Running Rogue

I start this episode with a few tips on preparing for your fall training cycle. Then, we get into the latest listener questions. I talk about building, building back, finding your edge in training, and much more. If you need some training inspiration... this is your episode!

It was an epic weekend for the Boston Marathon once again, and from it, I am still buzzing.

Thus for this episode, I bring you 7 takeaways and inspirations from the weekend to carryforward to other races. From Des's final Boston to the Boston weather to the worthiness of that BQ goal, there is something in here for everyone! Enjoy!

I think we are in an era of our sport from elite to everyday runners where success is defined too narrowly. We are very time-focused at the expense of broader definitions of success, and I think that is limiting us as fans and participants and performers.

In this episode, I talk about it and present 10 other ways to define success on race day. My hope is that this conversation will open up ways for you to love and enjoy our sport even more, while exposing you to more lessons and opportunities that improve performance as well. 

To be or not to be... that is the question!

In this case, we ask... to marathon or not to marathon in another listener conversation with Marisa from NYC. She is relatively new in her running journey, had a stress fracture training for her first marathon, and wants to know if she should wait a little while until her next one.

We discuss all of that and more with her!

In this episode, I chat with listener Jennifer from Georgia who is wondering if she has the ability to get faster as someone who is usually near the back of the pack. She finished the NYC Marathon in 7 hours and recently did a half in 3:30, and now she wants more. 

I reassure her that she is worthy of her goals and worthy of coaching, and we give her hope that faster is still ahead of her. Jennifer's energy is bright and contagious, and she brings a great sense of humor to it all. She is an inspiration, a...

In this episode, Ben from Michigan joins the show to discuss his aspirations to auto-qualify for Chicago. That implies a time of 2:55 for his age group, while his current PR is 3:03 from last fall.

We hear about Ben's journey to this point, and then I coach him up on taking the next step to qualify for Chicago. In addition and of course, we talk about tips for his longer term trajectory as well. As with all of these coaching conversations, there is something in here for everyone. Enjoy!

In this episode, I cover a smorgasbord of topics and listener questions that all essentially point to how you should manage your training from the 99% to the 1%'s.

Along the way, I answer two listener questions about training for a road 50K and managing weekly mileage, while also giving 3 tips on prep for the Boston Marathon with 7 weeks to go.

Don't get lost in the 1% if your 99% isn't on track!

Hey everyone... we are back with another listener question episode. This one covers great questions on burnout/lingering fatigue, weight/BMI, running tangents, creatine, ketones, recovery and more! Thanks for all of the great questions! You can always email questions to me at chris@roguerunning.com.

I know. I know. Some of you will think I am a social media curmudgeon for this episode, but I don't think so. I actually love what social media has done to grow and expand and educate the running community. It's actually quite amazing and powerful, and the impact in a positive way is far reaching.

That said, there is some bad info out there as well as a tendency for our perception of the fundamentals to be warped by what we see there. In this episode, I give you 9 "messages" from social that I believe to...

In this episode, I have the privilege to talk to a listener who is 75 years old and just starting her running journey. She is 9 weeks into it and only beginning to think about the possibilities. She has a 5K on the docket in the spring but is also dreaming about a half marathon or more. How will I advise her to build and how might that look different because of her age?

You might be surprised by my answers. I couldn't be more inspired by Deborah as she is proof that it's never too late to start...

In this week's coaching conversation, I chat with listener Nicole. I have worked with Nicole before, and this is our first conversation in many months. You get to listen in as we discuss how she is trying to balance a new life stage with what that means for her running process and goals. 

We talk about dreaming big and how seasons of life can cause changing priorities, especially around starting a family. Does she have to abandon those dreams? How can she keep the fire lit while balancing everything? What does this mean for her future in t...

This episode was inspired by a listener question about dealing with injury before race day. Naturally, I extrapolated it to a message about staying present in all of your training and racing.

Listen in to learn how to stay present in training - day by day and within a run/workout - and stay present in racing - in planning and in race execution.

Staying present is key to smashing your goals!

"A hero is somebody who voluntarily walks into the unknown." - Tom Hanks

I would submit that we do that everytime we step on a start line. That quote also highlights that heroism is defined independently from the outcome, which means that we can all be heroes by stepping into the unknown of race day. We can all, also, have an heroic ripple effect on others by setting big goals, doing the work, and then putting ourselves in the scary position to achieve them.

In this episode, I talk about the practical side of it...

“We cannot know the mystery of the future.” – Jimmy Carter

Preparing for race day creates fear and anxiety in part because we cannot know what the future will bring. In those moments, I encourage athletes to focus instead on what you DO know and what you CAN control. 

In this episode, I give you a rundown on those controllables. With the Houston Marathon/Half Marathon as the backdrop, we talk about how to prepare both physically and mentally for everything that you will encounter pre-race and during the race to give you the best chance of hitt...

In this final episode of the year, I answer questions from you! With questions from the UK, Canada, and all over the US, we cover caffeine and training, VO2Max, race planning, when to press vs. rest, osteoporsis and running, race goals, and so much more!

Thanks to everyone who sent in a questions.

I will be taking next week off, and episode #363 will release on January 10th. Happy New Year everyone!

How important is strength training for runners? 

Very important, but you have to do it the right way. It should support and supplement your running and not take away from it. 

In this episode, I give you 5 principles to construct your strength routine in a way that it will be additive to your running. Hint: it isn't about massive lifting sessions where you can't life your arm or move your legs the next day. It won't impress your social media, but it will lead to times that impress your Garmin!

We are back to our listener conversations, and this week we talk with Pete from Michigan. Pete has 4 kids and is about to turn 50. He is wondering if he can still get faster as he ages and wants to know how to optimize around that. He also has a goal to race Boston some day, so we dig into the big picture plans for that as well.

I believe Pete still has faster days ahead, and like many of you, he just needs to do the work and believe!

In episode 357, I talked about the forest, the big picture and the long term view for your running goals. In this episode, I talk about planting the individual trees to achieve the forest of your dreams. Those individual trees are made up of a routine that is as consistent and year-round as you can possibly be. But, why and what does a successful routine look like?

I break it all down for you in this one so that you can create a routine that will help you reach your max potential. How do the runs, the strength...

Another listener - Maeson - joins the show to get coaching on chasing her big goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon. She has the confidence to dream big, but that confidence can often shrink on the starting line.

In this conversation, we help her refine her "why" for the big goal and then discuss the tactics to get there including discussions on weekly volume, cross-training, the importance of super easy running, and the need to vary her target race distances. 

This episode is for anyone who might have doubts about chasing their big goal. M...

This episode was inspired by many recent chats with athletes and listeners. 

Often, we get too focused on the minutia, on the little details, without keeping track of the big picture in training. In this episode, I give you 7 things to consider in order to keep your eyes on the forest, so you don't smash into a tree! This one will also help you keep a proper perspective in order to reach your long term potential.

And please forgive the idioms and analogies... there are plenty of practical tips in this one too!

R...

Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome back to podcasting! It's been validating to hear the response.

We are back today with a conversation with listener April from Michigan. She is a mom of 3 who is trying to break 4 hours in the marathon. She has great questions about the path forward to do that, and along the way, we start dreaming even bigger! I think many of you will relate to and can learn from April's journey, so I hope you enjoy.

If you want to jump on a podcast like this with me...

Hey everyone... we are back after a long hiatus! I needed a break over the summer that turned into a longer break than anticipated, but I always knew I would be back. Thank you for your patience with me and thank you to everyone who asked how I was doing.

In this episode, you get two parts. Part 1 is a re-introduction of me, who I am, and what I believe. Most of this you might already know, but perhaps you will hear some new facts about me. Either way, I felt it important to re-start by grounding...

In this one, we are going to talk about how to achieve BALANCE in your running in two different ways.

a. How do you balance running and life? I give you 5 thoughts on how to find time for training while balancing work, family, and relationships.

b. How do you balance finding the edge in performance with overall health? I give you 5 thoughts on how to find and test your limits without sacrificing long term health and longevity.

Balance isn't easy and requires constant work, but I hope these ideas will help you get...

I am back after an unplanned hiatus with some great listener questions. Check it out and email me with more questions or show ideas - chris@roguerunning.com. Plus, consider joining the virtual group with me at roguerunning.com.

To read the blog mentioned in this episode:

https://www.drstacysims.com/blog/what-women-need-to-do-instead-of-zone-2

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It's that time of year again. Your spring race may have just finished, and it's time to think about what's next. Are you doing Berlin, Chicago, NYC or perhaps a fall half?!? In this episode, I give you 5 tips to get the most from your next training cycle. With each tip, you also get the common pitfalls to avoid from my experience as a coach. Do this... not that! We talk about purpose, focus, consistency, polarization, and volume. How are you preparing to run your best race yet?!?

I had an amazing weekend in Boston nearly two weeks ago. Whether running the marathon or not, there is always so much inspiration to go around on Boston Marathon weekend. In this episode, I give you 9 takeaways from my weekend of cheering/supporting which will inspire you regardless of whether your goal is to qualify for the race or not. 

Enjoy!

To redeem the offer from this episode's sponsor, use the code ROGUE for 10% off on running apparel at Janji.com.

Boston, London, Eugene, Vancouver, Oklahoma City, Carmel, Ohai, Grandma's, and so many more. Spring racing season is here, and I've got 10 tips to get your mind right for race day. Put these to work, and you will be ready to crush it!

To redeem offers from this episode's sponsors:

In this episode, I answer recent questions from listeners as well as themes from athletes that I coach.

Today's questions:

To redeem the offer from this episode's sponsor, use the code ROGUE for 10% off on running apparel...

We all have fears in training... every single one of us. In this episode, I talk through 6 common examples I see as a coach and give you tips on how to face down each one of them. From doubting your potential to being afraid of never getting back to fitness after injury (and more), this episode might make you feel less alone in your journey. To which of these 6 fears can you relate?

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Where can you improve in order to reach your full potential?

I often get this question, and it's my job as a coach to assess the opportunity areas for my athletes. In this episode, I give you 6 opportunity areas and the associated metrics to consider in order to identify your biggest needs in training. Rate your yourself on all 6 and then go tackle 1-2 areas in your next cycle to take steps toward your true potential!

To redeem the offer from this episode's sponsor, use the code ROGUE for 10% off at Janji.com.

James Dodds and I had a little bit of fun with this episode, and we hope you enjoy it. We riff on 6 topics that have been the object of our recent coaching curiosities or ruminations. The topics range from the limits of easy aerobic volume to maxing out in-run carbs and to the science (and potentially hocus pocus) of advanced recovery techniques (and more). We hope you enjoy this one!

To redeem the offer from this episode's sponsor, use the code ROGUE for 10% off at Janji.com.

It is that time of year where everyone is rapidly falling out of training due to sickness. When that happens, panic mode sets in, and you might try to simply train through it. However, that can be dangerous and cause you to extend your sickness even more. Instead when sick, you need to give your body the time, ability, and resources to temporarily focus on getting healthy instead of getting fitter.

In this episode, I talk about 5 things to consider when managing sickness during training including when to stop and then how to gradually rebuild once healthy...

Zone 2 this and Zone 2 that... it's all the rage on social media and with longevity experts. On the bright side, discussing Zone 2 means that you are talking about the importance of EASY running, and we know easy running is the key to building fitness and longevity. On the other hand, there are misconceptions about what Zone 2 means and how to apply it. In this episode, I give you 6 truths about Zone 2 training, and what that means for your training. I would bet money for a HR monitor that you learn something in this one!

To redeem the...

James Dodds joins me to help me recap a tough day at the Houston Marathon for me. It was my big goal race, but it didn't go how I hoped it would. Fortunately, the reasons for that are crystal clear, which I break down in the episode. I am still very proud of my day and even more hungry for what's to come. Thank you to everyone for your support in this journey. I will rest, recover, and get back to work!

To redeem the offer from this episode's sponsor, use the code ROGUE15 for 15% off at...

Do you want to have your best year of running yet? This episode is here to help you achieve the right balance in training in order to do so. I give you 4 things to do more of and 4 things to do less of in order to optimize your performance in 2024.

Where you are out of balance?!? Listen in and find out!

To redeem offers from this episode's sponsors:

Many have asked about how my training for the Houston Marathon is going, and this episode is your answer. James Dodds joins the show to interview me on my training progress. You will hear that I still don't know what the outcome will be, but I feel really good about my progress to this point.

We talk about my process and how I've felt along the way with lessons that are already taking shape. I think there are takeaways in here for everyone and hope this inspires you on your journey.

To redeem offers from...

In this episode, James and I interview Paul Esteso, a member of our virtual podcast group called the Rogue Renegades. Paul tells the story of his running journey and the epiphany that would lead to a massive breakthrough in his results.

His marathon times had hit a plateau, and he wanted more. With a few simple changes to his training, focused on the fundamentals, he went from running 3:37 in the marathon to under 3 hours in just a few years.

The beauty of Paul's story is that everyone can make the simple changes he made and s...

On October 23rd,  Rogue lost a member of our community when Larry Bright passed away. He was a runner with us for 17 years and a coach for 10 years. This episode is my tribute to him and the lessons we can all learn from his life and running journey. RIP to my friend Larry.

To support Larry's family, you can give here: https://gofund.me/c98f8228.

To redeem the offer from this episode's sponsor use the code ROGUE15 for 15% off or shop their Black Friday sale until November 26th at Janji.com.

You just crushed your fall race... now what? I often see runners jump straight into the next training cycle without giving yourself time for the proper 2-3 week reset. In this episode, I talk about 8 things - 4 mental and 4 physical - in order to appropriately reset the mind and body for what's to come. Do not take shortcuts with your post-race reset!

To redeem offers from this episode's sponsors: