The Seconds Flat Running Podcast

Molly Seidel's path to bronze in the Tokyo Olympic Marathon was far more serpentine than just the 26.2 mile course. From her experience we can distill valuable lessons that make us all better runners and stronger people.

We're diving into one of the most bewildering running topics: What should easy and recovery runs look and feel like. We'll hit the why, what, and when of easy days in all their forms, and examine the training of recent Tokyo medalists Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Eliud Kipchoge, and Molly Seidel. Run easy my friends!

The Tokyo Olympic Games have been a highlight reel of superhuman athletic performances. We begin by discussing our favorite performances so far. Then, we unpack our main topics -- inspired by the conversation around Simone Biles' decision to step away from the gymnastics competition -- sharing our own stories of running as an avenue for improving mental health, and providing tips for mastering rac...

We share the 3 biggest, boldest, burning questions for both men's and women's track & field that will be answered at the Tokyo Olympics! Plus, we open with a breakdown of Matthew Centrowitz's American Record attempt in the mile and what it means for his Olympic prospects.

Whether you are starting your running journey, restarting after a pandemic-induced hiatus, or deep in the heart of training for an upcoming race, we have the simple themes and tips you need to stay focused and successful. But first, we'll catch up on the action from last weekend in Monaco -- the highlight of the Diamond League season -- and build the hype for our upcoming Benji-Travis showdown.

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials wrapped up this past weekend in Eugene, Oregon, and Benji and Travis are here to analyze all the big action. Then, Travis shares the highlights and best running recommendations from a nearly 7,000 mile cross country road trip to Eugene. Follow Stephen's journey for mental health awareness and education on Instagram: @S_Johns28

USA Track and Field broke the internet this week as Shelby Houlihan, America's premier women's middle distance runner, received a 4-year suspension after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. We brought back your guy Benji to talk about BurritoGate and other Olympic Trials storylines. And Travis shares his experience from running 38 miles on his 38th birthday.

The stage is set. Ben and Travis -- two self-proclaimed titans of track & field -- are training for a showdown in a series of races for pride, glory, and honor. We break the early news on this epic encounter and invite your feedback for this special event. Then in the 17th minute we move to advice for how to crush your summer running goals even in the hottest, most sultry conditions. Reference men...

We're excited to bring you a conversation with Furman University track star Ryan Adams. Ryan is among the top competitors for the 1500 meters crown in the upcoming NCAA track and field championships. He’s also a multi-time conference champion and school record holder. We hope you enjoy Ryan’s thoughtful and candid perspective on his collegiate track experience as he takes us from the highs of reco...

We continue our conversation about the Mile with a deeper dive into warming up and pacing your race. Downville Mile: https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/Greenville/DownvilleMile Books referenced in this two-part series: Winning Running by Peter Coe (Mile Training) The Perfect Mile by Neil Bascomb (Mile History) Sub 4:00: Alan Webb and the Quest for the Fastest Mile by Chris Lear (Mile History) From Last...

4 laps. 1609 meters. 5,280 feet. On the anniversary of Roger Bannister breaking the 4-minute barrier we take a deeper dive into the track event that has captured the distance runner's mind and spirit more than any other. Our two-part series begins with an update on recent mile race results as the spring track season builds toward Tokyo, then we share book recommendations, coaching history, and tra...

We're back from a weekend of racing at the Toledo Glass City Marathon! We'll breakdown all the course details for anyone racing Toledo in the future, share our racing experiences, and analyze our training block, nutrition and hydration plans, and new ideas for our next marathon attempt.

C.S. Lewis told us, “ You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” Today’s episode is about the steps we take — not necessarily specific workouts, but rather practical approaches to the entirety of our training as learned from the best — to reach that next goal and reach excellence, whatever excellence might be in the context of your own running experience.

Matt Hensley is a Director of Business Development and Operations for ROLL Recovery. ROLL makes functional and mobile recovery products including the incredibly popular R8, which is a deep tissue massage roller. We’re excited to spend time with Matt on Mile 81 as we discuss ROLL Recovery, his family tradition of running excellence, training, how the running community is helping ROLL’s hometown of...

From runners to romantics and poets to philosophers we call on our favorite sources of inspiration that will help motivate you through your next training cycle and big race.

Tyler McCandless ran a pr of 2:12:38 at the 2017 US Marathon Championships. He has also earned a PhD in Meteorology, an Energy Risk Professional certification, and has worked at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. As someone who finds weather forecasting and severe storms particularly interesting, I’ve wanted to interview Tyler for awhile. I hope you enjoy our conver...

This week we cover the what, why, and when of Medium Long Runs. If you're not incorporating medium long efforts in your training now is the time to add them, and if you already are we provide ideas for making this type of run even better. But first we analyze a unique and wild weekend of collegiate running with the NCAA D1 Indoor and Cross Country Championships both happening over the span of four...

The Gate River Run 15k, host to the USA 15k Road Championships since 1994, returns on March 20th in Jacksonville. Past champions include American distance running luminaries like Bill Rodgers, Joan Benoit, Todd Williams, Meb Keflezghi, Deena Kastor, Molly Huddle, and Shalane Flanagan. 3 previous guests of the show -- Christo Landry, Anthony Famiglietti, and Frank Lara -- all won national titles at...

"Going to the well" and "hitting the wall" are two of the most common analogies we hear as runners. In the first half of this week's episode we dive into how often and why you should or shouldn't "leave it all out there" in training. Then we analyze the fatigue related factors that create a wall late in longer distance races, and provide practical tips for reducing the wall effect in your next rac...

This week Dr. Richard Hansen joins the program. Dr. Hansen coaches the Roots Running Project and operates High Altitude Spine and Sport in Boulder, Colorado. While only a few years old the Roots team has had tremendous success, and you’ll hear coach share stories about his athletes including Noah Droddy, Frank Lara, Alia Gray, and Maggie Montoya. Our conversation spans the evolution of Roots Runni...

The Greenville Half Marathon is almost here! We give you turn-by-turn analysis of the lightning fast course from Travelers Rest to Greenville, and help you develop an effective race strategy. Road racing is back and this is the opener for the 2021 Run In Race Series. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFOZS47wEKZmWfESxFvEnKw/videos and be the first notified when we...

We pick up where we left off in Mile 72 with your questions about sleep, tune-up races, stretching, long run hydration strategies, when to use strength training, VO2Max, interval workouts, marathon pace training, ice baths, and inspirational running books. Thanks for contributing to the discussion! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFOZS47wEKZmWfESxFvEnKw/videos

We reveal our new logo, intro, YouTube channel, race series and more! Stay tuned for details on even more coming resources and our apparel release. Thanks for your support in making these ventures possible! In the 21st minute we change gears and answer your training questions about mental and physical training as some races continue to be postponed or canceled, easy days, how to best employ stride...

Ian Butler seized the moment at last month’s Marathon Project running a nearly 7 minute PR of 2:09:45 and joining an exclusive group of sub 2:10 American men. Butler’s underdog journey has followed a serpentine path from high schooler who held a single Division 2 scholarship offer to a post-collegiate runner who nearly quit the sport before joining his current training group, and now a top 5 finis...

You've been clamoring for our most up-to-date thoughts on long run training, so we brought in David Roche, one of the most accomplished endurance coaches in the sport, for a wide-ranging conversation. David covers planning, fueling, injections of quality segments within the long run, and more. He will leave you feeling prepared, enthusiastic, optimistic, and ready to challenge your preconceived no...