A Senior Staff Editor and OpDocs producer at The New York Times , Lindsay Crouse's most-read and watched work includes: How the 'Shalane Flanagan' Effect Works I Am 35 and Running Faster Than I Ever Thought Possible Nike Told Me to Dream Crazy, Until I Wanted a Baby I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike ( browse all of her work here ) Lindsay is one of the foremost voices for women in running, helping us better understand structural inequities that lead to gender inequality and ...
Feb 13, 2020•1 hr 2 min
In high school, my indoor track coach always told our team to “get out of your comfort zones!” This valuable mental toughness training always reminded us that racing is certainly not comfortable… And over the years, my ability to hone mental toughness into a skill to be used at will became easier and easier. In the beginning, it wasn’t that way: I sandbagged workouts just because I didn’t feel good I “settled” on placing 2nd or 3rd in races because I was afraid to believe in myself I’ve even dro...
Jan 30, 2020•11 min
Dr. Justin Ross' areas of expertise include: Mitigating anxiety, depression, and stress Managing the psychological impact of injury Developing high performing athletes Mindfulness and pain management He uses cognitive behavioral therapy, performance psychology, and mindfulness training to help athletes improve their inner self-talk and develop the mental skills to lead more productive and successful athletic lives. Justin joins us on the podcast to discuss a wide variety of issues: The most impo...
Jan 15, 2020•47 min
This was an incredible year for the Strength Running Podcast and I have you and our guests to thank! If you have shared the pod with your running group, left a rating or review in Apple Music, or supported our sponsors I want to thank you for making all of this possible. In 2019, we hit one million downloads for the podcast, we’ve already surpassed 1.5 million and are quickly en route to 2 million downloads. These are surreal numbers - and they're because of you. In this episode, host Jason Fitz...
Dec 30, 2019•13 min
I first met Peter at the US Trail Running Conference in Estes Park, CO. We sat together at lunch, had a great conversation, and I'm excited to bring his perspectives to the Strength Running Podcast. Peter is on the podcast today to discuss a wide-ranging set of issues that affect runners: What counts as "trail running" (especially if you live in a city) How you can get involved with trail maintenance in your area Plogging and how we can leave spaces better than we found them His favorite type of...
Dec 09, 2019•39 min
This coaching call is with a runner named Dena about training and goal setting as a Master’s Athlete. She’s about to turn 41, she’s running well, but she wants to make sure that she continues to do so as a Master’s runner. And there’s no doubt that when you start getting older, running starts getting harder. Recovery is slower, adaptation takes longer, injury risks are higher, and we all experience declines in reaction time, muscle mass, VO2 Max, and so many other factors that affect our running...
Dec 02, 2019•19 min
Abby Levene is relatively new to the ultramarathon distance but has been racing for most of her life. She competed for the University of Colorado at Boulder as a grad student and has a background in the 5k and 10k. But as it happens so frequently to Colorado residents, the mountains came calling. In just the last few years, Abby has made a name for herself as an Adidas sponsored trail runner. And just about two weeks ago, Abby placed 5th at the renowned North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile Cha...
Nov 25, 2019•54 min
"Fast Kate" Grace is one of the United States' most decorated and accomplished middle-distance runners. She's an Olympian, Olympic Trials champion, and a runner-up at outdoor nationals in the 1500m. She was also our guest on Episode 97 of the podcast. Kate is a Nike-sponsored athlete, a member of the Bowerman Track Club, and a 4:22 miler. She joins us on the podcast to discuss how an elite runner like herself plans an entire season from start to finish. We're discussing: Overall length of the se...
Nov 18, 2019•1 hr 8 min
Pro ultramarathoner and trail runner Abby Hall joins us to discuss transitioning to longer distances after being a middle-distance athlete, when she thinks it’s a good idea to drop out of a race, what surprised her most when she started competing in long trail races, and what she considers her biggest failure. Abby has placed in the top 10 at races like UTMB CCC, Lake Sonoma, and North Face 50 Mile Championships. She's a global athlete for adidas and is also sponsored by Ultimate Direction, LEKI...
Nov 11, 2019•46 min
I first became aware of Max King in 2014 when he won the World Warrior Dash Championship. I realized - after winning my own Warrior Dash in 2012 - that runners are often the best OCR competitors. Before I first interviewed Max, I studied his career and was absolutely amazed by his accomplishments in virtually every discipline there is in the sport of running: Trail races Ultramarathons Cross country 3,000m steeplechase on the track Road marathons Obstacle course races Mountain running If it invo...
Nov 04, 2019•55 min
Anna Mae is actually a recent entry into the world of ultramarathons. She debuted at the 2015 Way Too Cool 50k - only to have her finish time qualify as a top-10 all-time performance. Today, her sponsors include: HOKA ONE ONE Suunto Honey Stinger She's the current course record holder (and 2019 winner) of the Speedgoat 50 Miler. You can usually find her exploring trails and mountains near her home in Marble, Colorado. Anna Mae joins me on the Strength Running Podcast to discuss her training. Spe...
Oct 30, 2019•59 min
Today you’re going to hear from three Ultramarathoners on how they fuel for races, what their post long run fueling looks like, and how things might be different if they were training for shorter races. It’s helpful to study ultramarathoners when it comes to fueling, even if you have no interest in running ultra distances, because it’s here that fueling becomes virtually as important as the training itself. It doesn’t matter how fit you are if you don’t fuel well as an ultra runner... We’re doin...
Oct 23, 2019•19 min
Dr. Marc Bubbs, ND, CISSN, CSCS is a former strength coach and the current Performance Nutrition Lead for Canada Basketball. He's written the new book Peak: The New Science of Athletic Performance That is Revolutionizing Sports that discusses: The microbiome and how to resolve gut problems Sleep hygiene and circadian rhythms Endurance nutrition and refueling Emotions and mindset He regularly presents at health and medical conferences around the world and has consulted with the NBA, MLB, NFL, and...
Oct 10, 2019•56 min
Base training gives runners a foundation of fitness in three major areas: aerobic capacity, strength, and neuromuscular coordination (or leg speed). Aerobic capacity is built through easy mileage, long runs, and workouts like tempos, progressions, and fartleks. Strength is also built with high mileage and long runs, but also includes strength routines and core workouts . Neuromuscular coordination is built through strides, hill sprints, and small amounts of race-pace running. Just like the found...
Sep 30, 2019•19 min
Jason is back with another coaching call episode, this time featuring a runner named JT who is committing to train more diligently for his upcoming 5mi race on Thanksgiving. He's currently training through the Texas summer heat and curious about setting an appropriate time goal, how to work through tune-up races, whether time trials work the same way, and how to pace his goal race. JT is a member of Team Strength Running, a group coaching program for runners passionate about improvement. You can...
Sep 23, 2019•25 min
Our conversation today features the creative lead and owner of XPollination Productions, Mr. Jeremy Green. Jeremy is a road cyclist and was damn close to being a pro during his younger years. He’s taken that same drive and intensity to his filmmaking. His company makes educational video courses for coaches and athletes and has focused on several track and field disciplines as well as golf and tennis. Now, it’s time for endurance running with the release of Running Smarter, Running Stronger . We’...
Sep 11, 2019•41 min
To help us think more clearly about our mental skillset, I'd like to introduce you to Matt Pendola. Matt Pendola is a polymath and exactly the type of person I love bringing on the podcast. His diverse background includes success in not just coaching, but his education and his athletic career. Athletically, he's posted quite a few major accomplishments: He Won the Elite Spartan World Championships Masters Division (2015) Age group runner up Duathlon Nationals (2015) Qualified for Duathlon World ...
Sep 02, 2019•1 hr 18 min
Today's episode is all Q&A about strength training for endurance runners featuring a guest cohost, Ms. Tina Muir! Tina is the host of the incredibly popular Running for Real podcast, a past guest here on the Strength Running Podcast, and a former professional runner. We're discussing many aspects of strength work: Do runners need upper body exercises? How often should we get in the weight room? Is it best to do core training before or after running? Is progressive overload in the gym too aggress...
Aug 26, 2019•1 hr 1 min
What you’re about to listen to is a coaching call where we talk about Riley’s running background, the types of training he has experience with, and how he can structure the next 4 months of his running to not only finish his first half, but also race it well. Riley is a member of Team Strength Running, the most affordable virtual coaching group you can join. These behind the scenes coaching call opportunities are only available to team members so if you’d like to learn more about the team, just ...
Aug 20, 2019•1 hr 17 min
Us distance runners are used to metering out our effort, cautiously sipping fuel to conserve energy, and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. We're creatures of patience, willing to grind for miles and execute a well-planned pacing strategy over the course of a race. But none of that happens in the 800m. In the half mile - possibly the "perfect" middle distance event - caution and patience are liabilities. Sipping fuel would be competitive suicide; blasting the after-burners is the only way...
Aug 12, 2019•42 min
Katy Sherratt joins us on the podcast today to discuss the mission of Back on My Feet and the power of running to combat homelessness. And it is quite powerful! The organization has helped more than 7,000 and every dollar invested into Back on My Feet returns $2.50 to the local community. Talk about a positive return on investment! In this conversation, we're discussing: Why she initially chose to work at Back on My Feet What lessons she's learned from using running to combat homelessness How ru...
Aug 08, 2019•42 min
After 100 episodes of the Strength Running Podcast, Jason announced a survey to get your feedback. What format episode is your favorite? Do you prefer longer or shorter episodes? What would you like to see MORE of? And of course, what can be improved? After analyzing hundreds of responses, there are some clear trends on what you like and would like to see in this podcast. In this episode, Jason talks through the main takeaways from the survey and what changes to expect in the podcast. The survey...
Jul 25, 2019•13 min
Matt Phillips is a running injury and performance specialist from England who's written for most major media platforms and has spoken at numerous international conferences. You might recognize him! He's a massage therapist, video gait analyst, and is also the host of the Run Chat Live Podcast (I was recently a guest here !). In this conversation, we're covering a lot: When is gait retraining a good idea? Who should consider it? What are the risks of trying to improve your form? Are the risks of ...
Jul 17, 2019•59 min
Menachem Brodie is an exercise scientist, USA Cycling Expert level coach and USA Triathlon certified coach, and a graduate of an American College of Sports Medicine Accredited program with a bachelors in Exercise Physiology. He also has experience working in physical therapy, Emergency Medicine, and even with sports like basketball and CrossFit. By now, you've noticed that I love speaking with guests on the podcast with a wide diversity of experiences. And Menachem clearly fits the mold. Today, ...
Jul 11, 2019•1 hr 5 min
Alexandra Ellis is a polymath, having studied and worked in many different areas of exercise science, fitness, and coaching. She has a degree in Exercise Biology and has amassed nearly 1,000 hours of yoga training. Alex also has additional education in: Human Dissection (of course, this was the first thing we talked about) CrossFit Mobility Movement education with Sarah Court, DPT Regeneration Techniques workshop completion through NSCA As you can see, she has experiences that most coaches would...
Jun 24, 2019•46 min•Ep. 100
Today's episode is about recovery, and specifically recovery through three different perspectives: acute recovery - or what you do immediately after a hard workout or race, recovery as preparation - or what you do in training that makes recovery easier, and finally long-term recovery from season to season so you can avoid over-training and burning out. It’s helpful to talk about recovery from different perspectives but also different time scales. Because recovery can happen in the micro and in t...
Jun 18, 2019•28 min•Ep. 99
Today's podcast episode features one of the lead coaches for Rogue Running , a massive running group in Austin, Texas. After discovering the Running Rogue podcast and learning more about the group, I instantly recognized Chris McClung as a thoughtful coach who truly "gets" training (he's not going to tell you to run less, run faster...). In this conversation, we focus on three key areas: How he learned to be a great coach The training theory and principles that influence his coaching The role of...
Jun 06, 2019•45 min
Borrowing an idea from our mutual friend Nicole Antoinette , Kate has decided to choose courage over comfort when it comes to showing up and racing. When it comes to getting the most from our bodies, all of us have some trepidation about the discomfort of racing. It can be unpleasant and downright painful. But deciding to "go all in" and embrace that fear is the only way we can reach our potential. It's not an easy choice. Comfort is far easier: the comfort of sleeping in, not signing up for tha...
May 28, 2019•50 min
You’re about to listen to Strength Running’s first live show with author Matt Fitzgerald. If you’re not familiar with Matt, he’s written more than 20 books about sports nutrition, endurance, running, and the marathon including my favorites, The Endurance Diet, Brain Training, Racing Weight, and Diet Cults. This was recorded in front of a live audience at the Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver, Colorado. Matt's latest book is a memoir called Life is a Marathon that chronicles his career as a cowa...
May 20, 2019•29 min
I ran competitively against Peter while we were both in college. He was at Tufts University while I ran for Connecticut College. Bromka was faster. In college, he was consistently a Varsity runner for their competitive Division III cross country team. But while he was a very good college runner, I wouldn't say he was a standout athlete. Things started to change post-collegiately when Peter started running marathons. His first was 2:56 - a relatively pedestrian time by a former collegiate runner ...
May 09, 2019•1 hr 11 min