The 1% Better Runner with DLake

When you’re pushing through those final meters of a race, many runners picture themselves looking like this: Tall posture. Clean stride. Driving from the hips. But the reality, for most of us, is a bit more like this: Hunched shoulders. Shuffling feet. Stride falling apart. And it’s not because your form is bad. It’s because your focus breaks down before your body does. Here’s what’s really happen...

What’s the one thing most runners get wrong about “easy training”? Is your “easy run” truly setting the stage for your success—or quietly sabotaging your training? In this episode, we uncover how to correctly define easy training, why heart rate zones need to be personalized, and how to avoid the pitfalls of the gray zone. You’ll learn practical tests to determine your effort levels and discover w...

Most people think they need to lose weight before becoming a runner. The truth is, that belief is stopping more runners than their body ever will. If you’ve ever felt like you don’t look like a “typical runner” or believed you needed to lose weight before taking running seriously, this episode will challenge everything you’ve been told. I break down what bigger runners need to understand about tra...

What if the thing that helps you run faster now also protects you from becoming fragile later? In this episode, I break down VO2 max in the most practical way possible: what it is, why runners should care, how much your watch can actually be trusted, and why the number matters for way more than race performance. We get into the difference between VO2 max, threshold, running economy, zone 2, hard i...

What if there was a way to boost your VO₂ max, improve heat tolerance, and potentially increase endurance without adding a single extra workout to your training week? Most runners are always looking for the next thing that will help them run faster, recover better, and stay healthier for the long haul. In this episode, I break down one of the most overlooked performance tools available: sauna trai...

What if the smartest distance in running isn't the marathon, but the race most people treat like a stepping stone? The half marathon is one of the most misunderstood distances in running. Some runners treat it as a stepping stone to something bigger, while others never realize just how challenging and rewarding it can be on its own. In this episode, I break down the five different types of half ma...

What if the reason you can't break 20 minutes has nothing to do with toughness and everything to do with how you're training the final kilometer of the race? Breaking 20 minutes in the 5K isn't just about pushing harder. It's about training smarter. In this episode, I break down the key systems that separate runners who stay stuck from those who finally crack the sub-20 barrier. You'll learn how t...

What if the reason you're not getting faster isn't that you're training too little, but that you're completely skipping the one aerobic zone that delivers the highest return on effort? Zone 2 gets most of the attention in endurance training, but there’s another aerobic training zone that could be the missing link between running comfortably and running faster. In this episode, I break down what su...

Zone 2 gets all the glory, but zone 1 is what actually saves your body from falling apart decades from now. Everyone talks about zone 2 training, but almost nobody talks about the slower movement that quietly supports everything else. In this episode, I break down why zone 1 training might be the missing piece for better endurance, faster recovery, and long-term health. I get into the difference b...

Most runners don’t fail to break three hours because they’re unfit. They fail because they’re forcing a pace their body hasn’t earned yet. Breaking three hours in the marathon is not about forcing yourself to hold 4:15 per kilometer pace and hoping you can survive. In this episode, I share the mindset shift that changed how I approach marathon training: stop pulling yourself toward an arbitrary go...

Your lungs already know how to run. The real problem is all the breathing advice telling you otherwise. Breathing is one of the most overcomplicated topics in running. I tested seven popular techniques, from box breathing and Wim Hof to nose breathing and diaphragmatic breathing, to find out which ones actually help you run easier and which ones are better left for bedtime. In this episode, I brea...

Most runners think they need more mileage, but the real reason they blow up is that they never learned how to pace. Ever gone out feeling amazing in a race only to have your legs turn to concrete a few minutes in? That's not a fitness problem. It's a pacing problem. And it happens because your body's energy systems trick you into thinking you're rich when you're actually borrowing time at a brutal...

What if the reason you keep getting injured isn’t because you’re running too much, but because you’re only training half of the machine that makes you a stronger runner? If you’ve been piling on miles but still getting injured, plateauing, or wondering why race day feels harder than it should, this episode will change the way you think about training. I break down the two systems that drive every...

Zone 2 doesn't fail. You just quit before your body had any reason to adapt. Most runners think Zone 2 is the problem. It’s not. In this episode, I break down why so many runners feel stuck, frustrated, and convinced their body “doesn’t work,” and what’s actually going on beneath the surface. We get into how to properly train your aerobic system, why your gear might be misleading you, and the unco...

Your watch says your VO2 max is low, but that number might be lying to you about how fit you really are. Everyone’s chasing VO2 max like it’s the scoreboard for fitnes, but what if it isn’t? In this episode, I break down why that number isn’t the thing that actually makes you faster, healthier, or more durable as a runner. You’ll start to see the gap between lab metrics and real-world performance,...

Running is usually a solo sport, but community is the one thing that will keep you more consistent than any training plan ever could. Heads up: the wrong edit got published. This was originally a bigger convo for my other company (Pod Paste: Our production/media for brands) So the questions got mixed up. YouTube won't let me swap the file, so we trimmed the off-topic parts instead. Apologies if yo...

Every day you sit in traffic could be a free training session that builds your engine instead of draining your wallet. What if getting fitter didn’t require finding more time, but simply using the time you already have? In this episode, I break down how everyday travel can become a powerful tool for building endurance, saving money, and improving health without adding extra workouts to the calenda...

If running feels smooth one day and frustrating the next, this episode explains why. I break down the form habits that waste energy, slow you down, and get worse when fatigue hits, plus simple fixes that make running feel easier. You’ll learn how cadence, posture, arm swing, stride length, mobility, and shoes work together so you can run faster, stay healthier, and finish stronger. Key Takeaways B...

What if the reason you bonk, cramp, or feel flat on race day has less to do with fitness and more to do with how you fuel? If you’ve ever wondered why your energy crashes mid-run, why recovery feels harder than it should, or why running more doesn’t always lead to better results, this episode will help connect the dots. I break down the big nutrition mistakes runners make around fueling, hydration...

What if the thing slowing your progress isn’t your training plan, but the recovery habits you trust the most? I used to think better recovery meant buying more gear, doing more rituals, and copying what serious runners looked like they were doing. In this episode, I break down what actually helps you recover, what only feels helpful, and why that difference matters if you want to stay healthy, run...

What if the one workout almost every runner does wrong could actually be the fastest way to build both your VO2 max  and  your threshold at the same time? Most runners split their training trying to chase speed in one session and endurance in another, but there’s a smarter way to train both at the same time. In this episode, I break down a simple but powerful workout that builds your VO₂...

What if the leaderboard on your running app isn’t just distracting you, but actively pointing you at the wrong target for getting faster? Most runners think they’re using Strava to improve, but few realize how much it’s actually shaping their behavior, mindset, and even their identity as a runner. In this episode, I break down the five distinct types of Strava users, how you unknowingly move betwe...

Most runners don’t fail the 10K because of distance. They fail because they train for the wrong race entirely. If you think running a fast 10K is just about stacking miles and gutting out race day, you're leaving massive time on the course. In this episode, I break down why your 5K time is actually the hidden key to unlocking a faster 10K and how most runners train completely backwards for this di...

What if feeling lighter and faster on your runs has less to do with technique and more to do with how “springy” your body is? If your runs feel heavy, slow, or like you’re constantly fighting the ground, this episode breaks down what’s really going on beneath the surface. I walk through why perfect form isn’t enough, what your body actually needs to feel light and efficient, and how a simple shift...

Zone two isn’t about pace or feel; it’s about heart rate, and testing it every four to six weeks is the only way to know if you’re actually getting faster. If you’ve been grinding out zone two runs hoping to get faster but have no idea if it’s actually working, you’re not alone. Most runners skip the one step that separates guessing from knowing: a simple, repeatable test you can do every four to...