Courtney Kutler, a USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach and a QT2 Systems certified run and triathlon coach originally wrote a blog post for The Edge regarding one thing most of us has experience failing at - resolutions. Below is a recap of her article:

Courtney Kutler never cared much for New Year’s “Resolutions” since it is such a contrived tradition that most people can’t keep past February.  She asks "why do people fail at keeping their resolutions year after year?"

Below is a recap of why people fail at keeping their resolutions according to Courtney Kulter.

From nutrition to compression socks and foam rollers, athletes today are always looking for the next best thing to help them further their training. However, it is less common for athletes to consider how movement while exercising may impact performance. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) assesses several different movements, each of which activate key muscles during exercise, and evaluates how athletes are moving and if any asymmetries are present that will hinder training.

We use the FMS at Timberlane Physical Therapy to identify weaknesses and imbalances to determine injury risk. The test consists of seven exercises and each exercise is scored on a scale from three to zero. An individual score of three concludes that the exercise is being performed perfectly and a score of zero is received if the exercises are not able to be performed or if pain is experienced while performing the exercise. A total score of 14 or lower considers the individual is at risk for injury and identifies a need to seek treatment from a physical therapist.

Skirack presents:
Keys to a successful race with Courtney Kutler
of Courtney Kutler Coaching

Tuesday, March 20 | 6-7 PM
Skirack, 85 Main St. Burlington

Whether it’s your first race, new distance or you just want a better race experience, Courtney Kutler will give you tips for success!

Spring is here! Have a goal of competing in a race? Not sure how to decide on which one(s)? Whether it's your first race or your 50th, meeting with a coach can help you choose appropriate races to support your goals and working with a coach ensures you are training safely and effectively. 

Below are what I consider the 5 Pillars of building the perfect race season:

PRIORITIZE: Before you select races, it’s important to look at your personal calendar. Look ahead and consider your travel plans, work commitments and family commitments. You want to select races that work around those and don’t add too much additional stress to your life.

Skirack presents: Running Injury Workshop with running specialists from Green Mountain Rehab

Tuesday, April 17 | 6-7 PM
Skirack, 85 Main St. Burlington

Are you having running pain? 
Come join us at the SKIRACK on April 17th at 6pm. 

Come learn from the Green Mountain Rehab Running Specialists, how to heal your running pain naturally, and stop taking medication, avoid injections and surgery. 

Skirack presents: Nutrition for Runners with Jamie Sheahan, Director of Nutritional Counseling, The Edge

Thursday, May 10 | 6-7 PM
Skirack, 85 Main St. Burlington

Get your questions answered on food and hydration before, during, and after your race.

Whether you are new or a veteran to racing, Jamie Sheahan will give you the tips for success!

Most people wake up in the middle of the night because their mind is running a mile a minute. Two days after Christmas I woke up in the middle of the night because I realized that I wanted to run a mile every ten minutes, 26.2 times. At 12:06 am, on December 27th, I did what no one in my family ever thought I would do and signed up for the Vermont City Marathon.

Initially, I signed up because I simply wasn’t sure if I could run 26.2 miles. That’s a lot! I’m still not sure, but I’m curious about what my body can do. I’ve always loved spending the day crushing long distances on my bike, and once ran 10 miles on a whim, but in general the mental and physical challenges that come with long distance adventures excites me.

1 month of consistent Vermont City Marathon training, and look where your feet have taken you! It’s pretty incredible to think about how many miles you’ve traveled, and how much your body has adapted, grown and experienced in this short period of time.

I set out on my 10 mile long run this past Saturday feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. It’s a big milestone, first double digit long run…goodbye single digits! As I had mentioned in my last post, this was the longest distance that I’d run before and let me tell you, it was night and day. With consistent training, proper nutrition and hydration, Clif blocks, and the right gear I shaved off 30 minutes from my time 2 years ago!

The sun’s beaming, the snow’s softening, and it's finally time to shed those layers! I love the winter, but this time of year is so special. Everyone is ridiculously happy and we get to see blue sky’s multiple days in a row. It almost makes you want to scream, “We made it!”

With the change of seasons comes a change in how we dress while you are training for the Vermont City Marathon (or any adventure) in April . A great pro-tip would be to make sure that you keep a synthetic layer or wool and synthetic blend as your next-to-skin layer. This will help to wick moisture from your body, keep you dry, cool, happy, and out there for longer.

That being said, here are some of my new favorite pieces broken down by different scenarios.

You are so strong. Look down at your legs and flex your quads and think about how hard you’ve worked up to this point. With 3-4 months of training behind us, we are now only days away from the Vermont City Marathon.

I was feeling waves of nerves and excitement up to this point, especially as I began to taper. With only 2 weeks to go, all I wanted to do was ease my mind by running harder, faster, and stronger. But that was the opposite. It was quite luxurious I’ll admit to drop my mileage and be able to fit in all my runs during the day or spontaneously in the morning before work. However, the first week of tapering was mentally and physically challenging for me. My body wasn’t used to feeling satisfied by shorter runs, but then again that’s what it needed. The importance of tapering is that your legs can relax and feel lighter before a race by allowing them to store carbohydrates and glycogen, your race day fuel.