Some Work, All Play

In one of the most exciting moments of our lives, we sat down with Kilian Jornet, aka the GREATEST OF ALL TIME. Kilian is the winner of almost every major race around the world, most recently UTMB and the Hardrock 100 just four weeks apart. He's also a dad of two and a founder of shoe company NNormal, bringing a process-focus to his life on and off the trails. In the episode, we talk about the dyn...

We are coming to you with HEALTHY HEART SWAG to talk about Kilian Jornet's training snapshot leading up to his course record at UTMB, training intensity zones and what they mean, how to think about heart rate principles even if you don't use a heart rate monitor, Nico Young's amazing strength, the connection between emotional pain and physical pain, professional athlete contracts, body love, and h...

We got naked in a creek before talking about 9 thoughts from the UTMB races, Kilian Jornet's historic summer and how unthinkably incredible he is, the importance of understanding iron intake for athletes, a checklist to address fatigue, the Manti Te'o documentary and the power of forgiveness, follow-ups to the Clare Gallagher interview, and the worst doping excuse we have ever heard. We have so mu...

It's our first interview ever, with our favorite human and athlete in the world! Clare Gallagher won the 2022 Leadville 100 Miler in the 5th-fastest time ever just 36 hours before we recorded the interview. A historic 100 mile win and a 75-minute podcast episode are both equal feats of endurance in our eyes. Clare is a running legend, with wins at Western States, Leadville, CCC, Black Canyon 100k,...

Surprise bonus episode! On Patreon, we are doing weekly episodes where we answer (mostly) training questions from subscribers, and we wanted to release this week's to everyone to say THANK YOU ALL. We said the word "sexy" way too many times... or just the right number of times.  Topics this week: the "why" behind different stride lengths (i.e. 20 seconds versus 30 seconds), training week stru...

We conquered the 7-year itch before talking about how we are constantly testing new interventions (ankle weight warm-ups?!), electrolyte consumption during exercise, the interesting offset between literature and practice with salt intake, the science of cooling interventions and how they can lead to 5%+ performance improvements even in temperate conditions, thoughts about the 2022 UTMB races, our...

We did it all for the nookie before talking about the evolution of our training theory about output at VO2 max being a key indicator of aging and long-term performance in athletes, why mechanical power output is often under-appreciated in running training, the weird science of glucose tolerance tests, wonderful news out of Kansas, the predictable disaster of Woodstock '99, the multiple uses of per...

We debated the performance enhancing benefits of potato chips before talking about the importance of understanding load capacity in training and life, why competitive exercise might have some darker mental consequences for some people, how love and fear are intertwined for better and for worse, the foods of the week, 3 ways to anticipate responses to training, the inspiring story of rockstar scien...

We did bathroom mirror glute squeezes before talking about fun ways to understand exercise physiology terms, why pro cycling is the world's greatest endurance experiment (even for runners), 8 performance science takeaways from the Tour de France, fears about doping in cycling (and other sports), book recommendations (Broken Horses and Win At All Costs), a hot take about PM running, cellulite and w...

We got really, really excited by astronomy before talking about the historic performances at the Hardrock 100 Miler, physiology that people might not think about enough in high-altitude racing, stories from the World Championships, Devon Allen's infuriating DQ due to a false start, how to think about training for long-term growth, the TV show "The Bear," what we need to do to become the #1 podcast...

We put on some sexy white spandex shorts before talking about the different workouts we'd recommend if an athlete could only do one, our favorite sessions and the rationale for different workout types (tempo, long intervals, short intervals, and hills), whether we'll ever understand what cryptocurrency actually is, the incredible movie Everything Everywhere All At Once, why we are skeptical about...

We overcame an acute case of over-stoke syndrome before talking about the wildest race in the world, how Mount Marathon breaks algorithms and ankles, the incredible stories of Tabor and Eli Hemming, a recap of the US Mountain Championships, how to think about "pain" in the context of training, a full review of 9 different energy gels (prepare for some spicy hot takes), shoe review updates on the m...

We took some hardcore grass naps before talking about 13 things we learned at the Western States 100 Miler! That includes the booming media coverage, Adam Peterman becoming a PeterGOD, theories for why the times are so fast, and much more. Plus we do some deeper dives into the exciting world of mid-event cooling techniques (and how we think that will drive performance changes even in temperate rac...

This week, we are bringing our BONUS Patreon episode to everyone to highlight some sexy science! Megan was just named the Western States Research Co-Director, and our celebration is to bring you some research updates in hot-tub conversation format. We start with reviewing two fascinating talks at the medical conference on hyponatremia/hydration and how the gut microbiome may influence performance...

We got really, really excited about Olympic Valley before talking about takeaways from the Broken Arrow skyraces, the complexity of races that reward VO2 max, how training for other sports can support running (but how that might also hide the true performance drivers), 6 tips for dealing with pre-race anxiety, 4 narratives around the Western States 100, our sleeper picks for podium finishes, the i...

We dodged an angry moose before dedicating almost the whole episode to one of our favorite events of the year: The Western States 100! Whether you care about this race or not, we hope to convey big enthusiasm, bigger science, and even bigger subjective opinions. It was so much fun to break down wild ultra science on how physiology responds to this race, the unique demands of the course, 2022 sub-p...

We witnessed some real-life Twitter beefs before talking about 3 things we learned at the American College of Sports Medicine conference, data periodization and how to maintain joy while learning more about your body, athletics before GPS, our love/hate list for hydration products, a new study on increasing easy volume versus adding hard intensity, recent research on the menstrual cycle and traini...

We started the Cha Cha Challenge before talking about training for the unique challenges of European racing, more shoe reviews, being an introvert at professional conferences, why all clothes should be maternity fit, how stride workouts can spur progression across decades of serious training, follow-ups on vegetarianism, some problems with UTMB's doping policies, and the cool science of hydration...

We optimized our nasal breathing before giving you our HONEST feelings on different shoe brands and models, the cool science of minimal-dose strength work, the quirks of Vitamin D science, and fueling follow-ups. We then provide an overview of the changing media landscape, including recent layoffs and changes in publishing models, and what that might mean for.... future expansion of the podcast an...

We did some titillating at-home chiropractic adjustments before talking about the variance in what constitutes good hydration for different athletes (and how extreme approaches can work for heavy sweaters), carb love and the power of Peanut Butter Puffins, our favorite recent TV shows, shoe science and the murky understanding of impact forces, body/brain chemistry and enthusiasm for every body, ra...

We tanned our private parts for the hormone boost before talking about extreme race fueling approaches of 400-500+ calories per hour and how they might work for some athletes, extreme races like the Cocodona 250, training for ultras where the association between speed and performance fall away, John Kelly's historic Wainwrights FKT, heat training, influencers taking PEDs, a follow-up on pregnancy,...

We channeled our BIGGEST WET FOOD ENERGY to joyfully reflect on the 100th episode of the podcast! What a journey! This is a love letter to our listeners... and to new adventures. You know how TV shows save something big for the season finale? We did that for the 100th episode. Tune in and find out! Plus discussions of lessons from the last couple years, owning your insecurities, the unexpected swe...

We made SO MANY PHONE CALLS before talking about the wildly cool and striking science on how much pre-race and during-race carb intake correlates with performance, what the literature says about how to fuel before and during events, the incredible racing at the Canyons 100k, the importance of women in coaching, inspiration from Leah Yingling, why Lizzo is our hero, 3 training tips that can increas...

We went full BUBBLES before talking about some takeaways from the Boston Marathon, training theory evolution in the Strava age, a preview of the STACKED Canyons 100k, sexy science on variables that predict trail running performance, why peak velocity might correlate with success even in very long races, satisfaction bombs and the importance of big meals, "Real Talent," and erotic microphones. Rate...

We had a pepperoni pizza foodgasm before talking about dreaming big in athletics and life, the delightful inevitability of failure, an amazing new study on the training of world-class distance runners, easy running guidelines, tapers, and empathy. Plus asides on BOTH fox mating and raptor mating, so things are getting freaky in the animal kingdom. The episode ends with the most wonderful, life-aff...