BakBlog

Bakline's Future is Female Coaches series recognizes and celebrates the women in our sport who lead, inspire, and make us all stronger. This week we’ve interviewed Ayumi Nagano, head coach of cross country and track and field at Millennium Brooklyn High School. Ayumi's running journey began at age 12 and her experiences as a student athlete have shaped both her own running journey as well as her approach to coaching.  

Without mesocycles and training blocks to number our weeks and measure progress, it can be hard to stay focused, or even motivated to train. ‘What am I training for’? may even become a question we ask ourselves when there seems to be little point in getting out the door. There’s another way to look at this gap in the race schedule, though: instead of training for an uncertain finish line, we can train for the next starting line.

At the Olympic Trials on February 29th, sixteen year-old Tierney Wolfgram ran shoulder-to-shoulder with the top American women--many of them twice her age. We caught up with Tierney to find out what it's been like to make the switch from high school cross country practice to training for the Olympic Trials.

In The Future is Female Coaches series, we’re celebrating the women of our sport who are leading, inspiring, and making us all stronger. This week we’ve interviewed Mary Johnson, who wears many hats as a runner, strength coach, running coach, mom, and founder of Lift.Run.Perform.

We’re a little heartbroken not to be running Heartbreak Hill on Monday, but there are still plenty of ways to celebrate the Boston Marathon. Whether you’re running your own solo race or just putting your feet up, we have some suggestions on how to get your Boston fix this weekend. 

In this series we interview female coaches about their experiences and insights working across a variety of aspects and disciplines within the running space. This week we’ve talked to Pam Geisel, who brings her perspective as an exercise physiologist and director of performance services at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Take the Bridge has done it again.This time traversing the Willy B starting from the Manhattan side - in the pouring rain. There's something quintessentially NYC about this Brooklyn/Manhattan borough connector and it is perhaps my favorite bridge to photograph.

So, you’ve set your sights on an upcoming half marathon? 13.1 miles is the perfect distance to test your physical and mental endurance. It’s also the perfect time to roll out a solid nutrition plan to help improve your performance on race day. Here are 13.1 Nutrition Tips For Your Next Half Marathon.

Congratulations—you’ve made it! Just qualifying for the Boston Marathon is worth celebrating. Oftentimes, as marathoners who enjoy type-A fun activities (like marathons), we lose sight of how epic it is to even be at the start line and have the privilege to compete amongst the world’s best. Throw in the most unpredictable weather each year, and you’ve got yourself one of the most celebrated days in the running universe. Be prepared for the course and know what to expect!

Bakline's Official 2019 NYC Half Marathon course strategy post. For newbies, the headline is: some early hills and sharp turns, a generally flat middle, and a steady uphill final 5K. For those who ran last year, the headline is: more Brooklyn at the start, less Central Park at the end, a hairpin turn, and a basically unchanged middle stretch. Read the full post for elevation analysis and advice on how to tackle the course.

By now, you probably know that New York Road Runners changed the course of its premiere United Airlines NYC Half. (If you didn't, surprise!) The old course was a favorite for many, and for a half marathon in NYC, it had an elevation profile that only the Brooklyn Half could beat. Now, just about the only thing in common between this year's course and last year's is the name of the race. You may be running on some of the same terrain, but you're in for an altogether different experience. Hang on to your energy gels, ladies and gents. Click "Read More" to see the full post.

After my first day of medical school in the fall of 2015, I made my way to what would soon become my second home for the next couple of years—a study space we called the Blue Room. It was ratty and rundown, with a row of desks and cubicles under dim lighting and in near-constant dead silence. At the end of my usual row of cubicles, the wall featured a poster of Steve Prefontaine racing at Hayward Field, emblazoned with one of his famous quotes: "I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it."