Welcome to part 8 of The Road to L.A. '84, our multi-episode retrospective on the 40th anniversary of a seminal moment in a golden era of marathoning. We're telling the behind-the-scenes account of the athletes, the training, and the build-up races. This week we rewind to the 1984 U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials in Olympia, Washington -- the precursor to the first ever Women's Olympic Marathon, and a race teeming with intrigue as the world's fastest marathoner faced a career-threatening inj...
Jul 31, 2024•17 min
Welcome to Part Seven of The Road to L.A. '84, our multi-episode retrospective on the 4oth anniversary of a seminal moment in a golden era of marathoning. We're telling the behind-the-scenes account of the athletes, the training, and the build-up races. Last year we shared the stories of the biggest races of 1983: Rotterdam, Boston, the Helsinki World Championships, and New York. We examined the training of the men and women who won those races -- the leading contenders for Olympic Gold at Los A...
Jul 25, 2024•21 min
Should I run a half marathon in marathon prep? What pace should I use for "speed work" in marathon training? Are long runs or threshold sessions more important for half marathon training? Who is the biggest lock for American gold at the Paris Olympics? Split shorts or half tights? We discuss these questions and more! columbusrunning.com
Jun 27, 2024•53 min
This week it is a joy to celebrate Father's Day with you as I present an article I wrote for PACE Magazine on Father's Day 2021. It's a love letter to our sport, my father, my grandfather, and all those with whom I've been lucky enough to share miles through the years. "My father was the best man I ever knew...He combined strength and courage with gentleness, tenderness, and great unselfishness...I never knew anyone who got greater joy out of living than did he." -- Theodore Roosevelt
Jun 15, 2024•10 min
Hayward Field. Pre's Trail. The birthplace of Nike. From Bill Dellinger to Galen Rupp. And Andrew Wheating to Matthew Centrowitz. The men of the University of Oregon have a rich tradition, perhaps greater than any other team in the country. Current mid-distance star Elliott Cook is a fitting torch bearer for the Duck legacy. Originally from Dublin, Ohio, Elliott moved to the Pacific Northwest for school, and has punctuated his career so far with recent Pac 12 championships in the 800 and 1500 me...
Jun 04, 2024•35 min
Earlier this year Abby Nichols represented the United States at the World Cross Country Championships -- an unlikely outcome for someone who once quit her track team within the first week of practice. But Abby came back, dedicated herself to the sport won Ohio titles in track and cross country, and continued her ascent with Big Ten, and, later, Pac 12 championships. Now she's aiming for our sport's greatest prize, the Paris Olympic Games. Abby is our second guest in our series chronicling the jo...
May 28, 2024•35 min
From her humble start as a high school sprinter, Emily Richards rose to the top of NCAA mid-distance running with nine national championships and set the Division III record for 800 meters. Now she's chasing Olympic dreams and is the first guest in our series chronicling the journeys of local stars on their way to the upcoming Eugene Olympic Trials. But beyond her on track accomplishments, you'll appreciate Emily's enthusiasm, passion for her craft, and gratitude for her opportunities. Running i...
May 23, 2024•44 min
Mary Oliver asked, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” As runners we feverishly answer that we plan to race fearlessly, testing the limits of human performance. We challenge our aching muscles and foggy brains across distances so far as to be considered maniacal by the average, sane, non-endurance athlete. We traverse trails, ford rivers, and climb precipices seeking the ethereal. Meaning. Beauty. Clarity. Peace. But our running is rooted in the everyday. T...
May 08, 2024•13 min
Stephanie Bruce's story reads like a love letter to running. Through trials and triumphs, grief and growth, she has leaned into the sport and followed her own course. She's a three-time U.S. champion and an invaluable voice on transparency and vulnerability while juggling her responsibilities of motherhood and her career. Steph joins us this week to share her story and also to celebrate Mother's Day as she'll be the special guest at the Mom Day 5K on May 12. After Steph, we hear from Race Direct...
May 01, 2024•54 min
After a discussion about the London Marathon and the future of adidas racing shoes, we analyze using workouts with prescribed recovery paces. What are they? Why should we use them? Why are they uncommon in many traditional training plans? How do we best execute float segments? What are example sessions? We'll address all these questions are more! Questions, comments, or show ideas? Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com Enjoy the show? We'd love your feedback in a 5 star review on Spotify or App...
Apr 26, 2024•57 min
Coach Chris Lundstrom of Minnesota Distance Elite shepherded multiple athletes to the US Olympic Marathon Team Trials in Orlando this February. Among his success stories: Annie Frisbee finished in the top 10 and Dakotah Lindwurm placed on the podium, earning a spot on our Olympic team for Paris. Chris ran collegiately at Stanford and later competed in three Olympic trials marathons. Also, he holds a PhD in Kinesiology. Coach joins us this week for a conversation about Minnesota Distance Elite an...
Apr 17, 2024•49 min
Phil raced the 2024 Tobacco Road Half Marathon, and he's giving you insights on what to expect from the course, logistics, organization, competition, and more if you put this fun race on the American Tobacco Trail on your future race calendar. Also, beginning at 21 minutes, we unpack the details of our warm up and cool down protocols, and debate the topic of long cool downs as a method for reaching mileage goals. Dynamic drills mentioned in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_la6oN1hU...
Mar 26, 2024•40 min
New Balance Rebel v4 | Saucony Endorphin Speed v4 | Saucony Endorphin Pro v4 | ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris With so many exciting new models dropping in March we spent time in 4 of the most anticipated shoes of the spring. What's best for you? Tune in to find out all the details about each. Questions, comments, or show ideas? Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com Enjoy the show? We'd love your feedback in a 5 star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts columbusrunning.com
Mar 13, 2024•45 min
This week we take you inside the world and national records that fell at an electrifying Millrose Games, analyze the new super shoes worn by top finishers at the U.S. Marathon Team Trials, and bid farewell to greats Kelvin Kiptum and Henry Rono. Plus, if you'll be racing the Greenville Half Marathon on 2/24 we hope to see you there! Join us pre-race for a warm up from the Center St. parking lot in TR, just south of Gateway Park. Questions, comments, or show idea? Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gma...
Feb 16, 2024•42 min
It's time for one of our favorite events: The Olympic Team Trials Marathon. We preview the course and make our predictions -- most assuredly our worst predictions yet. Then, we review the race experience at the Austin 3M Half Marathon and close with Phil's shoe of the year for 2023 and the most anticipated shoes of 2024 for Travis.
Jan 27, 2024•41 min
As a new year dawns, we're reflecting on what has worked and what's missing from our training. To help you through the reflective process we've designed "ideal training weeks" for each other based on our 2024 target races. These microcycles incorporate runs we enjoy, runs that have yielded success, and runs that might be a missing ingredient for greater success.
Jan 19, 2024•58 min
The Norwegian Model of double threshold, Parker Valby's cross training, Kelvin Kiptum's massive mileage and quality. We're diving into each and unpacking what can be scaled and applied for better running in 2024. Questions, comments, or show ideas? Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com Enjoy the show? We'd love your feedback in a 5 star rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts columbusrunning.com
Dec 31, 2023•54 min
After 2 years removed from the marathon and a year battling serious injury, Columbus Running Company Elite athlete Sakiko Minigawa ran the California International Marathon last week chasing the Olympic Trials standard. Despite the obstacles, and perhaps because of them, she raced to a new personal best of 2:35:52. As Booker T. Washington wrote, “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” By that measure, Sakiko ...
Dec 12, 2023•38 min
Marathon season wrapped up with fireworks at Valencia, Fukuoka, and California International, and indoor season opened in spectacular, record-breaking fashion at Boston University. We recap the action and discuss what these results mean for the sport in 2024. Questions, comments, or show ideas? Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com Enjoy the show? We'd love your feedback in a 5 star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts columbusrunning.com
Dec 07, 2023•39 min
CS Lewis once wrote, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” Justin Melott personifies Lewis’s words as he quests after personal bests from the mile to 100 miles. Justin is a deep thinker on running, a dear friend, and a Columbus Running Company manager. Moreover, he’s an inspiration to those of us aspiring to new heights in our running long past the glory days of interscholastic athletics. This past week he set a new 5K PR, and pacing his race was one of the high po...
Nov 27, 2023•49 min
We're tackling your toughest training questions this week: our top Thanksgiving dishes, how to construct threshold sessions, what we've learned about training so far from the Road to L.A. '84 series, how to fight late race fatigue and cramping, and how to best use the Moneghetti Fartlek. Plus we review exciting new shoes from adidas and New Balance! Questions, comments, or show ideas? Email us: seondsflatpodcast@gmail.com Enjoy the show? We'd love your feedback in a 5 star review on Spotify or A...
Nov 18, 2023•49 min
Welcome to Part Six of The Road to L.A. ’84, our multi-episode retrospective on the 40th anniversary of a seminal moment in a golden era of marathoning. We’re telling the behind-the-scenes account of the athletes, the training, and the build-up races. This week we rewind to the 1983 New York City Marathon — site of one of the most thrilling finishes ever seen in sports. A race we’ve been so excited to relive with you. 40 years later, here’s the story of New York 1983... Questions, comments, or s...
Nov 04, 2023•23 min
Welcome to Part Five of The Road to L.A. ’84, our multi-episode retrospective on the 40th anniversary of a seminal moment in a golden era of marathoning. We’re telling the behind-the-scenes account of the athletes, the training, and the build-up races. This week we rewind to the inaugural World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. After a spring of epic clashes in Rotterdam and Boston, the world’s greatest distance runners converged on Scandinavia competing for the crown of World Champion — a tit...
Oct 29, 2023•19 min
What do the recent world record performances by Tigst Assefa and Kelvin Kiptum mean for the future of the sport? Is a sub 2 hour marathon imminent? Can the Japanese Grand Championships provide a model for strengthening the USA marathon team selection? Who might match the drama from Berlin and Chicago at the upcoming New York Marathon? We consider those topics plus we answer marathon-related listener questions. Questions, comments, or show ideas? Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com Enjoy the s...
Oct 22, 2023•48 min
Welcome back friends! With fall marathon season just around the corner we're unpacking all the questions around how and how frequently to use long run workouts. Then we share thoughts on the New Balance More Trail v3 and On CloudBoom Echo 3 (spoiler: they're good!) before we close with our speculation on the future of super shoes. Email us thoughts and questions: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com And if you enjoy the show please leave a 5 star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
Sep 16, 2023•1 hr
Thanks to your questions, this week we tackle the ins and outs of effectively using prep races. Plus we give detailed reviews of the Saucony Endorphin Elite, New Balance SC Elite 3, and the best recovery shoe in the game: the OOFOS slide. Email us questions or ideas: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com
Sep 06, 2023•1 hr 10 min
We kick off Mile 156 with a listener question on building a shoe rotation and determining shoe durability. At minute twenty the discussion shifts to our main topic: the four big questions that should guide us as distance runners. These aren't the nuts and bolts of specifics workouts, but rather the guiding principles that will make us better runners and people for the long haul. Questions or show ideas? email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com
Aug 16, 2023•47 min
We're back from summer break and a Seconds Flat legend makes his return. Benji is back to chat about sessions that fit well in August for cross country or fall marathon builds, a summer of electrifying track performances, the world's greatest athlete, the recently released Chicago Marathon fields, and more. Enjoy!
Aug 05, 2023•43 min
Welcome to Part Four of The Road to L.A. ’84, our multi-episode retrospective on the 40th anniversary of a seminal moment in a golden era of marathoning. We’re telling the behind-the-scenes account of the athletes, the training, and the build-up races. This week we turn back the clock for a nostalgic look inside sports and pop culture one year out from the Games of the Twenty-Third Olympiad. MTV ruled the airwaves, Michael Jackson transformed his hit single Thriller into a fourteen-minute movie ...
Jun 29, 2023•31 min
Welcome to part 3 of The Road to L.A. ’84, our multi-episode retrospective on the 40th anniversary of a seminal moment in a golden era of marathoning. We’re telling the behind-the-scenes account of the athletes, the training, and the build-up races. The week we take you to the Land of the Rising Sun and Morning in America. 40 years later, here’s the story of the second running boom’s prolific marathoning depth...
Jun 11, 2023•27 min
