Run to the Top Podcast | The Ultimate Guide to Running

Forget About Your Form and Just Wear the Right Shoe: Biomechanist Dr. Iain Hunter   Every runner dreams of running faster with less effort, with minimal chance of injury.  To do that, we often think we need to “fix” our running form to become more efficient. Dr. Iain Hunter, a running biomechanics researcher, thinks you just might be wasting your time trying to run like someone you are not and tells us what to do instead.   Iain shares his expertise with Coach Claire on topics that include if running mechanics can be improved, footstrikes, how to build strength outside of running, how different types of footwear affect performance, how to know which shoes to choose, and how we can run faster. Iain, a biomechanics professor at Brigham Young University, is also part of a research team that helped determine just how much the controversial Nike VaporFly 4%s really helps you run faster. He shares the results of the study and the actual range of performance improvement attributable to the shoes (Hint: It's not always 4%).  His test subject for the study was none other than Jared Ward, the American Olympic Marathoner headed to London on October 4. Iain has a mathematics education degree with a coaching minor from BYU, followed by a  Master of Education in coaching. During this time, his interest in biomechanics grew, which led him to pursue a PhD in Health and Human Performance at Oregon State University. Iain teaches Biomechanics of Sport and Exercise and conducts research related to the biomechanics of distance running related to performance and injury. He also works with USA Track and Field,  applying his research to elite distance runners. He has been a member of the American Society of Biomechanics since 2003. Iain’s honors and awards include the USA Track and Field: USA Track and Field Sports Medicine and Science and the College of Health and Human Performance: College Teaching Excellence. For a list of his many publications and presentations, please refer to his bio at https://lifesciences.byu.edu/directory/iain-hunter.    Questions Iain is asked:          4:32 You research and teach about sports biomechanics at Brigham Young University.  Can you first define what exactly that means and how you became interested in it?   5:45 Would you say that athletes that understand their particular biomechanics well will be able to perform their best?   6:23 Let's talk about running mechanics.  There seems to be no such thing as "perfect form" because top level athletes seem to run very differently and still succeed.  But can you improve on your running mechanics to run more efficiently and therefore perform better?  How?   7:44 Let’s talk about footstrike. Everybody asks, “Is there a proper way to hit the ground?” and “Heel striking is bad”, and “Forefoot striking is good.” Can you talk a little bit about that?   9:49 Runners come in all shapes and sizes. Taller runners are going to have a different cadence than shorter runners. Is that correct?   10:25 What about an athlete that continues to be injured and you look at something about their form. How do you make changes in a form because they really are getting injured from their preferred way of running?   12:55 I would think that if runners practice through their injury, changing their footstrike, that they would eventually learn to prefer that footstrike, but you don’t see that happening?   14:01 You kind of get used to running a certain way that’s right for your own body, and that’s hard to fix, right? So should we as coaches even both trying to change people’s form?   15:09 The most common reasons we think about changing our form is first of all, injury prevention, and second of all, speed and efficiency. We want to become faster runners over longer distances. So you say that it’s just more about practicing running that’ll become a better runner rather than changing our form?   16:11 What about outside of running? Surely you recommend strength training, and physical therapy, and all of that sort of thing. What sort of things should we runners be doing outside of the run?   18:30 Any tips for the knees?   20:04 Along with Olympian Jared Ward, you and a team of researchers set out to determine how much Nike's VaporFly 4% improved performance.  How was this study done and what were the results?   22:10 What were the differences in the people who were at each end of the Nike VaporFly performance bell curve?   23:20 The results from your study have obviously been used to help other companies compete with Nike. Is that correct?   25:53 It’s more than just the carbon fiber plate; it’s the foam that does the work or a combination that  makes this shoe effective?   27:03 I know that the foam, they have made some rules on the stack height of the shoe. Can you talk about what that is all about? Why would a higher shoe increase performance?   28:12 You mentioned that you saw that there was better recovery when wearing those shoes. Were you able to test that, like how a racer feels after the marathon?   28:49 Is the difference in muscle damage related to this new style of racing shoe simply because the foam absorbs some of the shock, or any reason why?   29:35 You’ve done a lot of research on shoes from barefoot shoes, minimalist shoes, spikes, all of that.  Can you explain how our choice of footwear affects our performance overall?   32:14 Because different types of shoes serve different purposes, you should have a quiver of shoes in your closet?   32:47 How often should you change your shoes? When do you know when to toss them away or donate them? Any advice on that?   33:53 What are you researching now and what questions are you looking to get answered in the future?   36:18 Most people know if they are good uphill runners and downhill runners, right?   36:45 Do we have different mechanics on uphill and downhill, most people?   39:47 Any predictions for the London marathon coming up October 4th? Questions I ask everyone:   37:26  1.  If you could go back and talk to yourself when you started running, what advice would you give?   39:07 2.  What is the greatest gift running has given you?   41:50 3. Where can listeners connect with you?     Quotes by Iain:   “I’d say trust the body first, but then take into account your own thoughts and coach’s thoughts to help guide some potential changes in your biomechanics.”   “With just about any human activity you can think of, the body realizes, ‘Here’s a way that I can do this with less energy cost to me,’ and running is included there, where if you just let it happen, that’s the technique that will use the least energy.”   “I like to say, ‘Well, why are you going on this run?’ And if they have a good answer for that, then I can suggest, ‘Here’s the appropriate shoe for that purpose.’”   Take a Listen on Your Next Run   Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel Mentioned in this podcast:  Biomechanics.byu.edu PodiumRunner article on Jared Ward and Iain Hunter helping Saucony develop faster racing shoes Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community RunnersConnect Facebook page claire@runnersconnect.net Follow Iain on:   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!  

Imagine doing everything right with your health and fitness, being in peak shape, and enjoying a super successful career announcing at the start and finish lines of some of the top marathons and races in the country, and then being slammed with a cancer diagnosis. What do you do? If you’re Fitz Koehler, you become even more of an inspiration. In 2019, Fitz found a cancerous lump in her breast just seven weeks after a clear mammogram. True to form, she immediately began treatment,  including chemo, to wage an all-out war against the cancer. The treatment was exhausting and debilitating. Did she take time off? No! She got on the phone to the race directors, informed them of her diagnosis, and then told them she would still be showing up for the races. And she did.  Fitz announced at all of her scheduled races, even when literally losing her hair while doing so. She continued to fly around the country, sometimes spending entire nights on bathroom floors, but she still showed up at the races where she both gave and got energy from the athletes.  Fitz is now cancer-free and shares her story and amazing outlook on life and running in this motivating episode with Coach Claire.  Fitz Koehler, M.S.E.S.S. is one of the most prominent and compelling fitness experts and race announcers in America. As the voice of the Los Angeles Marathon, Philadelphia Marathon, Big Sur Marathon, DC Wonder Woman Run Series, and more, she brings big structure, energy, and joy to sport. She’s also passionate about guiding others to live better and longer through her company, Fitzness®. Fitz has appeared on national media outlets and has worked as a speaker and spokesperson for corporations like Disney® and Office Depot®. She has also inspired millions of kids to get active through her successful school running/walking program, The Morning Mile®. Fitz enjoys water sports, strength training, animals, hugs, sarcasm, and travel. She lives in Gainesville, Florida with her husband and two kids.   Questions Fitz is asked:          4:53 Besides being a fitness professional, one of the things that you are most well-known for is race announcing.  Can you tell us how you started and what exactly is involved?   7:48 You had a really full race schedule and were doing great. You’re absolutely uber-fit, and then all of a sudden, after doing everything right, you were hit with a cancer diagnosis. Can  you talk about what your life was like just before your diagnosis? Did you feel invincible?   8:43 You had just had a clear mammogram a couple months earlier before your cancer diagnosis.   10:04 Can you tell us how the cancer diagnosis, that first few weeks, how it affected you and your family?   11:21 You’re known for being a positive person who encourages people all the time, and you had to deliver some pretty bad news. How was that?   12:49 You had a full race calendar, and after you made that video announcing your diagnosis you had to make some phone calls to the race directors that were expecting you to show up. What was that like?    14:47 As you were announcing the March 2019 LA marathon, your hair began to fall out during the race.  Can you talk about that?   17:16 Obviously losing your hair has got to be difficult for anyone, but you chose specifically not to wear a wig and embrace your baldness. Can you talk about that?   18:54 How many races did you end up announcing during your treatment?  And how difficult was it?   20:55 How did you have the confidence to call races? Anybody would have understood if you said, “Look, I’m just too sick. I’m going to take a pass.” How did you know that it was going to be okay?   21:33 Clearly your own exercise routine was thrown way out of whack by cancer.  How did your exercise change and how did you build back up?   24:46 Why don't you like pink ribbons?   26:23 Coming full circle, you were back announcing the 2020 LA Marathon.  Can you explain what that was like?   27:52 Now that you are cured of cancer, your life has no doubt been completely changed with the cancellation of races due to the virus.  How have you used this time instead?   29:50 Tell us what the title of your book is and when it comes out.   31:45 What’s your advice on what to say to somebody who announces a diagnosis like yours?   33:28 What’s your next race on the calendar?   Questions I ask everyone:   33:52 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you started running, what advice would you give?   34:46 What is the greatest gift running has given you?   35:11  Where can listeners connect with you?   Quotes by Fitz:   “First of all, I whip them into a frenzy and then I yell, ‘Go!’ because we do not do boring races. And then I’m there at the finish line to welcome them home, and my intention is to make every single finisher feel like they won the damn thing, and if somebody goes home feeling disappointed, then I haven’t done my job.”   “Part of my platform as a fitness expert has always been annual exams, self-exams, and personally I felt like, ‘Gee whiz, if I ever have one cancer cell in my body, I want to know about it instantly so I could slaughter it.’ I just felt no mercy on cancer.”   “Stubborn is my greatest asset, my greatest curse. There was nothing going to hold me back, and when I make a decision, God help the person or thing that gets in the way.”   Take a Listen on Your Next Run Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel Mentioned in this podcast:  Fitzness.com My Noisy Cancer Comeback - pre-order signed copy My Noisy Cancer Comeback will be released in October on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Audible, etc. MorningMile.com Fitzness@aol.com Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community RunnersConnect Facebook page claire@runnersconnect.net   Book:  My Noisy Cancer Comeback,  available on presale at Fitzness.com Finding a cancerous lump in her breast seven weeks after a clean mammogram was terrifying. But fitness expert and race announcer Fitz Koehler refused to play the victim or allow cancer to steal her extraordinary career or time with family. In My Noisy Cancer Comeback, Fitz reveals the juicy and gory details of her 16-month battle, all while zigzagging across the United States. Enduring chemotherapy, radiation, and surgeries in the public eye wasn’t easy. You’ll laugh, cry, wince, and cheer as she chronicles the clash of an avalanche of side effects with 22 major race weekends. Her inspirational tale encompasses the terror of diagnosis, bald heads and black dresses, spectacular stages, parenting with cancer, perspective, and, most importantly, triumph. You’ll walk away grittier, more optimistic, and inspired to conquer any obstacle.   Follow Fitz on:   Facebook Instagram YouTube 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!  

It is the end of an elite era.  The beautiful training center in Blowing Rock, NC that has been home to some of the best endurance athletes in the country is for sale.  What does that mean for the elite athletes that live and work there?  And what about the adult and teen running camps that ZAP has hosted for the past 18 years?   Coach Claire talked to head coach and owner, Pete Rea to find out.   Pete Rea, the Elite Athlete coach at ZAP Endurance Team USA, has an impressive resume. He has led 51 athletes to Olympic Trials since the facility’s opening in 2002, and also coached the following: 42 Senior US teams  9 ZAP athletes to spots on Senior World Championship Teams including 6 to the US World XC team 4 USATF Club XC Team Championships (‘06,’07,’09,’14)  1 US marathon champion (Tyler Pennel)  1 Olympian (Pardon Nghlovu - Zimbabwe 2016 Rio Games Marathon)   Pete together with his wife, two-time Olympic trials qualifier Zika Rea, are coaches at the facility, host adult running camps during the summer and retreats all year. The facility has a state-of-the-art weight room, a bio-lab for physiological testing, and a 24-bed lodge. RunnersConnect has held fall running retreats at ZAP for years and it's always been a highlight of the season. Big changes are coming to ZAP, however, and Coach Claire talks to Pete to discover what’s in store for the team and their beautiful 45-acre center. They also talk about the evolution of running since the ‘90s, what Pete sees as the future of running, and what’s next for him and the athletes he coaches.  Prior to ZAP, Pete served as a private coach to athletes of all ages and abilities in Atlanta, Georgia. He was also the distance events coach at The Walton School in Georgia. Pete was a distance running standout both as a prep athlete in Connecticut, at the University of Connecticut, and as a post-collegiate runner in the early 1990s. Pete has been a freelance writer for over 20 years for publications such as Running Times, Running Journal, and more than a dozen fitness publications around the US.  Questions Pete is asked:          2:59 You've been the head coach at ZAP Endurance, formally ZAP Fitness, since the beginning in 2002.  A lot has changed in the world and in the world of running since then.  Can you talk about what those early years were like in the sport and at ZAP and how it’s changed?   5:59 How has the environment at ZAP changed now versus in 2002?   6:57 You mentioned that the ZAP facility is for sale. That’s a big part of why I wanted to have you on this show. Can you talk a little bit about that, what’s going on and what the future’s going to be like?   8:24 How does not having a training facility in the future, how does that change the group training model? Because they won’t be getting up together. They won’t be probably having their meals together as much anymore.    9:16 You mentioned that ZAP does group camps and group retreats, and that’s actually where we first met. RunnersConnect always has a training camp at ZAP. So what is that going to look like in the future?   10:33 What has the year 2020 been like for the athletes that you coach at ZAP?   11:59 What about the athletes that you have that have been injured? Have they been really using this time to heal and take care of themselves and scale back? At least maybe that is a silver lining for some of the people?   12:35 You have led 51 athletes to the Olympic Trials with ZAP.  What does it take for an athlete to reach that level?   14:52 How would you describe your coaching style?   16:42 Time on feet matters, but you can’t go hard all the time, right?   17:17 Would you advise a recreational runner who’s looking to move up to the marathon to do a lot of running at a controlled pace?   17:46 How much slower than marathon pace would you say is a good recovery or easy run pace?   22:49 What advice would you give the people listening about training without a goal race? How do you stay motivated? How do you add a little spice to it? How do you keep that carrot in front of you when there’s no race?   24:39 Two of your athletes, Joe Stilin and Joanna Thompson, have recently moved to New York City, but they are still affiliated with ZAP.  How will you work with them from a distance?   26:01 In 2019, the Swiss running company On became the official sponsor of ZAP.  Can you talk about the change from Reebok to On?   27:19 What’s On’s answer to the Nike shoes? They’ve got some carbon fiber plates?   28:11 Any predictions for the London Marathon coming up?   29:13 What's next for your athletes?  What are they training for?   Quotes by Pete:   “Athletes now are fully aware of the types of training others are doing both domestically and around the world, and that’s helped athletes who at one point probably thought they were training hard and then realized they weren’t.”   “We’ve got a couple athletes right now who are struggling with injury. The party line is, ‘Well, if you were going to be hurt, if there’s such a thing as a good time, it’s now.’”   “What he averaged over the long term was clearly one of his greatest strengths, not what he did over any given three weeks or even a month or six months.” Take a Listen on Your Next Run   Leave a space for libsyn link   Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel Mentioned in this podcast:    ZAP Endurance Elite Minds by Stan Beecham On Running Hansons Running SweatyBetty.com/RTTT for 20% off through Nov. 1 Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community RunnersConnect Facebook page claire@runnersconnect.net   Follow Pete on:   ZAP Facebook ZAP Instagram ZAP Strava 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!  

Jared Ward is getting ready to race. He is one of the few elite athletes that will enter the elite bubble to race the London Marathon on October 4th.    Jared is an American marathoner who placed third in the 2016 US Olympic Trials and finished in sixth place at the Rio Olympics later that year. In 2019, he ran a personal best in Boston, finishing in 2:09, and then in Houston, at the half marathon in January of 2020, he was the first American man to cross the line in a PR of 1:01:36.    With a condensed training build, Jared is now in full marathon mode and he talks to Coach Claire about how his training is going and what the 20-loop course in front of Buckingham Palace might be like for him. They also discuss pandemic-related changes to his and his family’s life and how Jared stays inspired.   Jared lives in Provo, Utah, and when he’s not training for marathons for Saucony or chasing around his four little kids, he is a professor of statistics at Brigham Young University. He famously wrote his master’s thesis on the best way to pace a marathon, and he was on a research team that set out to analyze the performance advantages of rival shoe company Nike’s Vaporfly 4%. That research helped Saucony create the Endorphin Pro which Jared wore in Boston last year for his PR performance.    If you want to race against Olympic Athlete Jared Ward, sign up for the Chaski Challenge marathon relay this Saturday, September 12th. It’s a fun run for a good cause.    Questions Jared is asked:          3:36 First of all, what a crazy year 2020 has been!  Can you take us back to the beginning of the year, as you trained for the Olympic Trials in January and February, what you were imagining 2020 to look like for you?   5:34 What did you do with your training with no races in sight?   6:55 I watched an interview after the race with you and you could have easily dropped out of that race when you knew things were going pretty bad, and a lot of elites do that. They save their legs for another day, but you decided that you were going to finish the race, and I’d love to talk about what was going on in your head at that point.   12:50 Speaking of family, how are you handling four kids at home, home schooling, training, all of the craziness that we parents are going through right now?   14:20 Another interesting fact about you is that you take one day off of running each week because of your faith.  Can you talk about this and how it affects your training?   17:05 Let’s talk about London. You have announced that you are going to be one of the few elites running the London Marathon on October 4.  Can you tell us how that came about?     19:55 Let’s talk about the logistics of the London Marathon. It’s just loops around the park, right?   20:05 Are they allowing spectators for the London Marathon?   20:55 You obviously had to get special permission for travel and all of that. What are the logistics of traveling as an American to Europe right now?   21:16 Do you know how big the field for the London Marathon is yet?   22:06 Any predictions for the London Marathon, or is it just too crazy to even try to predict?   22:51 I would imagine that this type of course (London Marathon) would actually really play to your strengths. You’re a statistician, is that correct? And so you like the mathematical advantage of a 20-loop course?   24:14 On Saturday, September 12, you are headlining the men's elite virtual marathon relay called the Chaski Challenge, which is another virtual event put on by Tyler Andrews at Chaski Endurance.  Can you talk about that and what it's all about?     26:38 So the Chaski Challenge is not a treadmill race? You can do this one outside?   28:23 What's next after London?   30:33 If racing can be done safely, then maybe it should be done, right? Questions I ask everyone:   31:27 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you first started running, what advice would you give yourself?   32:31 What is the greatest gift that running has given you?   32:56 Where can listeners connect with you? Quotes by Jared:   “I think it’s important for kids to see that even when it’s hard, it doesn’t mean we have to quit. We don’t have to give up.”   “I’ve come to appreciate now as a more seasoned marathoner that it’s a lot more about getting in enough training to unlock lifetime fitness than it is about some perfect marathon training block that tees the race up perfectly.”   “The Chaski Challenge on September 12th is creating an opportunity in a running world with fewer opportunities now than there were a year ago.” Take a Listen on Your Next Run Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel Mentioned in this podcast:    Chaski Challenge Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community RunnersConnect Facebook page claire@runnersconnect.net   Follow Jared on:   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!

You Are Probably Hydrating Wrong: Sweat Expert, Andy Blow   Are you over-hydrating during your runs? Under-hydrating? How can you even tell and what should you do about it?  Sweat, dehydration, and cramping expert Andy Blow talks sodium, fluids, and performance with Coach Claire in this super informative episode.   Andy has a degree in Sport and Exercise Science and was a regular podium finisher in elite short course triathlon racing in his younger days, but he learned about dehydration the hard way. Andy found that he suffered more than most racers in heat and humidity and at longer Ironman distances, frequently visiting the medical tent due to cramps and dehydration despite following common hydration protocols, and he ended with poor race results.   Andy sorted out his hydration needs thanks to years of trial and error. Turns out, he’s a very salty sweater. As proof that one size does not fit all when it comes to hydration, Andy loses nearly twice as much sodium per liter of sweat than does his head of operations, Jonny.    Motivated by his struggles, Andy specialized in electrolyte replenishment and founded Precision Hydration with the help of respected heart surgeon, Dr. Raj Jutley, who introduced Andy to sweat testing and the huge variances in sweat and sodium losses among athletes.  Precision Hydration produces hydration products, and offers unique sweat and sodium testing, as well as education on creating the right hydration plan to fit your individual needs. They have created personalized hydration plans for top level athletes and teams such as the English Premier League, International Rugby Union, the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Formula 1 Motor racing, MotoGP, and IndyCar, as well as elite individuals from the worlds of cycling, running, triathlon, and firefighters and service personnel who are exposed to high levels of heat stress and sweating, helping them maintain performance in even the harshest  of environments. As Precision Hydration progressed, they got exclusive access to patented sweat testing technology that requires no physical effort from the athlete. The technology has a long, credible history as a diagnostic test for Cystic Fibrosis and the test is simple, painless, and extremely accurate. They also developed their own range of effervescent electrolytes early on because existing products were simply not strong enough to meet most serious athletes' needs. The company working with We were now, built up such a wealth of data on how athletes sweat that they were able to build an algorithm-based questionnaire to deliver personalized hydration advice for athletes who couldn't make it to one of their test centers. Precision Hydration’s mission is to give every athlete access to a personalized hydration strategy so that they have the best chance of achieving their goals. Disclosure: Precision Hydration is not a sponsor of our show and this interview is not an infomercial for their products.  This is all about having an expert in the field help us understand our unique hydration needs.     Questions Andy is asked:          4:31 You are a former elite triathlete that learned about hydration the hard way.  I would love to hear some of your horror stories about how failing to hydrate properly affected your performances.   5:38 What were you doing wrong specifically with your hydration?   6:33 Can you give us a quick history lesson on the advice that athletes have been given about hydration?   8:33 Do you think it’s true that being a little dehydrated is a lot better than being over hydrated?   9:39 How do you know that you are well hydrated and how do you get hydrated before you hit the starting line?   12:29 I was looking at the back of a thing of salt that I have and salt has about 600mg per quarter teaspoon of sodium in it, so can I just take my bottle of water and throw a little sodium in it and call it good?   13:55 Can you just tell us what we should drink?   17:17 How do we measure our own sweat rate and  how do we measure our sodium losses?   22:01 Let’s talk about cramps because I have a pretty high level Masters Athlete that I coach and he is very, very fast. He’s a 2:27 marathoner, he’s almost 50 years old, and he often suffers in cramps, and for the most part, it’s at the end of the marathon, and he just powers through it. And we have not been able to figure it out. We think that it’s a muscle issue, but he is a strong hard worker, and so it’s really hard to figure out. Can you help explain the cramping issue?   27:36 Drink to thirst or drink to plan?   30:07 There’s a pretty common myth that if you’re 2% dehydrated, that’s too much. Can you talk about that?   31:58 How does somebody come up with a hydration plan? Do we just go out and run and see when we fall off the cliff? What do you suggest? Obviously trial and error, but let’s say I’m brand new to this whole thing. What advice would you give me?   34:35 Just like glycogen, we’re not trying to replace everything we lost during the actual event. Is that correct?   36:20 After the race, what do we drink? Questions I ask everyone:   37:33 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you first started running, what advice would you give yourself?   38:06 What is the greatest gift that running has given you?   38:15 Where can listeners connect with you? Quotes by Andy:   “I’ve had some very, very depressing long walks along highways by the side of the road at the end of an Ironman triathlon feeling like absolute garbage because of the problems I had with hydration.”   “Anyone who’s operating in a warm-to-hot environment who’s going for more than 90 minutes to two hours or doing lots of hard sessions on back-to-back days in that warm environment, they’re the people who benefit from really understanding their individual hydration needs a lot closer, and that requires a bit of investigation.”   “I quite often think that cramps that happen late on in endurance activities have a component that’s related to electrolyte imbalance.”   Take a Listen on Your Next Run   Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel Mentioned in this podcast:    Precision Hydration hello@precisionhydration.com How To Measure Your Sweat Rate Cramps How To Start an Event Well Hydrated How Much Dehydration Can You Tolerate? How To Tell if You May be a Salty Sweater Discount code for precisionhydration.com for 15% off your first order: RUNTOTHETOP Free: Book a 1:1 video chat with a Precision Hydration team member to answer your hydration-related questions! Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community RunnersConnect Facebook page claire@runnersconnect.net   Follow Andy 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!

In this week's episode, Coach Michael talks about the changes on our podcast shows, Coach Dylan's strength training sessions, the new live coach chats on YouTube and our upcoming RC mobile app. Tune in now!

In this week's Up-Tempo Talks episode, Coach Ruairi talks about the new 5k world record at Monaco Diamond League, FKT (Fastest Known Time) phenomenon among trail runners, and a showdown on the 1500m Irish National Championships. Listen now!

Dr. Tom Lawton Ran 22 Miles in a Mask To Prove A Point Does wearing a mask really impair your oxygen levels as some people claim? Recent internet sensation Dr. Tom Lawton went to extremes to find out. After a prolonged period of not running, he ran 22 miles in a homemade triple-layer mask, testing his oxygen levels along the way. His goal was twofold: to prove it’s safe to wear a mask while walking about and to raise money for charity.    In this episode, Coach Claire delves into the details of Tom’s mask experiment, finds out if he thinks runners should wear masks, what his experience as a critical care doctor has been like in the UK with the coronavirus, and also what he thought about recent controversial RTTT guest Matthew Hammersmith who has been putting on in-person races during the pandemic. Spoiler alert: Tom is not fully for or against what Matt is doing. Check out his opinion and see if you agree.   Tom Lawton is an intensive care doctor with the Bradford Royal Infirmary in Yorkshire, England, a healthcare researcher, and triathlete.  After being fat and wheezy through childhood, he took up rowing at his university, and hated running with a passion. Unable to run more than about a quarter of a mile without knee pain and a loud “slap” accompanying each foot strike, he foolishly ran (well, mostly walked while sobbing in pain) the London Marathon to raise money for charity. He then vowed never to run again. A decade later and unfit once more, a drunken wedding bet saw Tom enter the first Ironman Wales. He started running under protest and arrived at the race having managed training runs of no longer than 10 miles. Undeterred, he excitedly scarfed down everything he’d picked up from the expo during the bike section. Alas, at least one of those things did not agree with him and he spent most of the run being sick. Nevertheless, he still somehow managed to beat his London Marathon time, which prompted him to pick up triathlon training for real. Since then, Tom has continued to improve and has finished each of his last six iron-distance races in under 10 hours. However, the pandemic has put a stop to all that and he has been unable to train much since January due to a combination of work and the stress of caring for sick patients.  Tom desperately wants to get back to training, so he wants everyone to do whatever they can to keep this virus under control, and he has become a keen mask advocate. In order to prove they were safe to wear around the shops, he pushed a bit more oxygen through one by running to the ICU and back, and has spent the last few weeks exposed to the Internet’s underbelly in the aftermath with his aforementioned 22-mile run.  Questions Tom is asked:          5:03 You are a critical care doctor in the UK who has recently gotten quite a bit of attention for running 22 miles wearing a triple layer mask to prove that wearing a mask does not cause a drop in oxygen levels.  Before we get into that story, can you tell me a bit about what life is like with the pandemic where you are?   6:56 Can you talk a little bit about what the hospital you were working at was like in April with all the cases coming in?   8:20 Was your hospital overwhelmed with COVID patients?   8:50 In the United States, a big part of the decision to wear a mask or not seems to be a very political one.  We Americans prize our freedom and individualism and some people just don't like being told what to do, so they don’t want to wear a mask.  Are you seeing that in the UK as well, that kind of attitude?   10:54 Let's have you tell the story of the run that got shared around the world.  How did you set it up and what’s the story?     14:47 Tell me about the mask you were wearing on your run?   15:49 How did you measure your oxygen levels on the run?   17:02 What kind of feedback are you getting from people? Are people saying that, “Well, you’re an athlete. Of course your oxygen levels are going to be great,” or “I have asthma. This isn’t going to work for me.” Did people say that you’re some kind of exception? Have you gotten any feedback like that?   18:49 You ran to work in a mask, and then presumably you wore a mask all day at work, and then you turned around and wore a mask and ran home. Is that right?   19:43 What you said before is you ran in a mask just to show that you could do it, but I’m gathering that you wouldn’t recommend it and it probably wasn’t great for performance. Is that correct?   22:05 I certainly know a lot of athletes who do live in big cities and run on crowded paths and they wear the neck gaiter or the buff because it’s easy to pull up and down. And you mentioned that Duke University study that came out, and it said that the buffs are actually worse than no mask at all because they break up the droplets and make them easier to spread. I’d love to get your thoughts on that.   25:01 A lot of people say, “Well, hey, if I’m healthy enough to go running or I’m healthy enough to go run a race, then I probably don’t have corona.” What do you say to people who say that?   26:06 We recently had a race director on this show and he was putting on smaller races, 200-to-300 people at the events, and with very minimal pre-race, post-race contact, but still, in a race, and there’s pictures of these races that you’re not six feet apart, you’re passing people, there’s crowds at the starts, so what do you say about holding races during the pandemic?   28:17 Part of the race director’s argument was there’s a mental health risk of not going out and seeing other people, and that’s hard to deny as well. People are kind of going a little stir crazy, but also some serious mental issues are happening because we are all stuck inside. Are you seeing that as well?   30:03 And on a personal note, how is your training going?   Questions I ask everyone:   31:37 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you first started running, what advice would you give yourself?   32:10 What is the greatest gift that running has given you?   32;59 Where can listeners connect with you? Quotes by Tom:   “There have been a lot of people, especially with this mask-run context, they need to complain and say they don’t want to wear masks, and various forms of abuse. And a lot of them are American, but I’ve had Canadian abuse, I’ve had French abuse, I’ve had UK abuse, so it’s not just an American thing.”   “The purpose of doing this wasn’t to show that you should run in masks. It was to show that you could walk around the shops quietly in one, and the running was just to make it kind of more extreme and make it really obvious that if anything was going to make my oxygen levels drop, then running for 22 miles should have made it happen, and it didn’t.”   “This disease is about people thinking of others. Most of us involved in running are relatively young, we’re fit, we’re healthy. We are not going to die from coronavirus even if we catch it, but we could spread it to friends, to family, to people we don’t know who are more at risk, and those are the people we’ve got to really think about.” Take a Listen on Your Next Run Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel Mentioned in this podcast:  USA Today Article abc News Article Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community RunnersConnect Facebook page claire@runnersconnect.net   Follow Tom on:   Twitter We really hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Run to the Top. 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