The MicroCast

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 12/09/2022:   On this week's call, we go into a deep dive on the menstrual cycle and birth control and their impacts on training. We discuss how athletes who menstruate can work with their bodies and take a practical approach to training. From here, the conversation shifts to talking about the impacts of low level activity on training and how athletes should view...

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 12/02/2022: On this week's call, you will hear from coaches Sarah Strong and Kylee Van Horn on their takeaways from the 2022 season. What went well, what they’d like to improve on in 2023 and what process oriented goals will help guide them. From here, we’ll transition into a conversation about planning for 2023 and offer some tips for winter running! I hope you enjoy...

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 11/18/2022: On this week's call, you’ll hear expressions of gratitude and reflections on 2022 from our team of coaches and athletes. Gratitude is one of the values we hold most near and dear at Microcosm, and the time around Thanksgiving always offers us an annual reminder of the importance of expressing gratitude and incorporating those expressions into daily life. Th...

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 11/11/2022 On this week's call, we took a deep look into our coaches 2022 seasons, discussing their high and low points. We focused in on some of the specific takeaways each coach had from the season, talking about perspective shifts, parenting, new habits and routines and what each coach wanted to focus on in 2023. Myself, Kristen and Drew all had unique and different...

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 11/04/2022  We had a great call this week, diving deeper into the topic of mental setbacks and dealing with prolonged injury and illness. We started the conversation off by recapping Coach Zoë Rom’s experience at the Puerto Vallarta 100k by UTMB and how she dealt with setbacks following Western States that ultimately paved the road to a great race there. From here...

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 10/21/2022 This week’s call consists of three parts. In the first part, we dive into the mental side of training setbacks. Coach Sarah Strong, our resident clinical social worker, gives us some great tips for how to overcome these challenges while normalizing setbacks as inherently part of the process. In the second part of our call we talk about whether or not athlete...

On this week's call we dive into How to Respond to Training Setbacks! As athletes, it’s important to accept the inevitability of facing training challenges in training. From overuse to serious injuries, to dealing with challenges in life that affect training, acknowledging that you will face challenges and setbacks in your athletic journey is incredibly powerful. Throughout this call, our coaches...

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 09/30/2022: On this week's edition of Rapid, not so Rapid Fire Friday, we get into a ton of questions from our team and listeners. We start off by talking about traveling internationally with race nutrition and gear as well as protein and fat intake during longer ultras. From there, the conversation shifts to race preparation, from choosing A races to how much time to...

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 09/23/2022 The long steep hill is my greatest frenemy! Nothing makes me cringe more when I look at my plan and see something like 6 x 3 minute steep hills mod/hard, 20 minute tempo on tired legs directly after. Having done these before, I know they never get easier and things are going to feel so hard by the middle part of that tempo that I'm going to want to phone in...

On this week's call we do a round-table Q&A session with Coaches Kristen Schindler, Drew Conner and Sarah Strong -- Our Conversation touches on air quality and treadmill runs, gear and planning for self-supported long-runs, the ins and outs of easy running and the pros and cons of carbon shoes. We then transition into the mental side of performance, giving advice on how to not get lost in othe...

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 09/09/2022 All things group runs! The benefits, the pitfalls, group run doubles, comparison traps & advocating for your training!

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 09/02/2022: First, I apologize for the length of this call. I know it’s a bit longer than usual, but this was a big topic with many facets and nuances to touch on. Ok, so this week's call is an attempt at illustrating the long-term process involved in working toward big goals through the lens of my race at UTMB CCC. For those of you not familiar, this is essentially th...

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 08/19/2022: This week's call is all about mental performance! But, before we dive into the goods, I wanted to just take a few minutes to talk a little bit about training for CCC, international travel packing tips and general updates on what we’ve been up to in training and life the last few weeks. From there our conversation stays in the same vein as we talk about pre-...

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 08/05/2022: On this week's call, we talk about athlete/coach communication. Everything we do as athletes hinges on how clearly and openly we communicate with our coaches, and everything we do as coaches hinges on the feedback we get from athletes and how we communicate our responses. This symbiotic relationship is one of the key components to the coach athlete relation...

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 07/29/2022 On this week's call, we talk about race recovery. Big dream races really push us mentally and physically, upping the time it takes to recover, but athletes often forget to adjust expectations around that important part of the process. Through this conversation, we hope to shed light on how long it really takes to come back after big races with the goal of he...

Microcosm Coaching Team Call: 07/22/2022   Silver Rush Takeaways: The Joy Factor, Sweat Tests and Intermediate Goals  Plus, Was it really a bad run? & Taper Science!

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 07/15/2022:    Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPGSnjaFIWI Agenda:  -Walk through of a strong and stable trail legs circuit for runners  -How to build strength into one's training plan at both a micro and macro level (weekly/yearly)  -Q & A

On this weeks call we talk about giving up Saturday's to do long runs, making long-term investments in yourself, FOMO and regrets. We also get into social media, its negatives and positives and how to maintain a healthy relationship with apps like strava and instragram.

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 07/01/2022: Our WSER Take-aways plus getting Vulnerable on Race Day. 

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 06/17/2022. In this episode we cover everything Summer Training! It's hot, how do we stay cool? When should we run? Should we do our interval training during the hottest part of the day or early in the morning? What about hydration/fueling? Have you done a sodium concentration sweat test? We've got info on that too. Bottom line, never judge your fitness by how well you...

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 06/10/2022: Today's episode is all about Strength Training for runners! Hosted by Microcosm Coaching Strength Partner coach Megan Flanagan, we get into the WHY you should strength train, WHAT you should do and HOW you should do it. Megan also teamed up with us to put together this comprehensive blog post for athletes to refer to along with this podcast episode. Check i...

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 06/04 

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 05/20/2022

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 05/13/2022: Topics include Collegiate Peaks 50 miler OA WIN and recap with Coach Zoë, Electrolytes and Hydration 101 with RD and Coach Kylee Van Horn, Dog Running 101 with Coach Kristen (leave dogs at home on workout days!!) and what Coach Drew and Coach Sarah are focusing on with their athletes. 

Microcosm Coaching Team Call 04/22/2022