Today's guest is Anya Mullen - she's not a pro runner, she’s not a PT or a coach, but she is a regular runner just like you and me. She also has been working for Strength Running for the better part of a year now, helping me refine some of the content that you see on our various channels. We first met back in 2015 at a group run and started working together earlier this year. Her running career spans nearly a decade and her life has changed quite a bit over that time, along with her running. Anya has run everything from a 5K to an ultra, including an unsupported, unofficial 50 miler that her partner talked her into (listen to the podcast for the full story!). Anya Mullen lives in Colorado and has been juggling running with her work, family and home life. And that’s a big part of what we’re talking about today: just how we fit it all in, plus reflections on whether or not you’re a “real” runner, goals and how they evolve over your running career, especially after you have a family.  This episode is more personal and explores some of the issues that prevent us from training as much as we’d like. I hope you’re left with a few ideas on how to fit your running into your schedule, plus affirmation that yes, you are a real runner. Show Links & Resources: Connect with Anya on Instagram Learn more on her website See the training plans that Anya used Inspiring books on ultra running: Finding Ultra by Rich Roll Eat and Run by Scott Jurek Thank You PATH Projects! PATH Projects continues to be a great supporter of this podcast! I'm grateful for their partnership and want to share more about their products that I've been loving because they so functional and comfortable. In particular, I’ve just started wearing their 3” Sykes shorts and they’re a little different from the 5” Sykes shorts (you can see those in action here). The material is thinner and lighter, which is perfect in a performance short, and they’re obviously shorter. I’m not sure if my wife thinks they’re too scandalous or loves them, but I’m wearing them constantly. And now that we’ve partnered for a few months, I can confidently say that their gear is durable. PATH Projects is an online-only retailer of high-quality running gear and apparel. That means there is no retail markup, making their products quite affordable. PATH uses new technical fabrics, like the Japanese fiber called Toray Primeflex, to create award-winning apparel for endurance athletes. In fact, their Brim shorts and Tahoe base liner won Runner’s World’s 2018 Gear of the Year award. And the Pyrinees hoodie was named one of the best six sweatshirts for running in the cold by Gear Patrol. You know you'll be wearing the best when you select PATH Projects!

Todd is a former attorney turned manual therapist who scratched his own itch. After years of experiencing pain, he set out to understand what causes it, how to move better, and effective strategies for reducing pain and improving your athletic performances. He has written two books, A Guide to Better Movement and Playing with Movement, which are interdisciplinary ways of looking at the problems of injury and pain. He brings in a broad diversity of disciplines like stress physiology to complex systems theory and then explains how that all relates back to athletes. This conversation was wide-ranging and touches on subjects like static stretching, mobility, dynamic flexibility, how much of pain is mental, and strategies for having more fun in your training. Todd also gives us some tangible advice on: Doing warm-ups as a sport specific activity Ways to develop intrinsic motivation for running How to approach a "balanced movement diet" And where to start when looking to improve in your sport I was also excited to hear that Todd is training for his first 5K. Tune in to hear about how the training is going for him! Show Links & Resources: Learn more about Todd at his website Connect with Todd on Twitter Todd's book: Playing With Movement: How to Explore the Many Dimensions of Physical Health and Performance Strength series: High Performance Lifting Thank You SureFeet! I’m excited to announce our newest sponsor SureFeet. They make a colorless, odorless shoe spray that stops your running shoes from getting so smelly. They make their Odor Eliminating Shoe Spray in the USA and each bottle can treat about 10 pairs of shoes. SureFeet sent me a sample and I used it on my worst smelling shoes and guess what? It worked great! This pair smelled from across the room but after a quick application of the spray, I’d say the smell was reduced by 95%. After wearing them a few more times, the smell was probably 80% less than how it smelled before I used SureFeet. It works and my wife is very thankful for that. Just one quick suggestion: don’t put it on too thick because it won’t dry completely clear. My next project is using it on a pair of new running shoes because it’s best as a preventative tool, rather than on already smelly shoes. It doesn’t wash off, wear away, or contain any nasty chemicals. Be sure to check out SureFeet and get a twin-pack of their spray. 

Our guest is none other than 2004 Olympian Carrie Tollefson. You might recognize her as a 3-time national champion, or the 1998 NCAA Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, or maybe you’ve just seen her on TV a lot. She’s been a broadcaster for years, having commentated on races for ESPN, NBC, ABC, and USATF TV. Her commentary has appeared in numerous world class races from the Boston Marathon to Footlocker Nationals, to the Tokyo Marathon.  In our conversation, you'll hear about her many accomplishments in the sport. But beyond those, she's a very engaged member of the running community and an active mom of 3 kids. We discuss what us recreational runners can learn from the pros and her advice to new runners on how they can become more involved in the running community. She also shares her experience about the advantages of long and short runs, depending on where you are at in your running career. Show Links & Resources: Carrie's social: Instagram and Twitter Learn more on her website Join the conversation on Instagram Become a member of the Strength Running community Thank You PATH Projects! PATH Projects continues to be a great supporter of this podcast! I'm grateful for their partnership and want to share more about their products that I've been loving because they so durable and comfortable. PATH Projects is an online-only retailer of high-quality running gear and apparel. That means there is no retail markup, making their products quite affordable. In particular, I’ve just started wearing their 3” Sykes shorts and they’re a little different from the 5” Sykes shorts (you can see those in action here). The material is thinner and lighter, which is perfect in a performance short, and they’re obviously shorter. I’m not sure if my wife thinks they’re too scandalous or loves them, but I’m wearing them constantly. PATH uses new technical fabrics, like the Japanese fiber called Toray Primeflex, to create award-winning apparel for endurance athletes. In fact, their Brim shorts and Tahoe base liner won Runner’s World’s 2018 Gear of the Year award. And the Pyrinees hoodie was named one of the best six sweatshirts for running in the cold by Gear Patrol. You know you'll be wearing the best when you select PATH Projects!

David Monti is the founder, editor, and publisher of Race Results Weekly, which is a weekly subscription service for the world’s running results. David also used to recruit elite athletes to race at New York Road Runners events and worked as a sports media consultant. Through his work, he has a fascinating perspective on the sport. He attended and watched some of the most electrifying races the world has ever seen - and we talk about the races that most stick in his mind after all these years.  David’s consistent exposure to the highest levels of the sport of running also gives him a certain wisdom about where running has been, where it is now, and where it’s going in the future. We talk about what has changed most in the running industry, what will likely stay the same, and what we might look forward to in the coming decades.  We touch on many different topics, including: What drives the costs of road races (and why they are much cheaper in Europe) Innovative ways to hold races in COVID times Legal considerations of the super shoe Challenges of building a larger fanbase for the sport of running Thank You Elemental Labs! A big thanks to our newest sponsor, 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. Their citrus flavor has quickly become my favorite and 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. And I’m encouraged by the fact that Navy SEAL teams, Olympic teams, and pro athletes have started using Elemental electrolyte supplements to improve their performance. Learn more about what they do at their website.

Madeline Strandemo is a 2018 graduate of the University of Minnesota where she was on three Big Ten Championship teams, an All-American, and two-time Big Ten individual champion in the indoor mile and the 3000m steeplechase. She graduated with a double degree in marketing and Mandarin Chinese. Madeline has an interesting background, having moved around the world numerous times and participating in a variety of different sports in her childhood. In fact, she attributes a lot of her success to these experiences. Madeline is now living in Bend, Oregon, coached by Lauren Fleshman and sponsored by Oiselle. As a relatively new pro runner, she has big goals and shares what she is doing in these times to prepare. In this conversation, we also talk about: Setback from injuries The significance of participating in different sports What makes a great competitor My favorite track event - the steeplechase Show Links & Resources: Follow Madeline's journey on her website and Instagram See her workouts on Strava Check out the tracking journal that Madeline uses Injury Prevention course 9 Pro runners on recovery and prevention Thank You PATH Projects! PATH Projects continues to be a great supporter of this podcast! I'm grateful for their partnership and want to share more about their products that I've been loving because they so durable and comfortable. PATH Projects is an online-only retailer of high-quality running gear and apparel. That means there is no retail markup, making their products quite affordable. In particular, I’ve just started wearing their 3” Sykes shorts and they’re a little different from the 5” Sykes shorts (you can see those in action here). The material is thinner and lighter, which is perfect in a performance short, and they’re obviously shorter. I’m not sure if my wife thinks they’re too scandalous or loves them, but I’m wearing them constantly. PATH uses new technical fabrics, like the Japanese fiber called Toray Primeflex, to create award-winning apparel for endurance athletes. In fact, their Brim shorts and Tahoe base liner won Runner’s World’s 2018 Gear of the Year award. And the Pyrinees hoodie was named one of the best six sweatshirts for running in the cold by Gear Patrol. You know you'll be wearing the best when you select PATH Projects!

How do you know if you'll be successful as a runner? It mostly comes down to luck (genetics) and work (training). We can't affect the former, so let's focus on the biggest variable that impacts our success: the training that we do. That training must follow some broad but important rules if you want to avoid performance plateaus and continuously improve year after year. Those rules can be best summarized in three of the most important words for runners: consistency, progressive, and modulation. Your training must be consistent: uninterrupted and continuous. It also must be progressive: evolving over time to gradually become more challenging. And it must be modulated: varied workload and training focus from season to season and year to year.  In this episode of the podcast, Jason discusses each idea and brings you time-tested strategies for improving each. Thank You Elemental Labs! This episode is supported by our new sponsor Elemental Labs. They make electrolyte supplements for athletes that are high in sodium. 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. Those low sodium symptoms can be headaches, low energy, muscle cramps, and even insomnia. I’ve used their raspberry and citrus flavored Recharge packets and it’s much tastier than other electrolyte mixes precisely because of its high salt content. And they're used by Olympians, the military, and other top performances. Visit them at drinklmnt.com/strengthrunning/  

Lisa Tamati has overcome many challenges in her life. From body image issues and tough races to a childhood sense of insecurity and nearly losing her mom. Through all of this, she has developed many coping strategies that she shares with us in this episode. A favorite strategy for Lisa is "going all in". She recognizes the vast human potential and knows that if we are 100% committed, we will find a way and overcome barriers.  As one of New Zealand’s best ultra runners, she has 25 years experience running the toughest endurance events in the world.  She’s actually finished over 140 ultra-marathons, has a few National Titles, a number of podium places in international races, and many expeditions under her belt (a favorite is her illegal trek across the Libyan Desert). When faced with a family health crisis, Lisa quit ultra running to help her mother recover from an aneurism. Years later, running continues to be a large part of Lisa's life as she became a coach, public speaker, author, and podcaster. In this conversation, we also discuss: Importance of resilience Assessing your "why" Dealing with anxiety And other tidbits of wisdom from Lisa I'm thrilled to share this episode with you and I hope you'll be as inspired as I was. Thank You PATH Projects! PATH Projects continues to be a great supporter of this podcast! I'm grateful for their partnership and want to share more about their products that I've been loving because they so durable and comfortable. PATH Projects is an online-only retailer of high-quality running gear and apparel. That means there is no retail markup, making their products quite affordable. They’ve launched a bunch of new products over the last few weeks, including the Sykes 5” (you can see them in action here) shorts and the Wildcat 3” shorts. I was hesitant to get two of their t-shirts because I already have a lot of t-shirts and how different could they be? Well, I’m glad I was wrong because they’re now my two favorite shirts! They are so soft with a nice stretch to them - perfect for summer! PATH uses new technical fabrics and innovations to create award-winning apparel for endurance athletes. In fact, their Brim shorts and Tahoe base liner won Runner’s World’s 2018 Gear of the Year award. And the Pyrinees hoodie was named one of the best six sweatshirts for running in the cold by Gear Patrol. Help support our show by supporting our sponsor: PATH Projects.

Today's conversation is a long overdue episode on hydration. I'm thrilled to have Andy Blow on to share his expertise. Andy is a Sports Scientist with a degree from the University of Bath, focusing his expertise on sweat, dehydration and cramping. He's also a former elite level triathlete with numerous Top 10 finishes and an Xterra World title. He's now the CEO of Precision Hydration. As runners, we're all familiar with cramping, electrolytes, and hydration - but Andy really breaks these down for us. We talk about: Fluid loss, dehydration, and over-hydration (known as hyponatremia) Electrolytes Environmental factors Determining your sweat rate What to do if you are a salty sweater Andy helps us understand how to apply all this in training and in races. And I really appreciate his emphasis on simplifying hydration, depending on the environmental conditions and duration of workouts. I hope this topic will be as fun for you to learn about as it was for me. Thank You Naked Nutrition I want to thank Naked Nutrition for their sponsorship of this podcast. They make great dietary supplements without artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colors. Only the purest ingredients - and everything is made in the USA. I've been taking their Vanilla Whey Protein Powder for a few months now and can confidently say that it's the best protein powder I've ever had: it tastes great and I know I'm not ingesting what I don't need. I've used a lot of different protein powders over the years and this is definitely my favorite. I love that this protein powder has only 3 ingredients and the whey is sourced from grass fed cows' milk. For those looking for a plant-based option, Naked Nutrition has vegan protein powders as well, also made from clean ingredients. I've also started taking their Naked Greens supplement, which is basically a powder of different vegetables, grasses, and leafy greens. It certainly tastes like grass (that's the point, I think) but I like the fact that I'm giving my body an extra dose of veggies. I know many of us can all use a boost in our nutrition and this is a great way to do it. Check out all their products and let me know what you think!

Amelia Boone is a giant in the obstacle course racing world and she's started competing in ultramarathons over the last few years as well. Many of her fans know she has struggled with an eating disorder and spent time in treatment last year. She’s now in recovery, she just moved to Colorado, and she’s been riding her Ellipti-Go on the Front Range’s big climbs over the last few months.  Jason has always looked up to Amelia and admired her work ethic, her talent, and her drive. But also her vulnerability and how she invites us along as she deals with her struggles. Amelia gave Jason some courage last year to share how losing his grandfather was so incredibly hard and the toll that it took. In this podcast, she gives us a glimpse of how she pushes through challenges and the things that she continues to struggle with. In this episode as Jason and Amelia discuss: Reframing criticism The fine line of "trusting your body" Self-talk and mantras during a race The slippery slope of too much confidence I hope you take away some lessons from this episode because no doubt, there’s a lot to learn from such an admirable human being. Thank You PATH Projects! PATH Projects continues to be a great supporter of this podcast! I'm grateful for their partnership and want to share more about their products - I think you'll love them as much as I do. PATH Projects is an online-only retailer of high-quality running gear and apparel. That means there is no retail markup, making their products quite affordable. Currently, I’m wearing the Sykes 5″ Shorts (see them in action in this video) and I'll be getting a pair of their new Wildcat 3” racing shorts soon. If you know me, you won't be surprised that I'm really excited about this! I know they will be my go-to shorts for running. PATH uses new technical fabrics and innovations to create award-winning apparel for endurance athletes. In fact, their Brim shorts and Tahoe base liner won Runner’s World’s 2018 Gear of the Year award. And the Pyrinees hoodie was named one of the best six sweatshirts for running in the cold by Gear Patrol. You know you'll be wearing the best when you select PATH Projects!

At Strength Running, we're focusing on mastering our mindset in 2020. How do we build the mental fitness to have unstoppable confidence, the mental toughness to persevere, and the fortitude to stay consistent with your training month after month? In this episode, coach Jason Fitzgerald discusses: The benefits you should expect from sports psychology Common mistakes he wants you to avoid A story of his first experience with the performance psychology strategy of visualization Two strategies for improving your mental fitness  Today's sponsor is our newest training program: Mindset Mastery. This course makes performance psych approachable for all runners by focusing on the 5 core mental skills for endurance athletes: Focus, Anxiety Management, Intensity, Mental Toughness, and Confidence.  It includes video presentations, guidance from renowned sports psychologists, mental exercises, a complete Training Plan Library, and the Mindset Toolbox of bonus resources. See all the details at strengthrunning.com/mindset/