#13: How to Run a Faster Marathon with Bill Callahan

In the Extramilest Show I interview a variety of people that go in extra mile in different aspects of their life. From runners and endurance athletes of all different levels, to coaches like Dr. Phil Maffetone and health gurus with many world records like The Iceman Wim Hof.

In this episode I Interview Bill Callahan, he lives in the middle of New York.  He works a full time job, he has 2 young kids aged 2 and wife and a wife in grad school. Still he is able to run 50 to 60 miles per week in the evenings and weekends.

So far he has improved from 3:40 to 2:53 with more training volume, low HR training and more racing experience.

In today’s episode we take a deep dive into his training and racing experience with a ton of great info on how to become a stronger, faster, healthier athlete.

Bill and I had a lot of fun recording this.

Hope you enjoy today’s episode!

 

SHOW NOTES

• How Bill’s wife Lindsey got him into running via the Boilermaker 15k. [4:36]
• Bill’s first marathon experience in 2012 in 3 hours 40 minutes [5:55]
• How Bill’s training and racing has evolved over the years, his key learnings [9:30] 
• Bill’s initial experience with low heart rate training [12:25]
• The improvements Bill noticed over a 5 month period with HR training [13:35]
• The importance of consistency in training + variations in your running terrain , flat, up hills, down hills, etc [15:45]
• Bill rotates 4 different types of shoes, different drop levels and weights  [16:36]
• How Bill’s training and racing has evolved over the years, his key learnings [8:05] 
• How Bill and Floris use Strava as a tool for note taking, this helps decide what training volume is best for him [21:00]
• The importance of Bill’s routine before race day [26:00]
• How Bill overcomes tough spots in his races [31:30]
• Recounting the race where Bill ran his current PR, his race and nutritional strategy [35:45] 
• Bill’s logistics with gels and salt pills [39:55]
• Bill explains his strategy behind doing monthly pace runs, pretending it’s the first part of a race. [42:10]
• What a typical training week looks like for Bill [44:30]
• Importance of a proper cool down after a workout and race [48:00]
• Bill’s thoughts about stretching [48:40]
• How Bill has been focusing on improving his running form to become a faster athlete, focusing on arm swings [56:15]
• Importance during Marathon running to run the corners smart, shortest route [57:45]
• Floris’s pre-race strategy to get in good position early in a coral and stay warm [58:30]
• Boston Weather expectations, you can’t control what you can’t control, Plan B, C, D and E! [1:01:09]
• Bill’s advice for athletes looking to run a Boston Qualifier, Sub 3 Hour Marathon or Marathon PR [1:03:00]

Bill's Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/14456219

I would love to hear from you. What was your favorite lesson or topic from this conversation. Please let me know in the comments.

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