Welcome back to a new season of The Halfstep Pod! It's the same as the old season, but we accidentally didn't record for six months so now it's a new season!. Grant and Connor talk about Grant's 4th and 6th place finishes at the World Championships in Eugene, his two American Records since the last recording (5k & 3k), the Diamond League Final in Zurich, and everything else you would want to know about Grant's last six months.
Oct 07, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 1
On Episode 8 of Season 2 of The Halfstep Pod, the guys are back to talk about Grant's upcoming race: the US 10k Trials this Friday Night at Hayward Field (Live on NBC). They also go deep on weather talk, Grant's signature thing, nasal strips, and (also somewhat importantly...) Grant's past month of workouts to get him ready for the upcoming US Champs. ** Follow Halfstep Pod on Instagram / Youtube /Grant’s Instagram /Connor’s Instagram / Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Podbean Or email us halfsteppod@...
May 23, 2022•41 min•Season 2Ep. 8
On Episode 7 of Season 2 of the Halfstep Pod, Connor sits down with Sean McGorty for a comprehensive interview about his last year of pro running. This includes the crazy moment his shoe fell of at the Olympic Trials, post-Trials achilles surgery for Haglund's Deformity, his comeback from this most recent procedure and his successes in hitting the world standards in the 5k & 10k in his last two races -- running 13:09 and 27:18. They also cover so much more in this nearly 90 minute expansive ...
Apr 05, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In Episode 6 of Season 2 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant and Connor start with a brief recap of Grant’s week of training in Portland, then start a deep dive on the 2018 NCAA XC Championship in Madison. This was the first in a series of battles between Grant and Morgan McDonald during Grant’s senior year of college. Grant provides unique commentary and analysis on this often talked-about championship as a competitor and main player in the field. Hope you all enjoy it! Be sure to check out the youtube ...
Apr 03, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Ep 5 of Season 2 of The Halfstep Pod is a wide-ranging discussion that covers Grant's thought's about Elise Cranny's mindset she shared on last week's podcast, Marc Scott's first global medal, the shifting mentality of the members of BTC with an eye towards global medals, and -- with an eye towards an under the radar World Indoor Champs this past weekend, potential ways to get more people interested in Track & Field outside of the Olympic cycle... and much more! ** Follow Halfstep Pod on Ins...
Mar 25, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 5
On Episode 4 of Season 2 of The Halfstep Pod, the podcast welcomes Elise Cranny, recent winner of The Ten presented by Sound Running (Running a 10k in just a second off the American Record in 30:14) and American Record Setter in the Indoor 5000 run at Boston a month ago (14:33). Connor and Elise talk about her massive last couple of performances, her experience at the Tokyo Olympics representing the United States in the 5000m, the mental shift she’s made in the last year to help her reach new he...
Mar 17, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 4
On Episode 3 of Season 2 of the Halfstep Pod, Grant runs a PR of 26:33 in the 10k, a new American Record by 11 seconds. Or rather, he talks about running it this past Sunday at The Ten presented by Sound Running. The guys go deep on the race recap and all things surrounding this performance, including the importance of incredible teammates and healthy rivalries, light rail technology, squeezing a pace down, how silly it sounds to think about your 10k PR being 26:33, and how difficult it can be p...
Mar 09, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 3
On Episode 2 of this season of the Halfstep Pod, the guys are back talking about Grant's band activation drills which have taken the internet by storm this week, "Poopgate" the scandal which has elicited NYT articles and caused an uproar in the Flagstaff running community, and Grant's next race: a 10k on March 5th at the Sound Running Meet in Southern California where he will be targeting the elusive 27 minute barrier. ** Follow Halfstep Pod on Instagram / Youtube /Grant’s Instagram /Connor’s In...
Feb 26, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 2
On Episode 1 of Season 2 of the Halfstep Pod, the guys are back to recap Grant's breakthrough 12:53 AR in the 5000 this past weekend at the BU Valentine Invite, including closing the final mile of his 3 mile race in 3:58. Grant discusses what his first American Record means to him, if he knew he was ready for this performance, and much more! Season 2 will include: - Weekly Episodes - Youtube Channel (Halfstep Pod) where we will upload our conversations in full - More Guests - More Listener Quest...
Feb 17, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 1
On Episode 24 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant reveals his plans to race the 2-mile at this weekend's Diamond League meet at Hayward Field in Eugene, The Prefontaine Classic. He gives an update on his recovery process since the Olympics, and the training he has gotten in this past week. The guys then spend the second half of this episode answering your questions on Grant's experiences at the Tokyo Olympics, including some noteworthy ones such as the most notable athletes Grant saw walking around the v...
Aug 19, 2021•54 min•Ep. 24
On Episode 23 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant joins the Pod from back home in Oregon, after completing his 10k-5k double at the Olympics last week. With two top 10 finishes in his debut experience at the Games (5th in the 10k, 9th in the 5k) Grant discusses how he managed to get through that intense week of racing, a sudden injury that prevented him from running a step between the 5k prelim and 5k final (and jeopardized his ability to compete at all), and Moh's crazy push for a Silver medal in the 5k...
Aug 14, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 23
On Episode 22 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant joins the Pod after placing 5th in the 10k at the Olympics, the best finish over that distance for an American man not named Galen Rupp since Frank Shorter in 1972. The guys do a brief recap of the race, including the keys to Grant's composure running in the lead pack in his first Olympic race, how he maintained belief that he belonged up there, and just who exactly he was giving the double thumbs up to after his historic race finishing 2.5 seconds out of...
Aug 01, 2021•27 min•Ep. 22
On Episode 21 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant joins the show live from Tokyo (Not live by the time you're hearing him, unfortunately). The guys go through what it's like living in the Village- from how much he is actually able to socialize, how he's getting his runs in, and what a cafeteria pumping out 40,000 meals a day actually looks like in action. Grant and Connor then spend the second half of the episode previewing Grant's 10k on Friday night, 8:30 Japanese local time. 7:30 Friday morning US Eas...
Jul 28, 2021•49 min•Ep. 21
On Episode 20 of The Halfstep Pod, Connor and Grant discuss Grant's final week in Park City as he heads to Honolulu this weekend in preparation for the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo. The guys then get into their race recap of the 2004 Athens Olympics 1500 meter final. A final that came down to Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, the 4 time World Champ at the distance searching for his elusive Olympic Gold, vs Bernard Lagat of Kenya, the man who had most recently beaten El Guerrouj before the Games and w...
Jul 16, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 20
On Episode 19 of The Halfstep Pod, Connor interviews his Stanford teammate, Julia Heymach on the heels of her breakthrough 2021 Cross Country and Track seasons. The two go through her training experiences during the COVID pandemic, and then recap her whole season starting with her first cross country meet in Florida and culminating with her 6th place finish at the 2021 US Olympic Trials in the 1500. Along the way they discuss her 13th place finish at NCAA XC Nationals, Her victorious debut track...
Jul 13, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 19
On Episode 18 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant and Connor talk about the recent news that the Tokyo Olympics will have no fans in attendance, and get into a bit of a deep dive on why the games probably can't get moved this close to the start date. Grant updates everyone on his training situation, including a surprising trip he and the team have planned before arriving in Japan. The guys then transition into discussing the three separate drug testing scandals that have shaken track and field the past c...
Jul 10, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 18
On Episode 17 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant and Connor go chronologically from Grant's return to Park City after the 10k final, all the way through the 5k final and the reaction to Grant making the Olympic team in his second event. (2nd place in the 5k). The guys get detailed on the Trials environment, the structure and difficulty of the 5k prelims, the 10 am race start time on Sunday for the Final, and, of course, the last 100 meters of the 5k race, which saw Grant pushed out into lane 5 across th...
Jul 04, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 17
On Episode 16 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant recaps the biggest race of his life so far: his second place finish at the US Olympic Trials 10k. Race-winner and BTC teammate Woody Kincaid comes on as a guest, too. The guys talk about everything. From how it feels to make their first Olympic teams, to throwing up on the bathroom floor the day of the race (just one of them), to how long they believed what happened on Friday would be possible, Woody and Grant cover a lot of ground in the 50-ish minute in...
Jun 21, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 16
On Episode 15 of The Halfstep Pod, the guys discuss Grant's mentality a week out from the Trials 10k, how he plans to attack that race, and his mentality for his potential double attempt. They also talk about the first two days of the NCAA Championships and touch on the killer 5k at the Rome DL. They end by answering a listener question about the Tokyo Games-inspired Bowerman merch and the story behind the Japanese athletes who train with the group on a consistent basis. Thanks to everyone for l...
Jun 11, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 15
On Episode 14 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant and Connor recap Grant's victory in last weekend's Portland Track Festival from heat two of the 5k. The guys then talk about Grant's kinda-finalized plan of events for the Olympic Trials in two weeks. They also touch on Hobbs Kessler being very fast and the NCAA regional meets this past weekend. Thanks to everyone for listening and sorry for the delay between episodes! Please continue sending us your listener questions ( halfsteppod@gmail.com ) or DM us o...
Jun 03, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 14
On Episode 13 of the Halfstep Pod, Connor and Grant recap Grant's 1500 meter race at the Sound Running Track Meet in L.A. this past weekend. Grant came in 4th place, running 3:36.52. The guys talk about Grant's pre-race preparation, some things he wishes he could have another shot at in the race, and the things he executed well to bring him home in a solid time and place. They also discuss the early race tangle up between Moh and Eric Avila that somehow didn't get recalled. Grant also mentions w...
May 20, 2021•51 min•Ep. 13
On Episode 12 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant's and Connor's interview with Moh Ahmed continues with an in depth recap of Moh's bronze medal performance at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Moh's first global medal. The guys then fast forward to how training was for both Moh and Grant in the early days of the pandemic (featuring their hastily created "Big Blue Workout Group") and how they both used each other to stay motivated during that difficult time. We conclude by discussing Moh's 12:47 5k f...
May 16, 2021•51 min•Ep. 12
On the much-delayed Episode 11 of The Halfstep Pod, Connor and Grant recap the events of the Mt. Sac meet this past weekend- including Sean's 8:20 steeple debut and DK Metcalf's 100 meter race. They also briefly preview Grant's 1500 race this Saturday, 11am PST at The Track Meet presented by Sound Running. The guys then reveal the winner of the first ever Podcast giveaway (30:30). The second half of this week's episode is dedicated to Grant's 2013 victory at Footlocker Nationals his Junior year ...
May 13, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 11
On Episode 10 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant and Connor interview Moh Ahmed, a 2x Olympian and World Championship Medalist and current teammate of Grant's at the Bowerman Track Club. The guys start by talking about which of them dropped the other on the long run earlier that day. Moh then opens up about his background in running, starting with his family's immigration to Canada when Moh was a 10 year old. They then talk about his teenage running career, his time at Wisconsin (including the 2011 team...
May 08, 2021•48 min•Ep. 10
On Episode 9 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant and Connor immediately get side-tracked talking about Seahawks Wide Receiver DK Metcalf's entry into the 100 meter race at the Mt. Sac meet this weekend. Things then get back on track as Grant reveals he has a race on the schedule in the near future. The guys talk about the value of a 1500 for a longer distance runner and Grant's mindset as he tunes up not just for that meet, but for the Olympic Trials in 6 weeks, too. Stay tuned for our first ever intervi...
May 06, 2021•51 min•Ep. 9
On Episode 8 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant and Connor quickly discuss another week up in Park City for Grant, as well as Connor's return to running after dealing with some persistent leg soreness. They then get into the main topic of the day, prompted by a busy schedule of televised races this past weekend: how to improve television broadcasts of Track & Field. The guys each share a couple things they would change in an ideal world and go from there. Stay tuned for a potential bonus episode end...
Apr 28, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 8
On Episode 7 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant and Connor quickly discuss Grant's continued adjustment to altitude training after another week in Park City, then the guys hit some listener questions regarding nutrition. After those segments, the boys spend the latter part of the Pod flashing back to the 1990 Commonwealth Games 5000m Championship, won in stunning upset fashion by Australian Andy Lloyd over three heavily favored Kenyans and some other strong contenders. Follow along by watching the race ...
Apr 20, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 7
On Episode 6 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant joins from Utah to discuss his transition up to altitude and how the first week has been for himself and the Bowerman crew. The guys follow up on last week's injury conversation and also respond to some of the feedback they got regarding Grant's plantaris. Grant talks about some of the key differences between training at altitude and training at sea level, and explains just what exactly Jerry Miles are. Thanks to everyone for listening! Please continue sen...
Apr 14, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 6
On Episode 5 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant and Connor talk about Grant's past week of training, including how he dealt with a calf muscle flare up during his long run, and his approach to the remainder of the week. This leads to a fuller discussion on injuries, including Grant's achilles struggles at a previous altitude camp in Colorado, and how a timely ultrasound revealed a secret muscle only 5% of the population possesses. As Grant preps to head to Utah next week for altitude camp, the guys also...
Apr 02, 2021•58 min•Ep. 5
On Episode 4 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant and Connor discuss Grant's training week back home in Portland, and then dive deep into the history books to analyze the 1983 Millrose Games Boys High School Mile, held at Madison Square Garden. They talk about racing on a 150 meter track, what it must have been like when track events sold out, and the best indoor racing techniques they've picked up on. The guys then discuss their top 5 favorite tracks they raced on, and how those races went. Thanks to eve...
Mar 26, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 4
