Running Rogue

Last week, I saw a poignant letter from Lauren Fleshman to her younger self (linked below). It inspired me to think about the lessons I might share with my younger running self. In this episode, I give you (and the younger me) 8 lessons from my 20+ year running journey. Some are focused on training mechanics, while others are focused on how to understand and enjoy the journey more. I certainly don't regret the twists and turns that have taught me these things, but I do perhaps wish I knew or learned a few of these sooner! What have you learned in your running journey so far? What would you tell your younger self? Here is the full letter from Lauren Fleshman to her younger self: https://www.milesplit.com/articles/211759/dear-younger-me-lauren-fleshman Here is the link and code for the offer in the episode: magicspoon.com/RUNNING (code: RUNNING for $5 off)

The birds are chirping, spring is in the air, and the virtual Boston Marathon just opened for registration. With fingers crossed and simultaneously knocking on wood, hope is building for real, live, in-person fall races to happen. If that's true, then training for those fall races starts soon! In Austin, we will be kicking off our fall training on May 8.  What does that mean? It means you need to be primed and ready to begin training very soon. As a former coach of mine used to say, it's time to get fit enough to really train. In this episode, I give you 5 steps to prime your body for the work that will come so that you can hit the ground running in week 1 of your training block. It's time to get ready for the real training to begin again. Will you be ready?!? Here is a link to an article on Maggie Montoya, which includes the Anderson Cooper interview and GoFundMe link mentioned in the intro: https://www.womensrunning.com/culture/news/support-maggie-montoya-after-boulder-shooting/ Here is a link to the Magic Spoon offer: magicspoon.com/RUNNING. Use code RUNNING for $5 off your first order.

Tenille Hoogland (@hooglandt) has a fascinating story in sport from growing up in Canada as a province-best synchronized swimmer to a later career as a pro triathlete. She wanted badly to make an Olympic team, but that dream never became a reality. During that time, she also spent time within the Rogue community in Austin as an athlete and coach. Now, she is still a coach, is co-founder of the Resilient Athlete Project, and is an advocate for women in sport. She also has fresh perspective and a whole bunch of life lessons from her nonstop pursuit of the next goal that drove her early in life.  In this conversation, we talk primarily about embracing failure and how to channel it into something positive, but there are many more lessons buried within. In particular, we dig into how to balance overall health and performance, which can be a tightrope to walk for many. Listen in, and I think you will walk away with a new perspective on your own journey as well. 

Elite, amateur, and all degrees of fast, for those pushing toward a big goal, we all face self-doubt as runners. It might come as the everyday narrative in our heads or the fleeting thoughts that make you question yourself in a race or workout. Either way, it's important to develop tactics to deal with self-doubt so that you can smash your biggest goals. In this episode, I talk about types of self doubt and then 5 practical tactics to address it when it comes.  For the Green Chef offer, go to greenchef.com/90rogue and use code 90rogue for $90 off and free shipping. 

In this episode, I start with an intro discussing my perspective on the virtual race announced recently by the Boston Marathon, where all athletes are allowed to participate. Then, I turn to a discussion on tips and recommendations for building toward a breakthrough race. What will it take for you to get that PR, that milestone time, or that Boston qualifier? I have 7 ideas for you to ponder and incorporate into your own training, but spoiler alert, there are no hacks or shortcuts. Just hard work! For the offer in the episode, go to www.takecareof.com and use code "rogue50" for 50% off on your first order. Here is the list of drills that I use with my athletes here in Austin: - Heel-toe walks - Heel-toe skips - Walking high knees - Full speed high knees - Regular skipping (A-skips) - Skipping with Pawbacks (B-skips) - Butt Flicks - Backward Butt Flicks - Rapid turnover - Bounding - Side to side (up and back) - Over/under (up and back) - 2 short strides

After a week off due to complications from the winter storm in Texas, I am back to you this week with 49 minutes all on the recovery run. As a coach, one of the biggest mistakes I see is runners taking their recovery runs too fast. If you do that, then it's not a recovery run, and you are asking for injury. Plus, you are likely getting suboptimal output on your long or hard day as well.  In this episode, I talk about the why, the where, and the hows of the recovery run so that you can get the most out of your entire training week. Remember, recovery is where you grow, where you build fitness, and the recovery run is the centerpiece of that growth. Listen in and learn to better execute those super easy days!

You will commonly hear runners talk about getting to their "race weight" in order to achieve their goals on race day. I'm here to tell you that, as a running coach, I don't believe in that way of thinking. In fact, I believe it can be destructive and lead to under performance in many cases. In this episode, we talk about how to reframe the discussion around race weight both in your mind and in your physical training. It's not the number on the scale that matters but rather the work you are doing to be the best running version of yourself. Healthy inputs = healthy outcomes and that equation as nothing to do with the weight you *think* you should be. Here is the RW article on Elle Purrier: https://www.runnersworld.com/advanced/a20828779/for-elle-purrier-farm-life-leads-to-fast-times/

In episode 216, I discussed a book I had discovered during my sabbatical: The Pain Relief Secret How to Retrain Your Nervous System, Heal Your Body, and Overcome Chronic Pain. In this episode, I am excited to welcome the author of that book - Sarah Warren - to the show. Sarah is a Certified Clinical Somatic Educator who has dedicated her life to helping people live happier and more-pain-free lives.  Her book introduced me to a way of thinking about pain and running injuries that was completely new to me, and I believe you will find it helpful to you. We talk about pain, how to listen to it, and how to release tension in your body that will help you manage pain as well as achieve a more balanced mind/body connection.  You can find the book here: https://somaticmovementcenter.com/somatics-book-pain-relief-secret/ Here are sample exercises to try if you are interested: a. For plantar relief: https://somaticmovementcenter.com/plantar-fasciitis-exercise/ b. For posture: https://somaticmovementcenter.com/posture-exercise/ c. For sciatica or piriformis issues: https://somaticmovementcenter.com/sciatica-exercise/ For those interested in the offer code mentioned during this episode, go to takecareof.com and use code "rogue50" for 50% off on your first order.

In this short and sweet episode, I start with discussion on the new date for the Boston Marathon and give my predictions on whether or not the fall major marathons will happen. Then, I talk about how to incorporate down weeks into your training. What are they? Why should you be taking them? What do they look like when you do take them? To answer that last question, I give you 6 tips on how to take a down week in order to get the most from it. Ultimately, down weeks are designed to help you stay injury free while also building to optimal fitness. If you aren't taking down weeks now, it's time to start!  

As I enter 2021, one of the themes in my personal running journey is to get back to the basics of the work, to embrace and enjoy the fundamentals in order to lay a foundation for big goals still to come. In this episode, I talk about 5 pillars of a solid running foundation that will keep you happy, healthy, and getting faster in the sport for years to come. This episode is not only for those struggling to get motivated right now but also those who are crushing it who just need a reminder about the things that matter most in this sport. Do you want to smash your running goals over the long term? Do these 5 things consistently, and I promise you the work will pay off. It's only a matter of time.