAAF Corruption and Doping scandal.
The Independent Commission investigating corruption of the IAAF and doping in Russia released a bombshell of a report today. While others have summarized the findings better than I can, which included bribery, doping cover-ups, over 1,400+ doping tests destroyed, and much much more. I wanted to give a quick reaction to the report and some…
Read MoreHaving “Space” in your training plan- Why Density is often the neglected variable
People love comparisons. It’s built into our nature to compare groups and note the differences. So it’s no surprise when I present at conferences, that one of the topics is often on looking at the differences between runners. Whether that’s from the high school to college to pro groups, or from different types of runners.…
Read MoreCigarette Smoking Enhances Endurance- The dangers of narrowing focus
If I had to pinpoint one skill that I’m good at in an academic setting, it’s that of coalescing information. I love the feeling of sifting through all of the academic research available, making sense of it, and then connecting it to the practical world. The feeling of connecting disparate ideas is something that I’ll…
Read MoreEpisode 22- Outliers and the average- Who do we pay attention to?
In this episode of the Magness and Marcus podcast, we take on the concept of outliers and averages. Research and coaching practices tend to focus on a select demographic, whether that’s the WEIRD (Western, educated, and from industrialized, rich, and democratic countries) research or coaches focusing on the practices of those who speak English and…
Read MoreSciencyness- The problem with using science to justify what you’re doing…
The heavy breathing, as I found my seat on the plane, must have seemed like an appropriate invitation to start a conversation, as the man sitting behind me quipped “Did you run the marathon today?” It was an appropriate question, given that I was on my way back from the race, although the breathing was…
Read MoreEpisode 21- We have no idea what we’re doing- The Dunning-Kruger Effect and Coaching
In this episode of the Magness & Marcus show, we delve into the Dunning Kruger effect. You might not know the name of this cognitive bias, but it’s something we’re all familiar with. It refers to our inability to accurate assess our abilities. Novices tend to overestimate their abilities, while experts tend to do the…
Read MoreThe Training Grind- Why it’s sometimes better to feel bad than back off.
There is one piece of advice that I give to aspiring runners that makes no sense. There’s little logic in the saying, and it appears contradictory and wholly unsatisfactory. Yet it works, almost every time. When the words come out of my mouth, I’m met with an inquisitive look that says “Is he serious?” This…
Read MorePsychology of Doping- Why we’re fighting a losing battle-
We’re fighting a losing battle is a phrase that is thrown around far too frequently. It’s meant to show despair but also to inspire a change of direction. When it comes to performance enhancing drug use in sport, sadly this cliche phrase is applicable. We are losing a fight that needs to be won, if…
Read MoreEpisode 20- A Systems vs. Process Approach to Coaching
In Episode 20, Jon and I discuss the difference between a Systems and Process approach to coaching. What’s the difference? A systems based approach could be described as having a set formula/specific model for training. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Daniels, Coe, Lydiard, or any other coach. A systems approach means following that plan without…
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