Dirk Friel is the co-founder of TrainingPeaks , the largest training platform in the world for athletes. He’s also a talented athlete who explores the mountains through cycling and ski mountaineering. In 2017, Dirk was named Business Person of the Year by Boulder, Colorado’s Chamber of Commerce. What began as a coach-focused triathlon training platform now includes running, cycling and a host of other sports, And soon they’ll be launching Training Peaks Strength for coaches as well! Dirk and I d...
Jan 18, 2024•59 min•Ep. 334
Sam Parr founded The Hustle in 2014, a business newsletter that he grew to over 3 million readers (and 8 figures in revenue) before selling it to Hub Spot. His most recent company, Hampton , is a membership community for entrepreneurs, founders and CEOs. Sam also hosts the incredibly popular business podcast called My First Million . In high school and college, Sam ran competitively at a variety of distances, and has completed several half ironman triathlons. While running is no longer his prima...
Jan 11, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 333
If you haven’t thought much about power as it relates to your running, you’re not alone. As runners, power isn’t something that we often consider in our training. To help us understand power, we have David Roche with us today. David Roche is an elite trail runner, author, and running coach. He is a two-time USATF trail national champion and the 2014 Sub-Ultra Trail Runner of the Year. David publishes regularly in Trail Runner Magazine and wrote the book, The Happy Runner , with his wife Megan. H...
Jan 04, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 332
The tables get turned on this episode and Jason is interviewed by last week’s guest, Phil Batterson ! This episode was initially recorded for the Critical Oxygen Podcast . Our conversation takes a broader look at the "why" behind our training philosophies. Here are some of the topics our conversation covers: Jason Fitzgerald’s background in running and coaching The importance of maximizing consistency Why optimization is going to be different for each athlete Distinguishing between utilization a...
Dec 21, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 331
Today on the podcast I have Phil Batterson, a competitive runner, former running coach, and the founder of Critical Oxygen. Phil has a PhD in human bioenergetics and a love for all sorts of endurance sports, from rowing to track and field and ultras. His goal with Critical Oxygen is to teach athletes and coaches how to optimize their physiology to maximize endurance performance. Phil breaks down some of the complex physiology behind the three different thresholds to make it more accessible, as w...
Dec 14, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 330
On the podcast with me this week to discuss strength training and durability is Dr. Tim DiFrancesco. Tim has a bachelors in Exercise Science & Athletic Training and a doctorate in Physical Therapy, and spent over 6 years as the head strength and conditioning coach for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. After leaving the NBA, Tim developed TD Athlete’s Edge, a nationally renowned performance facility known for its scientific approach to training, nutrition, and recovery. He was a previous guest w...
Dec 07, 2023•52 min•Ep. 329
Grayson Murphy is a two-time world mountain running champion and a 4-time US national champion in mountain running and the vertical kilometer. She has also been a finalist at the US Steeplechase Olympic Trials and has qualified for the 2024 Olympic Trials marathon. In our discussion we go into depth on Grayson’s training and how she structures her workouts for success, including: Grayson’s current adventures, including a trip to Patagonia Her recent health concerns and how it has impacted her tr...
Nov 30, 2023•46 min•Ep. 328
Kylee Van Horn is the founder Fly Nutrition , which offers nutrition and coaching services to endurance athletes. She works with many elite trail and road runners and is also a runner and a coach, and writes a featured bi-monthly column for Trail Runner Magazine . When it comes to nutrition , misunderstandings abound among athletes. My conversation with Kylee covers a broad range of topics to help you better understand both the basics and nuances of fueling, and avoid common mistakes. Some of ou...
Nov 23, 2023•52 min•Ep. 327
This week the focus is on the psoas with Dr. Lara Johnson. She is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist, yoga teacher, personal trainer, former athlete for BAA Elite, and the owner of Yellow Brick Physical Therapy in Boulder, CO. Lara also co-leads annual running and meditation retreats with Runners Reconnect in the Colorado mountains. Lara’s unique experiences as an athlete and physiologist have all contributed to her holistic view of healing the human body. In ...
Nov 16, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 326
On the podcast this week to discuss the best way to plan your pre-season running is Matt Meyer, who competes with the competitive crew of The Track Club in Boulder, CO. Matt is both a running coach and strength coach, and he joined me on a previous episode of the podcast to talk about high-mileage training. He recently ran a marathon PR of 2:34:35 in Berlin, and set a back squat PR of 265 pounds. Who says fast marathoners can’t be strong ?! Matt and I address the concept of a pre-season versus a...
Nov 09, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 325
My guest for this special episode answering your training questions is running coach Sara Manderscheid. Sara has more than 15 years of competitive experience and is a Boston qualifier. She hosts the Elevate Your Running podcast and turned the tables to interview me in episode 257 . Sara is an experienced coach who leads the Elevate Your Running camps held in Boulder, Colorado. Today she takes time to answer a variety of training questions with me, ranging from injury prevention and warm ups to p...
Nov 02, 2023•56 min•Ep. 324
Jason Hardrath was named one of the 20 most inspirational ultrarunners of 2021. After a car accident in 2015 derailed his triathlon career, he had to reevaluate his future in competition. But with an extraordinary dedication to rehabilitation and proving his doctors wrong, he was able to resume running. Jason has earned well over a hundred Fastest Known Times (FKTs) and was a 2021 FKT of the Year top 10 finalist. As an adventurer and ultrarunner he has shifted his focus to a new project, complet...
Oct 26, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 323
My guest on the podcast this week is a coach who takes a holistic view of endurance training and considers himself a problem solver for endurance athletes. Keith Mueller is the founder of Higher Ground Athletics in Boulder, Colorado. His understanding of the details of movement patterns - including pronation and supination - will help you get a better grasp of this essential running mechanism. Keith and I met a few months ago on a group run, and we soon found ourselves deep in discussion about p...
Oct 19, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 322
My guest on the podcast this week is Hannah, a former one-on-one coaching client who recently earned a PR at the 2023 Boston Marathon. Hannah and I met a little over a year ago at a running retreat in Colorado and started working together shortly thereafter, with her focus almost exclusively on half marathons and marathons. Recently Hannah started to contemplate going after a 5k PR, but has had questions about making the transition from endurance training to 5k specific workouts. Our discussion ...
Oct 12, 2023•58 min•Ep. 321
Alex Hetherington is the race director for the Marine Corps Marathon - but he's not your typical race director. Alex is a retired Marine aviator and a member of the All-Marine running team for 14 years. His resume includes a win at the Armed Forces Marathon Championship in 1998 as well as an astounding 27 finishes at the MCM. Our conversation focuses on what you can expect from this year’s race: What makes the MCM so special, and why it is referred to as “The People’s Marathon” Why there is no “...
Oct 05, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 320
Matt Daniels is a professional athlete for Nike Trail Running who focuses on ultramarathon distances. He placed 7th in the NCAA 1500m, contributing to Adams State’s first ever 1st place team finish in the Outdoor NCAA Championships. He transitioned to ultra trail running ever since, most recently winning the Gorge Waterfalls 50k earlier this year and competing at UTMB this summer. Matt and I discuss our shared love of the mile and how his college coach helped to shape him. We delve into: The eve...
Sep 28, 2023•59 min•Ep. 319
If you’re looking for a fall marathon that’s the caliber of a big city race without the challenging logistics of the World Marathon Majors, be sure to consider the Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. On the podcast this week I have Twin Cities Marathon race director, Eli Asch. Eli came to Twin Cities with extensive experience as the Director of Race Operations for the California International Marathon, as well as the Logistics and Operations Manager for the Austin Marathon a...
Sep 21, 2023•59 min•Ep. 318
This week’s guest on the podcast is a doctor of physical therapy and owner of the Lux Physical Therapy and Medicine practice in New York. Dr. Grayson Wickham is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and creator of the Movement Vault app. He has worked with athletes in a wide variety of sports at the elite level, from Olympians to tennis pros to NFL and MLB players. Grayson’s specialty is sports and orthopedic performance and injuries. He has dedicated his time and energy to helping hi...
Sep 14, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 317
Jen Schumacher is currently the mental performance consultant for Northwestern University’s football program. Previously she was the Assistant Director of the Performance Psychology program at West Point Military Academy. She is also a professional speaker and provides training for elite performers in many fields, whether ultra-endurance athletes or Fortune 100 executives. Our discussion focuses on an introduction to sports psychology, how it applies to endurance sports, and how to create a regu...
Sep 07, 2023•55 min•Ep. 316
Meniscus injuries can have a significant impact on your ability to walk, run and train consistently. Although this injury is less common for runners, understanding management and treatment is essential for long term health and durability. Dr. Kevin Stone graduated from Harvard and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. His clinical work focuses on keeping people active in the sports they love, and he has served a wide array of athletic groups including the US Ski Team, multiple bal...
Aug 31, 2023•46 min•Ep. 315
Some of us are lucky enough to find a mentor to guide our long-term love affair with running. They set the standard high in their own accomplishments and inspire us to do the same. Jim Butler, whom I'll forever refer to as "Coach", has been doing that for over 30 years as the head coach of men’s cross country team at my alma mater, Connecticut College. Coach Jim Butler was the 2002 New England Cross Country coach of the year, the 2004 New England Small College Athletic Conference Coach of the ye...
Aug 24, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 314
Elisabeth Scott, a multiple-certified running coach and host of the Running Explained Podcast , joins us to discuss all things WORKOUTS. What is a workout? What is the purpose of a workout? What are the different types of workouts? We discuss pacing vs. running via perceived effort, the philosophy behind workouts, and how to structure them. Links & Resources from the Show : Elisabeth's podcast Running Explained Let me help you with a training plan Follow Elisabeth on Instagram Thank you DrinkLMN...
Aug 17, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 313
On this episode I have the dynamic duo of Tina Muir and Zoë Rom. Tina was formerly a professional runner for Great Britain and now hosts the Running for Real Podcast . Zoë is an elite ultra runner and Editor in Chief of Trail Runner Magazine . While each has been a guest on the podcast in the past, this is my first time having a discussion with them both! Zoë and Tina bring a unique perspective to running that has been missing from the books on training and racing that currently exist. Our discu...
Aug 10, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 312
Racing a fast 5k is a thrill. In this episode, Jason shares the foundational and specific workouts that help you race your best over 5,000m. Links & Resources from the Show: Learn more about Team Strength Running Read more about training as a masters runner Structure your training to sharpen for a 5k Get a 5k training plan from our programs Thank you DrinkLMNT! A big thanks to DrinkLMNT for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar,...
Aug 03, 2023•31 min•Ep. 311
This week’s coaching call with Team Strength Running member Chris Robinson will help put all the pieces together for running a fast 5k. This episode originally aired in 2021 but remains useful and relevant for any runner hoping to take their racing to the next level. Chris is a cross-country coach at Eureka College who has raced a variety of distances from 5ks to ultras. His sub-20 5k PR came several years ago in the midst of primarily aerobic half-marathon training. Since then his training has ...
Jul 27, 2023•57 min
When evaluating any new technology and whether it will help your running, product reviews are typically our first means of learning about the pros and cons of a product. By learning how to use these reviews to your advantage, you’re more likely to make better decisions about which products work best for you. This week’s guest on the podcast has reviewed just about every type of gear imaginable, from clothing and shoes, to recovery tools, to watches and smart rings. Ashley Mateo is likely a famil...
Jul 20, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Running is one of the most popular and widespread activities in the country, yet coverage of the sport pales in comparison to team sports such as baseball and football. Media attention to trail and ultrarunning is even more limited, due to challenging accessibility and technology limitations. My guest on the podcast came to running nearly a decade ago, and quickly fell in love with the mountains, trails, and the ultra world. Finn Melanson is the host of Singletrack , one of the most successful p...
Jul 13, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Running shoe technology has evolved dramatically in recent years. More than ever, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the possible options. Add the arrival of carbon-plated “super shoes” and choosing a shoe becomes even more confusing. On the podcast today is Dr. Matthew Klein, a professor of Physical Therapy at West Coast University Center for Graduate Studies who specializes in orthopedic, geriatric, and sports rehabilitation. Matt has been running for over a decade and was an accomplished Divi...
Jul 06, 2023•1 hr 9 min
This week’s guest on the podcast has the amazing ability to build community wherever he goes. On an average week, you may find him leading a group of 40 runners or training alongside past Olympians. Jonathan Levitt is a runner and host of the For the Long Run Podcast, and perhaps secretly, the (unofficial) mayor of Boulder, Colorado. Jon moved to Boulder several years ago and is a huge presence in the running community. He thrives off the companionship of group runs, and often does at least 4 of...
Jun 29, 2023•1 hr
The Western States Endurance Run (WSER) is an iconic fixture in the world of ultrarunning. As the world’s oldest 100 miler, it has become a symbolic representation of the ultimate endurance challenge. Few people have as much knowledge about Western States as my guest today, Andy Jones-Wilkins. Andy has completed Western States an incredible 10 times, along with other 100 milers such as Hardrock, Leadville, Wasatch and Vermont. Andy’s love for the Western States Endurance Run (WSER) is undeniable...
Jun 22, 2023•1 hr 4 min
