Learn about the importance of strength training for runners to enhance performance and prevent injuries. Dive into key muscle groups, exercises, and program selection. Discover advanced strength training routines and insights on optimizing workouts for elite performance, sponsored by HealthIQ.

I’m doing something a little different today in that I’d like to share with you what I think are the best gift ideas for runners this year. Now as a running coach, my focus is on improvement so I’m only going to recommend things that are going to help you improve. That’s why I won’t be suggesting sweatshirts, socks, shoes, or anything like that. Those are “nice to haves” but what’s in this episode are gifts that will help you get to the next level. I also want to be completely transparent on three things: #1 - If you follow any of the links that I mention or use the discount codes, then Strength Running is going to get a small kickback. It won’t cost you anything extra but it does help support the podcast so I can keep churning out episodes. Ok #2. I’m only promoting products where I can give you a discount. The holidays can be a financially challenging time so I’m trying to hook you up with discounted and helpful running products. FInally #3,  I own, trust completely, or use myself all of these products and services. I will never promote something that I don’t believe in because life is too short not to be able to sleep at night. Enjoy this episode and have a great holiday season!

I invited Nick to share as much detail as possible about his marathon training, race strategy, and post-race recovery so you can understand how an elite marathoner tackles the race. Just recent he posted on Instagram: To run your best, you have to put in the work, know your body, and keep reminding yourself that you can do it. Train both your mind and body.  And today, you'll hear what "the work" means to a professional marathoner. You'll learn: How many weeks Nick prepares for the marathon Why his marathon training includes no cross-training How he structures his taper and recovery after the race His preferred marathon fuel The types of long runs necessary to race 26.2 miles This episode goes deep into marathon training - the nuts and bolts and nitty gritty details of how an elite marathoner trains and races 26.2 miles. Note that our conversation is just an excerpt from the full interview available to Team Strength Running members. I encourage you to learn more about the team here (we're opening soon!).

Depending on whether you started running today or last year, today's podcast will clarify the most high-impact training available to you. Because certain training strategies and workouts are either too easy for some runners - or too difficult. Like Goldilocks, it's important to plan training that's "just right." And new runners are at an interesting time in their running careers. There's so much potential and improvements will come quickly as long as runners stay healthy and focused. So first, don't get injured! Next, run consistently! If you're healthy and running consistently, now you can take "the next step" and start focusing on bigger goals. Jenny Hadfield has been helping runners accomplish their wildest goals for over two decades with a regular column in Runner's World and her promotion of adventure travel around the world. She's a best-selling author with titles like Running for Mortals and Marathoning for Mortals and has been called "THE coach of this generation." Even though started running later in life, she's become quite the endurance athlete with race finishes around the world: The Boston Marathon Mark Burnett's Eco-Challenge The Antarctica Marathon The Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim Challenge With her coaching and running experience, we teamed up to help new runners with 0 - 18 months of running experience get their training started on the right foot. Is that you? Don't miss this new episode of the Strength Running podcast.

If you can replicate the principles (not necessarily the exact workouts, mileage, etc.) that lead to personal bests then you can keep improving and setting personal bests. The alternative is hitting a performance plateau. Stagnating. Running the same times over and over again... And nobody wants that! After working with a lot of runners for the better part of a decade, I've come to understand that there are three areas that most contribute to declining performances. In this episode, we go over all three of those issues, simple fixes, and more strategies to help your speed keep increasing!

The best runners know when to get help and work together. If you're a Lone Wolf, some things are inevitable: Have a question? Prepare to spend hours going down the Google rabbit hole... Feeling unmotivated? Sorry, you're on your own. Not sure how to break through your plateau? Time to "try everything!" But the runners who get the support, guidance, and camaraderie they need always seem to reach their goals. Which one are you?  Today, my friend Mario Fraioli is joining me on the podcast to help me answer your toughest questions and give you the support needed to reach new levels of performance. Mario and I competed against each other in college (he always beat me) while he was at Stonehill and I was at Connecticut College. After graduation, he dove headfirst into the running industry. Some of his notable achievements: Author of The Official Rock 'n Roll Guide to Marathon & Half Marathon Training Senior Editor, Competitor Magazine Founding Coach of Ekiden Coaching Owner of personal bests ranging from 4:09 in the mile to 2:28 in the marathon Coach to the 2012 Costa Rican Men's Olympic Marathon Team Today, his main project is The Morning Shakeout, a weekly newsletter of commentary and thoughts on running, culture, writing, and media. Despite his coaching, writing, and training duties, Mario made time to help members of the Strength Running community with their running questions.

For a lot of runners, what started as a way to get in shape or lose a few pounds turns into a lifelong passion. Soon, you're going on running retreats and flying across the country to run a marathon. What did we do with all of our free time before running?! Alas, not every runner gets to experience a lifetime of running bliss. Some of us over train, burn out, or get so injured that we simply give up. But I will not let that happen to you! Instead, let's learn from lifelong competitors who are still running after decades of workouts, long runs, and races. These are athletes that have discovered the secret to unlocking a lifetime of racing, trail runs, and workouts (in other words... a lifetime of FUN!). And Jonathan Beverly interviewed 50 of them to help you run for decades. In his new book Run Strong, Stay Hungry: 9 Keys to Staying in the Race, Jonathan Beverly discusses the universal principles that promote lifelong running. He spoke with 50 "lifetime competitors" like: Deena Kastor (American Record holder in the marathon and half-marathon) Bill Rodgers (4x winner of the Boston Marathon) Joan Benoit Samuelson (former marathon World Record holder) But more importantly, he interviewed a lot of normal runners! Not just Olympians or previous Boston Marathon winners - but average runners who don't have elite genetics. That's why this podcast episode is so important: it's what works for all runners - not just the best runners.

Last August, we witnessed the most electrifying track race in history at the World Championships: the women's 3,000m Steeplechase. Before this race, no American woman had ever won a medal in the steeple at the World Championships. Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs changed that with an historic 1-2 finish, decimating a field that included the current World Record holder and Olympic Champion. This was also the first time any Americans had taken home both gold and silver at the World Champions or the Olympics in a race longer than 400m since the 1912 Olympics. Both Emma and Courtney also ran faster than the existing American Record. NBC Sports called the race "shocking." Sports Illustrated described Courtney's effort "certainly one of the biggest surprises of the world championships." And ESPN boldly proclaimed that this was one of the best races in the history of running. I'll paraphrase ESPN: Before this race, Courtney' fastest steeplechase time was 9:19. She beat that time by an enormous 15 seconds to win silver in 9:03.77. That's like scoring a hat trick in a World Cup soccer game after totaling only three goals all season. No American had won a world title in steeplechase since 1952. No U.S. women had ever finished 1-2 in any world championship distance race. Track nerds -- why isn't there such a thing as a football nerd? -- are calling this the most thrilling race of the 2017 World Championships, and one of the greatest moments in American distance running history. You sports fans can just call it amazing. Like a football game where -- nah, forget that. After a race like this, nobody cares about football. A 15-second improvement? Over a race that's less than two miles long? INSANITY! That kind of PR puts Courtney in the record books. She's now the 8th fastest woman to ever run the steeplechase. Today you're going to hear directly from Courtney about this historic race.

But we almost never discuss the failures of the world's best runners. What does it feel like to never achieve your biggest goal throughout your entire career? How does an elite keep perspective? Do they ever think about quitting? Most importantly... how do elites bounce back from setbacks? Do they have a different mindset than us normal runners? What enables them to continue training at high levels for years? How do they overcome a bad workout, long run, or race? These are the questions that I couldn't get out of my head. So I interviewed six pro runners to get their hot take on failure: Alexi Pappas - Olympian, Greek national record holder, and star of Tracktown Mike Wardian - racing phenom, world record holder, and nicest guy ever Brandy Erholtz - Pikes Peak Ascent champ, US Mountain Running team member Nick Symmonds - 2x Olympian and the CEO of Run Gum Devon Yanko -  2017 winner of the Leadville Trail 100, multiple national champion Travis Macy - ultra runner and author of The Ultra Mindset They're the stars of Episode 39 of the Strength Running podcast. I think you're going to love this episode. We talk about their own personal failures, how they bounced back, and whether their approach to failure has changed over time.

Meet Devon Yanko. On August 19, 2017 she won the Leadville Trail 100 - a race where 9,200 feet altitude is the lowest you'll experience on the course. She finished in 20:46:29, averaging 12:28 per mile - a half hour ahead of her nearest competitor. With nearly 16,000 feet of elevation change through Colorado's gnarliest mountain terrain, the course is so difficult that in most years, less than half of the field finishes the race. Having run in similar places, I can vouch for how strenuous this terrain can be (even for experienced runners). With precious air at a costly premium, the steep grades and uneven footing make traversing these trails a form of slow-motion torture. Going uphill burns the lungs after just a few steps. Each muscle contraction seems to draw double the amount of oxygen to fuel their movements. Running downhill isn't much better. The rocky terrain is a nightmare for those with weak ankles. Try running fast on a technical downhill trail after running for 3+ hours (in the dark, no less). It's terrifying. To win Leadville is like single-handedly winning the World Series or the Superbowl. Leadville is one of the top ultramarathons in the world. Winning it is a career-defining moment for trail runners. But for Devon, it's just one more race on her long list of achievements: 3 time member of the USATF 100k National Team including 2009 Gold Medal winning team in Belgium 2007 RRCA Marathon National Champion 2010 50 mile road National Champion 2012 Olympic Trials marathoner (PR of 2:38:55) 2011 100k National Champion Set Fastest Known Time on the Grand Canyon R2R2R trail with Krissy Moehl in April 2011 3rd place at the Two Oceans Marathon (56k) 5th in Comrades Marathon (89k, as well as first novice and first American) Ran the 3rd fastest trail 100 miler ever for a North American running 14:52 at the 2015 Javelina 100 Not to be outdone, she's also the owner of M. H. Bread and Butter bakery in San Anselmo, CA with her husband. Strength Running readers will also be familiar with Devon - she joined eight other elite athletes in sharing her best injury prevention and recovery advice for The Little Black Book of Prevention & Recovery (it's free - download it now). You're going to love my conversation with Devon - but not just because she's one of the best long distance runners in the world. She's also hilarious.