Run to the Top Podcast | The Ultimate Guide to Running

The world's best are gritty. The world's best are clear on their purpose. The world's best become a master of their thoughts. The world's best know themselves to master yourself. The world's best dominate the controllables. The world's best own the moment. The world's best choose empowering emotions. The world's best own who they are. The world's best live and let go. The world's best choose their courage zone.   In her more than sixteen years coaching elite runners, Olympians, championship teams, executives, and entrepreneurs, world renowned performance psychologist Dr. Cindra Kamphoff has discovered these ten practices to be consistent among the world’s very best.   In her book, Beyond Grit: Ten Powerful Practices to Gain the High-Performance Edge, Dr. Kamphoff explains why each of these practices is important to discovering your purpose, “owning your why,” and boosting your performance through drive and grit, which Dr. Kamphoff argues prove more important than talent.   Dr. Kamphoff is the Director and Founder of the Center of Sport and Performance Psychology, founder of the High Performance Mindset Podcast, a professor in Performance Psychology at Minnesota State University, and a longtime marathoner.   Today Dr. Kamphoff will share with us a little about those 10 practices, and how we can develop them to achieve stronger, more confident running.   Questions Dr. Kamphoff is asked: 4:01 What sparked your passion for running and how did that turn into a career in  Performance Psychology? 6:19 What inspired you to write your book Beyond Grit? 10:14 What are the 10 Practices you discuss in your book? 17:14 Which of the 10 Practices have you had to work on the most? 19:22 How can runners benefit from knowing their own strengths and weaknesses and how can they identify them? 24:02 Why is “Grit” more powerful than “Gift”? 28:04 How can people keep their ‘Why” centered in their lives? 33:26 How did your experience at the 2013 Boston Marathon reinforce your “Why” and how did it change your approach to coaching? 39:16 How does your Beyond Grit workshop help people gain confidence and push past  their comfort zone? 41:37 What else is in the works for you?   Quotes by Dr. Kamphoff: “Grit really means staying passionate and persistent for your very long term goals.” “Self-awareness is foundational to high performance, and it’s foundational to you being at your best consistently.” “If you ‘think’ it, that’s not going to be as intentional, but if you ‘ink’ it, that’s really key.” “I really like this quote by Simon [Sinek] - he said, ‘Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress, but working hard for something we love is called passion.’”   Take a Listen on Your Next Run Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel   Mentioned in this podcast: CindraKamphoff.com Book: Beyond Grit Angela Lee Duckworth TED Talk Simon Sinek TED Talk Get Beyond Grit Bonuses Follow Dr. Kamphoff on Twitter Follow Dr. Kamphoff on Facebook  

Author, coach, and nutritionist Matt Fitzgerald started running at the age of eleven when he completed the last mile of the 1983 Boston Marathon with his father (who had run the whole thing) and his two brothers.   By that time Matt was already a writer (specifically a comedic poet), having declared his intention to pursue a career in writing at the ripe age of nine.   He never changed his mind.   An expert on all things running, Matt especially loves to write about the psychology of running and has written several books and articles on the subject, including his popular book How Bad Do You Want It? Mastering the Psychology of Mind Over Muscle.   In this episode, Matt discusses what goes into a runner’s mental capacity and shares with us some tips as to how we can better push our limits.

When you think of dietitians, you probably think of, well, diets.   It’s right there in the name, and most dietitians are devoted to helping people follow regulated diets that will, in theory, make them healthier.     Heather Caplan isn’t like most dietitians.   The certified running coach and host of the RD Real Talk podcast believes diets are nothing but counterproductive and that “diet culture” is full of hidden agendas and falsehoods detrimental to our wellbeing and mentality towards food.   Not just that, but dieting can go way too far, causing conditions like orthorexia in which an unhealthy fixation on eating healthy can lead to symptoms like hair loss, difficulty sleeping, chronic fatigue, anemia, and hypothyroidism.   You read that right. Too much healthy eating can be unhealthy.   That’s why Heather exercises a non-diet approach at her private practice in Washington, DC, helping runners relearn the “intuitive” eating that diet culture can make so foreign to us.   In this episode, Heather discusses the pitfalls of diets, shares her firsthand account with orthorexia, and gives us some tips on how to adopt intuitive eating for optimal health and performance.

Running isn’t always forgiving. Between injuries, mental ruts, and the curve balls life sometimes throws at us, finding long term success and remaining engaged in the sport can be incredibly difficult, and that’s why Jonathan Beverly’s new book is one every runner needs to read. The book is called Run Strong, Stay Hungry, and it reveals the habits and mentalities of more than 50 veteran runners who are still running fast decades after they started.   A writer for Runner’s World and lifetime runner himself, Jonathan will give us a peek into the lives of runners like Bill Rodgers, Deena Kastor, and Joan Benoit Samuelson to show us what it takes to avoid burnout and achieve longevity in the sport - both physically and mentally. P.S. Jonathan was kind enough to offer two lucky winners a signed copy of Run Strong, Stay Hungry! If you’re interested, head on over to runnersconnect.net/giveaway. The contest will end at 12am EST November 2nd, 2017, so be sure to enter fast!

Now known as the “Acupuncturist for Skeptics”, Sarah Hammer Stevens wasn’t always a believer in this alternative therapy. A longtime runner, Sarah was training for the Portland Marathon a few years ago when she sustained a knee injury that threatened to sideline her just weeks before the race. Desperate to recover as quickly as possible, Sarah tried everything. She consulted both her primary care doctor and an orthopedist but just wasn’t seeing any real improvement. So, ready to try anything, Sarah decided to give acupuncture a shot, and she was glad she did. After running pain-free to set a big PR, Sarah was excited to share the benefits of acupuncture with the world. She quit her job to pursue a career in integrative health care, and she now enjoys helping runners like herself through her practice To the Point PDX in Portland, OR. In this interview, Sarah will explain to us the intricacies of acupuncture, dispel the misconceptions that surround it, and share the reasons she believes every runner should give it a try. Questions Sarah is asked: 4:09 Tell us about what you do and about your practice 5:13 What changed your mind about acupuncture and brought you into practicing? 8:40 How did you get into running? 10:59 How did the Hood to Coast Relays go for you? 11:51 How did the pop-up clinics go? 13:57 How often do you do these types of events? 14:52 What actually is acupuncture? 17:56 What are some of the funniest misconceptions you’ve encountered regarding acupuncture? 20:10 What’s the difference between dry needling and acupuncture? 23:32 How does acupuncture target problem areas? 25:27 How immediate are the effects of treatment? 27:44 What types of injuries are best treated with acupuncture? 29:21 Do chiropractors ever refer their patients to acupuncturists? 30:47 How has it been starting your own company? 33:01 Why do you think there haven’t been as many jobs for acupuncturists? 34:57 What’s the difference between acupuncture and Chinese medicine in general? 38:42 What exactly is cupping therapy and why do people use it? 41:08 Why is cupping so commonly done on athlete’s backs? 41:46 When do you advise people to get cupping therapy? 42:43 What does a general treatment course look like for an injured or sore runner? 44:28 How should people take the herbal supplements you recommend? 46:21 Who should use bone broth and when? 47:27 What’s next for you and your practice? 49:15 How can people outside of your location find a high quality acupuncturist in their area?   Quotes by Sarah: “I went in, and I said, ‘I don’t believe this is gonna work. I don’t believe in holistic medicine. There’s no way that it can work, but I’m ready to try anything because I want to run this marathon.’ And lo and behold after the first treatment, my knee felt completely better.” “You can read about [acupuncture], you can try to figure out how it works, but you have to just try it to really, really understand it.” “People think [acupuncture] is a religion, and you have to believe in it and you have to be spiritual. And I’m like, ‘No. Absolutely not.’” “We do mirror imaging: so we sometimes use the ankle to help the shoulder or we needle the ear to help the back.”

Okay, well at least occasionally :) That’s what marathoner and writer Duncan Larkin argues in his book Run Simple: A Minimalist Approach to Fitness and Well-Being. Duncan, who also writes for Outside Magazine, Competitor Magazine, Runner's World, ESPN, and Running Times, believes the best way to maximize running’s mental and physical benefits is to get back to the basics. While the book is full of training regiments and advice for increasing quality over quantity, it starts off with one resounding message: ditch your gadgets. According to Duncan, runners have become slaves to their electronic devices, and, believe it or not, this reliance can be detrimental to both performance and the very value of a training program. In this interview, Duncan shares with us the principles of his simplistic training philosophy, a little about the coaches and runners who swear by it, as well as a sneak peek at his upcoming book, The 30-Minute Runner: Smart Training for Busy Beginners.

In 2009, Kelly Roberts was thrown into the deep end when she suddenly lost her younger brother, Scott. Struggling to cope during this emotionally draining time, Kelly gained over 70 pounds by the end of the year, by which point she decided it was time for her to find a healthy way to work out her grief. That’s when she found running. 8 years later, the sport has become invaluable to Kelly, and she now uses it to uplift thousands of others through her hilarious yet incredibly authentic blog Run, Selfie, Repeat. Kelly continually strives to break the societal norms that insist what “strong” ought to look like, and she loves inspiring thousands of runners to pursue the best versions of themselves. In this episode, Kelly shares with us what she’s learned through her own ongoing journey to self-acceptance as well as her tips to conquering the inhibitions that tie us down. All, of course, with a healthy dose of hysterical laughter.   Questions Kelly is asked: 3:48 What prompted you to start running and what has that journey been like? 8:29 How has running impacted other aspects of your life? 10:24 What prompted you to start your ‘Hottie-Hunting’ selfies and how did that ignite your blog and fame on social media? 14:15 How has your blog evolved and where do you see it going in the next few years? 18:48 How quickly did #SportsBraSquad take off? 23:36 How has it been working with Oiselle and when did you start working with them? 28:39 Where do you think Oiselle is going to be in the next few years? 31:32 What challenges have you encountered with your running and how did you stay motivated? 35:18 What are you most proud of since you started this journey? 37:48 What would you tell a new runner who’s trying to break out of their comfort zone? 40:59 What would you say are some of the more common inhibitions that new runners may have? 43:11 Where do you see yourself as a runner in the next few years? 46:42 What can you tell us about the rebranding of your blog? 48:28 When will it launch?   Quotes by Kelly: “Just because something is hard or just because something feels impossible doesn’t mean that you shouldn't try.” “Being on a team makes you a stronger woman.” “Running is about bringing people together and empowering them.” “I think I can name on one hand the amount of people who actually know how to eat a healthy, balanced diet.” “I really just want to run for life.” “Running is something I DO, it’s not who I AM.” “Whatever I can do to bring people together, I’m gonna try.”   Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel   Mentioned in this podcast: Run Selfie Repeat homepage National Sports Bra Squad Day girlsontherun.org Oiselle homepage   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. If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

One of the biggest advantages of running is that you don’t need a whole lot of equipment to do it.   But because we rely so heavily on the little equipment we do need, most of us would rather go for another run than try to choose between the wide array of activity trackers, GPS watches, and power meters available to us within the ever-growing sport tech market.   That’s where Ray Maker’s tech review blog, DC Rainmaker, can save you the time and energy not only picking the best product for you but also getting the absolute most out of that product.   A longtime runner and triathlete, Ray is arguably the most respected sport tech guru out there, and his climb to the top isn’t what you’d probably imagine.   During his spare time in high school, Ray started a one-man software company developing “programs” we now call apps - programs that garnered quite a lot of interest in Ray’s skills.   Long story short, Ray went directly from his high school graduation to a full-time career in technology consulting just 36 hours later.   Yeah. You might say he found his calling.   After 15 years working in the Fortune 500 world, Ray left his job at Microsoft to devote his time to a new passion: helping runners like himself optimize their performance by getting the most out of their gadgets.   From its honest product reviews to its exhaustive how-to guides, DC Rainmaker is an invaluable resource for runners everywhere, and Ray gives us an inside look in today’s episode. Questions Ray is asked: 4:09 What prompted you to start running? 5:12 What difficulties did you experience on your way to your sub-3:00:00 marathon? 7:50 Are you training for anything right now? 9:21 What did you do before you began tech reviews and your blog? 10:35 How has your blog grown and evolved? 12:26 How does your local Parisian running community engage with you? 14:00 Are you recognized and stopped when you’re back home? 16:41 What does “DC Rainmaker” mean? 18:01 How much time do you devote to reviewing a product? 19:14 How can fitness trackers be used for running and which ones are the best? 21:28 Do you think there are discrepancies between different software platforms and, if so, why? 23:43 Why is there so much variability with accuracy, even with devices from the same manufacturer and what environmental conditions may pose challenges for accurate data capture? 26:38 Which Garmin do you believe has the highest Bang-For-Buck ratio? 28:43 How does Optical Heart Rate monitoring differ from traditional methods and is it more accurate? 31:01 How much weight do you assign to using heart rate for pace-setting? 33:06 What are some of the pros and cons of the Apple Sport Watch, Garmin and GPS Watches and what would you recommend overall? 37:04 What other tips can you share to get more accurate data from our devices? 38:51 How can we prolong the lives of our running watches? 40:04 What is your opinion on power meters and how do they differ from GPS watches? 43:24 Do you think running by power units will ultimately replace running by heart rate? 45:29 Are power and heart rate best used in conjunction with each other? 45:37 What is the most common question runners ask you on your website? 46:45 What’s next for DC Rainmaker?   Quotes by Ray: “If you’ve got all your friends on Fitbit, then get a Fitbit device. If you’ve got all your friends on Garmin, then get a Garmin device - for activity tracking anyway.” “For runners, you may want to use an activity tracker actually differently, which is to focus on recovery….because [fitness trackers] can hold you to kind of a limit, so say instead of trying to walk 10,000 steps today, I’m going to try to keep it below two or three thousand steps today.” “How different watches have their antennas designed usually around the face of the watch or the base of the watch is without the question the biggest thing that will impact accuracy on that watch.” “I’d say the biggest bang for your buck right now is probably the vivoactive HR or the new vivoactive 3 that was just announced.” “I think like anything else, you want to keep doing new and innovative things. And so as different areas of the market place stagnate or kind of become the same, I’m going to find other areas to dig into - whether that be running power or running efficiency metrics or whatever it may be - I’m going to dig deeper into those areas and see what pops out of them.”   Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel   Mentioned in this podcast: DCRainmaker.com Follow Ray on Twitter Follow Ray on Instagram MapMyRun Garmin Connect Strava Stryd Fitbit Apple Watch Collection Garmin Watch and Wearable Collection La Parisienne Women’s Race   We really hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Run to the Top! The best way you can show your support for the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends on social media and leave a rating/review on iTunes. This not only helps us reach more runners like yourself, but it also allows us to bring on more of the sport’s leading minds to make the podcast as helpful and entertaining as possible. If you have a couple minutes to do this we truly appreciate it!   -- Thank you to RunnersConnect for supporting Run to the Top  

Contrary to popular belief, losing or even maintaining weight while training for a marathon can be incredibly difficult. Many marathoners either find they can’t quite achieve the weight loss they want, or, on the flipside, they’re able to lose weight, but at the cost of performance. It’s a hard balance to strike, but with the latest research it’s becoming much easier. The research in question revolves around the two concepts of Nutrition Periodization and Metabolic Efficiency Training. Together they increase the body's ability to use fat as fuel during exercise and thus optimize both body composition and performance.  Joining us in this episode is Bob Seebohar, the creator of these two concepts. Bob is a registered dietitian, exercise physiologist, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, USA Triathlon Level III Elite Coach. He also traveled to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games as a sport dietitian for the US Olympic Team and the personal sport dietitian/exercise physiologist for the Olympic Triathlon Team. In this episode, Bob walks us through his findings on dietary efficiency and sheds some light on how best to achieve both the body composition and race day results you’re after. Oh and for those wondering, here’s a breakdown of the “alphabet soup” behind Bob’s name:   M.S. - Bob has three college degrees. His undergraduate is in Exercise and Sport Science. His two graduate/Master's degrees are in Health and Exercise Science, and Food Science and Human Nutrition. He successfully defended two theses during his graduate studies and knows his way around interpreting research and aligning it with real-life applications.   R.D. - Registered Dietitian. A college degree studying food science and human nutrition is required to be able to sit for this national examination. Of course, this is after successfully completing a 9 - 12-month nutrition internship after graduation.   C.S.S.D. - Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. A certification only given to Registered Dietitians who have years of experience working with athletes. A rigorous national examination must be passed and frequent continuing education credits upheld to acquire and maintain this certification.   C.S.C.S. - Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Bob has worked as a trainer/strength coach since the mid 1990's and specializes in creating strength programs for endurance athletes.   M.E.T.S - Metabolic Efficiency Training Specialist. Bob explains this in his interview. :)   Questions Bob is asked: 5:06 Can you tell us about who you are and what you do? 7:45 What is Metabolic Efficiency Training and how does it relate to your concept of Nutrition Periodization? 11:50 How does Nutrition Periodization come into play with all the training variability runners experience? 14:34 How does Metabolic Efficiency Training work with runners who are trying to lose weight while increasing performance? 21:43 Why does eating become less intuitive to us over time? 24:40 How difficult is it for your athletes to change their nutrition philosophy? 27:45 How can runners adjust their macronutrient intake ratios to use fat as fuel more efficiently? 32:40 What is your opinion of Low-Fat, High-Carb and other ‘extreme’ diets? 39:01 Have you been able to get significant research yet into the role genetics plays with this? 40:39 Is the long-term goal to see where trends are and individualize athletes’ diets based on gender, genetics, etc.? 45:14 Has there been any research on Nutrition Periodization and how it relates to menstrual cycles and menopause? 47:06 What do you mean by the ‘Metabolic Efficiency Point’? 53:28 How would someone go about manipulating this efficiency point via nutrition? 56:54 Is it hard to do Metabolic Efficiency Training with Vegan, Vegetarian and Paleo diets? 1:00:50 Do you offer personal consultations?   Quotes by Bob: “Even for the leanest of the lean marathon runner, these elites that are almost breaking the 2-hour barrier, they still have about 30,000 calories of fat in their body but we’re very limited in our carbohydrate stores.”   “Metabolic Efficiency Training is really looking at the opportunity to use the fat that we have stored already, preserve our very limited carbohydrate stores and do that by altering the daily nutrition plan.”   “Nutrition Periodization is simply combining the right type and amount of nutrition to support physical training. So when you’re going through the ebbs and flows of physical training (running), you go through ebbs and flows of nutritional support.”   “The best thing about Metabolic Efficiency Training is that it’s not a diet. The worst thing about it is that it’s not a diet.”   “When we’re young kids, we have this intuitive eating; we eat when we’re hungry, we stop when we’re not hungry. …The environment shapes us… into becoming less intuitive eaters and more either habitual eaters… or (more) emotional eaters.”    Take a Listen on Your Next Run   Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel   Mentioned in this podcast: Book: Nutrition Periodization for Athletes: Taking Traditional Sports Nutrition to the Next Level Bob's Author page on Amazon.com eNRG performance homepage Bob's eNRG performance Coaching Page Email Sinead

If you’ve ever been out running by yourself and felt a little unsafe, you’ve likely either had to change your route or cut the run short to head to a more secure environment.   This fear is one many runners know well, and that’s why runners David and Ellen Caren decided it was time to invent something that could offer peace of mind and keep runners safe.   Run Angel is the first personal safety wrist wearable that not only sends SMS messages and emails to loved ones in the event of an emergency, but it also emits a 120 decibel, high-pitched siren when activated to shock unsuspecting attackers and notify passersby of your whereabouts.   In this episode, David shares how the idea, company, and product were developed, as well as some additional safety tips all runners should keep in mind.   To get a Run Angel for you or a loved one, go to runangel.com and use coupon code RUNCON20 for 20% off your purchase. Questions David is asked: 4:28 Can you tell us a little about your background? How did you first get into running? 6:05 How are the running venues in County Cork, Ireland? 8:45 What prompted you and your wife, Ellen, to launch Run Angel? 12:44 What’s it been like to start your own company and were there any hiccups along the way? 16:10 What was the prototype phase like for such a unique device? 20:20 How loud is 120 decibels? 22:11 What was / is the testing process like? 23:41 How does the silent alarm / Guardian Alert system work? 26:07 What sets Run Angel apart from other wearables on the market? 29:13 How is the device powered? 32:59 What other advice do you have for staying safe while running? 37:09 Is it not enough to simply be aware of your surroundings if you wear earphones when running? 39:19 How did you expand your market to the US through the Ignite Start-Up Program? 42:24 Is Run Angel available globally and how can people buy it? 45:21What is Run Angel working on now? Quotes by David: “No matter where you run, you still have that sense of vulnerability that something could happen or you could fall down or trip over something.” “I was knocked to the ground by someone who wasn’t obviously out running, and instead of exchanging apologies and helping each other up, this guy just ran back in the direction he came from.” “I remember having aspirations of bringing Run Angel out in 12 months and we were quickly told that you’d want to add 2-3 years onto that and we kind of snickered at that. But it did take that long.” “When you’re dealing with a safety wearable, you’re dealing with a life element.” “(Other wearable safety tech) isn’t notifying your attacker that you’ve just activated anything other than you’ve let nearest and dearest know that you’ve been attacked or had a fall.” “Once we reached the threshold of 120 decibels, we went back and said, ‘OK, can we tune this frequency so that it will resonate in the human hearing zone?’” “120 decibels is DISTRACTINGLY loud and that’s the goal. It is LOUD.” “Each Run Angel is put into an acoustic chamber and it’s sound tested, so before it goes into a box we make a record of what the sound is.” “There’s a few clever things you can do with Run Angel with or without the sound and a few remote activities you can do as well.” “In the event of an attack, you have to know where your safety wearable is and the wrist is the first place you will invariably go to.” Take a Listen on Your Next Run Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel   Mentioned in this podcast: Run Angel website Cork, Ireland Safety Tips For Runners Best Buy - Ignite Homepage Best Buy  - Ignite for Vendors Follow Run Angel on Twitter Follow Run Angel on Facebook Follow Run Angel on Instagram Email Run Angel   We really hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Run to the Top. The best way you can show your support for the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use. If more people know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can bring on more and more top running influencers, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you! -- Thank you to RunnersConnect for supporting Run to the Top Go to runnersconnect.net/train to start your FREE two week trial today