The XLR8 Performance Lab Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the XLR8 Performance Lab podcast! In this exciting episode, we had the privilege of sitting down with Jackson Heidesch, quite possibly Iowa's best high school distance runner to date. Jackson has been on a remarkable journey, achieving incredible success in recent times. Last fall, Jackson conquered the grass as he clinched an individual title at the state cha...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the XLR8 Performance Lab Podcast, we're joined by world renown performance coach, Sebastian Weber to explore how data-driven training can help runners optimize their performance beyond traditional metrics like VO2 max. Ben and Sebastian share insights on how to collect and analyze running data, using tools, to gain a deeper understanding of your training an...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to XLR8’s "Short Shorts" podcast series! In this episode, we bring you an exclusive interview with Joe Anderson, one of the nation's top-performing athletes in cross country and indoor track. Joe is a national champion in cross country and a national runner-up in the indoor 3k, demonstrating his incredible talent and dedication to the sport. Join us as we di...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to  XLR8’s most popular podcast series "Short Shorts" . In this series, we bring you quick-hitting interviews with some of the nation's top athletes. Our guests have only 4 minutes to answer a list of questions that range from serious to lighthearted. Last week Nate muller shared a little glimpse into his life and finished up the episode by passing off the b...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the XLR8 Performance Lab podcast, "Short Shorts". In this series, we bring you quick-hitting interviews with some of the nation's top athletes. Our guests have only 4 minutes to answer a list of questions that range from the serious to the lighthearted, all focused on the sport of running. In today's episode, we have the pleasure of interviewing Nate...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the XLR8  Performance Lab podcast! In this episode, we sit down with the owner of the lab, Ben Tilus, to get an update on what's been happening behind the scenes and to hear about some exciting new changes to the coaching philosophy. Ben Tilus has been a leading figure in the high-performance training world for years, and his lab has helped countless athletes...

Send us Fan Mail Excited to announce a fresh series with my new co-host, Riley Witt! Riley finished up a phenomenal high school career this past spring with state titles in the 1600 and 3200, as well as a runner-up finish in the 800. His 1:52 run twice in the post-season places him in the top-10 all-time for Iowa preps. He will be headed to NW Missouri St this upcoming fall to continue his academi...

Send us Fan Mail Kelley Grothus is a multi-time coach of the year in Iowa Class 1A (smallest class) with the Madrid Tigers. Her boys cross country program won 3 consecutive titles in 2018, 2019, and 2020. She is easily one of the foremost authorities on distance running in the state of Iowa as she has also been a coach within their track programs. Both the boys and girls track teams won state cham...

Send us Fan Mail Jackson Mace-Maynard is one of the "OG" boys in XLR8. Since joining a year ago, Jackson has dropped his times by incredible amounts. He went from nearly being lapped in an indoor 1600 a year ago to only a few weeks ago running a 4:17 full mile (4:15 1600) indoors to win the Arkansas HS Invite. He has also run 52.2 (400), 1:58 (800), and 3:06 (1200) this indoor season and...

Send us Fan Mail Jackson Heidesch and Shewaye Johnson have absolutely taken Iowa running by storm over the last year. Take a listen to these two about how they got to where they are and their goals for this season and beyond! Sponsor Information: Lightspeed Lift: We greatly appreciate Lightspeed Lift for how they partner with us in our Performance Lab to help all runners get healthy, stay healthy,...

Send us Fan Mail Yohana Yual took a trip to Arizona a few weeks ago for his spring break. He talks about his preparation for this season and what he hopes to accomplish. The senior standout for Johnston is already off to a fast start and no doubt has even bigger things ahead this spring. Sponsor Information: Lightspeed Lift: We greatly appreciate Lightspeed Lift for how they partner with us in our...

Send us Fan Mail Will Lohr recently opened his junior track season with a lifetime PR of 9:48 for 3200 meters at the Dickinson Relays on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa. Will is a track and field junkie and can rattle off almost any tidbit about the sport that you could imagine. Give a listen to one of the funniest distance runners in the state of Iowa! Sponsor Information: Lightspee...

Send us Fan Mail Riley Witt is a stud middle distance runner from St. Ansgar up in northern Iowa near the Minnesota border. He recently ran a HUGE lifetime PR of 4:29 for 1600m at the XLR8 Iowa Indoor Showdown. Riley talks about his early success in running and what has led to his recent jump in performance. Sponsor Information: Lightspeed Lift: We greatly appreciate Lightspeed Lift for how they p...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Drop the Hammer I dive into the Law of the Harvest. The seeds that you sow will only produce that harvest. You can't sow apple seeds and expect potatoes to be what shows up! The same applies to what we do in running. Give it a listen to hear how you can learn to plant the seeds of what you hope to reap.  Sponsor Information: Lightspeed Lift: We greatly appr...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I dive into the struggle that all runners face when they encounter injuries during their training. There are several key strategies that you can use to make sure you stay on the path towards your goals while also feeling excited and motivated to continue working out. Sponsor Information: Lightspeed Lift: We greatly appreciate Lightspeed Lift for how they partner wi...

Send us Fan Mail The Madrid Boys 3-time defending Iowa 1A state xc champs bring three guys on the program to talk about their top-10 individual finishes to lead the team to another title. Listen in to here about what makes their team so special, their strong hair game, and even who wears the shortest shorts! Sponsor Information: Lightspeed Lift: We greatly appreciate Lightspeed Lift for how they p...

Send us Fan Mail In this inaugural episode of "Drop the Hammer", I dive into one of the biggest mistakes all runners make: running too fast on aerobic runs. In less than 10 minutes you will learn why this simple mistake can be costing you precious seconds in your race performance. So, check it out and learn how to find the sweet spot in your training and not waste all of your hard work. ...

Send us Fan Mail Jeff Morris is the head coach at Perham HS in Minnesota. In this first of a two-part series, Jeff describes what it was like to coach Gabe Grunewald in high school. Gabe passed of cancer a little over a year ago, and today, June 25th, would have been her 34th birthday. Listen to him share emotional stories about her and how the running community can support her foundation by parti...

Send us Fan Mail Sydney is the greatest sprinter in Iowa HS track and Field history. She holds state all-time records in the 100, 200, and 400 meter dashes. She is also the only athlete to ever win individual titles in the 100, 200, 400, and 800 in the same state meet. Listen to her share about what her dad wrote to her on the morning before she accomplished those legendary feats. Twitter: @Sydney...

Send us Fan Mail Brynn is the new all-time US high school record holder in the outdoor 3200 meter run after setting the unofficial mark in a time trial earlier this spring. She is one of the top high school distance runners of all-time and talks about how she rebounded from a tough finish to her cross country season to accomplish this amazing feat. Instagram: brynntbrown Sponsor Information: Final...

Send us Fan Mail Jaysen is a 15:26 5k cross country runner from way up in Sioux City near the South Dakota border. He is one of the top returners in the state for distance athletes and has his eyes set on a state title and a sub-15:00 clocking in cross country. Hear him talk about what it is like to be in a school that is not located near the major schools in central or eastern Iowa. Twitter: @Jay...

Send us Fan Mail Claire is a superstar freshman at Norwalk HS. She was a 3x middle school state champion last spring in the 100, 200, and 400. Hear her describe what it is like to run on the AAU circuit and how she has developed her success over the years. Twitter: @Claire_Farrell8 Instagram: clairethebest8 Sponsor Information: Final Surge: Thank you to Final Surge for sponsoring the podcast. Chec...

Send us Fan Mail Ryan is the 5k cross country school record for Dubuque Hempstead HS. Their boys cross country team returns a dominant group of 6 athletes that should challenge for a state team title this fall. Hear him talk about what it is like to be part of that amazing team and atmosphere. Twitter: @Ryan_Winger03 Instagram: ryan_winger1361 Sponsor Information: Final Surge: Thank you to Final S...

Send us Fan Mail Roisin is one of the best middle distance high school runners in US history. As a sophomore she has already run 53 seconds and 2:03 for the 400 and 800 meter runs. These are staggering times that reflect potential to reach the highest levels in the sport. The daughter of an Olympian, hear her talk about what it is like to pursue athletic excellence at such a young age. Twitter: @r...

Send us Fan Mail Jacob was the 3rd place finisher in the Minnesota Class A state cross country championships this last fall while leading his team to a runner-up finish. One of only 52 in his graduating class, he will be heading to Fargo, ND to run for the Bison next fall. Hear talk about the value of each runner on a team from such a small school. Instagram: jacob_bright__ Sponsor Information: Fi...