“When you are at the end of a marathon, and all your mind wants you to do is to stop, try going faster! What your legs really need is some type of change, so practicing that and mentally wrapping your head around the fact that you are not going to die if you do.” - Kelley Pucket Jessica Dorsey, Kelley Pucket and Gwen Ostrosky are 3 badass runners with a lot of Marathon experience. Recently all three ran a Sub 3 Hour Marathon at CIM in Sacramento, with times between 2:59 and 2:54!!  There are different ways to reach a marathon PR goal. In today's episode of The Extramilest Show, these 3 women share: their training approach, details of their speedwork, long runs and cross training their Sub 3 Hour marathon race strategies and execution how they overcame though spots in training and in their rac advice for athletes looking to run a Sub 3 Hour marathon, Boston Qualifier or Marathon PR.    SHOW NOTES Jessica’s running background [1:50] How Jessica increased her training volume from 25 miles to 58 miles per week [2:25] How Kelley overcame a foot fracture  [4:30] The 3 quality workouts that Kelley focused on her Sub 3 Hour Marathon: tempo, speedwork and long run. [6:00] Gwen’s running background with 25 marathons and how she overcame her marathon running plateau to improve [8:00] Why Gwen gave herself permission to fail in training workouts and how this changed her mindset about training [10:20] Examples of Jessica’s longer workouts [12:00] Jessica’s 1/2 marathon PR of 1:23 in this training cycle [14:00] Jessica’s speedwork was at a slower pace than she had done in previous training cycles [14:50] Kelley explaining to find what works best for you personally to become a faster runner, what excites you [16:05] Kelley’s cross training in the form of boxing 2 to 3 times a week [17:00] Kelley’s treadmill speed workouts [17:20] Mixing up your speed during workouts [18:40] The importance of having fun during your workouts [19:25] How Gwen slowed down her weekly speed workouts a bit for faster recovery [20:10] Gwen’s long runs to train her body and mind [21:15] Jessica’s honest answer about her “not good” approach to nutrition and sugar, and what she feels can be improved [23:30] Kelley vegetarian approach to nutrition [26:10] Kelley often trains without taking in any calories, even on 20 milers [27:00] Gwen’s changed cold turkey into a stricter nutritional approach, cutting out some sugars [28:20] How Gwen prepares the routine of race day, so there are no surprises [29:32] Jessica’s race day strategy and execution [30:40] Jessica’s nutritional schedule for race day [33:30] Kelley’s race day strategy and execution, importance of holding back on the uphills [34:20] Why Kelley stops and drinks at aid stations vs running through them fast [36:18] The mindset Kelley has at the last part of her race [37:05] Gwen’s strategy to run the first 1/2 marathon in 1:30 to reach her Sub 3 Goal [38:15] How Gwen’s last 6 miles / 10 km went on race day, during though miles [42:00] How Jessica gets through tough spots at the end of a marathon [46:20] Kelley’s approach to break races up in smaller sections, easier on the mind to be present [51:10] What would Kelley do differently for her next marathon training and race day? [53:25]  The three things Gwen would do differently for her next Sub 3 Hour Marathon [55:00]  What Jessica would change for her next training cycle and race [56:40] Jessica’s Olympic Qualifying Goal of Sub 2:45 and what it will take to get there [58:00] Upcoming race goals for Gwen, Kelley and Jessica [59:58] What did their taper looked like before the CIM Marathon [1:02:40] Tips and recommendations to run a Sub 3 Hour Marathon and Boston Qualifier [1:05:57]  

Jay Motley, 38 years old from Greenville, South Carolina, is one of our Extramilest Facebook Group members. He has had a dream for a long time to qualify for the Boston Marathon. He trained hard and long, but always fell short of the Boston Qualifying times. He was often injured and feeling drained. This all changes recently, when he tried a different approach to training and racing. Last month he improved from a 3:11 marathon to a 2:50 marathon, a huge PR and his dream of being able to run the Boston Marathon came through. In today’s episode we discuss in detail about Jay’s learnings over the past 10 years of Marathon running, what changes he made to his training to qualify for Boston, his race strategy and actually race day execution and much more. This episode was brought to you by PATH projects, it is my favorite running clothing out there and the only shorts, liners, shirts and hats that I run in. Check them out at www.PATHprojects.com SHOW NOTES How Jay started running to lose weight at age 20 [3:07] How Jay lost 50 pounds in 12 months and maintained his weight ever since [4:30] The first marathon Jay ran in 2008 in Nashville, TN, finishing in 3 hours 35 minutes [7:42] His learnings from his first marathon training cycle [11:30] Jay’s first marathon that he actually enjoyed running [13:35] His experience with “Furman FIRST Program”, all high intensity hard runs [15:15] His previous PR at the New York Marathon in 2014 in 3 hours 11 minutes [16:30] What happened after Jay missed his race goals several marathons in a row [19:40] What Jay enjoys most about running [21:00] Jay’s journey to start thinking about qualifying for Boston again [23:22] Jay describes coming across a Sub 3 Hour Marathon article by Floris which changed his training approach [24:55] Jay’s initial experiences with Heart Rate Training and MAF [27:05] How Jay decided the right Heart Rate to train with according to the MAF 180 formula [29:48] Floris talks about more details of the 180 MAF formula [31:00] Jay’s MAF test to measure aerobic progress on a monthly basis [32:00] Importance of consistency and comparing apples to apples [34:35] Flo’s thoughts on correct execution of the MAF test [34:50] Jay’s progress with MAF tests over his training cycle to Sub 3 marathon [36:40] Jay’s feeling of increasing training volume, while slowing down his pace on most runs [38:38] How Jay added in speedwork after a few months of low heart rate runs only [40:00] When Jay ran his MAF test with the Nike Vaperfly 4% shoes [42:38] The most amount of speedwork Jay ran the last 2 months before his Sub 3 Marathon [44:10] How Jay trained on some downhill miles to get ready for his Marathon in Hawaii [46:20] Jay describing his taper and what he would do different for his next training cycle [47:00] Floris’s thoughts on the marathon taper [49:15] Jay’s strategy going into his Sub 3 Marathon and how it worked out on race day [50:40] How mile 18 - 20 felt during his Sub 3 marathon [56:08] Some struggles Jay ran into during his Sub 3 marathon and how it overcame it [57:05] Jay describes the feeling of finishing in 2 hours 50 minutes, a 20 minute PR [59:06] The importance of listening to the body and mind during training cycles [60:28] Jay added yoga for strength, flexibility and mental training. Helped focus on his breathing 1:02:00 What Jay would do different for the training cycles + races [1:03:30] Floris’s thoughts about the Boston Marathon [1:05:00] Tips by Jay to qualify for the Boston Marathon, run a Sub 3 Hour Marathon or Marathon PR [1:06:38]  How we learn from both good and bad runs [1:08:50] LINKS www.extramilest.com Extramilest Facebook Group Jay Motley Strava Jay Motley's 2:50 Marathon on Strava Floris Gierman Strava Maffetone 180 formula to calculate your Heart Rate Zones How I trained to run a Sub 3 Hour Marathon Boston Marathon Preparation and Race Report

Welcome to the Extramilest Podcast where I interview the brightest minds in health, fitness and endurance sports. We talk about a variety of topics, including one of my favorites, how to become a stronger, healthier and happier athlete.  Today’s podcast guest is Pete Kostelnick, an ultra endurance runner with an impressive track record. He runs more than anyone I know. Recently he completed a 5400 miles run from Alaska to Florida in 97 days, averaging 55 miles / 88 km a day, that’s more than 2 marathons a day!!! He also has the Guinness World Record of fastest coast to coast run across the US, from SF to NYC in 42 days.  He has won many ultra races, including the current Course Record of one of the toughest running races, the Badwater 135 In today’s conversation we cover a variety of topics, around training, racing, injury prevention, nutrition and motivation. I think a lot of athletes will find this episode educational, not just for ultra running, but also for shorter distances like the 1/2 marathon and marathon. Show notes and all links can be found on my website www.extramilest.com. Question of the day, what was one of your key takeaways from this conversation? Please let me know in the comments! SHOW NOTES Details of Pete’s 5400 mile run from run from Alaska to Florida [2:32] The difference between Pete’s supported Run Across America in 2016 and this self supported run in 2018 [7:34] The food that Pete would bring in his stroller along the way [11:21] “If you’re looking for lettuce around here, that’s like trying to find cigarettes in a prison” [13:47] Supplements Pete took on his adventure run [14:11] How Pete trained for his longest run to date and how he prevents injuries [16:17] Pete’s base training weeks of 150 to 200 miles [18:32] Breaking 10k miles in one year on Strava [19:42] Pete’s thoughts on stretching and warming up easy for first 2 miles [21:07] Pete has run a lot of PR’s training only slow easy runs, to move efficient [23:55] How Pete broke the Sub 3 Hour marathon and ended up running a 2:41 marathon [25:17] How Pete motivates himself during training day in day out [29:37] How Floris measures his running progress on a monthly basis [31:27] The highlights of Pete’s trip from Alaska to Florida [34:17] Some of the people Pete met on his run [39:02] How Pete ended his 97 day running adventure and celebrated [41:23] The transition from running 5400 miles to taking a break from running [44:01] Pete’s lower points and tough spots on his K2K run[45:32] How he overcame low points [47:12] What would some of the toughest people I know do in this situation [50:48] Getting used to running with a stroller [53:12] Why Pete runs extreme long distances [56:07] Pete’s past struggle with Anemia, low iron levels [59:55] What’s next for Pete [1:03:15] How runners can accomplish more than they think they are capable of [1:06:19] Parting advice by Pete for all the runners out there [1:09:26] Links: Connect with Pete Website: http://petesfeetaa.com/ Strava: https://www.strava.com/pros/16102568 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pete.kostelnick Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/petesfeetaa/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petekostelnick/ HOKA ONE ONE video about Pete’s K2K run Pete’s final K2K miles in Florida Running Down a Record Documentary about Pete’s 2016 attempt to break the Transcontinental World Record Marshall Olrich - Running on Empty book Charlie Engle Podcast Extramilest 

"We are able to perform so much better if we are connected to the debt of the bio-chemistry" - Wim Hof Today’s guest is the legendary "Iceman", Wim Hof. He has accomplished a number of extraordinary achievements, including 26 Guinness World Records. He has trained a lot to control his breathing, heart rate and blood circulation and he can withstand extreme cold and hot temperatures.  He has trained others to achieve the same effect, with minimal training. He teaches his Wim Hof Method to people all over the world, to control their bodies and achieve extraordinary things. This method consists of 3 pillars: Cold Exposure, Breathing Techniques and Mindset. I have been using his approach with cold showers, ice baths, deep breathing and visualization for several years now and have noticed significant benefits.  In today’s episode we dive into many topics: How can athletes improve their training and racing with the Wim Hof Method? How to overcome big challenges, both physically and mentally? How to override discomfort in different areas of your life. Ways to improve your connection between your body and mind?  Importance of self talk and visualization  Getting blood flow to deeper parts of the brain And much more!   Full show notes with links on my site www.extramilest.com/wimhof  

Dr. Phil Maffetone has written over 20 books and 200 articles on the topics of endurance training, racing, nutrition, health and fitness. He has made a huge impact on me, my family and my friends. In today's follow up interview, we dive deep into contradicting views in nutrition, healthy vs unhealthy meats, ketosis, intermittent fasting, experimenting with nutrition during training and how to overcome frustrations with low HR training, best type of interval training and much more.  Show notes • Improvements after training with a Heart Rate Monitor [3:30] • More awareness about health, but more unhealthy people than ever, huge disconnect [4:58] • Why so many people are addicted to sugars without realizing it and what you can do about this [10:45] • Why weening off Junk Food does not work. [14:12] • How the 2-week Test can help identify Carbohydrate Intolerance [14:12] • Dr. Maffetone's thoughts about the strong need for specific nutrients that come from animals [15.55] • Chicken is the worse meat you can eat but highest selling [18:33] • Healthy meat vs unhealthy meat [19:25] • Listening to your body, to how you really feel [22.45] • Dr. Maffetone's thoughts on ketosis and fasting [24.48] • Training your fat burning abilities [33.20] • Importance of experimenting with nutrition during training for race day [34:50] • Benefits of low heart training [42:20] • Why many athletes struggle with low heart rate training and what to do about this [46:00] • The social component of running apps like Strava [48.30] • How to create your own training schedule with self health management [50:15] • The type of speedwork and intervals Maffetone likes [54:25] • Importance of having fun during training and racing [58:10] • Listening to your body instead of to music [1:00:03] • Setting aside time to be disconnected and think [1:01:00] • Becoming aware of different types of stress and ways to lower your stress [1:03:20] • Dr. Maffetone's books about Training, Racing, Health and Fitness [1:06:40] • Improvements with MAF and marathon times by Floris [1:11:30] Full transcript of this podcast can be found on my Extramilest website at: https://wp.me/p8y4vy-Um  

This is a post I have been wanting to create for a long time. It will become my go-to guide that I will share with friends, family and anyone else who wants to become a stronger, healthier and happier runner.  It is awesome to see how many people around me are getting into running, both on roads and trails. There is a lot of excitement around running, however I also hear many beginner and advanced runners with negative running experiences “I can run for 5 minutes and then it feels like my heart is beating out of my chest” or “I used to run but my knees, shin splits, plantar fasciitis etc don’t allow me to run anymore“. Many of the same challenges kept coming up for runners, so I decided to write these 10 points below that are applicable for runners of all levels. Hope you will find this helpful. 

Susan Piver is a meditation expert, teacher and New York Times bestselling author. She is the founder of the Open Heart Project, the world’s largest virtual mindfulness community, offering meditation, courses and support. Susan has taught thousands of students in workshops, events, and retreats around the globe. She has written 9 books and her latest book is Start Here Now: An Open-Hearted Guide to the Path and Practice of Meditation. She is a frequent guest on network television, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, Today and CNN. She also also been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and others. Earlier this year, Susan and I participated together in Seth Godin's altMBA Program and we have stayed in touch after the course ended. I have a lot of respect for the amazing mindfulness community she has created with her Open Heart Project. Recently I've had a great pleasure to record this Extramilest Podcast with Susan. We talked about a variety of topics around meditation and mindfulness to improve your performance in training, racing and life. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Susan Piver!

A few years ago when I first started with Heart Rate Monitor training, I found out that 6 time Hawaii Ironman World Champion Mark Allen was able to run a 5:20 min mile pace aerobic, at a heart rate of only 155 beats per minute. This blew my mind and inspired me to change my approach to training and racing in the years to come. Mark Allen has worked very close with Dr. Phil Maffetone, one of my other favorite authors and coaches. I really look up to Mark’s accomplishments with 66 career victories in 96 starts, he is arguably the most successful triathlete in the history of the sport. He was voted “The Greatest Endurance Athlete of All Time” in a worldwide poll by ESPN. I’m always very curious how top performers approach training and racing, especially if it’s in line with my own approach of training smarter, not harder, training with a heart rate monitor, improving your aerobic base and your fat burning abilities, working on the connection between your body and your mind, and much more. Recently I sat down with Mark to dive into a variety of these subjects: • Mark’s first introduction to heart rate monitor training [2:12] • Seeing progression to a faster aerobic pace [3:00] • What is a fit soul is and how can athletes work on this? [5:49] • There is no perfect race, but you can race perfectly [10:40] • How to stay motivated to keep trying to win Ironman Hawaii after 6 defeats [11:40] • The battle to win first Ironman Hawaii in 1989 [13:24] • The ability to quiet your mind [18:25] • Switch in training from always hard to heart rate monitor [21:10] • Developing your fat burning aerobic engine [22:45] • Speedwork for different types of athletes [25:56] + [30:20] • Recommendations for strength training [28:06] • How to best spread workouts during your week?  [32:45] • Mark Allen Coaching Programs [35:32] • Fit Soul Fit Body book and workshops [37:30] • Art of Competition book [38:00] • Advice for athletes looking to improve their performance [39:47] Links • Video of Mark Allen’s first win at Ironman Triathlon World Champion • Mark Allen Coaching • Fit Soul Fit Body, the book and seminars • Art of Competition, the book  • Calculating your Maximum Aerobic Heart Rate Related Posts: • Interview with Phil Maffetone about HRM training, nutrition and recovery • Training for my first 100 mile run from Long Beach to San Diego • Running a Sub 3 Hour marathon with a Go Pro See Full Video Transcript Here Subscribe for the latest episodes and exclusive content Win Free Stuff Here      

Bobby Barker is a 41 year old marathon runner from Frisco, Texas. He has transformed in the past 5 years from couch potato to Boston Marathon Qualifier. A few weeks ago he ran a marathon PR of 26 minutes and qualified for the Boston Marathon with a time of 3 hours and 13 minutes! In this episode of The Extramilest Podcast, we discuss: How he improve his marathon time from 3:55 at his first marathon to 3:13 a few marathons later. We look exactly at his training schedule for every day of the week, between regular training, cross training and nutrition. How Bobby motivates himself to wake up at 5am to train before work Tips and tricks for athletes to improve their running and become a healthier, happier and faster runner! Bobby and I have experienced a lot of the same challenges and learnings as we strive to be the best versions of ourselves. I had a blast on this show and hope you enjoy our conversation! Show Notes Bobby’s journey to get off the couch and start working out (5:00) Rookie mistakes with nutrition during his first marathons (8:30) How 2 biking accidents changed Bobby’s direction from triathlon to marathon (10:00) His first few marathons were hard and very uncomfortable, completely out of energy (12:00) How he discovered Dr. Phil Maffetone and changed his training approach (14:00) His first experiences with low heart rate training, training much slower at 12 min / mile (7 min 27 second per km) (16:10) Bobby trained at a low heart rate for 1 month and noticed he started to improve (18:00) How he measures his monthly progress with a MAF test at a running track (18:15) How Bobby changed his nutrition and dropped 13 pounds in 1 month (21:00) Dropping a few pounds of extra body weight makes you a much faster runner (27:00) Bobby found a coach to guide him towards his Boston Marathon goal (29:00) There are people just like you and me who struggle to get to the next level. Patience is key to see small improvements every month (32:00) A breakdown of each training day of the week, low heart rate runs, hills, bike rides, long runs and rest (35:00) His longest training runs include 15 minutes warm up, 2 1/2 hours low hear run, 15 minute cool down (41:00) Be aware not to follow formulas too strict, importance of listening to your body (44:00) His pace dropped from 12 minutes per mile to 7 min 27 sec / mile (47:00) High temperatures can have a huge negative impact on your running pace at the same heart rate (48:00) The race strategy that qualified Bobby for the Boston Marathon with a 3:13 time (49:00) It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Month after the month consistency in training is key for long term progress (54:50) Bobby ran 35 to 40 miles per week (56 to 64km) in training + 2 bike rides a week (56:00) Motivation to get up every day at 5am to train, by praying, meditation, looking for inspiration, and helping inspire others (57:00) Recommendations for runners to improve your running and qualify for Boston: consistency in training is key, put training structure in place, train mostly in aerobic zone, nutrition in training and on race day (1:01:00) Hiring a coach vs creating your own training schedule (1:03:00) Bobby’s involvement in the Texas Big Star Half Marathon and 5K on April 14, 2018 (1:06:00) Low HR training and improved nutrition make Bobby and Floris feel like healthier and happier athletes (1:08:00) Don’t get discouraged, reach out to the Extramilest Group and Maffetone Links Dr. Phil Maffetone MAF Heart Rate White Paper The Maffetone Method Facebook Group The Extramilest Facebook Group Maffetone 2 Week Test Nick Carling Chicagoland Marathon Strava Texas Big Star 1/2 marathon and 5k Full Transcript here on The Extramilest blog  Subscribe for the latest episodes, exclusive content and weekly giveaways at http://extramilest.com/subscribe  

Dr. Phil Maffetone is a researcher and author in the field of nutrition, exercise, sports medicine, and biofeedback. He has written over 20 books including my favorite one The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing. In this video Dr. Phil Maffetone and I discuss the fundamentals of his approach to training, nutrition and recovery. We also dive into very specific subjects, like learning how to listen to different signals from your body, why many doctors and the media recommend food that’s not good for you and how incredibly important rest and sleep is for a healthy athlete. I learned a lot of new things in this podcast and I hope you will as well, enjoy! Podcast notes • Improvements after training with a Heart Rate Monitor [3:30] • Why the 180 formula is preferred over the Lactate Threshold test [7:25] • Adjusting your MAF training HR based on current fitness and health [10:52] • Benefits of walking to build your aerobic system [13:48] • Floris Gierman’s progress after training with HRM [15:55] • The importance of listening to your body [18:08] • Why many people feel the need to do intervals and speedwork [19:00] • Training aerobically only and run a PR [21:08] • Everyone’s training schedule is very individual [22:48] • Why Dr. Phil Maffetone prefers time over miles [25:00] • Avoiding processed cards and refined sugars [28:06] • Bad recommendations from doctors and the media [31:55] • Eating real food [34:50] • Making your body and brain work together [37:25] • The Five Minute Break [43:45] • The importance of sleep for recovery [46:00] • Dr. Phil Maffetone’s own daily routine [49:00] • The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing [52:35] • Articles on Dr. Phil Maffetone’s website [55:45] Full Transcript available on the Extramilest site Win a copy of Dr. Phil Maffetone's latest book on the contest page Make sure to subscribe for exclusive content and giveaways!