Slow it down, run very early, hydrate, take salt. All great advice. But when should you NOT run in the heat?

As I have gotten back into masters swim training this year, I have watched my times drop, not so much because of better swim conditioning but more due to a strong focus on better swim mechanics.

It's time for Annapolis Striders track workouts!

Why would you need a coach for running or triathlon? I can answer that question!

For my fellow triathletes in the Annapolis Tri Crabs, most every week in recent months I have been sharing "the best of" my weekly swim, bike and run workouts. My intent is to give back to the club, be a motivator, offer varied workout ideas and, last, to raise awareness that I am a triathlon and running coach. This morning I realized that I could share these workouts more widely through this blog. See here we go.

As a coach, long-time runner and running store "shoe fitter," I am often asked about "the right" running shoes. Here's my guidance, distilled, absent the benefit of information about a specific runner.

The importance of form in swimming has been brought home to me again over the last month as I have resumed twice-a-week masters swim workouts.

It's not too early to ask, "How will I race this spring?" That is, beyond your training, what can you do to assure before and during the race that you race well?

You know this day all that mattered was getting the run in.

"To achieve in sports you first have to have a dream, and then you must act on that dream. The best athletes are those who truly enjoy what they are doing and display a tremendous amount of work ethic. They continue to persevere in spite of setbacks, and never lose sight of their ultimate goal." - Dianne Holum

When other runners tell me they will not run in the cold and the snow or at least don't want to, I tell them that they are missing great running.

On the spectrum of runners, where are you? If you are not just a jogger, it's likely that you want to take your running to the next level in 2017. Never fear, improvement is easy if you focus on the right areas. Here's what has helped me and many others up our running game - six areas with specific steps that are likely to help you improve greatly in 2017.

This is the time of year I plan my running, swimming and biking for the year ahead. Out of this planning comes a set of races I am targeting and a detailed daily training schedule (sometimes laid out for a half year at a time) to put me in the best position to succeed in my target races, as well as to yield the fitness, well-being and overall enjoyment I get from running and multi-sport.

To call me "serious" about running (or triathlon)? That sounds too much like how one approaches a job. Running and triathlon are not my job (except when I am paid to coach athletes - and that's about their running, swimming and biking, not mine.) Running and triathlon for me are, as I tell those whom I coach and help, fun.

For once, I ran a smart 10K.

It’s the one distance I don’t know how to race. Never have figured it out. As suggested by legendary running coach Jack Daniels, it’s “the cruelest distance.”

Having raced maybe 320 times in marathons and shorter running road races, cross country races, duathlons, Ironman and shorter triathlons, and short track speedskating races including national championships, I know the "now what?" syndrome all too well.

I vowed that some day I would run as fast as Billy. After all, I had learned earlier as a small kid that rather than fighting, my better option was usually flight. I already had indications that I was a runner.

I am running the Baltimore Marathon in the morning. My Annapolis running buddies have been warning me that the course is hilly.

When injury strikes - or when you think it may strike - your mind plays tricks on you. Especially when an athlete is tapering (getting close to and ready for a big race), any twinge or ache can be magnified into a race-stopping event.