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Final Surge Podcast

In the Final Surge Podcast, we interview coaches, athletes authors, and endurance industry experts to help you train with a purpose.
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Now displaying: September, 2016
Sep 28, 2016

We have a great interview for you today. Imagine this story, someone who never ran until after college, ran their first race, a marathon in 4 hours and 37 minutes, then just six years later they run an Olympic qualifier and are headed to Rio to run in the Olympics. This is not a hollywood movie script, this is the story of Ariana Holborn. Now on to the show.

Had a chance to meet you and hear your story can you tell us about your long high school running career?

You just ran in the Rio Olympics, so if you did not run in high school, how did you get your start?

So your very first race ever was a marathon? Which one?

So what did your running career look like after that first marathon, you obviously caught the bug.

2008 you run your first race and run a 4:37 marathon, then one year later you run a BQ? What was your training like?

You went from 0 to 70 miles in a year, did you encounter any injuries?

In 2010 you join John Reich's team, where did you go from there?

Then in 2014 at US Marathon Championships you were 4th?

How did your training change as you were getting ready to run an Olympic qualifier?

What type of mileage are you doing when you prepare for a marathon?

Coming into 2016 what was your thought process when deciding to run for Latvia for the Olympics?

For their marathon team do they select or do trials?

So you headed to Rio for your first Olympics, what was it like walking in the opening ceremonies?

How did the race in Rio go for you?

How long did you end up staying in Rio and did you get a chance to see any other events?

So what was your training like the week down in Brazil?

Your team gives back a lot to the local running community. What advice would you have to young runners just starting out?

So what is next on the agenda for you?

Rapid Fire... 5 questions in under 1 minute
Favorite running book? - Running within
Current trainers you are wearing? - Brooks Ravena
Favorite race? -  Valmiera Marathon
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Generation Ucan Chocolate 
Your favorite piece of running equipment that is not your shoes? - Garmin

Ariana's website

Sonoran Distance Project Team

Ariana on Twitter

Sep 21, 2016

Zach is an ultra marathon runner and a coach at Zach Bitter Running. Zach has held the 100 mile American record and the 12 hour work record. In this episode we talk about how a runner can make the jump to ultra distances and find out what it is like running on a track for over 400 laps.

How did you get your start in running, I am guessing your first run wasn’t an ultra. So let’s start with the really early days. Did you start running in high school, jr high, where does the story begin?

What was your high school career like, what type of 5k times were you doing

So let’s start out talking about how someone can make the transition from someone who maybe is not an elite runner, but has a few 1/2’s and a few marathons under their belt and wants to make that jump to an ultra. What advice would you have for a runner. Should they start with shorter races like a 50 miler before they jump to a 100 miler?

So if someone is running 40-50 miles a week what can they look up for a build up time and what type of volume do you think they need to get to before they toe a starting line?

You have someone looking to train and do their first 50-miler, what sort of long run do they need to do before you know they are ready to tackle that?

What does a week look like for this person trying to build up for the first time?

Now they are spending almost a full day on their feet running, they probably need to be eating and fueling different than they ever have before. What do you recommend as far as learning to fuel for an ultra?

Where do you follow on the scale, are you more of a Paleo low carb guy or more higher carbs?

You mentioned 150 mile week, is that kind of an average week for you?

To simulate the long runs many ultra runners will do two long runs on back to back days, is this something you implement?

If you have two long runs back to back how much time are you spending running on those two days?

So I am curious, when out running that long, do you listen to anything, music, audiobooks, podcast, anything like that?

So you got the 100 mile American record and 12 hour world record in my back yard running at the Desert Solstice. So just to give our listeners an idea, that is 402 laps on the track. I can imagine some thing like hydration, food, restrooms, medical needs all being right there are great, but at the same time 402 laps. What is that like and how do you enjoy it compared to hills?

What would you rather do, a trail or a track race?

Karl Meltzer is out there on the Appalachian Trail trying to break the record, would you ever have any interest in anything that long?

You have a package of training plans available on Final Surge, can you give listeners an idea of what is included in those plans?

Link to his training plans

How are you using Final Surge in your coaching?

We talk about the Strava and Garmin connect features.

Rapid Fire... 5 questions in under 1 minute
Favorite running book? - Born to Run
Current trainers you are wearing? - Altra One 2.5
Favorite race? - World 100k
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Eggs and Bacon
Your favorite piece of running equipment that is not your shoes? - Drymax ultra thin socks

how can they follow you online or reach you if they are interested in getting coaching info from you

Facebook Athlete Profile 
Twitter
Instagram
His website

Sep 14, 2016

On Episode 14 we have Christ Newport of Everyday Athlete Matters. Chris is a triathlete, coach, and  a registered dietician. We are going to talk about fueling, recovery, and hydration.

How did you get your start in running and endurance sports?

You went through Team In Training as a coach or participant?

So what type of athletes are you training? What is the demographic of your athlete?

You do a lot with sports nutrition. What are the biggest mistakes you see endurance athlete make?

Great breakdown on hydration, but if you had someone who could not afford to get tested, what general hydration advice would you have?

There is a common formula for hydration, take body weight in pounds, divide in half and that is a general amount of ounces you should be drinking a day. Do you teach that formula?

You say you work with everyday athletes so are there differences for what a housewife who loves to run and is trying to run a slightly better 5k should be eating and how they should be eating compared to what someone training for a 10-hour ironman or a 3-hour marathon should be doing?

Do you have any thoughts on carb loading vs fat burning for varying distances such as 5k and marathon?

For fat burning, what do you recommend people do to enhance their fat burning ability?

Let’s talk pre-exercise eating on training days. The housewife wakes up at 5am to get in her 45-minute run, what should she be eating before her run?

What about post race. I tell my high school kids that milk is always great because it has both whey and casein, what do you recommend for recovery post-workout?

I noticed on your website you do Sweat and metabolic testing. Can you tell us how that is and what you are finding out about athletes your testing?

With people you are testing are you finding out any common findings such as are you finding most people are taking in to many carbs or anything like that?

You mentioned everyday athlete, are any of them internet only clients or are you meeting them all in person?

How are you using final surge with your clients and what are you tracking with them?

If someone wants to reach you and find out more about you and your services, how can they get a hold of you.

 

Rapid Fire... 5 questions in under 1 minute

Favorite running book? 

Current trainers you are wearing? 

Favorite race? 

Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - 

Your favorite piece of running equipment that is not your shoes?

Sep 7, 2016

On episode 13 of the final surge podcast we talk to Mike Caldwell, the coach of the Asics Greenville Track Club Elite. One of the reasons we have seen a resurgence in American distance running over the last few years is the emergence of post-college Olympic developmental teams like GTC-Elite. We talk to Coach Caldwell about how he got started with the GTC and he discusses why he would rather some of his athletes did not wear a GPS watch during recovery runs. Now on to the show.

How did you get your start in running?

After college did you make your transition straight into coaching or what did you do post-collegiately? - He did some training with Frank Shorter and the Florida Track Club.

How did you get your start coaching elite athletes after that?

Currently, you catch the Asics Greenville Track Club GTC-Elite, how did that come about? 

As a college coach at Furman what were you finding from the athletes coming in after their high school career. Did you find them mostly overtrained, undertrained or what?

When you get collegiate runners who join your team what are you finding? Do you find they are overtrained, undertrained aerobically or anything like that?

How about with college runners? A high school coaches job is developing runners, but a college coach really needs to be competitive at conference championships. So do you think we are seeing a lot of over training or over racing with college kids these days?

We talk recovery days and how to make sure you are recovered and the importance.

What are you doing for general strength for your athletes?

You mentioned when a new athlete comes in you interview them like the recruiting process. What are you looking for as far as someone who would be a good fit for the team?

I notice that one of your parnters/sponsors is Elliptigo. I am really interested in hearing how you are using that and how you and the athletes are liking it?

I know that you started using Final Surge for your team a few months ago and wondering what benefits you are getting from it?  - He talks about it as a communication tool with his athletes.

The fall racing season is coming up. What can we be watching for from your team?

 

Rapid Fire... 5 questions in under 1 minute

Favorite running book? - Best Efforts, Once a Runner, Science of Running

Current trainers you are wearing? Asics Gel-Nimbus

Favorite race? - Peachtree

Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Chocolate Milk

Your favorite piece of running equipment that is not your shoes? - Soleus Watch

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