Author

Derek Griffiths 1197 posts 0 comments

Derek Griffiths is the owner of Colorado Runner. He is also the race director for all events produced by Colorado Runner Events. An avid runner since middle school, Derek has completed over 50 marathons with a PR of 2:41:09 set at the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon in 2003.

Fast Food vs. Real Food

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Long days of work and training may cause serious damage to your well-intentioned dinner plans. A trip to the nearest fast food restaurant becomes your most logical decision. Unfortunately, many of the options at these establishments are less than ideal for athletes. Time constraints and hunger may lead you to choose foods that inhibit recovery and provide less than optimum nutrition. With a few tricks and a little kitchen know-how, you can have a healthy meal in no time.

Issue 44 (November/December 2010)

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I was helping coach a high school cross country team a few years ago, and I was always annoyed out how much time the head coach seemingly wasted in stretching. When I ran cross country and track competitively in high school and in college, my coaches always taught me that running made for faster runners and that stretching just made you prone to injury. But many runners and coaches feel the opposite - that stretching helps prevent injury. To help answer the question, to stretch or not to stretch, USA Track and Field sponsored a clinical trial of 3,000 runners. Their findings? There is no difference in the risk of injury for those who stretched before running and those who did not.

Hit The Dirt on the Crag Crest Trail

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As I sit in the parking lot on top of the Grand Mesa in western Colorado, I feel a bit lightheaded. Maybe it's just the elevation - we are at 10,000 feet.

Issue 43 (September/October 2010)

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Colorado Runner Magazine is celebrating its seven year anniversary. Our first print issue was published in September, 2003. The business has grown and changed over the years, and my personal life has changed quite a bit too. I’ve added two kids and a dog to my growing family.

Trail Running in Durango

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Durango is a trail runner's paradise. Located in the high mountain desert in the Four Corners Region near the common corner boundary of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, Durango residents see the sun shine about 330 days a year. On the few days when running might be problematic, there is probably fresh snow on the trails that would also make for great snowshoeing.

Super Foods for Super Women

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If you want to feel like Superwoman this race season, fueling up with nutrient-powered foods and smart supplementing has positive payoffs. Quality eating provides nutrients that boost your immune system, and supercharge your performance. Supplements build upon your best food choices and provide an edge on the race course. All the food and supplement strategies outlined below work for the guys as well, so eat up!

Nutrition for the Heat

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It’s getting warmer! Heat, sometimes combined with humidity depending on where you live, can throw you a good curve ball during these summer months of training and competition. We have all heard stories about athletes being taken to the hospital during a race for dehydration, or collapsing before the finish line or seeing white spots with a tongue feeling like sandpaper. I will say that those are extreme cases and ones that can be easily prevented with a little know-how nutrition for the heat know-how.

Issue 42 (July/August 2010)

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There are dozens of great running and triathlon events taking place during the next few months around the state. As an avid racer, all types of products have made their way into my race bag over the last two decades. But since most runners don’t want to lug a 50-pound suitcase with them on race morning, here is a condensed checklist to get you through the day with the most essential items, especially if you’re traveling out of town for that all important event.

Hit The Dirt At Deer Creek Canyon

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Deer Creek Canyon Park had its beginnings as a campground for wandering bands of Ute and Arapahoe. The 1,881-acre Open Space park was first homesteaded in 1872 by a man from Plymouth, England, John Williamson. Back then, Deer Creek's rolling hills and fertile fields attracted both farmers and miners. John Williamson's famed Glen Plym Ranch, as well as the Couch and Clark Homesteads, all sat within the current park boundaries.

Issue 41 (May/June 2010)

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Every two years, Running USA takes a survey called the National Runners Survey. The survey assesses the demographics of the running population nationwide and reflects the core runner. I.E. - the active adult participants who tend to enter running events and train year-round.