The Running Public

We kick off with a Backyard Ultra chat, briefly talk about adjusting to time zones when traveling for races, and then Brakken gives himself a race ultimatum!

We spent a combined 20 years dedicating ourselves to the track. Then, we spent 15 years training for Obstacle Course Racing, which in turn led us to the trails and mountains. Along the way, each version of running taught us some things we wouldn’t have learned anywhere else!

Can you use lifting in a way that maximizes hormone production yet minimizes the interference effect on your running? Yup!

Highlights include: How much did altitude training help us? What type of form work should runners do? Are recovery shoes/slides legit? How to strengthen core, and how to run and lift simultaneously.

Tim is a firefighter, Air National Guard officer, and endurance athlete. After surviving a near death medical emergency, and the subsequent year long recovery, he rebuilt himself and was named the 2023 Air National Guard Athlete of the Year.

This week’s Training Tuesday episode raised some questions from listeners regarding how to actually implement speed work while prepping for a long race, so we’re answering those questions today.

Can you prep for an Ultra with total confidence that your top end speed will still be waiting for you after the race?

Dr. Sariya Saabye is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, bestselling author, and minimalist strategist known for her work helping high performers eliminate overwhelm. She is also a barefoot ultramarathoner and keynote speaker.

The Vigorito family built a lifestyle based upon chasing their fitness goals and pushing their limits. Along the way, they started a race that allows others to do the same.

Plantar fasciitis, how to develop high schoolers, post-Ultra brain fog, trail shoes, prepping for a race with constant right turns, and more!

Kirk recaps his recent 50k with a full race report, then the boys jump into answering your questions! 

At fifty fours years old, Brett has never stopped chasing goals and new pursuits. Since COVID, he has competed in road running, park run, track, cross country, Hyrox, and has recently taken up throwing discus and javelin. 

Sue Reynolds transformed from a morbidly obese person at 335 pounds to sixth in the world (and first American) at the World Triathlon Championship, competing on behalf of the United States.  Along the way, she lost 200 pounds and discovered what it takes to transform from a lifelong fitness lackie to a high performing triathlete.

Four years ago, we chatted with Dani about her recent breakout as a trail runner. Today she joins us as a full time professional runner for Adidas!

Everyone deals with this! Some runners simply get excited by race nerves while others are crippled by them. Either way, this IS something you can improve!

Kirk has been testing out shoes in preparation for his upcoming 50k and Brakken has been blown away by the rapid improvement of Hyrox athletes.

When should you suck it up and run in the heat? When should you avoid running in the heat? Do your race goals impact your decision? What if you run for fun / mental health?

With threshold training all the rage, there is a lot of discussion about “X Days”. Should this always be a fast, speed based session or is there more to it than that?

Today we answer fourteen of your best questions about running, training, shoes, heat, drugs, and racing!

What is the minimum turn around time needed between long races to have any chance at success? For a reasonable shot at success? For maximum chance at success?

Brakken recorded an episode on Rich Ryan’s RMR Podcast this week (go check it out!) and it prompted him to ask Kirk some questions about how his coaching started and evolved over time.

DJ joined us 300 episodes ago after winning World’s Toughest Mudder. Fast forward 3 years and he just crossed the finish line of the Cocodona 250 in third place. From OCR athlete to big time Ultra runner, he has embodied the idea of staying the course.

With the rise of hormone therapy and anti-aging medical practices, how should amateur athletes be thinking about drug use?

Fresh off his win at the Superior Trail 50k, Kirk gives us his recap, takeaways, and learnings from the race.

It’s race week! Time to break down gear choice, fueling strategy, and pacing plan. Plus a few bonus listener questions thrown in there!

Lizzie May has transformed her fitness and performance over recent years and now helps others do the same. Lizzie shares her learnings through personal experience & we also collab on a mini Hyrox Q & A! Topics covered: 

How useful is RPE for runners? Heat Training for hot races Hyrox training vs Ultra training Super shoes for downhill work? Running robots

Should you let your HR spike during trail ultras or should you double down on a set HR limit? The boys can’t agree on this one!

Natalie is the ultimate Beginner Runner. She found running as a way to cope with her anxiety and is currently training towards her first half marathon. Along the way, her personality and outlook on running and life have been captivating for others to witness. 

National and World Records are being set left and right and we just witnessed the fastest marathon in history. What is happening?!?

We first spoke to Hans in January 2024, days after his Ultra debut. Two years later, he’s arguably the fastest rising star in the sport. He recently won the JFK 50, won the Black Canyon 100k and signed a multi year deal with Hoka.

Dr Patrick Bottenfield stops by to discuss when it’s time to address an overuse injury as well as his top lower body strengthening movements for runners. 

What exactly is considered “high carb fueling”? How much water do you need? Should you use liquid or solid calories? Where and how do you even begin to formulate a fueling plan for long races?

The boys are reunited so it’s time to catch up with some training talk!

Brakken is on vacation so Kirk is doing what he loves most: cleaning out the listener questions from his inbox!

A Coast Guard veteran, medic, and hybrid athlete, Jake is running 10 miles per day for the next 50 days while raising funds for mental health. 

We send Brakken off on his trip to Poland with a light hearted episode: answering questions from a random generator but doing so with a running twist.

While we’re not always big fans of Race Simulator or Race Predictor workouts, we are definitely big fans of Race Prep workouts. Here’s how and when to implement this type of session!

We are celebrating our 600th episode the best way we know: doing a Q&A, taking way too long with each answer and thus failing to get through the entire queue! 

These aren’t workouts you could build your entire training around. These are the workouts that round out your mental and physical fitness.