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Running podcast to motivate & help runners of every level run their best. interviews running influencers, scientists, psychologists, nutritionists, & everyday runners with inspiring stories.
Episodes
Wednesday Jul 02, 2014
Interview With Olympic Medalist Deena Kastor
Wednesday Jul 02, 2014
Wednesday Jul 02, 2014
In the summer of 1996, a newly graduated University of Arkansas runner named Deena Drossin came to a decision for her future – she wanted to be a professional runner.
With that, she packed up and moved to the mountains of Colorado to find out how good she could become.
The result of that decision was one of the most prolific and successful careers ever.
Deena won several medals at world championship events, including a bronze at the 2004 Olympic marathon and set American records at nearly every distance from 5k through the marathon, several of which she still holds.
Like all elite runners, Deena trained extremely hard.
However, she talks in much greater detail about the attention she paid to recovering from her training and being ready for the next workout.
That process has only become more important as Deena has transitioned into the masters ranks and become a mother.
Deena currently helps run the Mammoth Track Club in Mammoth Lakes, CA with her husband Andrew in addition to continuing to train and raise her daughter Piper.
This a great interview with one of running’s all-time greats who is giving back to the sport.
A few of the things that Deena and I talked about included:
- Deena’s background and development into a world-class runner
- The idea that good relationships and a clear conscience contribute to one’s recovery process
- How Deena’s running and life have changed both as she has gotten older and since she has become a mother
- The Kastors’ takeover of the Mammoth Track Club and its transformation into the driving force behind all organized running in Mammoth Lakes
If any of Deena’s experiences or advice resonate with you, we’d love
to hear about it. We also love to hear what you all think about our
podcasts.
Wednesday Jun 25, 2014
How to Make Running Faster Simple: An Interview With Steve Moneghetti
Wednesday Jun 25, 2014
Wednesday Jun 25, 2014
Can you imagine going into your first marathon with no race plan, no experience, and good but mostly non-specific training?
That’s exactly how Australian running legend Steve Moneghetti began his marathon career at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland. The result? A bronze medal and probably nobody more surprised than Steve himself.
Steve began running almost by accident on a random invitation from a neighbor to take part in a youth cross country race. That seemingly inauspicious invitation was the spark for a career that spanned from the 1985 World Cross Country Championships through the 2000 Olympic Marathon.
In that time of rapid and dramatic shifts in information and opinions about the sport of running, Steve was notable for his steady results and faith in himself, his coach, and his program.
Throughout his entire running life, which continues to this day, Steve has, first and foremost, maintained his love of the simple act of running. He shares his belief that the mistake that many runners make is making running too complicated
A few of the things that Steve and I discussed included:
- Steve’s background in running and the exact training program that took him to the top of the running world
- The specifics of the workout known around the world as the “Mona fartlek,” how it came to be, and how it is still used today
- How Steve dealt with the many and varied innovations and shifting opinions that were introduced to the sport during his career
- Steve’s opinion on the current state of running as a sport and how he thinks it can be improved
We’d like to thank Steve for his time and wish him the best of luck in the future.
Running Is Simple – Don’t Complicate It: An Interview With Steve Moneghetti
Wednesday Jun 18, 2014
Wednesday Jun 18, 2014
Lisa Rainsberger has the dubious honor of being the runner who came the closest to going to the Olympics without actually making the team.
In a competitive athletic career that lasted over 20 years, Lisa qualified for and competed at 5 Olympic Trials events, once in swimming and four times in the marathon. She finished 4th in 1984, 1988, and 1992.
Lisa is the last American woman to win the Boston Marathon and was a 2-time winn er of the Chicago Marathon.
Some of the insights Lisa reveled in our conversation were:
- The importance of sticking to the pace that you have trained for regardless of how fast others in the race are running
- Her use of a 9-day training cycle to spread out hard workouts and add more recovery
- The importance of strength training and cross training in addition to running volume to improve performance
- Lisa’s coaching and her conservative, goal-oriented approach
Wednesday Jun 11, 2014
Wednesday Jun 11, 2014
This week we have a special double feature episode with 2 of America’s best marathoners.
Dot McMahan
Our first part features Dot McMahan, a member the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project with 2 top-10 finishes at the Olympic Trials marathon to her credit . She is also a mother with a 5-year-old daughter.
Primarily an 800-meter runner in high school and college, Dot has since achieved a great deal of success in 1/2-marathons and marathons.
Some of the key points included:
- Dot’s training as she has progressed in age and distance
- How motherhood has affected her running
- Dealing with and recovering from injuries
Ryan Vail
The second part features Ryan Vail, who is fast becoming one of the best marathoners that the U.S. has to offer, as evidenced by his recent 10th place finish at the London Marathon in a personal best time of 2:10:57.
A 2009 graduate of Oklahoma State University, Ryan is one of the few Americans who has made the marathon his priority event from early in his professional career.
A few things that Ryan and I discussed included:
- The importance of sticking with a training system in order to give it time to work
- The seemingly extreme amounts of running volume that he does in training and how he stays healthy
- The fact that Ryan trains alone and how he makes that into an asset for himself
Wednesday Jun 04, 2014
Wednesday Jun 04, 2014
Ann Audain was born with deformities in both her feet that required surgery at the age of 13 so she could walk pain-free.
Did that stop her from dreaming of the Olympics? Nope.
In 1981 her country told her she couldn’t accept prize money to support her training.
Did that stop her from qualifying for 6 Olympic teams? Not a chance.
On our podcast today, you’re going to hear the amazing and inspiring story of how Ann Audain overcame amazing obstacles to achieve her dreams.
If you’ve ever needed motivation after a tough workout or a series of bad races, this interview will get you out the door and fired up.
A few of the things that Anne and I discussed included:
- Her start in running following her surgery
- Her 2 very different coaches and the importance of having a plan in one’s training and racing schedule
- The beginning and early difficulties of open professionalism in the sport of running
- The Idaho Womens Fitness Celebration 5k race that Anne founded and the evolution of that event.
- The documentary film that Anne had made about her life and career.
Do you have the will to win?
We’d like to thank Anne for her time and wish her the best of luck in the future.
Wednesday May 28, 2014
Wednesday May 28, 2014
How many of us have suffered the dreaded “bonk” in a marathon?
“Bonking” is probably the greatest fear when training for and competing in marathons.
Most know that the human body doesn’t store enough fuel to make it through the whole distance. So, the question then becomes – what do you need, how much of it do you need, and how often should you take it?
In this podcast, we’re going to chat with the head coach at RunnersConnect, Jeff Gaudette, about his experiences with marathon nutrition. He’s also going to tell you how you can calculate your own specific fueling needs to avoid the bonk and explain how the Marathon Nutrition Blueprint can help.
Here are the primary topics that Jeff and I discussed:
1. Jeff’s early struggles with marathon nutrition.
In his first attempt at the marathon in Chicago, he had no pre-defined strategy for nutrition. He decided to use only sports drinks, didn’t take enough, and lasted until around 19 miles. At the Twin Cities Marathon the following year, Jeff went the opposite way – he started fueling too early and ended up with a very upset stomach.
- Take Action:
- These 2 results made it clear that you can’t go into a marathon using generalized advice. So, Jeff did the research, found the right calculations and developed several innovative ways to practice drinking and taking other nutrition while training and racing.
2. The importance of glycogen, fats, and electrolytes in the fueling puzzle
The human body works most efficiently when burning glycogen but as most marathoners know, the body doesn’t store enough by itself to make through a full marathon. When glycogen runs out, fat has to take its place. However, teaching and training the body to use fat as a fuel source is easier said than done.
- Take Action:
- “I believe the most effective way to train the body to burn fat as a fuel source is through the use of what are called “depletion runs.” These are workouts, ideally at or around marathon pace, that are done after having put the body in a glycogen-deficient state.
3. How to calculate your specific needs to avoid the “bonk.”
How you can use the data from your weight, goal pace, fitness and individual sweat rate to calculate your own nutritional needs. Plus, we cover how the Marathon Nutrition Blueprint can do this all for you.
- Take Action:
- It’s critical to work with your individual physiological demands for energy. This helps you avoid taking too much fuel and feeling sick or not taking enough and hitting the wall.
4. Specific practice tips for fueling on the run
How to go about finding which products work best for you and how to get good at drinking and/or eating while running.
- Take Action:
- All of the nutritional knowledge and strategy in the world won’t help if you haven’t practiced fueling while running, specifically at marathon pace. We cover a couple of different methods to get better at this, especially drinking out of cups.
We’d like to thank Jeff for his time and wish him good luck with the release of the Marathon Nutrition Blueprint.
Wednesday May 21, 2014
The Secret to Running Faster? Consistency
Wednesday May 21, 2014
Wednesday May 21, 2014
Have you ever wondered why you can’t string together good race finishes?
You work your tail off, get everything right, and still find that you can’t go more than 3 or 4 races in a row without running a bad race.
The answer is consistency.
Consistency, or lack of it, is one of the most frustrating and elusive parts of running. Yet, it’s also one of the few guaranteed pathways to success.
Many things can get in the way of good running – family, work, travel. Moreover, consistent training isn’t always exciting. Marty Liqouri might have summed it up best: “You’ve got to be a little bored to be doing really good training.”.
So how do you become a more consistent runner?
On our podcast today is Jon Sinclair, who recorded more wins and top finishes than any other runner in history in his 15 years as a professional runner. For that reason, he’s often remembered more for that consistency than for any particular race result.
A few topics that we discussed included:
- Jon’s career and some of the events that defined it
- The importance of maintaining one’s aerobic fitness with periods dedicated to just training with no racing
- How keeping consistency in all aspects of training and life will lead to consistency in racing
- Jon’s coaching and the book he co-wrote with his partner Kent Oglesby
If any of Jon’s comments or thoughts speak to you, we’d love to hear about it. We also love to hear what you all think about our podcasts. You can leave a comment on this page or on our iTunes page. You can also leave us a voice message at (617) 356-7969.
We look forward to your feedback and thanks for listening.
Wednesday May 14, 2014
Advice From the Past: An Interview With Olympic Champion Bob Schul
Wednesday May 14, 2014
Wednesday May 14, 2014
Can you imagine what running was like in decades past?
The shoes were made of leather, the tracks were cinders, the sport wasn’t popular; the list goes on and on.
But, that doesn’t mean there isn’t lots when can still learn from legends of that age.
One of the top American runners of the 1960s was Bob Schul, who won a gold medal in the 5000-meter race at the 1964 Games in Tokyo, is on our podcast today to share some of that knowledge.
In 1964, Bob set an American record for 5000 meters and a world record for 2 miles. Bob went on to coach thousands of runners, including a stint at Wright State University in his native Ohio from 1996-2007. He has also published an autobiography and a training manual.
Bob’s training was very different from most programs in use today, as were the surfaces he ran on and the equipment he used. Only recently have parts of the system Bob used to train come back into the running mainstream, and of course all of the equipment has completely changed.
In this podcast, Bob and I discuss:
- His training under legendary Hungarian coach Mihaly Igloi and what you can take from it to apply to your running, specifically how to develop your speed.
- The experience of competing at an Olympic Games, which is truly an amazing story
- How to train by effort and make the small adjustments by listening to your body.
- Shoes and tracks in the 1960s
We’d like to thank Bob for his time and wish him the best of luck with the athletes he is currently coaching.
If any of Bob’s experiences or advice resonate with you, we’d love to hear about it. We also love to hear what you all think about our podcasts.
You can leave a comment on this page or on our iTunes page. You can also leave us a voice message at (617) 356-7969. We look forward to your feedback and thanks for listening.
Advice From the Past: An Interview With Olympic Champion Bob Schul
Wednesday May 07, 2014
What is the Best Diet for Runners? Interview with Nutrition Expert Matt Fitzgerald
Wednesday May 07, 2014
Wednesday May 07, 2014
Diet is one of the most controversial topics in existence.
Anyone who decides to either lose weight or change his or her diet to improve performance is presented with a dizzying array of different options.
The only common thread is that all these diets preach that their method is the only way you can be truly healthy.
From “The Four Hour Body” to “Atkins,” there are diet cults to match seemingly any mood and personality type. Everywhere we turn, someone is preaching the “one true way” to eat for maximum health.
Paleo Diet advocates tell us that all foods less than twelve thousand years old are the enemy. Low-carb gurus demonize carbs, and then there are the low-fat prophets. But they agree on one thing: there is only one true way to eat for maximum health.
Matt Fitzgerald is a sports nutritionist and the author of the best-selling book Racing Weight. In his new book, Diet Cults: The Surprising Fallacy at the Core of Nutrition Fads and a Guide to Healthy Eating for the Rest of Us, Matt exposes the irrationality, half-truths, and downright impossibility of a “single right way” to eat and reveals how to develop rational, healthy eating habits.
A few of the topics we discussed included:
- Diet Cults and why Matt decided to write it in the first place
- The myth of the “One True Way to Eat” and some of it’s fundamental flaws
- Explaining how and why groups of people tend to identify with and follow certain diets
- Matt’s idea of “Agnostic Healthy Eating” and you can apply it to your own diet
This is an awesome interview if you have questions about developing the right diet for you. Matt’s book was released Monday, May 5th and I highly recommend it. Definitely one of the most balanced and informational reads about nutrition I’ve had this year.
If any of Matt’s thoughts or advice resonate or strike a chord with you, please don’t hesitate to tell us about it. We’d also love to know what you think of our podcasts. You can leave a comment on our iTunes page. You can also leave us a voice message at (617) 356-7969.
We look forward to your feedback and thanks for listening.
What is the Best Diet for Runners? Interview with Nutrition Expert Matt Fitzgerald
Wednesday Apr 30, 2014
How to Turn Adversity into an Advantage: An Interview with 2:26 Marathoner Kim Jones
Wednesday Apr 30, 2014
Wednesday Apr 30, 2014
There are thousands of stories of people overcoming adversity through running.
These stories are the main reason that thousands more people get involved in running in the first place.
Former world-ranked marathoner Kim Jones’ story is one that could inspire anyone. Growing up in a poor household in a family seemingly prone to tragedy, Kim first used her running as an escape and later turned it into one of the most prolific elite careers ever.
Known for starting many races well behind the leaders, Kim used the amazing sense of effort and pace learned from her asthma, of all things, to not only catch up to, but pass and defeat those early leaders.
Kim recently published her autobiography entitled Dandelion Growing Wild, a wonderfully detailed account of Kim’s childhood and running career and the many struggles that shaped her.
Some of the things that we discussed included:
- Kim’s approach to racing and the importance of pacing yourself
- Kim’s unique training style of extremely hard and extremely easy days
- The Bloomsday Run in Spokane, WA where Kim’s career was launched, its course including the infamous “Doomsday Hill,” and what makes it such a special event
- Kim’s book Dandelion Growing Wild
- The coaching work that she does with her husband Jon Sinclair
We’d like to thank Kim for her time and with her the best of luck in her coaching and life.
How to Turn Adversity into an Advantage: An Interview with 2:26 Marathoner Kim Jones
Wednesday Apr 23, 2014
Wednesday Apr 23, 2014
ust when you thought barefoot/minimalism was the latest trend in running footwear, Hoka One One completely turned the tables by introducing runners to what is now called “maximal” running shoes.
The maximalism concept debuted by Hoka in 2010 appears to be gaining momentum.
But what is a “maximal” shoe?
Simply speaking, maximal shoes are extremely soft, typically seen with oversized foam midsoles, and designed to provide more cushioning and in theory reduce muscle fatigue.
For well-read runners, this new type of shoe flies in the face of what they’ve been reading about minimalist shoes since Born to Run was published.
After all, haven’t we been hearing that overly cushioned shoes encourage you to develop poor form?
To help answer that question and provide some answers is Hoka One One brand president Jim Van Dine, who is going to explain the technology and research behind the maximal shoe movement.
Among the topics that Jim and I discussed were:
- The history of Hoka
- The new maximal trend in running shoes
- Hoka’s recent involvement in track and shorter distances
- The future and goals of the brand
If any of Jim’s comments or thoughts speak to you, we’d love to hear about it. We also love to hear what you all think about our podcasts. You can leave a comment on this page or on our iTunes page. You can also leave us a voice message at (617) 356-7969. We look forward to your feedback and thanks for listening.
Wednesday Apr 23, 2014
Wednesday Apr 23, 2014
The Hansons-Brooks Distance Project has been helping good, but not star runners, compete with the best athletes in the world using unique and innovative training methods.
More importantly, they’ve shared these methods to help runners like you achieve extraordinary results.
The Hansons approach to marathon training, specifically the long run, has revolutionized the way age-group, Boston-qualifiers and beginners alike prepare for the marathon.
Now, Luke Humphrey, the author of the ground-breaking book The Hansons Marathon Method, is back with a fresh and innovative approach to training for the half marathon.
A few of the topics that Luke and I discussed included:
- Specific energy system differences in training for the half versus the full marathon
- How training for a half marathon can make training for the full distance seem more manageable
- How to run speed, strength, and tempo workouts and how they are incorporated into the training schedules
- How to adjust the schedule if you can’t handle all 3 workouts in 1 week
- The importance of a training segment for shorter races and how it can help your marathon training
We’d like to thank Luke for his time and wish him the best of luck both with his own training and with his coaching.
http://runnersconnect.net/running-interviews/half-marathon-luke-humphrey/
Wednesday Apr 09, 2014
Understanding the Science of Training to Run Faster: An Interview With Steve Magness
Wednesday Apr 09, 2014
Wednesday Apr 09, 2014
Understanding they “why” behind your workouts is an often overlooked aspect of training for many runners.
Whether it be because you are new to the sport or because you’ve read outdated or faulty advice, many runners struggle because they can’t connect the physiological with what they’re trying to accomplish on trails, road and track.
On our podcast today to help us better understand training methodology and training science is author and coach Steve Magness.
Steve is an accomplished runner himself (he ran 4:01 for the mile in high school), a former assistant coach at the Nike Oregon Project, the author of an authoritative blog, The Science of Running, and is now the head cross country coach at the University of Houston. He has also recently published a book called The Science of Running: How to find your limit and maximize your performance.
Some of the main points that Steve and I discussed included:
- The history of training methodology and how we have arrived at the present
- The most overlooked aspects of training, mileage and long runs, and how to question traditional training methods
- Steve’s book, why he wrote, and what he hopes readers will get out of it
- A few things that Steve thinks are part of the future of training and improving performance
We’d like thank Steve for his time and wish him and his teams luck in the outdoor track season.
If anything in the interview inspires any thoughts, we’d love to hear them. We’d also love to know what you think of our podcasts. You can leave a comment here or on our iTunes page. You can also leave us a voice message at (617) 356-7969.
We look forward to your feedback and thanks for listening.
Understanding the Science of Training to Run Faster: An Interview With Steve Magness
Wednesday Apr 02, 2014
Wednesday Apr 02, 2014
What is the key to improvement in running?
Most coaches would probably agree that the answer to that is consistency.
Consistency means both training regularly as well as staying healthy.
Tell me if this sounds familiar:
You have a goal race picked out and your training is going better than ever, including some PRs in tune-up races, only to suffer some minor but debilitating injury only weeks before race day. Unfortunately, this is an all-too-common scenario and you’re not alone if it’s happened to you.
Now, the question is – how do you avoid that?
John Davis, our RunnersConnect Head of Running Research, has had his fair share of injuries and setbacks to his training and racing. He started asking himself the question: “Why do runners get injured?” and began writing about it. He has come up with some interesting conclusions.
John generously shared his ideas on injury prevention and training with us. The key points of our discussion were:
- How increasing one’s stride frequency can help reduce injuries and how to increase it
- Hip strength and its connection to a number of running-related injuries
- The concepts of aerobic and anaerobic threshold
- Some key workouts to learn how these intensities feel rather than adhering to certain paces
We’d like to thank John very much for his time and wish him continued health as he returns to racing. (Ed. On February 7th, John bettered a 4-year-old indoor mile PR by running 4:25.11 at the Carleton Invite in Minnesota)
If any of John’s advice or comments resonate with you, please don’t hesitate to tell us. We’d also love to know what you think of our podcasts. You can leave a comment here or on our iTunes page. You can also leave us a voice message at (617) 356-7969. We look forward to your feedback and thanks for listening.
Wednesday Mar 26, 2014
Wednesday Mar 26, 2014
As our understanding of exercise physiology has evolved, coaches have come to truly understand the training needed to be done to perform your best at a given event.
The problem for most runners is that they aren’t yet ready to do that training.
Rather than focusing on preparing their body to handle the training needed to perform their best, many runners simply jump from one goal race to the next.
In this podcast, we interview Coach Greg McMillan about how he learned this lesson from legendary running coach Arthur Lydiard and how you can apply this important training theory to your training.
In this interview, we also spoke with Greg about:
- His famed pace calculator
- The McMillanElite training group that Greg coached in Flagstaff, AZ
- The importance of individuality in training
We’d thank Greg for his time and wish him continued success in his coaching and good luck in setting up his new post-collegiate group.
If any of Greg’s thoughts or advice speak to you, please don’t hesitate to tell us about it. We’d also love to know what you think of our podcasts. You can leave a comment on our iTunes page. You can also leave us a voice message at (617) 356-7969.
We look forward to your feedback and thanks for listening.
Wednesday Mar 19, 2014
Wednesday Mar 19, 2014
Many people can say that they have successfully trained for and run a marathon while balancing a family and a full-time job.
Far fewer of those can say that they ran said marathon in under 2 hours 20 minutes.
Nate Pennington did just that. Today he’s going to teach you the important lessons he learned that can help you reach your potential while balancing work, family and everything life throws at you.
In 2007, Nate ran the California International Marathon in 2:19:35, an Olympic Trials qualifying time. Unfortunately, the race took place 29 days after the Olympic Trials race in New York City.
He hasn’t let that stop him, though.
A tireless worker with seemingly boundless desire to find his limits despite numerous setbacks, Nate continues to train at a high level while maintaining his career as an Army Medical Service Corps officer.
Nate was nice enough to talk to us on a Sunday morning. Some of the things we discussed included:
- How the role of motivation in training is nearly impossible to overstate
- How patience and persistence are the most important parts of any training program
- The fact that Nate mostly trains alone and some potential benefits to this approach
- The Kenyan approach to dealing with bad races
- Putting one’s training in perspective with the rest of life
We’d like to thank Nate for his time and wish him the best of luck in his goal races this year.
How to reach your potential while balancing work, family and everything life throws at you
Wednesday Mar 12, 2014
How to Find the Right Running Shoes for You: Interview with Shoe Expert Garth Merrill
Wednesday Mar 12, 2014
Wednesday Mar 12, 2014
Almost all runners would agree that the most important piece of equipment are their shoes – so which one is right for you?
When a person goes into a running store, he or she is often confronted by a wall containing a huge variety of shoes. But what makes one shoe different from another? More importantly, which is the best one for you?
And what about those thin shoes that look light and fast? What advantages do they offer and should YOU be wearing them?
This is your chance to find out from someone on the inside.
Garth Merrill is the owner of Fleet Feet Sports Coeur d’Alene, a running store in northern Idaho. Garth is an active runner who has completed a race every year since he was in elementary school. He has also been working in various running stores for the last 15 years, the last 9 as an owner.
Garth generously gave some of his time to talk to us about several key aspects of runners’ footwear before opening his store on a Friday morning. Some of the things we discussed included:
- How shoes are classified and categorized
- The process of fitting a person for shoes
- Common misconceptions about shoes
- Minimal shoes, their uses, and their impact on the industry as a whole
Did Garth’s insights raise any questions about your own shoes? Leave a comment below or give our Google Voice line a call and leave us a message at (617) 356-7969. We look forward to hearing from you.
How to Find the Right Running Shoes for You: Interview with Shoe Expert Garth Merrill
Wednesday Sep 18, 2013
Wednesday Sep 18, 2013
How many of you have wished that you could just focus on your running and not have a job or anything else that was always getting in the way of your perfect training schedule? What if I told you that the man who came in fourth place at the USA National Championship Meet this summer is also a full-time elementary school teacher?
Matt Elliott holds one of the most inspirational stories in running history. A 4:42 miler out of high school, Elliott broke four minutes for the mile a few years after college in 2011, and in 2013 ran 3:36 for 1500m (equivalent to a 3:52 mile) and missed qualifying for the World Championship team by literally a split second.
He graciously spent a Saturday afternoon to talk to us about balancing a full time job and the rigors of that life with a full time training schedule. Here’s what we’re going to talk about:
Being smart with your limited free time, and the importance of grabbing a few spare moments to enhance recovery times.
- The benefit of having a full time job while focusing on running.
Staying focused and consistent with your training over a long period, and being patient.
As always, for the resources mentioned in this interview, check out http://runnersconnect.net/running-interviews/balancing-work-and-running-an-interview-with-school-teacher-and-world-class-runner-matt-elliott/
Monday Aug 19, 2013
Fast at Fifty: Interview with World Class Grandmasters Runner Hugh Enicks
Monday Aug 19, 2013
Monday Aug 19, 2013
How many of you consider yourselves marathoners? When was the last time you raced something shorter than 10 kilometers? Today's guest, Hugh Enicks, was the top American at the 2011 Masters World Marathon Championships, finishing in 6th place overall. Would you believe me if I told you that he was also age group (50-54) bronze medalist at 3000m in 2011 at the National Masters Indoor Track & Field Championship? That's a lot of range!
Hugh, a retired Army officer, took a twenty-plus year break from serious training while serving in the United States Army, before getting back to the grind in his early forties. Now, a dozen years later, he regularly logs training weeks between sixty and eighty miles, and is one of the best runners in the country at his age group.
Want to know the trick to his success? He says it's racing at varied distances over the course of the year and not getting stuck in a rut. Here's some of the other things we're going to talk about in this interview:
Juggling a serious training workload with the rest of life.
The importance of core strength as you age.
Acknowledging that recovery is more important than ever before.
Logging a high volume of injury-free base miles.
As always, to check out any resources we mention during the interview, go to www.runnersconnect.net/rc36.
Are you a masters or grandmasters runner? Check out this interview, and let me know in the comments below what you took away from it!
Wednesday Aug 14, 2013
Wednesday Aug 14, 2013
What’s the best way to get more oxygen into your system when you’re in the middle of a hard training run?
That’s a question today’s guest, Patrick McKeown, has the answer to, and it’s probably not the answer you’d expect!
Patrick McKeown is the author of the book The Oxygen Athlete, in which he proposes methods to increase your body’s oxygen efficiency very quickly, mostly through a basic step: breathing through your nose.
As difficult and backwards as they may sound, Patrick has some great research and data to back up his theory. To help you better understand why and how this process works, Patrick is on the show today to talk about:
- The physiological differences between breathing through your nose and through your mouth.
- Transitioning from breathing through your mouth to breathing through your nose.
- Using breath-holding to simulate high altitude training.
- Achieving higher levels of concentration during both training and the rest of life through proper breathing.
I think this is a must-listen interview for anybody who hasn’t investigated this method of breathing yet.