Running Rogue

You've heard all about the need to increase your carbs per hour, but what are you doing about it? In this episode, I give you 5 practical tips for experimenting with your in-run nutrition so that you can race faster and feel better doing so. And if you haven't re-evaluated your nutrition in a minute, then now is the time!

Fall races officially kick off with the Berlin Marathon this weekend, which makes this an exciting time of year. You might have a 5K, 10K, half or full marathon coming up, and I've got you covered in this episode with race strategy blueprints for each of those distances.  These are baseline blueprints to get you started in your pace planning, and I've got variations for each race depending on your...

Fall races are imminent, and therefore, so are the pre-race demons that many of us often face in advance. In this episode, I give 7 common, pre-race doubts and talk through strategies to face them. The 7: "I did not do enough in training." "What if something bad happens on race day?" "I don't know if I can do this." "I'm just not good enough for this goal." "What if I let someone down?" "I can't h...

We are getting close to some big fall races from Berlin to NYC and Indy, and it is time to lock in (as the kids say). In this episode, I give you 6 tips for your final prep, so you are ready to put your best foot forward on race day! 

If you are racing in the fall between September and December, then it is never too early to start thinking about your race plan. You prepare in training, and you also want to prepare your plan for the big day. In this episode, I give you 8 steps to build your plan: Select your goal pace. Gather information about the race course. Break the course down into 3-6 chunks that make sense. Develop a stra...

Fear is necessary. Fear is a good thing. Fear becomes more manageable with time and experience.  Let's face your running fears!

Ok, ok... I know the title sounds a bit woo-woo, but this episode is full of practical tactics to be the best version of you on race day. You are powerful in a very unique way, and I give you 6 tips for bringing out the most in you when it matters in training and race. They are: Take inventory of your strengths and weaknesses without judgement. Frame your circumstances appropriately. Embrace the c...

I like to say: "There is no such thing as a perfect training cycle." And there shouldn't be. You will always have to make adjustments for things that pop up during training whether managing life's curveballs, dealing with injury, or simply feeling a little more tired/sore than normal. For that last category, there is a hierarchy of "pressure release values" to pull when feeling tired or sore, and...

I start with my thoughts on Boston's controversial new registration lottery! Then, I turn to a topic that will be important to many of you with big races coming up in August, September, and October. Now, it's time to plan for both the elements you can control and those you cannot. We talk about the important categories for planning (from logistics to race execution), and then we discuss how to thi...

What does it look like to manifest your future? Is it just thinking and dreaming + magic and hope or it is more? In this episode, we discuss the tactics behind manifesting your goals. While some of these tactics might sound cheesy, they are backed by science and years of subjective experience. We cover self-talk, affirmations, re-framing negative thoughts, visualization, and problem solving. Plus,...

We've discussed knowing your purpose. Now, it is time to paint a picture of what you want in this sport. Your vision is the dream and the big picture which isn't bounded by time. Your goals are the timebound milestones along the way. In this episode, we talk about the process of creating a vision board and then discuss the do's and don'ts of goal setting. Should you create process or outcome goals...

There are two big questions underpinning this episode... Is mental strength innate or do you build it?  What's the distance between your true limits and the perceived limits posed by your mind? We discuss these questions to open the episode. We truly do believe that mental fortitude is built. AND, there is plenty of room to better match your perceived limits with your actual limits.  To do that, y...

We are turning the page (pun intended) to a new section of the book where we discuss the mental side of training and racing. And, as cheesy as it might sound, it all starts with knowing your purpose for the run. Why do you run, and specifically why do run for performance? For you, running might be about stress relief, health or longevity, but we would submit that there are likely deeper reasons as...

If the long run "puts the tiger in the cat," then the long run workout puts the saber tooth in the tiger! Yes, we need all of those easy long runs to build the aerobic foundation. Then, as you gain experience and appropriately timed in the cycle, it is important to add quality into your long runs to give you that extra edge for race day. We call these workouts race simulations or race preps becaus...

There are 3 main pillars of recovery - sleep, nutrition/hydration, and easy movement. In this episode, we talk about the third pillar. In our training programs, easy movement primarily manifests as recovery running. These are the glacially slow runs that enable blood flow which promote healing for the next long or hard thing. If you are skipping your recovery runs, then you are likely on the bulle...

Last week, we talked about the long run, and now this week, we talk about the medium long run. I call it the "unsung hero" of fitness building, and it's a run that is often overlooked relative to the speed workout or primary long run. In this episode, we discuss why it's really the third leg or pillar in your training that should be given equal weight to those other two. Listen in to learn about t...

Mile for mile... the long run might just be the most important run of the week. It builds aerobic capacity, improves neuromuscular resilience, and facilitates metabolic flexibility - 3 of the most important tools you need as a distance runner. In this episode, we discuss the benefits in detail and then break down the tactics by answering these 6 questions about the long run: How long? How many or...

The word "tempo" might be one of the most commonly misunderstood words in coaching vernacular, even as it might be the most commonly prescribed type of workout.  It's also one of the most important and critical training efforts for distance runners, so it is critical to understand it well if you want to improve. This episode is all about that tempo. We give you the what, the why, and the how of ex...

400m reps at 5K pace. 800m reps at 10K pace. 1 mile repeats starting at HM pace and working down by 2-3 secs per rep.  Our vernacular in running is to use training paces based on what you could theoretically run at each distance. It is a useful tool for dialing into effort, but it IS NOT The end all and be all. In this episode, we give you 9 truths about training paces and how to use them effectiv...

We take a break from our book discussions to reflect on 400 episodes and nearly 10 years of podcasting. Our hope with this one is simply to remind you and ourselves of why we do this. Thank you to everyone who has listened and downloaded through the years. We do it for you. One step at a time. Onward.

Recovery is how you build fitness. We need recovery after hard and long days, hence our emphasis on recovery running. You also need recovery after hard weeks, so in our programming, we do "down weeks" every third week to consolidate the fitness gains of the "up weeks." Two up, one down. That is the rhythm of working hard and then recovering from that work to actually get faster. In this episode, w...

In this episode, we cover the final 2 phases of your training block - the taper and the post-race recovery phases. Both are critical for hitting this peak and then getting to your next one. We give you the reasons for the taper and the mechanics of it (for volume, speed, and routine), and then we break down how to recover from your race. It is critical to taper in order to be fresh and ready for y...

We continue our journey through the training phases. In this episode, we talk about the goals and guiding principles of the race-specific phase of work. This is where you put the icing on the cake or the cherry on top of the sundae. You've earned the right to be a little more aggressive, but it's time to crowd out the noise/distractions and focus on the final steps to be race-ready!

Last week was all about that base. This week is all about that aerobic strength - the aerobic strength phase of work specifically. We think there is a lot of confusion about this phase of work and what's involved. We break it all down in this episode. It's about building endurance and staying power in order to be prepared for the race specific phase to come. We give you guidelines on volume buildi...

In this week's episode, we begin a walk (err... run) through each period of training. We start with base building, digging into what it should look like for you. What should you focus on in this phase? How should you think about the running and building your weekly mileage? What are other considerations including strength and lifestyle? We also discuss the Maffetone Method and how it might fit int...