The Fast and Free Podcast

A 2:09:24 marathon. Solo. On a looped course. Off a treadmill-heavy build. Yup. He did that. In this episode of the Fast & Free Podcast, Brant and Elaina sit down with Thomas Nobbs less than 24 hours after running 2:09:24 at the McKirdy Micro OTQ, becoming the 4th fastest marathon ever run by a Canadian. What makes this performance even more wild is that this was in no way shape or form the pl...

Most runners are leaving progress on the table without realizing it by underutilizing cross-training. If you’re constantly dealing with injuries, struggling to increase your mileage, or feeling stuck despite consistent effort, it’s likely not your effort that’s the issue; it’s how you’re structuring your training load. There’s been a lot of noise lately around cross-training (and a lot of it comin...

Most beginner marathoners are sabotaging their race before training even begins by choosing a goal pace that has nothing to do with their current fitness. If you’ve picked a time because it sounded good, matched someone else’s result, or felt like the “right” number, there’s a good chance every run in your build is being anchored to the wrong pace. That leads to workouts that feel too hard, easy r...

Most runners are sabotaging their progress without realizing it by running their easy runs too fast. If you feel constantly fatigued, stuck in a cycle of bad workouts, struggling to hit your paces, or plateauing in your race performances, your easy day pace is likely the problem. There has been a lot of conversation in the running community (and specifically the comment section of my videos haha)...

Most runners are told that VO2 Max is the ultimate predictor of performance. But a recent meta-analysis led by Dominique Hansen challenges that idea and the results potentially flip traditional run training advice on its head. Today I wanted to take a deeper look at what this research actually means for your training, and why focusing on threshold and not VO2 max, is what actually drives real perf...

Most runners think pace is the instruction. If the watch says 9 minute pace, they try to run 9 minute pace no matter what the conditions are. The problem is your body doesn’t adapt to pace. It adapts to effort. Heat, fatigue, sleep, terrain and stress can all change the pace that corresponds to the same physiological stimulus. TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW: https://marathon-readiness-quiz.s...

Most marathon races aren’t ruined by a lack of fitness. They’re ruined by small mistakes that compound over 26.2 miles. TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW: https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com CARB GUIDE: https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools In this video, I wanted to share 26 marathon tips that I've collected over the last 15 years and coaching more than 1,500 runners, including 15...

MARATHON Readiness Quiz: https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com Marathon Carb and Fuelling Guide: https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools ⸻ In this video, I wanted to give my take on the debate surrounding Keto (high-fat) vs high-carb diets for marathon training from a competitive performance perspective. Yes, fat adaptation is trending (something always is 🙄). But what actually happens w...

Let us know if you've qualified for the Boston Marathon before in the comments ⬇️⬇️ In this episode of the Fast & Free Podcast, Brant sits down with Victor Yang—fresh off a 3:19 Boston Qualifier. Victor shares how shifting away from “more miles, more suffering” and into restraint + precision changed everything: capping long runs, staying patient early, ignoring the chaos of packs and pacers, a...

If you’ve ever thought: “What if I can’t hold this pace?” “What if I’m not cut out for this?” “What if I miss one run and lose everything?” You’re not weak or broken. You’re anxious. Recently  @RunnersWorld  reached out to me to ask about how anxiety shows up in everyday runners and the way repetitive negative thought loops can slowly shape your training, your pacing, and your confidence. ARTICLE...

Fast and Free Performance Coaching's FREE Tools: https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools FREE Marathon Readiness Quiz: https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com/ Get Coached by Brant Stachel: https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/ Get Brant Stachel's Book - "Fast and Free: Mindset Training for Endurance Athletes": https://a.co/d/023AYIUv ⸻ After coaching 15...

Higher mileage as a runner might not just make you fitter (in the traditional sense), but it might just be the reason you’re still strong when everyone else is falling apart late on race day. TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW: https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com In this video, I wanted to break down a new study examining whether higher lifetime and seasonal mileage helps runners mainta...

Are your easy runs actually helping your marathon build, or are they just adding fatigue without actually moving the needle? Runners often obsess over Easy Pace more than almost anything else in training. Zone 1, Zone 2, heartrate caps, pace calculators, RPE charts etc. But most training plans never explain what those zones actually represent, where the lines blur, or why overthinking easy running...

In this episode of the Fast & Free Podcast, Brant sits down with Dakotah Popehn (Lindwurm), current Puma-sponsored professional, two-time Grandma’s Marathon champion, Team USA Olympian, and long-time member of Minnesota Distance Elite, to talk about what it actually takes to grow into a world-class marathoner over time. Rather than treating marathoning like a simple equation of workouts-to-res...

Continuous tempo or cruise intervals: which one actually builds your threshold better? Runners throw these terms around constantly, but most training plans never explain the structural differences between them, why they create different physiological stress, or when one makes more sense than the other. That confusion often leads to workouts that miss the mark entirely. TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS...

In this mini audio episode of the Fast & Free Podcast, Brant breaks down the Norwegian double threshold method—one of the most discussed and most frequently misapplied training systems in modern distance running. While often presented as a shortcut to elite fitness, Brant explains why copying this approach blindly is one of the fastest ways for runners to stagnate, get injured, or drift into c...

In this mini audio episode of the Fast & Free Podcast, Brant breaks down marathon pace—what it actually represents, how it should feel in training, and why it often feels radically different late in the race. While runners are frequently told to “run marathon pace,” far fewer are taught how to identify it accurately or apply it appropriately within a training cycle. The episode explores where...

In this mini audio episode of the Fast & Free Podcast, Brant outlines a clear, principle-driven framework for training toward your best marathon—whether you’re preparing for your first or refining your approach after previous attempts. Rather than prescribing a rigid, one-size-fits-all plan, the focus is on understanding the why behind marathon training decisions so athletes can adapt intellig...

In this mini audio episode of the Fast & Free Podcast, Brant breaks down one of the most commonly misunderstood areas of run training: interval and repetition work. While most runners are told to “do their intervals,” far fewer understand what those sessions are actually training—or how easily they can be misapplied. The episode unpacks Jack Daniels’ Interval Pace (I-Pace) and Repetition Pace...

In this mini audio episode Brant breaks down one of the most misunderstood components of endurance training: tempo work. Drawing from both exercise physiology and real-world coaching experience, he unpacks what tempo training is actually targeting, why it matters, and how it fits into long-term performance development. The episode explores the science behind Jack Daniels’ T-Pace and the Norwegian...

In this mini audio episode of the Fast & Free Podcast, Brant Stachel breaks down one of the most misunderstood—and most important—elements of endurance training: easy running. Brant walks through the physiological role of easy running, including aerobic development, capillary density, and mitochondrial growth, while addressing common mistakes that hold runners back—especially the tendency to r...

In this episode of the Fast & Free Podcast, Brant sits down with Dr. Landon Galloway to unpack a Houston Marathon build that resulted in a 3:05 personal best—and the complicated emotions that come with progress falling just short of a long-term goal. Together, they explore how experienced runners navigate the tension between outcome and process, how to assess a race honestly without spiralling...

In this episode of the Fast and Free Podcast, you'll discover how to handle setbacks with resilience, why adaptability is the key to high performance, and the mental frameworks that keep elite athletes moving forward despite adversity. Brant takes a step outside the marathon world to sit down with Team Canada Flag Football player Clara Beaudoin, who shares powerful insights into managing anxiety w...

In this episode of the Fast & Free Podcast, Brant Stachel sits down with marathoner Kassie Harris just days after the Houston Marathon—where she dropped a massive 12-minute PR and beat her Boston Qualifying time by eight minutes. Kassie takes us through her long arc with the marathon: starting back in 2012, burning out after a quick run of races, then returning a decade later only to get derai...

In this episode of the Fast & Free Podcast, Brant Stachel sits down with endurance athlete and coach Corey Turnbull to talk about late starts, hard lessons, and what actually matters in long-term development.
 Corey shares how he found running later in life as a way to manage anxiety, and how the running community became a place of real connection and support. From memorable races to costly tr...