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The Strength Running Podcast

Coach Jason Fitzgerald shares running advice for new and veteran runners who are passionate about getting stronger, preventing running injuries, and racing faster. Featuring guests like Olympians Nick Symmonds and Shalane Flanagan, best-selling authors Alex Hutchinson and Matt Fitzgerald, and other Physical Therapists, Sports Psychologists, and Coaches. You’ll learn what it takes to run fast, stay healthy, and become a better runner with practical no-nonsense advice.
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Now displaying: September, 2021
Sep 30, 2021

Matt Fitzgerald is a 2:39 marathoner, acclaimed author, triathlete, nutritionist, and running coach. His most recent book is The Comeback Quotient, available now.

The subject of his book is both timely and personal, as Matt is currently working through being a COVID long hauler. He first got coronavirus in March of 2020, got healthy, but then 6 months later started getting long haul symptoms. He’s still mostly unable to run, which makes this conversation so pertinent to him.

In this conversation we’ll be talking about the 3-step process for recognizing reality, digging yourself out of any hole that you might find yourself in, and getting back on track.

You can immerse yourself in other content focused on mental strength, too:

For more resources, check out the free guide to mental toughness for runners.

We discuss some of my favorite and recurring topics:

  • Mental strength and how the pros approach challenges
  • Value of journaling and training logs
  • Dealing with training setbacks
  • How to self-coach

Links & Resources from the Show:

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. And you can get a free sampler pack of 4 flavors and 8 individual packets when you pay $5 in shipping.

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. 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.

They just released their first new flavor of 2021, their most requested flavor, watermelon salt. So check out Elemental Labs to try their new flavor or get a free sampler pack. 

Thank You InsideTracker!

Our show is supported by our longtime sponsor InsideTracker. Today, more than ever, it's essential that we’re making the right decisions to keep our bodies healthy. To help us be resilient, prevent over-training, and optimize our running to get the most from it.

InsideTracker is the ultra-personalized nutrition platform that analyzes your blood and DNA biomarkers along with your lifestyle habits to help you optimize your body and reach your goals.

InsideTracker’s patented system will transform your body's data into knowledge, insights, and a customized action plan of science-backed recommendations. The data can help you determine whether you’re running too much, not enough, or have some other issues that could be affecting your recovery or performance.

I've had my own blood drawn with InsideTracker several times and have been amazed at the valuable information that they provide. Not only are the results very detailed, but they also share guidance for how to improve any markers that are out of range.

If you’re ready to take control of your health and optimize your training, InsideTracker offers a selection of plans that best suit your needs with a limited time 25% discount.

Sep 23, 2021

Lydia Nader is a Registered Dietitian with a graduate degree in nutrition and wellness. She coaches athletes on how to optimize their nutrition. She’s a volunteer coach for Girls on the Run and has completed an ultramarathon, and numerous marathons. Lydia's areas of interest include weight loss, body composition changes, and female health such as amenorrhea and RED-S.

Lydia was also the Endeavorun running retreat’s nutritionist, helping us eat great for the 4 day retreat last month in Boulder. During that retreat she gave a presentation on 10 of the most popular ideas in sports nutrition that we may have to rethink. This episode includes many of those ideas.

Take a look at these statements yourself and see if you think that they are true or false:

  • Sugar is bad for athletes
  • Training for a marathon means I can eat whatever I want
  • I don't need to eat anything before a run
  • Eating before bedtime makes you fat
  • Plant-based diets don't provide enough nutrition for athletes
  • Carb loading is necessary for endurance athletes
  • Refueling must be done within 30 min of finishing a workout

We discuss each of these in detail, including nuances such as sex differences.

Links & Resources from the Show:

Thank You InsideTracker!

Our show is supported by our longtime sponsor InsideTracker. Today, more than ever, it's essential that we’re making the right decisions to keep our bodies healthy. To help us be resilient, prevent over-training, and optimize our running to get the most from it.

InsideTracker is the ultra-personalized nutrition platform that analyzes your blood and DNA biomarkers along with your lifestyle habits to help you optimize your body and reach your goals.

InsideTracker’s patented system will transform your body's data into knowledge, insights, and a customized action plan of science-backed recommendations. The data can help you determine whether you’re running too much, not enough, or have some other issues that could be affecting your recovery or performance.

I've had my own blood drawn with InsideTracker several times and have been amazed at the valuable information that they provide. Not only are the results very detailed, but they also share guidance for how to improve any markers that are out of range.

If you’re ready to take control of your health and optimize your training, InsideTracker offers a selection of plans that best suit your needs with a limited time 25% discount.

Thank You PATH Projects!

PATH Projects continues to be a great supporter of this podcast! I’m grateful for their partnership and want to share more about their products that I’ve been loving because they so durable and comfortable.

PATH Projects is an online-only retailer of high-quality running gear and apparel. That means there is no retail markup, making their products quite affordable.

In particular, I’ve just started wearing their 3” Sykes shorts and they’re a little different from the 5” Sykes shorts (you can see those in action here). The material is thinner and lighter, which is perfect in a performance short, and they’re obviously shorter. I’m not sure if my wife thinks they’re too scandalous or loves them, but I’m wearing them constantly.

PATH uses new technical fabrics, like the Japanese fiber called Toray Primeflex, to create award-winning apparel for endurance athletes. In fact, their Brim shorts and Tahoe base liner won Runner’s World’s 2018 Gear of the Year award. And the Pyrinees hoodie was named one of the best six sweatshirts for running in the cold by Gear Patrol.

You know you’ll be wearing the best when you select PATH Projects!

Sep 16, 2021

Today we're doing something a little different with a panel of running experts. We are discussing a variety of topics, everything from training-related questions to the not-so-serious ones. 

Endeavorun created a unique experience for a group of runner enthusiasts. We got to spend a few days together in Boulder, CO at a retreat focusing on all things running.

One of our highlight events was a panel discussion that you're about to hear. We sat down with Olympian Kate Grace, 2:19 marathoner Peter Bromka, author Matt Fitzgerald, registered dietitian Lydia Nader, and myself for a live Q&A.

Our questions included:

  • You are at a bar and you overhear someone talking about running. They say something that causes you to correct them. What did they say?
  • Your bucket list race
  • What is something about running that you are an expert in and is largely misunderstood?

Doing the live Q&A with a group of running experts from all different backgrounds made for a lively conversation. We talked about pacing, track standards, goal races, and recovery.

Hear the full episode below and follow along with Jonathan Levitt’s podcast For the Long Run and Matt Fitzgerald’s The 80/20 Endurance Podcast for parts 2 and 3 of the conversation.

Links & Resources from the Show:

Thank You InsideTracker!

Our show is supported by our longtime sponsor InsideTracker. Today, more than ever, it's essential that we’re making the right decisions to keep our bodies healthy. To help us be resilient, prevent over-training, and optimize our running to get the most from it.

InsideTracker is the ultra-personalized nutrition platform that analyzes your blood and DNA biomarkers along with your lifestyle habits to help you optimize your body and reach your goals.

InsideTracker’s patented system will transform your body's data into knowledge, insights, and a customized action plan of science-backed recommendations. The data can help you determine whether you’re running too much, not enough, or have some other issues that could be affecting your recovery or performance.

I've had my own blood drawn with InsideTracker several times and have been amazed at the valuable information that they provide. Not only are the results very detailed, but they also share guidance for how to improve any markers that are out of range.

If you’re ready to take control of your health and optimize your training, InsideTracker offers a selection of plans that best suit your needs with a limited time 25% discount.

Sep 9, 2021

Abdi Abdirahman is a 5-time Olympian and the oldest American runner to qualify for the Olympics. He is the oldest male to podium at the NYC Marathon, and USATF’s master’s record holder in the marathon. Abdi is also a 4-time USATF champ in the 10k and a 5-time road racing champion at distances from 10 miles to the marathon.

In other words, he’s one of the best runners ever to represent the United States.

He's also found the time to become a new author. I'm thrilled he's written his first book to get an even deeper inside look into his mind. 

Check it out here: Abdi's World: The Black Cactus on Life, Running, and Fun

Today's conversation gives a glimpse of his laid back, lighthearted personality that contributes to Abdi's amazing longevity in the sport.

We explore topics of:

  • Balance between training and life outside of running
  • Changes that Abdi has seen over the years
  • When to be serious and when to relax
  • How running "strength" evolves over time

Links & Resources from the Show:

Thank You InsideTracker!

Our show is supported by our longtime sponsor InsideTracker. Today, more than ever, it's essential that we’re making the right decisions to keep our bodies healthy. To help us be resilient, prevent over-training, and optimize our running to get the most from it.

InsideTracker is the ultra-personalized nutrition platform that analyzes your blood and DNA biomarkers along with your lifestyle habits to help you optimize your body and reach your goals.

InsideTracker’s patented system will transform your body's data into knowledge, insights, and a customized action plan of science-backed recommendations. The data can help you determine whether you’re running too much, not enough, or have some other issues that could be affecting your recovery or performance.

I've had my own blood drawn with InsideTracker several times and have been amazed at the valuable information that they provide. Not only are the results very detailed, but they also share guidance for how to improve any markers that are out of range.

If you’re ready to take control of your health and optimize your training, InsideTracker offers a selection of plans that best suit your needs with a limited time 25% discount.

Thank You PATH Projects!

PATH Projects continues to be a great supporter of this podcast! I’m grateful for their partnership and want to share more about their products that I’ve been loving because they so durable and comfortable.

PATH Projects is an online-only retailer of high-quality running gear and apparel. That means there is no retail markup, making their products quite affordable.

In particular, I’ve just started wearing their 3” Sykes shorts and they’re a little different from the 5” Sykes shorts (you can see those in action here). The material is thinner and lighter, which is perfect in a performance short, and they’re obviously shorter. I’m not sure if my wife thinks they’re too scandalous or loves them, but I’m wearing them constantly.

PATH uses new technical fabrics, like the Japanese fiber called Toray Primeflex, to create award-winning apparel for endurance athletes. In fact, their Brim shorts and Tahoe base liner won Runner’s World’s 2018 Gear of the Year award. And the Pyrinees hoodie was named one of the best six sweatshirts for running in the cold by Gear Patrol.

You know you’ll be wearing the best when you select PATH Projects!

Sep 2, 2021

Professor Phil Hayes is a senior lecturer at Northumbria University where he spent 14 years as the leader of the Applied Sport and Exercise Science Program. He researches muscle strength and how it affects running performance, form, and injury risk.

Phil is a UK Athletics Level 4 running coach and has experience coaching kids, adults, and world-class athletes. His new book, The Science and Practice of Middle and Long Distance Running, weaves together sports science and the art of coaching runners.

Today's conversation is a highlight of those principles and an exploration of how they can be applied. We cover many topics from how to structure a training plan to outdated approaches. We talk about:

  • Significant of a training log and which metrics to pay attention to
  • Periodization and progression over time
  • Dynamic warm-ups versus priming activities
  • New frontiers of running such as fatigue resistance

Thank You InsideTracker!

Our show is supported by our longtime sponsor InsideTracker. Today, more than ever, it's essential that we’re making the right decisions to keep our bodies healthy. To help us be resilient, prevent over-training, and optimize our running to get the most from it.

InsideTracker is the ultra-personalized nutrition platform that analyzes your blood and DNA biomarkers along with your lifestyle habits to help you optimize your body and reach your goals.

InsideTracker’s patented system will transform your body's data into knowledge, insights, and a customized action plan of science-backed recommendations. The data can help you determine whether you’re running too much, not enough, or have some other issues that could be affecting your recovery or performance.

I've had my own blood drawn with InsideTracker several times and have been amazed at the valuable information that they provide. Not only are the results very detailed, but they also share guidance for how to improve any markers that are out of range.

If you’re ready to take control of your health and optimize your training, InsideTracker offers a selection of plans that best suit your needs with a limited time 25% discount.

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