Episode 71: A Step-by-Step Guide to Tempo Runs

Zoë Rom is the Associate Editor of Trail Runner Magazine, host of the DNF podcast and an outspoken advocate for environmental justice. She has a Master's Degree in Environmental Journalism from the University of Colorado and has a deep passion for our public lands. Zoë lives, plays, and works in the mountains of Colorado. She has a firm belief that access to outdoor recreation should be equal for all. At the same time, the negative impacts of industrial development should not be weighted on certain racial or income groups. In today's episode, we dive into many topics such as institutional negligence, equal access, and the fight for justice. Zoë has numerous suggestions on how you can get involved – everything from individual food choices to the support of organizations that are doing meaningful work. Links & Resources from the Show: Follow Zoë on Instagram Check out her podcast: DNF Read more about Zoe on Trail Runner Magazine Zoë Rom's website SR's trail running guide Elite trail athlete Peter Maksimow on public lands Thank you Elemental Labs! A big thanks to Elemental Labs for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. They're also offering free product: just pay for shipping and you can get their sample pack including 8 packets of citrus, raspberry, unflavored, and orange salt varieties. Elemental Labs' products have some of the highest sodium concentrations that you can find. Anybody who runs a lot knows that sodium, as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, are essential to our performance and how we feel throughout the day. The citrus flavor has quickly become my favorite and I'm drinking one a day now to help me get enough fluids in our dry Colorado air. It's tasty and delicious and I find that I'm not peeing every 45 minutes throughout the day, which might be an indication I wasn't eating enough sodium. There's now mounting evidence that higher sodium intake levels are not unhealthy – and athletes need substantially more than your typical sedentary person. Of course, ask your doctor if you're worried. But for those athletes running outside in the heat, an electrolyte replacement makes a lot of sense. So check out Elemental Labs to try their sample pack for free and get your hydration optimized for the upcoming spring season.

4 Maalis 202158min

Dana Giordano is a middle-distance pro runner for Adidas and the Boston Athletics Association (B.A.A.). Prior to becoming a pro, she worked at Reebok for several years as a Product Manager, while keeping up with running as a lifestyle sport. She was also an All-American at Dartmouth University and reflects often on those years of running. Dana has had an interesting year as a pro, given the global pandemic that we are all facing. Her impact goes well beyond her performance, as the host of the More than Running with Dana Giordano podcast, where she features stories of women in the sport. Dana left her job in pursuit of her Olympic dreams and shares the many challenges that she has overcome and continues to deal with. In this episode, we talk about: Dana's journey from collegiate runner to pro The life on an underdog elite runner Training through cold, snowy winters Mental skills and mindset to overcome setbacks How to keep running fun Dana's overall humble perspectives and down-to-earth approach makes this conversation very accessible to all runners. I hope you'll come away with a new look at the life of a pro runner and how you can achieve more in this sport as well. Links & Resources from the Show: Dana's Instagram and Twitter Check out Dana's podcast Children's book: Girl Running: Bobbi Gibb and the Boston Marathon Thank you to our newest sponsor, XOSKIN, who's offering 20% off with code 'SR' at checkout! I was introduced to this company a few months ago and have been impressed with the quality of the shorts and shirt that I've been wearing. They have a patented knitting technology that keeps you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It has even been used in Death Valley races, so you know the heat dissipation is excellent. The 3-dimensional knitting of the fabric is very comfortable and versatile because there aren't any seams so the risk of chafing, blisters, or hot spots is a lot lower. I'm also loving that they have powerful anti-odor properties. They use both copper and a synthetic treatment to reduce odor and friction and wick moisture. Plus, it's molecularly bonded so it doesn't come out in the wash. Be sure to check out XOSKIN to see all of their shirts, tights, socks, compression sleeves, and more. Their clothes are made for both men and women so you're sure to find something that suits your needs. Use code SR (not case sensitive) to get 20% off your order!

25 Helmi 202151min

Dr. Caitlin Alexander is a physical therapist at Build Sports Performance Lab & Physical Therapy in Boulder, Colorado with a certification in Applied Functional Science. She's a certified triathlon coach, running coach, and has experience working with elite-level athletes. She's also an incredible athlete herself! Caitlin has qualified for the Kona World Ironman Championships and is a category 3 cyclist. In our conversation today, we're talking about what happens when you have an injury for a very long time. You see, our movement patterns live in our brain. Your brain is what controls how you run and if your brain learns over time to compensate for an injury, you'll develop all new movement patterns - and they won't be ideal. Finally, Caitlin and I discuss: the origins of disrupted motor patterns how these movement patterns become ingrained in our brain the process required to relearn optimal movement patterns fun Q&A! Resources & Links: Follow Caitlin on Instagram Mobility training for runners Dynamic warm up exercises Jay Dicharry on injury-free running Injury prevention email course Thank you Elemental Labs A big thanks to Elemental Labs for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. They're also offering free product: just pay for shipping and you can get their sample pack including 8 packets of citrus, raspberry, unflavored, and orange salt varieties. Elemental Labs' products have some of the highest sodium concentrations that you can find. Anybody who runs a lot knows that sodium, as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, are essential to our performance and how we feel throughout the day. The citrus flavor has quickly become my favorite and I'm drinking one a day now to help me get enough fluids in our dry Colorado air. It's tasty and delicious and I find that I'm not peeing every 45 minutes throughout the day, which might be an indication I wasn't eating enough sodium. There's now mounting evidence that higher sodium intake levels are not unhealthy – and athletes need substantially more than your typical sedentary person. Of course, ask your doctor if you're worried. But for those athletes running outside in the heat, an electrolyte replacement makes a lot of sense. I'm encouraged by the fact that Navy SEAL teams, Olympic teams, and pro athletes have started using Elemental electrolyte supplements to improve their performance. Learn more about what they do at their website (and don't forget to get your free sample pack!).

18 Helmi 202153min

Steven Sashen is a Master's All-American sprinter and one of the fastest sprinters over 50 in the United States. He's a former All-American gymnast, a professional stand-up comic, a cognitive psychology researcher, and he previously tought Tai Chi and Zen Archery. Steven has quite the background which is probably needed for starting a successful company in one of the most competitive industries in the world: footwear. He's now the cofounder and CEO of Xero Shoes. We're going to talk about the beginnings of Xero Shoes, the benefits of minimalism, how to transition, plus feature a whole host of questions from members of Team Strength Running, our group coaching program. If you'd like to impact future podcast episodes, you can learn more about the team at strengthrunning.com/join/ Follow Jason Fitzgerald on Instagram and subscribe to the Strength Running YouTube channel!

11 Helmi 202155min

Our guest today is Bryan Green, the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Go Be More apparel, host of the Go Be More Podcast, organizer of the Ignite Sendai Conference in Japan that connects entrepreneurs, and author of the new book Make the Leap. Bryan ran for UCLA from 1997 - 2002 where he was a 2x National Qualifier for cross country, captain of the track team, and 3rd place finisher at the 2001 Pac-10 10,000m final. In this conversation, we're focusing on the mental side of training. The mindset that is required for high performance and all of the little things that enable us to succeed that aren't really little at all. We're going to discuss feedback loops, his Optimal Training Pyramid, your hidden training program, and building your self-belief system. For more on mindset, sign up for Strength Running's free mental fitness course here. Support our sponsor InsideTracker by using the code strengthrunning on any of their tests at InsideTracker.com.

4 Helmi 202154min

Michael Crawley is an anthropology professor at Durham University in England. A 2:20 marathoner, he spent 15 months training with the best runners in Ethiopia to figure out the secrets to their success. His book, Out of Thin Air, is a beautiful story of a culture where for many, "running is life." From their very different relationship to easy runs, metrics and pace, and even the social aspect of running, this episode will open your eyes to a different way of approaching running. But more than that, you'll see how running is life for many in Ethiopia and how the sport is an integral part of the Ethiopian identity. Visit https://strengthrunning.com/​ to learn more about barefoot running, getting faster, injury preventing, and lifting for speed. Or connect with Jason Twitter: https://twitter.com/JasonFitz1​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonfitz1/​ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strengthrunning

28 Tammi 202142min

Jay Dicharry is a physical therapist who rose to prominence as an expert in biomechanical analysis as Director of the SPEED Clinic at the University of Virginia. He has written two books that are highly recommended for our community: Anatomy for Runners and Running Rewired. Jay also consults for several footwear companies, the US Air Force, and USA Track and Field. Recently, Jay created and founded MOBO Board, an innovative foot stability tool. In this episode we talk about the 4 skills that Jay deems absolutely necessary for healthy, pain-free running. Those are postural control, rotational stability, hip dominance, and individual skeletal alignment. We go into detail on all of these, talking about what they are, why they're important, and how to build these skills into your training. For more on injury prevention, join our free prevention course here.

21 Tammi 202157min

Ryan Banta is a coach with more than 19 years of experience and the author of the Sprinter's Compendium. At the high school level, Ryan has produced 135 All-State medalists, including 10 state champions and 15 runners-up. His teams have won 12 district championships and 5 top five state finishes in the last nine seasons. He has been elected Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (MTCCCA) president and served on the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) advisory board. In this podcast, we discuss: Prevention of sprinting-related injuries Common training errors in pursuit of speed Mechanics of maximum velocity running The speed development differences between teenagers and adults In the spirit of this year's Take Action theme, we leave off with a number of actionable steps that any runner can take to improve their speed. Show Links & Resources: Connect with Ryan on Twitter Check out his videos on YouTube Books mentioned by Ryan Supertraining by Yuri Verkhoshansky Becoming a Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett Thank You PWURE! Our newest sponsor is PWURE; learn more about them at pwure.com. They're offering 20% off your first month with code "nextlevel" at checkout. Using either your Strava data or an online consultation, they create pre-run and post-run personalized shakes using organic ingredients. They're the first company to use your fitness data to craft on-demand nutrition - I think the potential of this is awesome and it reminds me of the testing and effort that goes into elite marathoners and their fueling. PWURE has been testing their products with pro runners and the promise here is that they can deliver optimized, better ratios of carbohydrate to protein so you can perform better and recover faster. You get a post-workout dose recommendation so everything they make and recommend is unique to you. All of their formulas can be made vegan, there are four flavors to choose from, and you can even add vitamins. 82% of users saw performance and recovery improvement after one month and 86% would recommend it to a friend. See all PWURE have to offer and don't forget that code nextlevel will save you 20% on your first month.

14 Tammi 202156min