
Some Work, All Play
Five to ten topics, sometimes about running, with lots of love and enthusiasm and science. We dig deep into training, races, studies, pop culture, and much more! With Megan Roche, M.D. and David Roche!
Latest episodes

Jun 25, 2024 • 1h 29min
212. Olympic Trials Stories, Western States Preview, Jim Walmsley's VK, Salty Foods for Training, Broken Arrow Breakthroughs, and Arm Band Heart Rate!
We are coming to you from Eugene, Oregon at the Olympic Track Trials for this amazing episode! The main topic was on some inspiring stories from the first half of the Trials, which feels like the ultimate party of the US running world. And like most good parties, it features a lot of Snoop Dogg.
We also talked about lessons from Broken Arrow, including Jim Walmsley doing the Vertical Kilometer race prior to the Western States 100, right alongside Anna Gibson racing the VK prior to the Olympic Trials 1500 meters. It's clear that we are seeing something about how this type of skill applies to all types of events, whether those events are 4 minutes or 14 hours!
And this one was full of some of the greatest topics! Other topics: our initial thoughts on Oregon and Tracktown USA, getting coaching credentials at the Trials, birthday reflections, a question on salty food options for endurance events, why Broken Arrow was one of the most competitive races ever on US soil, Jade Belzberg's incredible journey for an incredible race in the 23k, Drew Hunter's gutsy 4th place in the Trials 10k, the psychology of racing in heats, why an emphasis on coaches in Olympics coverage makes David nervous, why Megan thinks it's a weak argument, a Western States preview, how this year's race will unfold, the incredible tech of the Coros Arm Band HR monitor, UTMB's new prize money announcement, and hot takes.
The episode finishes with a meditation inspired by our spiritual teacher, Ludacris. May all of your days and all of your drinks be crunk.
We love you all! HUZZAH! Trucks!
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19 snips
Jun 18, 2024 • 1h 35min
211. Speed for Long Races, Olympic Trials and Western States, vVO2 Workouts, Roger Federer's Speech on Belief, and Bicarb Hacks!
Training science reveals speed at VO2 max as key for performance across events. Topics include Olympic Trials, Western States, bicarb hacks, Roger Federer's speech, shoe costs, and more. Aliens on treadmills and chocolate Nesquik await.

Jun 11, 2024 • 1h 34min
210. Why Strides Work, Supershoe Tech Review for the Trails, History at NCAA Champs, Parker Valby's Dominance, and AI Songs!
The podcast covers the benefits of incorporating strides and speed training in running, the evolution of shoe technology in track and trail running, and the impact of shoe design on athletes' performance. It also touches on athlete sponsorships, delivering personal messages during challenges, and the utilization of AI in generating music. Listeners share inspiring messages of inclusivity and support, showcasing the podcast's impact on their lives.

Jun 4, 2024 • 1h 36min
209. Love With Limits, Spring Energy's False Nutrition Labels, Kilian's Unmatched Dominance, Running Club Romance, and The Future is Female Coaches!
We were emotionally hardened by some sleepless nights before recording this special episode! A couple months ago, a brilliant podcast listener on Reddit published her predictions that Spring Energy's Awesomesauce gel had incorrect calorie counts. Three weeks ago, those findings were confirmed by a German lab. This past week, everything exploded on social media with all of Spring's gels listing fraudulent calorie totals, roping us into a situation that we never hope to relive. This episode talks about our emotions.
We are furious about the mislabeling. We wish we could go back in time and tell ourselves that nutrition labels can list fraudulent calorie totals, and we wish we could undo the health and performance struggles that so many runners have felt due to the egregious mislabeling. We are sorry for our connections to Spring years ago, and we love you all.
At the same time, love has limits. This past week pushed us to our emotional edge. It demonstrated some of the problems with social media and a society that can chase clout and clicks over kindness and nuanced facts. Podcast listeners got us through, and we are emerging with more compassion, more courage, and fewer f's to give. As Megan wrote, "Love to you all, especially to any woman who has dealt with a small man: may you become larger in who you authentically are."
And we threw in a bunch of fun topics! Other topics: reflections from sleepless nights, Pride Month joy, lessons from some of the highest energy expenditures ever studied, women in coaching, Unbound Cycling and the success of multisport athletes in bike races, Kilian's legendary dominance at Zegama, a study on CBD in runners, running club romantic connections, our love of Park Runs, and hot takes.
We finish with some Listener Corner messages that kept us going in a really hard time. We love you all! Yes, ALL. The world can be dark and scary, especially on social media, and we hope that we can help fill your lives with as much light and as many calories as possible.
PSA: empty your septic tanks and don't let the stank affect who you are. HUZZAH!!!
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May 28, 2024 • 1h 35min
208. Gel Controversy Grows, Courtney's Nutrition Strategy, Fueling Case Studies, World Record 10k, Trash Talking on the Track, and A Meaning of Life!
Professional ultra-runner, Courtney Dauwalter, shares her race-day nutrition strategy of consuming only 200 calories per hour. The podcast also delves into metabolic variance, misleading nutrition labels, case studies on race-day fueling, and the 10k world record. Other topics include trash talk in track, sodium bicarbonate usage, and the meaning of life.

10 snips
May 21, 2024 • 1h 35min
207. Core Strength, Controversy in a Gel's Calorie Total, Track Coaching Takeaways, Ketones and Hormones, Big Hope, and Coaching AI!
Topics include core strength in track athletes, controversy over gel carb count, hope for the future, ketones' effect on hormones, AI coaching in Strava, and raising the roof in training. A wild journey with sound effects and hot takes!

15 snips
May 14, 2024 • 1h 32min
206. Doing Hard Things, Longevity and Training, Fueling Short Workouts, The Power of Placebo, AI Bots, and Cocodona 250!
In this podcast, they discuss the benefits of hard training for longevity, vulnerability in tough times, and interesting topics like AI bots changing human interaction. Also, they talk about fueling workouts, placebo effects, multi-day ultras, and poetry readings. Stick around for Conan O'Brien's comedy and spontaneous poetry!

19 snips
May 7, 2024 • 1h 34min
205. The Mystery of Training Non-Response, Strength Work Approaches, Health Metrics, New Bike Day, and Track Going Mainstream!
Discussion on training response variability among athletes, leveraging health metrics data for recovery and pregnancy detection, new bike excitement, skepticism around AI, running economy studies, strength training benefits, a new track league, impacts of questionnaire response rates on study outcomes, and a mix of creatine, caffeine, and sodium bicarbonate for performance enhancement.

Apr 30, 2024 • 1h 30min
204. Canyons 100k Breakthroughs, Why Megan Didn't Race, Carb-Loading Thoughts, Bloodwork Season, TikTok Ban, and Big Surprises!
We got the surprise of our lives before recording this dazed-and-excited episode! The main topic was the Canyons 100k. It was Megan's dream race, and you may have seen... she did not start. We had some incredibly surprising news right before we boarded our flight to California for the race, and we process it in real-time on the episode. Hopefully the discussion and Megan's openness helps you deal with whatever big surprises you face in life!
Even though Megan didn't race, we cheered and crewed as ultra history was made at the race! This year's Canyons 100k had a performance for the ages from Katie Schide, plus a breakthrough from Rod Farvard, a selfless act from Drew Holmen, and so much more. We break down the dynamics, full of joy from seeing it all live! The big discussions revolve around training theory, fueling approaches, how cooling mattered even in temperate conditions, our complex thoughts on carb loading, hydration needs, and inspiration from the back of the pack.
And we brought a giddy, delirious energy to some awesome topics! Other topics: why we were so surprised by the big news, how Megan feels about it all, societal expectations in early pregnancy, Allie Ostrander's wonderful reflections on crying after races, continuous lactate monitors, the 776 Invitational's huge investment in women's track and what it might mean for the future of the sport, why it's bloodwork season and what people should test, the new ruling making non-competes unenforceable and how it's relevant for endurance sports, the TikTok ban, and hot takes.
Life comes at you fast. Maybe that's why we podcast fast! Knowing you all are along for the journey means so much to us. Into the great unknown we go! HUZZAH!
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Apr 23, 2024 • 1h 33min
203. Canyons 100k Pre-Race, Improving Power, Perils of Energy Availability Cycling, Wild Shoe Tech, and Crash Recovery!
We sipped on some of the finest, chalkiest electrolyte drink for this great episode! The main topic was gearing up for big events, spurred by Megan's upcoming adventure at the Canyons 100k. After the health issues, we were unsure whether we'd ever be able to have this sort of discussion on the podcast, and listeners have been there every step of the way. If there is any test, it's in training. Racing is a celebration. This episode celebrates the broken road to get to the race-day party!
This one was also packed with fun science! The main study helped debunk energy availability cycling, where athletes intentionally reduce energy availability in an attempt to improve power-to-weight ratio. Running is a power sport, and it's all about improving that power!
And we had tons of our favorite topics to discuss! Other topics: getting used to on-course nutrition options, the emotional process of getting to start lines, vibes-based earrings, David's up-and-down crash recovery, a new study on fasting metabolism, 3D-printed shoes winning the Boston Marathon, the new UTMB and HOKA partnership, an international doping scandal, a cool study on e-sports training, Dan Quinn's approach to coaching, a new menstrual cycle study, and hot takes.
Thank you for helping us with the courage to do scary things! We love you all! HUZZAH!
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