Episode 78: Jason Koop on Coaching Competence and Smarter Training

You might know Steve as the creator and Rebel Leader of Nerd Fitness, a wildly popular community of desk jockeys and average Joe's looking to level up their lives. He's also author of Level Up Your Life: How to Unlock Adventure and Happiness by Being the Hero of Your Own Story (if you're into personal development or self-improvement, I can't recommend this hilarious, insightful, and uplifting book more strongly). But Steve is way more interesting than the books and businesses he's created. He's also a former skinny dude who's bulked up to look like Captain America. Today, he can do muscle-ups. He's spoken at Google and Facebook. And the dramatic transformations he's enabled are truly remarkable. The best part? Steve is one of the good guys – someone I've had a few adult beverages with and let stay at my house. I respect him. And I think you will as well after you listen to us chat about health, goal-setting, and how to make exercise easy to do.

13 Nov 201659min

Mario Fraioli is a collegiate cross country All-American, 2:28 marathoner, formerly a Senior Editor at Competitor Magazine, and the publisher of the morning shakeout newsletter. He's interviewed pros like Ryan Hall, Adam Goucher, Shalane Flanagan and many others, in addition to being the 2012 Costa Rican Men's Marathon coach. Mario is also the author of The Official Rock 'n' Roll Guide to Marathon & Half-Marathon Training, coach to local runners in the Bay Area, and his latest pursuit is as the founding head coach of Ekiden Coaching. In this conversation, Mario and I discuss coaching for runners. You'll learn who benefits most, how to make the most of a coaching relationship, and the biggest lessons we've learned from the numerous coaches we've had over our careers.

9 Nov 201638min

Born in the coastal town of Marblehead north of Boston, Massachusetts, Shalane showed an early aptitude for distance running. A three-time All-State cross country athlete, she also finished first in the state in the mile and her 4:46 performance won the National Scholastic Indoor championships. Her two-mile performance still stands as a Massachusetts record. Flash forward to to 2004 when Shalane turned professional and her achievements kept piling up. A two-time national champion in the 5,000m, she won the short course cross country championships in 2004 and 2005. Today, Shalane is one of the most dominant female distance runners on the planet, boasting achievements like: 2008 Bronze Medalist in the Olympic 10,000m Multiple American Record holder 2nd fastest American female marathoner of all time with a 2:21:14 personal best 2012 Olympic Trials marathon winner and 10th overall at the 2012 London Olympics 6th overall at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the marathon But Shalane isn't just a runner. She's now a New York Times best-selling author with her coauthor Elyse Kopecky of Run Fast, Eat Slow: Nourishing Recipes for Athletes. This was one of the easier interviews I've ever done because Shalane is so easy-going and relaxed. I had a blast talking to her about a wide range of subjects: Does Shalane have a Boston accent after a few glasses of wine? Her favorite type of wine Go-to runs in the Boston area What does running 120 miles a week feel like? A snapshot of her strength training program Why she now loves fat - after avoiding it for years Her favorite race What's next for Shalane (this might be surprising)

2 Nov 201641min

Running ain't always easy. And with over 18 years of running experience - and 6+ years of coaching thousands of athletes - Jason wanted to share some of his biggest mistakes and the lessons that he's learned the hard way.   Why share these lessons? So you don't have to make the same mistakes! Trial and error works, but it's messy. Instead, eliminate all that wasted time and effort and instead focus on these Big 7 Lessons to avoid injury, gain endurance more quickly, and race a lot faster.

30 Okt 201625min

Nick Symmonds is one of the world's best middle distance runners. A two-time Olympian and 2013 silver medalist at the World Championships, he has a personal best time of 1:42.95 in the 800 meters (and a 5:19 beer mile PR!). An outspoken advocate for athletes rights, his company Run Gum has sued the US Olympic Committee and USA Track & Field to help track athletes better market themselves. Considering that more than 50% of elite track and field athletes live under the poverty level, this would dramatically help them land more sponsorships and make a better living. In this far-ranging conversation, Nick and coach Jason Fitzgerald talk about everything from Tesla and SpaceX, auctioning off ad space on Nick's shoulder to the highest bidder, what it feels like to perform on the world's biggest stages, and starting his performance running gum company Run Gum.

28 Okt 201649min