Run to the Top Podcast | The Ultimate Guide to Running

Tyler Andrews - World Records Will Be Broken   Yes, Tyler Andrews is the World Record Holder for the Treadmill Half Marathon. He is also a US National Champion, a World Championship Silver Medalist, and a World Record holder. And on this Saturday, June 6th, he will not just be racing a 50K, he will be racing a 50K on the treadmill. Talk about mental strength! He will be competing against renowned ultra runners Max King and Mike Wardian in a very special event that you can participate in too at no cost for the full 50K, or you can opt for a shorter distance.  If you’re tempted to go for a world record yourself this weekend against, say, American marathon star Sara Hall or John Raneri in the half marathon, or maybe just watch world records being broken, Tyler will provide the race details for the Chaski Challenge in this episode, including what will make it exciting for all you fans out there who prefer to spectate! He’ll also share his advice for using the treadmill as a training tool and his race day strategy, so if you consider the treadmill a necessary evil, definitely check out what Tyler has to say!   Tyler started his endurance career as a scrawny high school cross country runner only capable of running a 5K in 18:30, before competing in NCAA Div. 3 track and cross country for Tufts University. After graduation, he pursued his running dreams in South America where his hard work led to faster times at longer distances, ultimately earning him a HOKA ONE ONE sponsorship.  Ty has established himself as a world-class endurance runner, making three US National Teams for the 50K World Championships finishing with individual silver in 2016, and winning his first National Championships over 50 Miles in 2019. Over this decade of improvement, he also improved his best times to 2:46 for the 50K (the second fastest 50K time for an American), 5:43 for 50 miles (a 6:52 pace!), 2:15 for the marathon, 1:03 for the half marathon, 14:12 for the 5K, and competed at two US Olympic Marathon Trials in 2016 and 2020. Entering the trail world, he has also set speed records on the Inca Trail in 2019 and Everest Base Camp Trail in 2020. In addition to being a world record holder, Tyler is the Chaski Endurance Collective founder, and his passion for athletics has also led him to empower other athletes over the last 10 years through coaching and mentorship via his work with Strive-Peru. He’s been coaching -- both in person and online -- for most of the last decade and hopes to continue to lead athletes to new triumphs over the years to come.    Tyler is weathering the current pandemic by being creative, making the best out of it, and just saying, “Yes” to stuff.   Questions Tyler is asked:   2:49 Can you tell us a little bit about what life and training has been like over the past year and especially now during the pandemic?   4:39 This weekend, June 5th and 6th, you are taking part in the Chaski Challenge which is open to everyone, and some elite runners are hoping to take down some world records on the treadmill.  Can you first tell me about the open event and what that’s about and how people can get involved?   6:45 How do you watch that?   8:01 You do see in the recreation running community, a lot of times there’s this huge disconnect between elites and everybody else. There’s so many other sports that have just these rabid fans and we don’t always see that in track and field or marathoning or even ultra running, so that’s really cool that you’re trying to find a way to connect the two.   9:51 The more fans, the more sponsors, the more money, the more growth. It seems like if more elites take that point of view, it will only help them in the end.   10:45 Talk about the prizes. It’s okay to shout out some of the companies. I’d love to hear who’s supporting this. Your main sponsor is HOKA ONE ONE, right?   11:47 Let's talk about the elite field for a moment.  You've got Sara Hall headlining the Women's half, John Raneri in the Men's Half, and then you’ve got Michael Wardian, Max King, and you in the Men's 50k.  Sounds like a really exciting lineup!  Can you break down the field for us, and do you have any predictions?   14:20 You’ve got some stiff competition, so I think that’s great that you picked some people that will give you a run for your money.   15:08 Why did you choose a treadmill and not your backyards?    16:28 Do you have to do special things like call up the people like Guiness, or how do you certify that it’s an official world record? Do you have to do all sorts of logistical stuff like that?   18:46 Can you tell me a little bit about the Chaski Endurance Collective, the organizer of this event?   21:55 I’m going to ask you to put on your coaching hat for a minute and give our listeners some treadmill tips because people hate the treadmill, and some of them grow to love it eventually, but what’s some of your best advice for using the treadmill as a training tool?   25:00 A lot of people ask me as the coach, “What about the incline?” Do you mess around with the incline or are you planning on doing that during your race?   26:10 In the race, do you plan on switching your speed up or are you just going to set it and forget it? What’s your strategy?   28:10 You’ll be able to see what your competitors are doing in real time, is that right?   28:42 You’re going to be watching the half marathon while you’re racing at the same time?    28:57 After this is all over, what’s next?   31:14 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you started running, what advice would you give?   32:30 What is the greatest gift running has given you?   34:14 Where can listeners connect with you?   34:38 Once again, your race is happening on June 6th at what time?   Quotes by Tyler:   “We just wanted to make something that was super compelling so that a person who might not normally follow the elite side of the sport can tune in and watch something that’s going to be super exciting, that’s going to be, ‘Hey, these people are going for world records, and they’re racing each other, and look at how close it is, and they’re blowing this record out of the water.’ That’s really what we’re going for with the broadcast.”   “How can we take a sport like elite road racing or ultra running and make it more approachable to a fan who’s engaged as a participant, but doesn’t really follow the elite side of the sport yet?”   “Normally, there’s no reason that a professional runner would try and go run a super hard, fast time on a treadmill. There’s just no incentive there.”   “I’m a very control-freaky kind of person sometimes , and I love to be able to control as much as I can on race day.”   “Every race that I was planning on this year has been canceled at this point, so it’s really just a matter of trying to get creative and trying to find other ways to either put on cool events or find other things that I can get excited about.”   Take a Listen on Your Next Run   Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel Mentioned in this podcast:    Fastest Known Time Chaski Endurance Collective Chaski Challenge Event Run To The Top Winners Circle Facebook Community RunnersConnect Facebook page claire@runnersconnect.net Follow Tyler on:   Facebook Instagram Twitter We really hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Run to the Top. The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use. The more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, the more I can reach out to and get top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

Why running alone feel so much harder? Why the effort level is low when racing alone? What can you do about this? Coach Hayley explains in this podcast. Listen now!

How to train for an ultra marathon? What can you do to bring the pace down? How to build mental toughness for ultras? Coach Claire explains in this week's Audio Blog podcast.

In this week's update, Coach Michael talks about the Boston marathon cancellation (the big news this week), what runners can do now to stay focused on their running goals and the importance of adaptability.

In this week's episode, Coaches Dylan and Ruairi do a countdown on the top three hardest races to master when it comes to racing and their favorite distances to race. Tune in now!

Jay Ell Alexander - Empowering A Generation of Black Women   After hitting her heaviest weight after graduate school, Jay Ell started running. That was almost 10 years ago. She is now the owner and CEO of Black Girls RUN!, a national running organization focused on supporting and encouraging African American women to embrace a healthy and active lifestyle through running. BGR is currently located in 75 cities and 33 states, and with a growing membership of 250K+.    In this episode, Jay Ell discusses with Coach Claire obstacles women of color face with their health and in the running community, BGR member success stories, and how lack of diversity in the recreational running community impacts runner safety, especially in light of the murder of black runner Ahmaud Arbery.   Jay Ell has a passion for creating safe and healthy spaces for women to come together and live their best life through running. She started as a volunteer at Black Girls RUN! eight years ago, and acquired the company in 2018, while also launching the BGR! Foundation with a focus on community engagement and local programming to support a healthy lifestyle in the community.    Jay Ell has her own public relations firm, and her background in public relations has been instrumental in growing the Black Girls RUN! brand. She is also a new children’s book author, and she and her husband, Chris, Sr., are parents to 8-month-old Chris, Jr.        Questions Jay Ell is asked:   2:53 You are the CEO of Black Girls Run.  Can you talk about the organization, how it started, and its mission?   4:43 What are the obstacles black women face when it comes to running?   8:01 How have things changed for the group in the pandemic?   9:52 Is it more of a challenge now for people who feel vulnerable or that running solo isn’t something they’re able to do?   10:40 Do you still see a lot of online engagement with the group?   11:43 What are some success stories and transformations have your members experienced?   13:58 Women of all races are welcome to join in your group runs, but no men allowed.  Why is that?   15:43 On a serious note, I would like to get your thoughts on diversity in the running world.  With the recent murder of black runner Ahmaud Arbery, it has become glaringly obvious that the running community has a serious diversity issue.  Can you expand on this?   17:28 Why do you think there is a lack of diversity below the elite levels?   19:52 Do some of the daughters come with their moms on the runs?   21:35 How important is it that parents set healthy examples for their kids?   22:28 How can the running community as a whole be more inclusive?   23:51 Before this happened, I had never thought to be worried about the safety of the athletes I coach, especially men.  But when I asked my athlete, John, a kind, successful runner in his 50s who's also a black man over 6' tall about the case, he told me that he thinks about his survival every time he runs. He takes special precautions to make sure that people don't even see him, like running a 1-mile stretch of a service road over and over again.  Do you hear stories like this as well?   26:14 What is the future of Black Girls Run?   27:16 Do you get most of your funding from donations or corporations?   27:55 What advice would you give yourself back when you started running?   29:02 What is the best gift running has given you?   29:56 How can people connect with you?   Quotes by Jay Ell:   “We talk about health has to come over beauty. Well, when we spend a lot of money sitting in a hair salon, spend a lot of time in a hair salon, sometimes a run or your health can go on the back burner because you want to preserve what you have on top of your head, the style that you have or get your money’s worth, and so that’s absolutely a real conversation.”   “I think especially in the days that we’re in now where social media and things are definitely much more present, just skin color is still a big issue as well, just kind of running while black. That is a real conversation.”   “We’re finding women, that they’re almost living like a second life. Now they’re traveling more, they’re running to travel, they have this new friend group, they’re losing weight.”   “A runner does not traditionally have to look like a 120-pound white female. It can be all shapes, all sizes, all curves, all colors.”    “I definitely think children, they do see what their parents are doing, so it may not seem like a direct impact, but it’s dropping little gems that they may take away.”   “It doesn’t really dawn on you, sometimes we just take it for granted just to kind of run out our front door and just go for a run and not knowing what everyone else that may be a different walk of life, what they’re dealing with as well.”  Take a Listen on Your Next Run Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel Mentioned in this podcast:    Jay Ell Alexander Black Girls Run jayell.alexander@blackgirlsrun.com Run To The Top Winners Circle Facebook Community RunnersConnect Facebook page claire@runnersconnect.net Follow Jay Ell on: Facebook - Jay Ell Alexander Instagram - Jay Ell Alexander Twitter - Jay Ell Alexander   Facebook - Black Girls Run Instagram - Black Girls Run Twitter - Black Girls Run We really hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Run to the Top. The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use. The more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, the more I can reach out to and get top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

Does hard running suppress the immune system? What causes decrease in lymphocytes in the blood after hard workout? What to do to boost your immunity? Find out in today's podcast from Coach Hayley.

What causes shin splints while running? How to prevent it from getting worse without stopping running? What are the treatment options available for shin splints? Coach Claire explains in this week's Audio Blog episode.

In this episode, Coach Michael shares insights about training hard at this time and then talks about an athlete of the week who also shared some great advice on how to cope with the current situation. Listen now!

This week it's Coach Ruairi turn! Coach Dylan interviews Ruairi about his childhood running experiences, college life, current goals, planned breaks, passions and hobbies, and many more. Tune in now!