Saucony Blog » Athletes

2013 Team Saucony Elite Kit

Saucony — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:41:00 +0000

Every year when we design and develop elite racing kit for Team Saucony, we look to have fun and try new things. This year's kit was no different. Rather than traditional black or navy accents, we decided to go bold with a two-tone green combination and then accent it with our ViziPro Orange color. The combination is unique, fun and definitely stands out. From a technical standpoint, the Elite kits give us the opportunity to work directly with our sponsored athletes to fine tune things like fit, materials, seam placement and tricky construction methods that will facilitate them in running some of the fastest times on the planet. Once those elements are tested and perfected to their extreme standards, we can take that learning and apply it to our standard running gear that is later available in stores. In terms of design inspiration, we view our Elite athletes as Saucony super heroes, so we keep that vibe in mind throughout the process. We want them to look and feel amazing in their footwear and apparel, because we realize that the psychology of sport is as important as the physicality. If our Elites have confidence that their gear has the right amount of compression and aerodynamics, will wick away moisture quickly, and move as freely as they need it to without ever getting in the way - then we can help to focus their preparation on the event and not the gear. Have a look at the 2013 Saucony Racing kit, as shown on Duane Solomon (currently the fastest American 800m runner) and Molly Huddle (5k American Record holder)

Race Brave

Molly Huddle — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:38:37 +0000

Here is a partial list of things I have run away from:

unleashed chihuahua
most spiders
one gradeschool boy-girl party
routine tetanus shot
all karaoke

I am not a brave person. I’m the exact opposite, actually; I’m more of a grade ‘A’ weenie. But, being a professional distance runner requires some degree of cool headedness and well, I basically learned it. I studied the apparent grace under pressure of my sporting idols the way you learn rough choreography to your favorite Destiny’s Child song : you watch and mimic ... in your living room. And you can too! It’s part psychology but mostly just organizing your thoughts. Actually, depending on how you handle stressful situations, you may innately know how to perform. Some people thrive on race day pressure, while others perform well in practice but can’t seem to hit competitive goals. Regardless of the size of game day aspirations, race morning usually arrives with a side of adrenaline, which causes a milieu of responses depending on where you are on a scale of ‘worrier’ to ‘warrior’ (http://www.npr.org/2013/02/25/172879971/thescience-of-being-top-dog). You may be able to tell how you respond to such stress already. If you’re more of a ‘warrior’, you’re likely lifted to a new level of performance in races and feel so very alive by high stakes scenarios. ‘Worriers’, perhaps you don’t sleep the night before the race, pee your pants on the start line, forget your shoes or any other negative response to the effects of stress-brain. But worriers, worry no more, because both categories have strengths, we just need to let them work for us not against us! Firstly, we ‘worriers’ are good planners, and what race is benefited more by excessive, almost obsessive planning and long term preparation than the marathon!? This distance may suit you well, but all distance running falls into this category to an extent so don’t let me limit you here. Below are some of my favorite ways to control the debris-filled tornado of worries inside your brain, and they basically all entail just writing stuff down. For the worriers:

Write down a schedule for race day logistics including transportation, meal times, any other important locations or instructions , lists of what to bring, etc.
Breakdown your goal. Is it a specific time? try writing out splits and using them as a guide for piece by piece racing. Smaller steps are less intimidating to think about and make focusing more manageable. Do you have a place goal? Who can you stay with to hit that pace? What is the most simplified strategy?
Squash the worries and negative thoughts-what are you most afraid of happening? How would you remedy that or deal with it? You may then throw that piece of paper away and also consider coming up with a positive mantra to repeat (sport psychology bonus!)

Now for the Brave among us! You are arguably the cooler crew and I’m not sure why you chose distance running, but apparently a shortcoming of ‘warriors’ is lack of long term preparation. That combined with your thrill seeking nature might make you more suited for the mile or other shorter races where tactics and exciting sprint finishes come into play, but that's just a suggestion. Don't let me put you in a box! Race day is where you naturally shine, but maybe you could shine even brighter with a better long term training routine. Here are some good ways to keep yourself accountable. For the warriors:

Partner up! Training partners keep the runs fun, create synergy and you can feed off any competitive nature by simulating a race.
Get a coach - someone to lay out a plan, motivate you or just straight yell at you to get your work done consistently. I bet a worrier makes a fabulous coach.
Reign in your zest for life until race day - this is just temporary but if your daily life is a series of all night cram sessions, weekend raving and Tokyo drifting, maybe tone it down a few weeks before big races to save energy, get enough sleep and focus on the minutia that seems to enhance your running by keeping you uninjured.

Good luck to you spring racers-be you fearsome or fretting, may the competition be fierce!

Flip My Workout – Cat Morrison

Cat Morrison — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 20:33:58 +0000

“Musical Games”

Cat Morrison is an elite triathlete, Ironman champion, and former world champion at the 70.3 distance, so it stands to reason that she’s knows a thing or two about enduring through a grueling race. Cat believes mental strength has been a key component to success, and she uses her “Musical Games” workout to bolster that mental toughness.

After a short warm-up, Cat sets her iPod to “shuffle” and allows it to create her workout.

Start with a pick up for the duration of the first music track, then take it down to a jog during the next track. Continue to repeat this pattern. The beauty is in not knowing what lies ahead: how hard can you push yourself without knowing exactly how long the faster interval will last, or how much time you’ll get to rest. Essentially, we end up with something that might look like this:

Warm-up for 5 minutes with a light jog, then hit “Shuffle” on your iPod
4 minutes ON
2.5 rest
3:10 minutes ON
5 rest
7 minutes ON
2 rest

And you can continue this as long as you’d like!

“This workout will prepare you for the unexpected, a reality an athlete often encounters on race day when it could be windy or hot and you must adjust your expectations,” says Cat. “It will also prepare you mentally to push your body beyond the limits in your mind, and achieve more than you ever thought possible.”

Flip My Workout – Molly Huddle

Molly Huddle — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:44:44 +0000

Molly Huddle is a 2012 Olympian and the American record holder for 5,000-meters (14:44.76). So whose training could be better to emulate when trying to lower your 5K personal best? Molly shares her favorite workout, a staple as she prepared for her recent Olympic performance. On the Track: 12x400-meters @ 3K-5K pace with 60-second active rest Molly finds this workout simple and the intervals short enough where the pain can be tolerated. For Molly, each interval is done at about 68-72 seconds. She finds the key is the shorter recovery and keeping active during that recovery with light jogging. This helps to simulate race conditions for the second half of the workout. Starting several intervals a bit tired helps prepare the body for what it will feel over the last mile of a 5K. For us mere mortals, Molly suggests the following: On the Track: 8x400-meters @ 10 seconds under 5K goal pace with 90-second active rest (200 meter jog) For example: If your goal is 7:00 pace for 5K, that’s 105 seconds for each 400-meter repeat. Subtracting 10 seconds under your 5K goal pace will give you a target of 95 seconds for each 400-meter run. “This pace should be a little strenuous but you should not be gasping for air after your first interval,” emphasizes Molly. “If you stay honest with your rest time, by the 6th or 7th repeat you’ll be feeling the pain in your legs and be starting the interval with an elevated heart rate−just like the second half of your race!”