I’ve not posted anything on Red October thus far because, well, I think the worst is yet to come - and with that in mind, why write two separate agonizing reports on losses to both OU and Nebraska? There is the possibility, strange as it may sound right now, that the Longhorns will pull the upset in Lincoln this weekend against the over-rated Children of the Corn. Over-rated, you say? They’ve beaten Western Kentucky, Idaho, Washington, KSU, and, oh yeah South Dakota State (by a stunning 17 – 3 margin) – so I wouldn’t exactly say they have been that impressive thus far. What this weekend may amount to is the Longhorns simply being worse than the degree to which Nebraska is over-rated!

But amongst all of the drama that surrounds this weekend’s game and the departure of Nebraska from the Big 12, perhaps there is even more drama behind the scenes. The question is this: where is DJ Monroe?

The answer to this question is beginning to look like it could be the basis for an Oliver Stone docu-drama. One has to wonder about it, given that he’s one of the most dynamic players that the Longhorns have, on a team that is in need of something dynamic. Maybe it’s a conspiracy? We all love a good conspiracy, especially Oliver Stone.

The party line right now – according to DJ and offensive coordinator Greg Davis – is that “he doesn’t know the playbook”. But I would suggest that perhaps there is more to this than we have been lead to believe.

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If you ask just about any endurance sports athlete or coach about their approach to training or how they quantify a training effort, they will almost certainly tell you that the standard is the use of heart rate and heart rate training zones. They will tell you that you need a heart rate monitor for effective training. They will tell you that it is an accurate means of quantifying training load.

A quick summary of heart rate training is indicated. The athlete sets heart rate training zones (heart rate ranges) that are based on a percentage of maximum heart rate to attain various training effects. The goal of these training zones may be to improve aerobic capacity or lactate threshold - or both – as these are factors that are perceived to be related to optimal training adaptations and enhanced endurance sport performance.

But as they say, it doesn’t matter how well you build a  house – if, in fact, you build the foundation on quicksand. Therein lies the basis for many training myths.

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People, places, events – they are the fabric, the storyline, the timeline - of our being. When music is an important part of your world, as it has been mine over the years, it has an especially important role in how I view the timeline of my existence. Music has a way of weaving itself into the fabric of our lives. I can reflect on a piece of music - my own or another musician’s work – and have a vivid association with an event, a memory, a feeling, a moment in time.

I recently unearthed some archives of music I’d recorded over the years. I made many rudimentary recordings of most of my early gigs (coffeehouses and the like), along with songs and chord progressions that I have written over the years. It’s a veritable timeline of my own personal history. Music – and the associated Milestones and Memories of my world.

As I immersed myself in these archives, I stumbled across a tape of a gig I played at a club called “Shadows” on Volente Road at 2222, a stone’s throw from Lake Travis. The date was April 27, 1991. Listening to this performance brought back that timeline of milestones and memories.

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This is the 9th in a series of RunSmart videos. The series is on-going, with a new video released on a biweekly basis. These videos complement the material presented in the book “RunSmart: A Comprehensive Approach To Injury-Free Running”. The full series of videos can be found here. A transcription of the video will also be available with each post.

For those of you that are interested in a more interactive learning environment, consider attending a Level One (half day), Level Two (one day), or Level Three (two day) RunSmart program. The Level One program is 3.5 hours (approved for CCU credit for physical therapists). The Level Two program is 8.5 hours and focuses on injury prevention and performance optimization. The Level Three program is a two day, 15 hour program that includes a comprehensive approach to running injuries. The next Level One program will be offered in Austin on March 24, 2012.

In this video, I will discuss “culture and training error”. The culture of the running community has changed significantly over the past 3 decades, and I would suggest that this may in fact have some relationship to training error and thus running-related injuries.

I hope you enjoy the video series. If you would like me to address any specific aspect of the RunSmart approach, drop me an email or add a comment to this article.

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