This episode is a little different! Jaxon Burton, a personal trainer and nutritionist from New Zealand who hosts the Vegan Body Coach podcast, interviews Jason about running your first marathon. He asked Jason to talk about the ins and outs of tackling your first go at 26.2 miles - from how to know when you’re ready, training must-do’s, common pitfalls to avoid, and suggestions for executing on race day.
Even if you’re not a first timer, I’m sure you’ll pick up on some valuable advice to better optimize your next marathon. This conversation originally appeared on the Vegan Body Coach Podcast.
Related Resources:
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 to our newest sponsor, Athletic Greens! They are a health and wellness company that makes AG1. This is a category-leading greens mix that has 75 vitamins and minerals, prebiotics, probiotics, antioxidants, and adaptogens.
One scoop per day is what I’ve been doing to help me fill in any nutrition gaps in my diet. It also provide a nice boost of energy and focus throughout the day. With all 3 of my kids in school, I know I need to support my immune system or else I’m getting sick and can’t train.
I also love that AG1 has changed over the last decade. Athletic Greens has made 53 improvements to the formula based on the latest research to make these nutrients more absorbable.
For our listeners, they are offering a year’s worth of free Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs of AG1 with your first purchase. You can sign up for single shipment or for a monthly drop – the choice is yours. Check out Athletic Greens to redeem your offer today.
You may recognize this week’s guest: Dr. Victoria Sekely is a running coach, certified strength and conditioning specialist, and doctor of physical therapy who joined me on episode 135.
Victoria was a varsity tennis player at Georgetown University before getting her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from NYU. As a runner herself, she knows that we want to spend our time on the roads and trails rather than in the gym. But her experience as a physical therapist has taught her the enormous value of building and maintaining a strength training habit, even for as little as 20 minutes, twice each week.
Victoria emphasizes how strength training teaches us something we rarely think about as a runner: control. Rather than trying to force changes to our running form, strength training gives us an opportunity to slow down, pay attention, and be more mindful of how our bodies are moving. With consistency, that can translate into more efficient, stronger running.
We discuss the ins and outs of bodyweight training and how it can help every runner, including:
Victoria's knowledge and humor make for an engaging and informative discussion!
This episode is brought to you by InsideTracker, one of the most reputable blood testing companies in the world. They were founded in 2009 by aging, genetics, and biometrics scientists to help you analyze your body’s data and get a firm idea of how well you’re responding to training.
Understanding your body’s biomarkers, from stress hormones to testosterone to Vitamin D, can help you figure out if you’re over-training, under-training, optimally training, or if you have a health issue that might be affecting your running. But the best part is that they give you personalized optimal ranges for each of these biomarkers and a host of ways to improve these markers through diet, lifestyle, or exercise changes.
I’ve personally gotten three Ultimate tests from them and the process is simple, easy, and very eye-opening if you haven’t done a deep dive on your biomarkers yet. Of all the investments you can make in your running, this one is like getting a detailed checkup or regularly scheduled maintenance for your internal physiology.
If you’re ready to take control of your health and optimize your training, get 25% off any of their blood tests with code STRENGTHRUNNING at InsideTracker.
This week’s episode tackles a variety of questions about the training process, including off-season planning, the concept of sandwiching, addressing cramps and side stitches, and more!
Drawing from Instagram and Twitter, Jason is directly answering your specific questions. We’re going to discuss the “sandwiching” concept, side stitches, optimal cadence, off-season training, muscle cramps, and more. Thank you to the athletes who submitted their questions. If you want to contribute in the future, make sure you connect with Jason on Instagram and Twitter.
Here's where you can find some of the questions I tackle on this episode:
Enjoy this week's questions and answer session!
To get even more personal support from Jason, join Team Strength Running for live coaching sessions, a group of runners to support you, 30+ training plans, and more!
Thank you to our newest sponsor, Athletic Greens! They are a health and wellness company that makes AG1. This is a category-leading greens mix that has 75 vitamins and minerals, prebiotics, probiotics, antioxidants, and adaptogens.
One scoop per day is what I’ve been doing to help me fill in any nutrition gaps in my diet. It also provide a nice boost of energy and focus throughout the day. With all 3 of my kids in school, I know I need to support my immune system or else I’m getting sick and can’t train.
I also love that AG1 has changed over the last decade. Athletic Greens has made 53 improvements to the formula based on the latest research to make these nutrients more absorbable.
For our listeners, they are offering a year's worth of free Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs of AG1 with your first purchase. You can sign up for single shipment or for a monthly drop - the choice is yours. Check out Athletic Greens to redeem your offer today.
Stephanie Howe is a heavy hitter from the ultra-endurance world who holds a PhD in Nutrition and Exercise Science. As an elite trail and mountain runner, Stephanie has won the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run and holds the course records for the Bandera 100k and Lake Sonoma 50 miler.
Stephanie's doctoral dissertation focused on the influence of exercise intensity on appetite in endurance-trained women. She is passionate about helping people learn how to fuel for competition and long-term health, and currently coaches runners and provides nutritional counseling.
Stephanie answers a variety of questions from Strength Running listeners on training and race nutrition, along with some of the controversial fad diets and nutrition strategies:
Links & Resources from the Show:
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.