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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 Aug 07, 2013
Making Racing Simple: An Interview with Sage Rountree
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Do you need a step-by-step guide for minimizing the stresses that surround a race?
That’s what this week’s guest, Sage Rountree, set out to produce when she wrote the soon-to-be-released book Racing Wisely.
Sage is a yoga instructor and running coach and Racing Wisely is her fifth published book. In her previous four books, she focused on recovery, but this time she’s tackled an issue that’s never before been covered by an entire book: racing.
Sage really does a fantastic job of unpacking the step-by-step process behind racing and presenting it in a fashion that allows one to focus on a simple task: running to the best of their ability on that day (rather than worrying about all of the little things that can easily destroy a great race!).
Here are some of the things we talked about:
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Setting four different levels of goals.
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Making a “packing list” before your race, for your race day bag.
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How to racing for time.
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How to race against competition.
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Keys to stay focused when a race goes bad.
As always, to check out any of the resources we might mention during the show, check out http://runnersconnect.net/rc34.
Making Racing Simple: An Interview with Sage Rountree
Thursday Jul 18, 2013
Proper Nutrition and Running Technology with Matt Fitzgerald
Thursday Jul 18, 2013
Thursday Jul 18, 2013
Do you know that you can up your nutritional game without adding major expense or time to your current grocery shopping? Me neither. On our show this week is Matt Fitzgerald. Matt’s running career was launched when he was eleven years old when he joined his father in banditing the last mile of the Boston Marathon (his dad ran the whole race, of course!). He went on to become one of the premier writers in the running world, as he wrote nearly twenty books teaching the masses how to self-coach themselves and be faster runners. Matt is an expert when it comes to nutrition for endurance athletes, and he spent a good portion of this week’s interview talking about key nutritional aspects for distance runners. He also is heavily involved in a new company called PEAR Sports, which includes audio training plans that are connected to their heart rate monitors, to help users fully utilize their heart rate monitors, and we spoke for a little bit about the heart rate monitors. Here are some of the things we talked about:
- The most-forgotten nutritional aspect for distance runners, and making an effort to raise one’s game dietically.
- The trick to good nutrition, fast and easy.
- Taking the middle road when it comes to supplements.
- The importance of essential fatty acids.
- Utilizing a GPS-watch and heart rate monitor in training.
- The importance of training your brain as well as your body.
- Some tips for getting back into racing shape after some time off.
- Advice for young writers getting into the industry.
Tuesday Jul 09, 2013
Coach Jeff Answers Your Training Questions
Tuesday Jul 09, 2013
Tuesday Jul 09, 2013
Last week I had the chance to participate in a Coach Chat courtesy of the folks at RunKeeper. We took questions from the audience and I tired to frame all the answers as generally as possible to help as many listeners as possible. I think the resulting interview was awesome, so I thought I would share the Coach Chat in a different format. If you enjoy this type of podcast, I will definitely do more of them. Please leave a comment with a yay or neh if you want to see this type of question/answer more often. Here’s what we covered:
Question #1:
I have been regularly for a few months and suddenly started experiencing pain in my upper right leg. how can I tell if this is muscular or something else? I am really missing running! Can I keep running?What I discussed:
- How to tell the difference between normal running soreness and an injury
- What to do when you do get injured
- The mistake you should absolutely not make when facing a potential injury
- Why you likely won’t lose any fitness if you do need to take time off
Question #2:
I did my first marathon according to your ”Marathon to finish” in 4 hours 20 minutes and I want on my next marathon (Athens classic marathon) to finish in under 4 hours. What program should I follow and what should my nutrition habits be?What I discussed
- The role of glycogen when racing the marathon
- How to train your body to use fat as a fuel source to prevent bonking
- Post workout nutrition
- Taking in fluids and gels during training
- Fasted long runs (running long runs on an empty stomach)
Question #3
I realized that I’ve reached certain pace that i can’t run any faster. I’m running around 5’10” per km (8’10” per mile) and I’d like to improve it to something like 4’15” per km ( 6’50” per mile) . Any recommendations for achieving that goal? By the way, 36 old guy with 7 months of running career!What I discussed
- The importance of long-term development
- Speed versus aerobic endurance
- Picking an appropriate goal for yourself
Question #4
I’m currently running 3 times a week training for my next 10k to get to sub 55 min. I’ve started this training a month and a half ago. I wasn’t running for a long time, more than 1 year. It is common that I get a bad stomach ache after I ran 10k or more that 10K. I’m not eating my meals close to my training. I usually train at 6.30 PM and have a healthy lunch at 1.30 PM and a snack of fruit or cereal bar in the afternoon. I was told it is common for beginners trying harder.What I covered
- Dealing with stomach issues when training
- Training in the heat
Question #5
I run 4 times a week 10-20k , I’m planning to do my first marathon in September, any recommendations?What I discussed
- Marathon specific workouts and specific workouts in general
- Long runs and important marathon workouts
Question #6
Any plans for offering training plans for faster runners? The fastest half marathon training plan is 2 hours – I’d love to see some geared towards ~1:30 runners with emphasis on how to improve speed.What I discussed
- Why stock and template training plans don’t work for better/faster runners
- The importance of a custom training plan that factors in your strengths and weaknesses
- Comparing the training plans of two marathoners with similar PRs but with different talents
Question #7
Do you think it’s a good strategy, for those of us with bad joints (knees) to reduce our mileage and increase our speed? I’m marathon training on only 2 days/week right now, running a pace that keeps my HR over 165 so I know it’s high quality work, and then resting hard for my joints.What I discussed
- Is running bad for your knees?
- Why running faster is harder on your joints, tendons and ligaments
Question #8
I started running in March and completed my first 5k on June 1st. What’s next? Should I bump up to training for a 10k or stick to 5k’s for awhile? I want to do another race in September or October, and want to avoid injury.What I discussed
- The importance of aerobic development
Tuesday Jul 02, 2013
Tuesday Jul 02, 2013
When you stretch, microtears occur in your muscles and obviously that’s not a good thing. That’s quickly becoming common knowledge in the exercise industry. What’s the solution?
Phil Wharton, along with his father Jim, pioneered a standard known as Active Isolated Flexibility, or AIF. The short version of AIF is that you need to dynamically stretch in order to achieve proper musculoskeletal balances that will allow you to stay healthier and train in a more consistent fashion for a longer period of time.
The long version? That’s going to be covered on this week’s show. Phil Wharton was a young runner when he developed a particularly bad--and painful--case of scoliosis (curvature of the spine). In his quest for correcting the problem, he and his father became musculoskeletal specialists and therapists with a “secret” to allowing the body to work on it’s own. By the way, Phil, through AIF, corrected his scoliosis and THEN was able to train himself to a 2:23 marathon personal best, too!
Here are some of the things we talked about:
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The best practices of stretching.
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How to use active isolated flexibility to avoid injury.
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The role diet plays in your training, beyond your overall health.
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How to deal with and heal an ever-irritating malady, such as plantar fasciitis.
Wednesday Jun 19, 2013
Successful Masters Running: Interview with Anthony Whiteman
Wednesday Jun 19, 2013
Wednesday Jun 19, 2013
How many of you forty year olds out there run with the teenagers and college kids, and regularly beat them?
On our show this week was world record holder Anthony Whiteman, who at age 40 last summer ran a 3:58 mile in Nashville, TN to win the professional track meet and become the first man to ever break 4 minutes over the age of 40 in an outdoor mile.
Anthony, who talked to us all the way from Britain, told us exactly how--as a 41 year old--he has continued to run at a high level his entire life.
Here are some of the things we talked about:
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Changing a training plan as one ages.
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Jumping back in the game after an extended off period.
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What it means to be a magpie, rather than a sponge.
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What the “no running” movement really is about.
As always, to check out any of the resources we might mention during the show, check out www.runnersconnect.net/rc31
If you’re ever going to age (which I hope all of us do!), this is a must-listen interview! Let us know what new ideas pop into your head as you listen.
Wednesday Jun 12, 2013
Intelligent, Injury Free Training: Interview with Jeff Gaudette
Wednesday Jun 12, 2013
Wednesday Jun 12, 2013
What’s the most positive change you could make to your training plan to immediately, positively impact your next six months of racing?
If I told you the answer is to race less, run less and probably train slower, would you believe me?
In today’s interview, we’re going to begin to understand why it’s normally better to run slower than we feel like we should and why sometimes the best strategy is to spend less time running.
On our show this week is Jeff Gaudette, the founder of RunnersConnect, who was also a several time Maine state champion in high school, received multiple NCAA All-American awards while at Brown University, and finally completed his career as a professional runner for the Hanson’s-Brooks Distance Project in Detroit, MI.
Jeff explains to us the dangers of running easy runs too fast and the benefits of tailoring your training to your specific fitness level.
Here are some of the things we talked about:
- Take the next logical step, and listen to your body.
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The absolute importance of specific strength work to avoid injuries.
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Why strong body control is the key to long-term injury-free training, and some specific general strengthening exercises worth trying.
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How the optimal race schedule may be structured and why your racing schedule may be slowing your fitness progression.
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Why a training community or team is extremely valuable to all runners.
If you’ve ever experienced an injury, or ever will experience one, this is a must-listen interview! After listening, let us know some ways you’ve stayed injury-free.
Links and resources mentioned in this interview:
The Lunge Matrix as a WarmupIntelligent, Injury Free Training: Interview with Jeff Gaudette
Wednesday May 15, 2013
Making Nutrition Simple: Interview with Nancy Clark
Wednesday May 15, 2013
Wednesday May 15, 2013
Running can be complicated enough when you consider the myriad of factors that go into the perfect training schedule. However, when you add in the difficulty of designing the perfect nutrition plan to compliment your training, things really get confusing. Luckily, world-renowned running nutritionist Nancy Clark is on our podcast today to show you step-by-step how you can simplify your nutrition for optimal training and racing. Nancy Clark is one of the most respected and influential sports nutritionist in the world. Perhaps she is most well known for her best selling sports nutrition book, Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook. However, she’s also penned the Food Guide for Marathoners: Tips for Everyday Champions and Food Guide for New Runners: Getting It Right From the Start. On our show, Nancy is going to help you simplify your nutrition and help answer some tricky questions when it comes to sustainable weight loss and marathon racing. Specifically, we cover:
- How to manage weight loss by following the simple practice of fueling by day, dieting by night.
- How to establish “food buckets” to make meal decisions easy and to help you structure a nutrition plan that works for you.
- We also cover nutrition during the marathon, including how many calories an hour to take in and different food choices to fuel your race.
Wednesday May 08, 2013
Wednesday May 08, 2013
Dr. Tim Noakes is one of the most influential and esteemed exercise scientists in the world. His book, The Lore of Running, is considered by many students of the sport to be the Bible of training theory. We’re honored to have the privilege today of having him join our podcast for an in-depth interview about some of his latest research on hydration, mental training, and the optimal diet. Perhaps one of the reasons Dr. Noakes is so renowned is his continued desire to question current training theory, even conclusions he initially helped define. Rather than resting on his laurels, Dr. Noakes continues to challenge his own beliefs and push his research and understanding of training theory. Some of the topics we cover in this interview include:
- Redefining our thoughts on dehydration and the danger of hyponatremia (over-hydration). Including, what causes this, why is it’s so prevalent and dangerous, and refined hydration guidelines for training and competition.
- His changing perspective on carbohydrates and his move to a more high fat, high protein diet. Specifically, we discuss the importance of teaching your body to stop seeking out carbohydrates and how finding your minimum number can help improve your performance and overall health.
- Finally, we discuss the role the brain plays in training and racing and how understanding how this process works can help you push through hard workouts and races.
Tuesday Apr 23, 2013
Interview with Lauren Fleshmen: The Importance of Rest, Long-Term Thinking
Tuesday Apr 23, 2013
Tuesday Apr 23, 2013
Lauren Fleshmen is perhaps one of the most decorated US middle distance runners in the early part of this decade. Her list of accomplishments includes 3 NCAA titles and two US Championships in the 5,000 meters, 3 top-five finishes at NCAA cross country, multiple PAC-10 1500m titles, PRs of 14:58 for 5k and 2:37 for her debut marathon, and a 7th place finish at the 2011 World Championships...phew. And she’s on our show today to discuss how she managed to be successful for so long, how she’s dealt with injuries, and how she’s continued to channel her passion for running and nutrition into her company Picky Bars. Lauren is an inspiration to many female runners thanks to her honesty, her intelligence, and her fierce competitive desire and spirit. Lauren didn’t disappoint for this interview and brought her A game with some very impactful lessons. Here are a few tidbits:
- How a long-term approach and patience enabled her to have success during the transition from high school to college when many other athletes typically struggle. You’ll be surprised to learn that Lauren struggled to keep up with her training partners, but stayed positive by focusing on the small steps towards her goal.
- The importance of rest and taking downtime and how that helped her make continued improvements year after year.
- How she handles the issue of body image and distance running. Even elite runners like Lauren struggle with wanting to look thinner, but Lauren stresses the importance of not taking shortcuts and being comfortable with your own body type.
- How she turned a devastating injury into an opportunity to express her passions outside of running and actually comeback stronger than before she was hurt.
- Finally, we chat about her company Picky Bars and the importance whole foods and nutrition play in the diet of serious runners.
Monday Apr 08, 2013
How to Intelligently Increase Mileage and Tackle the Mental Side of Training
Monday Apr 08, 2013
Monday Apr 08, 2013
Ryan Warrenburg is the Assistant Coach at Zap Fitness, a training group for elite runners in the hills of Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Before jumping into coaching, Warrenburg was an elite athlete himself, winning the 2009 Club Cross Country Championships and finishing 7th at the USA National Championships in the Steeplechase. Ryan is on our show today to share some of the vast wisdom he’s accumulated over the years as an elite runner, coaching and working with adult runners as part of ZapFitness’ camps and private coaching opportunities, and from coaching professional runners. In today’s interview, Ryan is going to talk to us about:
- How to intelligently increase mileage to stay healthy and make long-term progress. You often hear and read that it’s important to “increase mileage intelligently”, but Ryan’s going to share the details on exactly how he recommends you do it.
- Ryan’s going to talk about the hip injury that cut short his professional running career and share the lessons he learned from his battle with injuries so you can prevent the same things from happening to you.
- Ryan digs into the mental side of training and racing as we discuss some of the insecurities and struggles that even elite athletes have after a bad workout or when they try to grasp the concept that training takes years.
Tuesday Apr 02, 2013
Tuesday Apr 02, 2013
On today’s show we’re chatting with Mario Fraioli, who is an Olympic-level coach, senior editor of Competitor magazine, and one of the brightest young minds in the coaching industry. Mario just released his first book, The Official Rock n’ Roll Guide to Marathon and Half Marathon training. In this interview, we’re going to discuss the concepts and training plans outlined in the book as well as lessons learned from his years of coaching and training experience. In this interview we’ll cover:
- How and why a lack of patience and trying to take too big a leap in fitness/results was one of the biggest mistakes he made in his own training and how he sees the same tendency in the runners he coaches.
- Mario’s approach to individualistic training and how understanding the framework of a training plan is more important than blindly following a generic plan.
- We discuss Mario’s approach to race specific work and get in-depth about his favorite marathon workout, the Squires long run.
Wednesday Mar 13, 2013
Wednesday Mar 13, 2013
Qualifying for the Boston Marathon is the pinnacle of running achievements for most runners. For some, race day is a time to celebrate that accomplishment and soak up all the sights, sounds, and experiences that make Boston so special. However, for many others, Boston is a chance to conquer one of the most fabled courses in marathon history. If you’re racing Boston with the goal of recording a PR or running your best time (or plan to in the future), knowing how to target your training specifically to the demands of the course is essential. You need to prepare your legs for the demanding hills, develop your patience for the early miles, and prepare for the quad-pounding downhill finish. To help you get ready for Boston (or any difficult course for that matter) we’ve invited BAA coach Terry Shea on our podcast today. In addition to being the BAA coach, Terry also has the distinguished accomplishment of running faster at each of his previous eleven Boston Marathon races. He started with a 2:35 in 2000 and in 2011 brought his time down to 2:20:48. In this interview, Terry is going to share with us the secrets of the Boston marathon course and how to tailor your training to prepare your body for race day. Some of the highlights include:
- When to start specific training for the race. Start too early and you’ll be burnt out come March and April. Implement the hill work too late and you’ll be fried for race day.
- Terry will share is infamous 2-4-2 workout that is guaranteed to get your legs ready for the Newton hills and downhill finish.
- How to mentally and logistically approach the downhill start and the Newton hills. Terry shares the strategy and advice he’s learned after running the course hundreds of times.
Tuesday Mar 05, 2013
Tuesday Mar 05, 2013
How do you know if your nutritional intake is primed for optimal performance? While many runners eat a healthy diet in general, it’s still possible to have low or inadequate levels of important nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. For example, Recent research indicates that almost 56 percent of joggers and competitive runners suffer from an iron deficiency that severely hampers performance. The problem for runners is that it’s not easy to know if you’re deficient in some of these key bio-markers. Further, following general nutritional recommendations doesn’t specifically apply to your training load, lifestyle or genetics. Plus, it can be difficult to appreciate how those recommended numbers translate to what an actual daily diet looks like. One company is trying to solve that problem – and doing a great job at it. Gill Blander is the co-founder of InsideTracker, which offers a nutritional service that analyzes your blood to measure key performance bio-markers. More importantly, based on your specific needs, InsideTracker provides a detailed, scientifically-backed plan to optimize your levels. On our show today, Gill is going to discuss how InsideTracker works and cover:
- Some of the key bio-markers important for runners and how they impact health and performance. For example, hot creatine kinase and testosterone levels can help determine if you’re overtraining or fully recovered after a marathon.
- How InsideTracker is able to provide individual bio-marker recommendations based on lifestyle, training and genetics. more importantly, why following general recommendations or trying the shotgun approach (taking multivitamins for example) isn’t effective.
- Gill is also going to dive into some great examples of elite athletes who’ve seen dramatic results from using their service. One example in particular is how an Olympic triathlete found the key to her sleeping issues was low magnesium.
Tuesday Feb 26, 2013
Tuesday Feb 26, 2013
Being sidelined by injury is physically and emotionally hard to deal with. Unfortunately, getting injured also very common. Recent research estimates that eighty-two percent of runners will get injured at some point in their running career. It’s no secret then that getting to the bottom of your running injuries, and preventing them in the future, is critical if you want to continue to improve long-term. We’ve covered the topic of injury prevention in many of our previous podcasts and articles. But, what happens when you are injured? Who should you go see, what are the best types of treatments, and how do you know when you’re working with a provider you can trust and won’t just tell you to “stop running”? Thanks to a lot of bad advice, antiquated myths, and a fractured health care system, answering these questions, especially as they pertain to your running, is extremely difficult. On today’s show, we’re talking with Dr. Ryan Shum, who’s one of the most experienced and knowledgeable sports-injury providers in the Boston area. Dr. Shum graduated with honors from McMaster University with a degree in Kinesiology and later went on to obtain dual degrees in Masters of Science in Applied Clinical Nutrition and a Doctorate of Chiropractic. I’ll spare you the remainder of his accomplishments, teams worked with, and experiences to get on with the show. However, suffice it to say he’s easily one of the most versatile and knowledgeable practitioners I’ve ever met. In this episode, we discuss:
- The most common mistake runners make when they first get injured and how being more proactive can reduce healing times dramatically.
- How to properly vet a potential doctor, therapist or chiropractor to ensure they understand your needs as a runner
- We break down some of the myths about chiropractic care and how it can benefit runners.
- We look at acupuncture, debunk some of the myths, explain the science, and help you decide if it’s a worthwhile treatment option for your injury.
Sunday Feb 10, 2013
Sunday Feb 10, 2013
Unfortunately, specific issues that women runners face are often overlooked when it comes to exercises science and general training principles. However, dealing with issues such as pregnancy, menopause, the menstrual cycle and the female athlete triad are a reality for all women runners. To help bridge that gap and educate female runners, we’ve invited Dr. Carolyn Smith on our show today to discuss some of these specific issues and provide helpful, in-depth, and non sugar-coated advice. Dr. Smith is not only an extremely accomplished runner in her own right, but she’s one of the foremost experts on women’s running. She’s a US 100km National Champion, she’s represented the US on multiple occasions, and has a marathon personal best of 2:45 More important to this specific podcast, Dr. Smith is the co-author of the book, Running for Women, which is one of the definitive resources for women specific issues in running. In our discussion today, we’re going to discuss:
- The specific struggles women encounter when trying to race hard and train during their menstrual cycle and the science behind why you feel like you do.
- Training during pregnancy
- How to manage menopause and what to expect when it comes to training and racing performance
- And finally, specific dietary issues women runners need to pay attention to
In-depth Running Tips for Women
Tuesday Feb 05, 2013
Tuesday Feb 05, 2013
Many runners believe that being a vegetarian or vegan runner is impossible if they want to maximize their training and racing potential. Luckily, for those that are interested in becoming vegetarian (or that already are), there are now fantastic resources and examples of elite runners that prove it is possible to run well, if not better, as a vegetarian runner. On our show today, we’re joined by one of the foremost experts in vegetarian running, Matt Frazier. Matt is the writer behind the blog NoMeatAthlete, which is a comprehensive source of training information, especially as it relates to vegetarian and general nutrition. In addition to being a vegetarian runner himself, Matt also has a great story about how he transformed himself from a 4:50 marathoner to a 3:10 Boston qualifier. And of course, becoming a vegetarian during that process was a big step. On the show today, Matt’s going to share his story and also help us dig deep into some of the myths and challenges of being a vegetarian runner and, most importantly, how to overcome them. In this interview, we specifically discuss:
- The challenges he faced when he first started as a vegetarian runner. Matt’s also going to share some super helpful advice for those of you who are thinking about going vegetarian – or any diet for that matter.
- Matt’s also going to discuss some of the biggest myths he had to overcome when he first started as a vegetarian athlete and what he’s since learned.
- Finally, Matt’s going to provide some helpful tips for vegetarian runners about how to get enough complete sources of protein and to fuel their caloric needs.
Wednesday Jan 30, 2013
Training as a Masters Runner: Inteview with Masters Running Record Holder Pete Magill
Wednesday Jan 30, 2013
Wednesday Jan 30, 2013
Pete Magill is one of the most accomplished Masters runners in the history of the United States. He’s the oldest runner to ever break 15 minutes in the 5k, running 14:45 at the age of 49 and he’s not slowing down. Recently, he became the fastest-ever American age over 50 on the roads at 5K (15:02) and 10K (31:11). Peter has been gracious enough to join us on our show today to discuss his training, what’s changed as he’s gotten older, and the principles that have enabled him to keep training hard and racing fast as he gets older. Not only is Pete fast, but he’s a great runner to learn from because “he’s made every mistake in the book.” As he notes during the interview, it’s one thing to learn training principles from a book or research, but making those mistakes and trying the ideas on yourself takes your understanding and appreciation for these ideas to another level. In the interview, Pete specially discusses:
- The biggest difference change he’s had to make in his training as he gets older
- The importance of recovery and preventative exercises and the exact routine he uses to stay healthy
- The approach and some of the specific workouts he’s used to maintain his speed throughout the years.
- And most important, the lessons he’s learned and the mistakes he’s made along the way that you can learn from.
Wednesday Jan 16, 2013
Wednesday Jan 16, 2013
Are you trying to knock your next race out of the park? Hoping to improve your marathon by ten, twenty, thirty minutes or more? Than you’re going to love listening to this interview with 2:11 marathoner, Nick Arciniaga Nick isn’t satisfied with his time and he doesn’t want to just improve by a few seconds. Each race he runs, Nick is determined to put his stamp on the American distance running scene with a time in the 2:07 to 2:08 range. Going for broke in a marathon definitely takes some courage and Nick is on hour show today to discuss exactly how he plans to do it. Here are some of the topics we covered:
- How Nick stayed confident after a few stagnant marathons where he didn’t see the improvement his training fitness indicated.
- What he does when he struggles in workouts when trying to make such a big jump and how he’s learned to “roll with the punches”.
- How he’s is changing up his training to continually teach his legs to push through the fatigue and handle the late miles of the marathon.
- Since Nick has run all the Major Marathons (Boston, New York, Chicago), he’ll talk about how he adapts his training to prepare for the specific demands of the course and how he deals with the pressure of such big races.
Thursday Jan 10, 2013
Thursday Jan 10, 2013
Many runners confuse being able to run a fast race with being healthy. But they aren’t the same. Unfortunately, if you take a quick look around at your next group run or race, you’ll note that more of your running mates may be classified as unhealthy than they would like to admit – nagging injuries, frequent colds, or unhealthy practices outside running that impact health. That’s what Dr. Phil Maffetone noticed when he started seeing runners hobble through his doors when he first opened his clinic in NYC. The injury rate and general lack of overall health from many of his fittest patients got him thinking about how he could reduce injuries and improve overall health while still helping them run faster. The result was a revolutionary training process, which was later coined the Maffetone method. In this interview, we chat with Dr. Maffetone about what is method entails, how it works, and how it can help you run faster and stay healthy. Here are some of the specific topics we discussed:
- The difference between being healthy and being fit and how this impacts both beginners who pick up running to “get healthy” and experienced runners who think they’re healthy just because they can run fast.
- How you can learn to use bio-feedback and your instincts to run the correct effort levels and keep yourself injury-free
- Dr. Maffetone explains what his famous method is, how it was developed, and clears up common misconceptions about what it is and isn’t.
- Why aerobic development is important, how running easy is better for aerobic capacity than running too hard, and how it impacts fat burning and marathon training.
Wednesday Jan 02, 2013
Wednesday Jan 02, 2013
As evidenced by many of our posts, we're big fans of examining the latest running researching and analyzing how we can apply the findings to our training methodologies. However, applying scientific data to training isn't simple and it's easy to get carried away with what studies are actually reporting. Consider the recent article in the Wall Street Journal that reported highly trained endurance athletes negated most of the health benefits from exercise and thus increased risk of death. After reading this article, you'd be quick to stop logging miles and start running a lot easier if you wanted to live. However, if you looked at the actual study closely (which our guest this week did), you'd realize that the data is misleading. So, how do you effectively apply all that scientific data and research without getting overwhelmed and questioning your training with the release of every new study? In this week’s Run to the Top podcast, we’re interviewing one of the foremost experts on analyzing running research and applying (or discrediting) the results to actual training, Alex Hutchinson. His book, Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights, looks at 111 common fitness and running myths and uses scientific research to confirm or deny their truth. In my opinion, it’s the most interesting book I read in 2012. As such, I am excited to have him on the show today to talk more about the research he analyzed for the book and to dig deeper into the results he uncovered. In this show, we talk about:
- Alex’s two favorite topics in the book and which ones surprised him the most. More importantly, he discusses what the data actually means and how you can apply it to your training and racing.
- How he balances wanting to apply the study results he examines with the need to listen to his body and not become obsessed with meaningless data. Alex talks about what he sees as useless metrics and outlines some of the critical numbers he does pay attention to.
- The role the brain plays in fatigue management. If you’ve ever wondered why you slow down in the middle of a race, only to summon a ferocious kick the last 400 meters, Alex shares the research on why this happens.
- How to decide what type of exercise (strength training or running) to do first to maximize benefits.