Run Culture Podcast

Today on the Run Culture podcast, I share stories with my good mate, Zacca Newman (Founder of Run2PB online coaching) on the ‘magic’ of fostering ‘good culture’ in the teams that you are involved in. What is ‘good culture’? Well, It’s that unbridled energy you feel, when surrounded by a cohesive group of people, that trust each other, are vulnerable together and are all working in the same direction. In terms of performance, culture isn’t mentioned enough in the running world… so often we talk about the physical and psychological components but what about the social dynamics of a group… “ Why do certain organizations become greater than the sum of their parts while other groups fall short?” “Give a good idea to a mediocre team, and they’ll find a way to screw it up. Give a mediocre idea to a good team, and they’ll find a way to make it better. The goal needs to be to get the team right, get them moving in the right direction, and get them to see where they are making mistakes and where they are succeeding.” In other words, I want more people to appreciate that establishing and working on maintaining good culture amongst the run groups you are in, when it comes to performance, is just as and (in some cases 'more' important) than the 'talent' you possess or the wiz bang ‘technology’ or ‘training schedule’ you are doing. Some view running as an individual sport but really it can be so much more than this. My entire life has been entwined with running and I attribute much of this to the fun and cohesive running groups I have been apart of over the years. They have taught me so much, I have grown as a person with them and as a result forged everlasting friendships/laughs and many special memories. Building a more cohesive, knowledgeable and joyous running ‘culture’ has been a driving purpose of everything I try to do, with my running blog/podcast/physiotherapy and coaching. Thanks once again for the stories 'old man Zacca', you could tell this topic meant a bit to you as well! If you want to hear more from Zacca Newman follow him at Run2PB on socials and be sure to tune in to the 'Better with Running' Podcast.

Today, I chat to Bevan Does, one of the Run Culture Owl Athletes I coach. It’s a great chat to listen to on the back of Pete Dutton’s chat last week, as unlike Pete’s injury riddled last 12 months, Bevan, started the 2021/22 athletic season with ‘big lofty goals’!..... and amazingly, he achieved all of them! Comparatively, the two chats illustrate the inevitable peaks and troughs our running journeys often take. So enjoy the listen, as Bevan, had one of those dream seasons that we all dream about! How did he do it? Maybe there are some hints that reverberate with you? …. Backstory: Bevan is a 19 year old, second year Zoology Uni student at Deakin. At the ripe old age of 4 he ran his first fun run, he then went on and showed some promise at Little Athletics but soon lost the passion for the sport from ‘middle to late’ High School. I spotted Bevan 2 yrs ago at a Hastings Park run because he was the kid who could keep up with me for half of it, off just one run a week! After joining the Owls, he has reclaimed a love of the sport, cherishing the team aspect, the ‘joy’ of doing ‘hard things’ with others and the ‘harmony’ of going for an easy run in nature. Bevan doesn’t overthink training, he’s great at not thinking about running at all, outside of training….he’s up for anything outdoors, whether it’s a hike, stand up paddle boarding, catching up with friends, riding his bike or hikes to the beach! ….and of course being a Zoology student, he loves anything animals! Over the past two years he has been incredibly patient and consistent, whilst never questioning how little training he was doing compared to others in the group. Infact, he enjoyed the balance it gave his life to do other things as a growing 19 year old! Contrary, to Bevan’s mature, wholesome and grounded approach, when it comes to a race day start line he is a ‘born ‘competitor. Bevan, 'knows how to find a finish line', he relishes a challenge, is a natural racer and has fantastic composure under pressure. Anyway, enough from me, have a listen, here’s Bevan Does and how he fell back in love with running and hit goals that he previously thought weren’t possible.

Today's podcast is an incredibly vulnerable chat I had with Peter Dutton; one of the 'Run Culture Owl' athletes I coach. We go deep on some of the 'hard truths' Pete has had to confront over the past 12 months. Thanks Pete, for being so open and candid, your story will no doubt reverberate with many a runners out there.  Like many, Pete let his passion for running get in the way of smart decision making. "....I was tired but waved that off as just part of the sport, I was racing well and that was enough to convince myself that everything was okay but in reality I ignored the signs and refused to answer the hard questions...."  Pete and I want all coaches and athletes out there to learn what we have learnt; communication is key.  Don't ignore the signs.  Once rapport and trust has been built, openly discuss the 'hard truths'. Keep an eye out for non-verbal signs of; fatigue/stress/unusual behavior for that athlete. "...Be honest to each other, as it will save you in the long run..." With set back and injury, emotional distress is expected but once you weather this storm the silver lining is the opportunity to reflect/learn and grow. "....I honestly believe now that if my sacral stress fracture didn't happen I would never have addressed my health...." Follow along on @petedutton_runs journey and don't hesitate to reach out if his story struck a chord.

Today on the podcast I chat to good mate and kiwi; Caden Shields, fresh off his sizzling 2:13:30 marathon PB in Hamburg! Caden aggressively went through the first half of this race in a half marathon PB! To attack the race in such a way requires a fair degree of ‘belief'.... The show begins with Caden re-counting his race, which provided the perfect platform for us to discuss just how big a player ‘belief’ is in running outcomes. Be it belief in your; training plan, coach or self! Our beliefs dictate our degree of motivation, compliance, attention, happiness and confidence….all key qualities in ensuring sporting success….we also go deeper and challenge listeners to start appreciating that our mindsets greatly influences the physiological response we can have to training (eg. a person who is happy, optimistic and confident compared to a person who is down, pessimistic and worried about their training, will have a vastly different bio-chemical response to the same training. Ultimately, belief effects training efficacy and adaptation, so lets appreciate it and leverage it!)

Today, I chatted with; good friend, David McNeill (Olympic runner, passionate writer, physio & Run Strong Coach) We discuss the importance of maintaining some 'diversity' in our training, thoughts, habits and routines. Remember, as humans when it comes to injury and performance we are 'complex systems'; many components  interact to cause the end result. The more 'diverse' these interacting components are, the more adaptable, resilient and innovative we can be when faced with 'unexpected' environments or situations. 

In this podcast I chat with good friend and long-time runner, Craig Appleby. In a round about way we talk about our experiences with the training paradigm (stress plus rest= adaptation).  We talk about the discipline, flexibility, experience and pragmatic approach needed to best read your body and modify training so that you adapt towards your running goals, rather than away from them.

Here's a podcast I did with Zacca Newman head coach at Run2PB and host of the Better with Running Podcast a few weeks ago. In the chat I talk about a term I have coined 'the runners eco system' and how as runners we have to look holistically at running to get our best outcomes. 

Today, I catch up and have a chat with 'Evolve' Running Head coach, 2:19 marathoner and Australian 50km Record holder, Dion Finocchiaro! We talk about ‘coaching the individual’ rather than just 'coaching the event'… What are the fundamentals? What are the nuances?… When is it important to take a generalist view? When is it important to be specific? I hope a few runners out there enjoy this chat and find it useful!

Today I chat with elite Kiwi marathoner about 'chaos and control' in training… Pending on the circumstances and the individual, we all benefit from both at times….The art lies in working out 'what' we need to control, so that we can be more consistent and somewhat deliberate with our training.....whilst working out where to introduce some ‘controlled chaos’ to nudge resilience and improvement. Enjoy!

Physical prowess is so easy to conceptualize, it's visible. Someone can be; fast, strong, coordinated etc.. Psychological resilience on the other hand is harder to see and for this reason it is often under appreciated. Getting your 'head' right is the first step to rehab/performance success. So, when I see a patient or runner who has a 'highly tuned' mental game, I get excited about working with them.  Reality is, shit happens! Throwing a tantrum isn’t going to change anything. So, if you understand how you think, you will better be able to manage how you feel, behave and act. Reality is not the problem. No matter how true it feels, this is an incorrect assumption. There is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so.  You are the one that has to adapt. What you can change is what you are thinking of the situation, your perception. You have power over how you evaluate reality and how you respond.