274. Training Fundamentals, "Full" Marathons, Road vs. Trails, and more (with Travis Macy)

Chris Johnson is a physical therapist, Ironman triathlete, coach, and a three-time All-American triathlete. He started studying physical therapy as an undergraduate while he was captain of the tennis team at the University of Delaware. Chris then earned his PT degree while completing an orthopedic and sports graduate fellowship before working in New York City as a physical therapist and researcher. Chris then moved to Seattle where he started Zeren Physical Therapy. He's also a certified triathlon coach, three-time All American triathlete, two time Kona Qualifier, and is currently ranked 16th in his age group in the country for long course racing. I'm excited to bring you this conversation focused on injury prevention. We're exploring a lot of fascinating topics: Stride smoothness Form drills and corrective exercises Injury assessments (like the Functional Movement Screen) Predicting injuries Rehabilitation exercises vs. prevention exercises Chris possesses a wealth of information about movement fluency, injury prevention, and treatment. I was honored to speak with him and I hope that you get a lot of value from this conversation. Show Links & Resources: Follow Chris on Instagram The RunCadence app Chris' Physical Therapy Practice in Seattle, WA Elite Athletes on Injury Prevention (free) Running Injuries resource page More Prevention Advice From the Best One of my favorite projects recently was asking nine elite athletes about their favorite injury prevention strategies. The result is The Little Black Book of Prevention & Recovery. It features: Dathan Ritzenhein – 3x Olympian, 3x National Cross Country Champion Devon Yanko - 100k National Champion and 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifier David Roche – 2x National Trail Running Champion Amelia Boone – 3x World's Toughest Mudder Champion Andy Wacker – Trail Half Marathon National Champion Ian Sharman – 3x winner of the Leadville Trail 100 Joseph Gray – Mount Washington American Record holder and World Mountain Running Champion Kelly O'Mara - Professional triathlete Max King – US National Ultra Running Champion and 2x winner World Warrior Dash Champion Each of these athletes share their most effective recovery or injury prevention strategy – and you'll see a lot of options for staying healthy. Strategies include post-race recovery, why eating is critical for prevention, how to come back to running after you get hurt (and what mistakes to avoid), and the power of eliminating busyness from your life. Pick and choose the tactics that most resonate with you. Start using them and you'll start feeling a lot more resilient. Click the image below to download the free book. Enjoy!

27 Feb 202052min

I first met Doug in 2012 for a trail run in Rock Creek Park. At the time, he had only been running for a few years but was quickly smitten by the peaceful grandiosity of trail running and exploring the woods. As someone who ran his first marathon on a whim (he agreed to it after a few beers one night...), Doug quickly transformed himself into a competent and experienced trail ultramarathoner. He's now run 100 miles (or more) five times. His idea of a fun weekend is going on a 12-hour adventure summiting peaks in the Great Smoky Mountains. And he has a 100-mile race coming up in May... You might know Doug as the creative force behind Rock Creek Runner or as the cohost of No Meat Athlete Radio with Matt Frazier. Or, from one of our earlier conversations about trail running. But today we're not talking about trails or ultras. We're talking about development, progress, improvement, and growth. We're discussing how Doug went from non-runner to ultra endurance athlete - and how you can, too. Show Links & Resources: Follow Doug on Instagram Listen to the No Meat Athlete Radio podcast Our sponsor SteadyMD Periodization training for runners How to set any goal time Doug's 1st appearance on the podcast doing Q&A I also want to thank SteadyMD for sponsoring this episode. SteadyMD pairs you with a primary care doctor, online who's available via phone, text, or video for all of your needs. And not just any doctor, but a fellow runner who understands the training process, your recovery needs, repetitive stress injuries, and can easily order you blood work, referrals for specialists, and more. Visit SteadymD to learn more about this innovative medical service for endurance runners and reserve your spot.

20 Feb 202049min

A Senior Staff Editor and OpDocs producer at The New York Times, Lindsay Crouse's most-read and watched work includes: How the 'Shalane Flanagan' Effect Works I Am 35 and Running Faster Than I Ever Thought Possible Nike Told Me to Dream Crazy, Until I Wanted a Baby I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike (browse all of her work here) Lindsay is one of the foremost voices for women in running, helping us better understand structural inequities that lead to gender inequality and power disparities in the sport. After earning a history degree from Harvard University while competing in track and field and cross country, Lindsay moved to New York City and worked in a variety of editing and journalism awards before finally landing at The New York Times. As a senior producer of OpDocs, she's produced memorable videos about the marathoner Memo and Walk, Run, Cha Cha (which earned a nomination for an Academy Award). Lindsay is at the forefront of current affairs in the running world, highlighting how power is often unjustly wielded by the powerful against those with very little of it. But she's not just a running journalist - she's a runner! And quite a fast one at that... just this past fall, she raced 2:53 at CIM, scoring a sub-3 marathon and improving on her PR by a massive 6 minutes. In this conversation, Lindsay and I discuss her work, its real-world impact on the running community, and what draws her to these stories. We also talk about: The changing culture of distance running Why representation matters, particularly for female athletes How we shortchange women runners through coaching and science Whether being a runner has helped her break these huge stories Why so many runners consider quitting (but shouldn't) Lindsay Crouse is someone to watch in the world of running. As a near-Olympic Trials Qualifier working for the "newspaper of record," breaking the biggest stories in running, she's an exciting figure in the industry. This episode would not have been possible without Inside Tracker, who is offering a 10% discount on any of their tests with code strengthrunning.

13 Feb 20201h 1min

In high school, my indoor track coach always told our team to "get out of your comfort zones!" This valuable mental toughness training always reminded us that racing is certainly not comfortable… And over the years, my ability to hone mental toughness into a skill to be used at will became easier and easier. In the beginning, it wasn't that way: I sandbagged workouts just because I didn't feel good I "settled" on placing 2nd or 3rd in races because I was afraid to believe in myself I've even dropped out of races for no good reason other than my head wasn't in the right place Even now, I have experiences that shake my sense of self-belief. In 2015, I DNF'd an ultramarathon (my first and only attempt). In 2019, I was disqualified for cutting the course (by accident) of a trail race. These experiences shook my self-confidence and made me question whether or not I even possessed any mental toughness. But I soon realized that I wasn't approaching mental toughness in the right way. It's not an issue of whether you "have it" or "don't have it" – it's an issue of, "are you working on it?" That's because mental toughness training is an ongoing practice that must be cultivated over time. You're never "done" with developing this valuable mental skill – just like you're never "done" with workouts, long runs, or recovery runs as a runner. This episode also includes an announcement about Mindset Mastery, our new coaching program. It's now open for up to 20 runners but registration closes on Monday, February 3rd!

30 Jan 202010min

Dr. Justin Ross' areas of expertise include: Mitigating anxiety, depression, and stress Managing the psychological impact of injury Developing high performing athletes Mindfulness and pain management He uses cognitive behavioral therapy, performance psychology, and mindfulness training to help athletes improve their inner self-talk and develop the mental skills to lead more productive and successful athletic lives. Justin joins us on the podcast to discuss a wide variety of issues: The most important psychological skills for endurance runners How to teach performance psychology for runners How mental fitness skills impact the rest of our life Reinforcing habits through mental training And more… Every runner has struggled with the mental side of the sport: doubts, despair, boredom, anxiety, lack of confidence, and no motivation. Dr. Justin Ross is here to help us conquer that inner critic, use performance psychology to stay motivated, and get in control of our mindset.

15 Jan 202047min

This was an incredible year for the Strength Running Podcast and I have you and our guests to thank! If you have shared the pod with your running group, left a rating or review in Apple Music, or supported our sponsors I want to thank you for making all of this possible. In 2019, we hit one million downloads for the podcast, we've already surpassed 1.5 million and are quickly en route to 2 million downloads. These are surreal numbers - and they're because of you. In this episode, host Jason Fitzgerald recaps the most popular lessons, ideas, and principles from the last year of the podcast.

30 Dec 201912min

I first met Peter at the US Trail Running Conference in Estes Park, CO. We sat together at lunch, had a great conversation, and I'm excited to bring his perspectives to the Strength Running Podcast. Peter is on the podcast today to discuss a wide-ranging set of issues that affect runners: What counts as "trail running" (especially if you live in a city) How you can get involved with trail maintenance in your area Plogging and how we can leave spaces better than we found them His favorite type of race The ATRA trail race calendar Show Links & Resources: The ATRA "Find a Trail" tool Strength Running's Trail Running Resource Page Follow Peter on Instagram Trail maintenance opportunities How to become a competitive trail runner (with pro Abby Levene) How Anna Mae Flynn trains for trail ultras Please be sure to say hi to Peter on social media and thank him for coming on the podcast! Also, a big thank you is in order for SteadyMD for sponsoring this episode of the podcast! Learn more about their medical services for runners and how you can benefit from a physician who understands runners. No wait times, no copays, no office visits. Just a doctor who understands runners who's always available for you 24/7.

9 Dec 201938min

This coaching call is with a runner named Dena about training and goal setting as a Master's Athlete. She's about to turn 41, she's running well, but she wants to make sure that she continues to do so as a Master's runner. And there's no doubt that when you start getting older, running starts getting harder. Recovery is slower, adaptation takes longer, injury risks are higher, and we all experience declines in reaction time, muscle mass, VO2 Max, and so many other factors that affect our running. In this conversation with Dena, we're talking about the training updates that Master's Runners can make to stall the aging process, continue to improve, and reduce their injury risk. We also discuss goal setting and how Dena can continue to keep things interesting as she runs far into her 40's. You'll notice that I spent a fair amount of time encouraging Dena to train for shorter races and to lift weights. Both of these goals are similar in that they are strength and power oriented - precisely the skills that we must word harder to preserve as we get older. In fact, you can see a big case study on a runner named David at strengthrunning.com/david/, who at age 73 (!), recovered from a major injury and qualified for the Boston Marathon, by focusing on his strength and power. If I could have every runner over the age of 40 practice two simple things, it would be speedwork and weightlifting. Not just for the strength and speed, but just as much for the hormonal benefits of both. These activities provide a big hit of testosterone and growth hormone, helping spur adaptations, muscle growth, and recovery. Exactly what older runners need. I encourage you to visit our website at strengthrunning.com/strength/ and learn more about the incredible benefits of weightlifting for runners, get some example exercises and other case studies, and see how your running can be transformed with a focus on strength and power. And of course, our email courses are always free.

2 Dec 201919min