Our two most downloaded podcast of all time are Joe Vigil and Tinman. Tinman was in the Phoenix area for a couple days, my home area, so I arranged to get together with him. We agreed to sit down to record a podcast. As I was setting up we were talking about my high school team's season and he went to tell me a story about how to quickly heal sprained ankles, 40 minutes later we were still going but had not officially started the podcast yet. I wish we had, one thing you get from talking to Tom is a mixture of absolute passion for running and incredible knowledge of the science and why. So 40 minutes in I hit the record button and we picked up where we were in the discussion. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.
1:30 We need to work on our skills as endurance athletes, how?
2:52 How much time do you work with your athletes on skills?
4:20 Types of hill repeats
5:15 What about if you live in Florida and have no hills
6:36 Injury prevention
7:34 Keep the ball rolling
10:40 What does it mean to you, when we talk about non-elite runners and easy/hard days
12:18 Walking through a week
13:49 Do you do that year around?
14:31 How hard are you going on the quality days
23:37 If CV is so great, should you be doing them a few times a week during non-race season
26:40 Brogan Austin was recently on our podcast off his national championship, how is training different with a marathoner?
29:24 We have a lot of marathon and ultra listeners would their CV work volume be different
36:24 What is the future of Tinman Elite
43:50 Stryd Power Meter
Previous Episode with Tom
Recent episode with Brogan Austin
Tinman Elite Website
Tinman Elite Twitter
Tinman Elite Instagram
Final Surge Instagram
Final Surge Twitter
Final Surge Facebook
Stryd Power Meter
The Hopi Indians have a long history and relationship with running. We talk to Professor Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert the Director of American Indian Studies and Professor of History at the University of Illinois. Matthew was involved in the making of the movie Beyond the Mesas and has a book called Hopi Runners: Crossing the terrain between the Indians and the Americans.
Background
Hopi high school boys had won 27-state titles in a row and first or second the last 29 years in a row.
Success is telling of their long history of Hopi running
Hopi History
Hopi Runners Book
Beyond The Mesas Blog
Beyond The Mesas Twitter
Hopi ESPN Segment
When people were projecting the winners of the Californian International Marathon, which served this year as the USATF Marathon Championship Race, Brogan Austin was not the most mentioned name. Not even close. After his win the message boards lit up, who is this guy, he must be a doper. Turns out he is not a doper but another Tom 'Tinman' Schwartz trained athlete who has been working hard for his moment. And we caught up with him to talk about his win.
Background
Tinman connection
Training
Expectations Going In
Race
Final Surge 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - Born to Run
Current trainers you are wearing? - Nike Air Pegasus
Favorite race? - Drake Relays
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Buritto
Your favorite workout - Long Run
Previous interview with Tinman
Brogan's sponsor Rabbit
Instagram: @brogan.austin
Facebook: Brogan Austin
Twitter: @brogan_austin
Jordan Gusman is the latest member of the Tinman Elite training group and on Episode 104 we catch up with him in Colorado before he heads home to Austrillia to race in their 10k National Champs. We get to know about youth running down under and how his training has changes since joining the team.
Background
Was breaking 4-minute mile as big of a thing in Australia?
What about a time you underperformed?
Relationship with Tinman Elite
What have you learned from Tom since joined team?
Favorite endurance/running book? – Perfect Mile
Current trainers you are wearing? – Adidas Solar Glide
Favorite race? – 5k
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? – Peanut butter toast and coffee
Your favorite workout – Mile Reps
Resources
Previous Podcast with Tom Tinman Schwartz
Previous Podcast with Sam Parsons
Jordan on Instagram
Jordan on Twitter
Stanley the dog Instagram
Tinman Group on Twitter
Tinman Group on Instagram
Tinman Website
Today we welcome Chris Chavez the founder of Citius Mag and the Citius Mag Podcast where we find out how he developed his passion for track and field which lead to the Citius Mag website.
Background
Where did the passion for Citius come from
Where is Citius going from here?
Podcast discussion
Final Surge Round
Favorite Book - Born To Run
Current Trainers - Nike Peg Turbo
Favorite Race - NYC Marathon
Favorite Recovery Meal/Drink - Chocolate Milk and breakfast foods
Favorite Workout - K repeats
Resources
Citius Mag Podcasts
Citius Mag Website
Chris on Instagram
Chris on Twitter
Final Surge on Instagram
Final Surge on Twitter
Last week we had our first husband-wife coaching team on the podcast and this week we follow it up with professional triathletes and owners of GK Endurance Guy Crawford and his wife Kate Bevilaqua. Guy and Kate share their journey to a professional athlete and talk about their coaching program.
Background
Guy was working for BlueSeventy and continued training and started getting results so went professional
Kate was enjoying short courses and coach convinced her to do a longer one and had great results
First Coach
Who should get a coach or when?
Coaching
Training
Final Surge Round
Favorite Book - A life without limits/Lore of funning
Current Trainers - Mizuno/Mizuno Wave Rider
Favorite Race - 70.3
Favorite Recovery Meal/Drink - Chocolate Milk/IPA
Favorite Workout - Trail Long Run/Track Session
Resources
GK Endurance
GK Endurance on Instagram
GuyCrawford on Instagram
Kate Bevilaqua on Instagram
Final Surge On Instagram
This podcast we had on Steve Palladino who is an expert in training runners with power meters.
Resources:
Pallidino Power Project Facebook Group
Links to external sites may contain affiliate links. Thanks for using them and supporting our podcast.
Today we have our first husband and wife team on the podcast together. In Episode 101 we talk to Caitlin and Drew Sapp who own a company called Crew Racing. Drew is a full-time triathlon coach and Caitlin a physical therapist and they have found a niche working with athletes coming back from injuries. They have also recently launched a new Crew Racing Podcast which we discuss.
How did you get involved in athletics and meet?
Background on Crew Racing
Niche in people with injuries
Key for rehab so they are not back to see you
Are most of your clients local or internet?
What about an athlete who comes to you and is not injured, but is coming to you because they don't want to get injured:
Drew Injury
Caitlin and Drew Sapp own operate Crew Racing, which is a multisport coaching group that started in 2014. Caitlin is a physical therapist that specializes in sports orthopedics and I am full-time triathlon coach.
How does someone who needs a good Physical Therapist find one?
Biggest challenge Drew faced in rehab?
Are athletes quick to address problems or do they put it off?
I noticed on your site you also do runners self-defense classes
What type of athletes you work with the most?
Been using Final Surge since 2014 in what ways are you using it?
Resources
Crew Racing Website
Caitlin on Instagram
Drew on Instagram
Crew Racing Triathlon Podcast
Final Surge On Instagram
He was one of the top-ranked triathletes in the world and holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest hole of golf ever played over 500 years. So what drives Brad Kearns to always push himself to be better? In episode 100 of the Final Surge Podcast, we talk to author, podcaster, coach and world record holder Brad Kearns about everything from his early Ironman days competing against Mark Allen and Dave Scott as well as why we may not be improving as much as we should be since then. He spends a lot of time talking about stress and recovery. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast at FinalSurge.com/podcast and follow us on our new Instagram account at final.surge.
Early Days:
What happens when someone is going for that BQ qualifier they have been training for months and before the race, things are not going well because they may be overtrained, should they still race and give it a shot?
What about getting to the start line healthy?
You have athletes that are super busy, what do you teach them about getting ready when busy?
Many say, but if MAF was the best style professionals would be doing it
What else can you do to become a better fat burner
Why haven't we improved much since Mark Allen?
Speed Golf
Final Surge 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - 4-minute mile Roger Bannister
Current trainers you are wearing? - Vibram 5-fingers
Favorite race? - World Cup Triathlon stop in Mexico
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Salad
Your favorite workout - Track 4x100 all out
Resources
BradKearns.com
Get Over Yourself Podcast
Courses including 21-day reset
Golf Speed Record
Brad Kearns Twitter
Brad Kearns Instagram
Endurance Nation coaches over 600 athletes. Today we talk to founder Patrick McCrann about his online community which has helped 16 people qualify for Kona World Championships this year. We talk about the community, his use of Stryd Power Meters and more.
How did you get started?
What type of early success did you have when you started Ironmans
Did you qualify early for Kona?
What did you do with your training that made the difference to qualify?
How do you balance the time between training time and family?
2001 you did your first Ironman, 2006 was your first Kona, when did you start coaching?
What is Endurance Nation?
Athletes spread out throughout the world, yet you talk about community a lot, how does that work?
Is your community for someone more experienced or new athlete?
How much are you using Power Meters?
What do you mean by run durability?
Many athletes are getting into their final weeks before their big fall race, what do you work on to get them ready for their race and tapering?
Endurancenation.us/start
Final Surge 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - Eat and Run
Current trainers you are wearing? - Hoka One One Clifton 4
Favorite race? - Boston and trail races
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Ascent Protein
Your favorite workout - Long Run
Resources
Endurance Nation Facebook https://www.facebook.com/endurancenation
Endurance Nation Instagram https://www.instagram.com/teamendurancenation/
Endurance Nation Website https://www.endurancenation.us/start/
Stryd Power Meter
In 2012 ESPN called today’s guest the greatest endurance athlete of all time. Today we welcome Mark Allen to the Final Surge Podcast. Mark has been coaching online since 2001 and recently moved his training platform over to Final Surge. We talk about how he got into triathlons and what it was like in 1989 to break through and finally win his first Kona race.
How did you get started with endurance athletics
When was your first Ironman?
What was your relationship with Dave Scott like?
1989 things really started clicking for you, what changed in 1989 that made you so dominant?
Do you contribute the success of that 1989 race to the mindset change or the training longer?
Do you feel the changes that you made came from your experience or did coaches help you identify where you needed to make changes?
How did you make the transition into triathlon coaching?
What makes your training platform unique
There are all types of people looking to do triathlons, everything from a hobby jogger looking to do their first local triathlon up to those looking to qualify for Kona. What is your target audience?
When someone signs up, what can they expect to see as far as plans?
If someone has questions inside the platform what are their options?
Final Surge 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - Fit Soul Fit Body
Current trainers you are wearing? - Salming
Favorite race? - Ironman Hawaii
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - BBQ fish on a toasted bun with mayo and avocado
Your favorite workout - 3-4 day stage ride
Resources
Mark Allen Training Plans https://www.finalsurge.com/MarkAllen/Plans
Mark Allen Coaching Blog https://blog.markallencoaching.com/
Mark Allen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/markallengrip/
Parker Stinson is one of the top young American distance runners around and is known for his aggressiveness. In episode 97 we talk to Parker about his first marathon and how he went for it and hear about how that plan blew up on him. Parker shares with us what the game plan is for the Chicago Marathon. We have some amazing world class athletes and coaches scheduled over the next few weeks, so make sure you hit subscribe on your favorite podcasting app so you don't miss any of the action.
How did you get started running when you were young?
Why did you choose Oregon?
Oregon is a tough environment. You are expected to win Pac-12 and compete at nationals. Did that help you get ready for a professional career?
You said when considering Oregon you thought it was a good place for a professional runner. Did you identify early that you wanted to be a professional runner?
Often times a 26-year old is still focusing on the track, but you have moved to the marathon. Are you done with the track now?
What was the worst race experience you ever had?
What did you learn from that experience?
Why Colorado to live and train?
Brad is best known for his marathon training was CIM your idea or his?
During CIM Twitter was blowing up on your race and how you were going for it, can you walk us through that ace?
The next day what your conversation with the coach like?
What is the goal for Chicago?
We recently talked to Aaron Braun about his Chicago, do you ever plan to run together with someone like that?
How has your training been going to date?
What has changed a lot in your workouts now that you are a marathon runner?
Final Surge 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - Running with the Buffaloes
Current trainers you are wearing? - Sacounty Triump iso 4
Favorite race? - 1/2 marathon
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Smoothie with extra protien
Your favorite workout - Long Fast Runs
Resources
Parker Stinson on Instagram
Parker Stinson on Twitter
Parker Stinson Endure
What happens when an endurance junkie sees a problem? A new company is formed, at least that is how Orange Mud came about. Today on episode 96 of the Final Surge podcast we talk to Josh Sprague about his endurance career and how that lead him to redesign water packs with his company Orange Mud.
We want to spend some time talking about your company Orange Mud, but before we get into that can you tell us how you first got your start in endurance athletics?
Adventure racing, you don't hear about that as much any more, do you think it is because of the rise in obstacle races?
What's the most interesting adventure race you ever did?
What endurance athletics are you focusing on these days?
You have done a lot of different endurance events, where did this love for endurance sports come from?
You own a successful start-up company, you have a family, how do you find a time to get it all done, do you have any time management secrets or tips?
Let’s talk about Orange Mud. You are probably known best for your hydration packs obviously, but also wraps, clothing and even awesome looking vintage trucker caps on your website. How did you get your start?
What is with the name Orange Mud?
What was your first product?
Can you walk us through how that came about?
How many variations before you came up with one before you thought it was ready?
At what point did you realize this was a great product and you thought you could bring it to the masses?
What makes the Orange Mud different than other packs?
How hard was it to break into retail, it is a tough business dominated by big brands?
What is next, what new products do you have coming out
Final Surge 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - Endurance - Shackelton
Current trainers you are wearing? - On Running
Favorite race? - The Hawk in Kansas
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Infinite Nutrition Repair Fruit Punch
Your favorite workout - Anything on a mountain bike
Resources
Orange Mud on Instagram
Orange Mud on Twitter
Orange Mud Website
How do you improve on a top 3 American place at the Chicago Marathon? We talk to NAZ Elite runner Aaron Braun about exactly that. Aaron was the leader of the 2017 Chicago Marathon at about 25k, we talk to him about what was going through his mind then. Aaron will be blogging about his 2018 training on Final Surge. Make sure you check the show notes to view the blog.
How did you get your start in running?
When did it change and you became a fan of running?
When did you decide it possible to run as a professional?
How did you get connected with NAZ Elite and Coach Ben Rosario
Was Ben's passion for a marathon a factor in choosing a team?
When did your thought of retirement come in?
You have the Chicago Marathon coming up that you blogging about on Final Surge. Last year you found yourself at the front of the pack halfway. Was that the plan?
What is your goal for Chicago this year?
You can set a goal for a major race, but anything can happen. It is hard to keep improving each race. What advice do you have for age group runners who may be having a hard time dealing with not hitting PR's?
When did you start your buildup for Chicago
What races do you have planned between now and Chicago
I noticed from your training log you recently did a 4-mile tempo run on the track. How often do you do those on the track vs roads or trails?
What has been your toughest workout this cycle?
When you are doing a marathon training cycle is there a workout you like to do that gives you a gauge of your fitness level compared to the prior training cycle?
What can the readers expect from your Chicago Marathon blogging?
Final Surge 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - Matt Fitzgerald How Bad Do You Want It
Current trainers you are wearing? - Hoka Clifton, Mach and Challenger
Favorite race? - Bolder Boulder 10k
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Egg Sandwich and milkshake
Your favorite workout - 4x400 max effort with long recovery
Resources
Aaron Braun blogging about Chicago
Aaron Braun on Twitter https://twitter.com/aaBrauny
Aaron Braun on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aabrauny
Final Surge on Twitter https://twitter.com/finalsurge
Matt Fitzgerald has had some challenging goals, but this may be the most challenging yet. Today we talk to Matt Fitzgerald about his quest to qualify for Kona after not having done an Ironman in over a decade and also about his new book which is the 80/20 Triathlon.
Last time we talked to you, you had just finished your Running Bum challenge and you were working on a book, when is that coming out?
Your latest challenge is called Kona or Bust, can you tell is about that?
You never did another Ironman?
Your goal is to qualify for Kona, where are you going to need to be?
How did you pick your race?
Is your goal to qualify for Kona or are you looking to be competitive in Kona and compete?
When you were doing the Running Bum challenge you built up to 90 miles a week, are you close to that still?
When is the last time you really trained in the pool and on the bike?
What was it like getting in the pool for the first time after a decade?
The new book is your 80/20 Triathlon, what brought about this book?
Is 80/20 still optimal in the pool where the impact on the body is less?
You mentioned getting stuck in the grey zone rut, want to talk about a few ways that happen?
One of the things I loved about this book is you give plans but you also it teaches you how to build plans. One you talk a lot about your zones. You talk about power meters, do you use a Stryd Power Meter?
Have you found since you worked with the NAZ group that you do more strength/stretching?
Resources
Kona or Bust https://www.finalsurge.com/KonaOrBust
Website http://mattfitzgerald.org/
Twitter https://twitter.com/mattfitwriter
Training Plans https://finalsurge.com/TrainingPlans/Fitzgerald
Stryd Power Meter http://bit.ly/strydfs
This week we look at what may be the hottest thing in professional team endurance racing, the Major League Triathlon series. Welcome to episode 93 of the Final Surge Podcast. This week Daniel Cassidy the founder of the Major League Triathlon series joins us to talk about how he got the idea for creating a professional triathlon series and where he sees the growth in the future. If you enjoy this episode please head over to iTunes and rate and review the podcast and please don't forget to subscribe to the show.
How did you get your start in endurance athletics?
Tell us what the Major League Triathlon is?
How does it work?
So longest leg is on the bike and 4 miles, is this looped or an out and back?
You mentioned 9 teams, how does the season work, is there a playoff?
Do you have other people participating or just professionals?
Is the shorter distance also done to get new people involved as it doesn't seem as intimidating?
Like any sport, it's who is involved that makes it work or not. How has the reception been from professionals?
With the short races and team aspect I would think this would be attractive to TV, have you been talking to any of them?
Have you thought about doing other distances?
How about the weekend, is this just race day or do you have expos and exhibits?
How do you decide where you are doing them?
Do you think triathlons are growing as a sport or do you think it has been stagnant?
To last, it needs to be profitable which means you need a product which is athletes people want to see as well as sponsors. What are you doing to make it attractive to sponsors?
When a family or friend of a professional triathlete goes to a race they have hours to spend, how did this play into your planning?
What races are left this season?
Final Surge 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - Pass
Current trainers you are wearing? - APL
Favorite race? - 70.3 San Juan
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Chipotle
Your favorite workout - Hour and a half long run
Resources
Website https://majorleaguetri.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/majorleaguetri
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/majorleaguetri
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/majorleaguetriathlon/
Why would a professional triathlete decide to take on a Fastest Known Time 5-day challenge of the Long Trail in Vermont? We had Alyssa Godesky on to talk about why she did it and to talk about the challenges she faced. As a professional triathlete and an ultra-marathon runner, Alyssa was no stranger to pain, but the pain of covering 273 miles and over 63,000 feet of elevation is something different.
How did you get your start in athletics?
You race many triathlons and ultra races. How do you train for both of these at the same time and remain competitive?
What is the difference between Ironman and long Ultra on your body?
When did you get to the point about leaving your career to pursue triathlons as a professional athlete?
What did parents and friends think of leaving a good job to go after this dream?
Let’s talk about your latest adventure and your quest for a fastest known time on the Long Trail in Vermont. You just spent 5 days conquering the trail, before we get to the how, let’s star with they why?
How long is the trail?
Why specifically the Long Train in Vermont?
What is the terrain like on the trail?
What is the key to a long effort like this, are you paying attention to heart rate, pace, just how you feel?
How much sleeping did you get?
Anything you did to be prepared for sleep deprivation?
What was the biggest struggle you had on this FKT?
Would you do another one of these again?
You also have your own podcast, IronWomen, what types of guests and topics do you have?
Final Surge 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - Pursuit of Endurance
Current trainers you are wearing? - Brooks Ghost 3
Favorite race? - Ironman Wisconsin
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Rehab 3:1 FTC
Your favorite workout - Hill Repeats
Resources
Website http://alyssagodesky.com/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/alyssagodesky/
Twitter https://twitter.com/alyssagodesky
FKT Site - FastestKnownTime.com
Podcast IronwomenPodcast.com
Are you struggling to get the most out of your racing? In episode 91 of the Final Surge Podcast we talk with Shannon Thompson a sports psychology and mental performance expert at Hypo2Sport in Flagstaff where she works with professional runners and the 2x defending national cross country championship team from NAU. Shannon is going to tell you how to break down your race and get the most out of it mentally.
How did you get involved in the psychology field?
Your running career?
At the 2-hour marathon attempt, they asked Kipchoge how his training was going to be different. He replied it wasn’t going to be, his mind was going to be. We also know from Dovid Goggins and Navy Seal Training that when your body is done and you do a test of our muscles it shows there is plenty of glycogen left to keep going. So everyone fails before their body really does. What is it that makes some be able to push more than others?
We have known about the central governor since noakes wrote about it in, so we have had time to study it, What have we learned about if we can change our relationship with the central governor?
Let's take that false positive. If someone is struggling in a race is there anything that can be said to change it or is the athlete's performance or is it they are just having a bad day?
Let’s talk about race plans and the mental game. Running is different than team sports. In most team sports, baseball, football, or even individual sports like tennis or golf you do your play or movement and then have time to think. Running or triathlon you are going and you keep going for several minutes or hours. So I would think the mental game is different. How do you come up with a mental gameplan for endurance athletes?
Can have two runners on a college team who workout and live and eat together, but on race day one outperformes the other. How much of that difference could be mental?
If you are sitting down with that runner who is struggling, what type of questions do you ask them to gauge if it is a mental block?
Can you give us an example of how you break down your races into 1/3s?
I Heard you at the NAU camp a couple of weeks ago. You had a great story about love and how love can have an impact. Can you share that story with our listeners?
What are some common traits you see between those who excel and those who struggle?
We know you work with college and professional athletes. What do you notice the difference in ages and how things change?
We hear a lot about positive thinking. We all know this is important. But let’s look at just this last year’s Boston Marathon. Desi’s self-talk early was I don't feel good. I am going to try to help Flanagan my Olympic Team member, so her self-talk didn't seem to be great. Yet she went on to win. So what do you think happened there?
Is there much research that shows a correlation between stress and physical ailments?
Books recommend?
One thing we hear a lot about these days is mindfulness can you talk about how you use and teach it?
Final Surge 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - Momentum
Current trainers you are wearing? - Nike React
Favorite race? - Sun Run 10k
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Dense and sweet like fudge or icing
Your favorite workout - Technical downhill
Resources
Email shannon@hypo2sport.com
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/shannonleighthompson
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/positivevoices/
Website https://highperformanceinstitute.mykajabi.com/blog/
Today we welcome professional runner Garrett Heath of the Brooks Beast Team. Garrett was a 9-time All-American at Standford before turning professional. Garrett won the 2014 and 2015 Edinburgh Cross Country short course races before beating Mo Farah in the world championships in 2016. We catch up with Garrett about what his plans are for the future and talk to him about a time he almost took out a rabbit in a race.
How did you get your start in running?
You ran for a great program in high school did that help keep you interested?
There are many successful runners who came out of Minnesota and many of them seemed to spend a lot of time cross country skiing in the winter, did you do much skiing?
You had a great career at Stanford and I’ve heard in your college career your coach had some interesting ways to work on overspeed work?
When did you know that you wanted to try your hand at professional running?
What was it like running in Europe, how was it different?
Sounds like there is a model of how to make track and field a success with the public, why don't you think we do this in the US?
First time you broke 4 minutes in the mile?
You are now running with Danny Mackey and Brooks Beast Team, how did that connection happen?
Early in your career, you focused more on the 1500, then you started with some 5ks but this year you ran a good 10k at the Payton Jordan. Where do you see yourself focusing going forward?
You have had a lot of success running longer distances in cross country, how different is it racing those bad weather cross contry races vs a controlled track race?
If money and everything were the same would you make a living on the track, roads or xc course?
You have mentioned a few times about the mental aspect of of racing, how much time do you spend working on your mental game?
Not sure how much you pay attention to Let’s Run, but One of the posts from January this year asked who is most jacked Chris Solinsky vs. Garrett Heath vs. Ben True. So how much do you lift and work on strength?
One thing a lot of casual observers of our sport may not realize is when you run for a team, it is not like running for a professional football or baseball team with a huge salary. What is that relationship like with your sponsors?
Final Surge round, 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - Running with the Buffaloes
Current trainers you are wearing? - Brooks Glycerin
Favorite race? – Edinburgh Cross Country
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? – Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Your favorite workout – Long Tempos
https://www.instagram.com/garrettheath
This week we bring you a "Best Of" episode with Dr. Stephen Seiler and our discussion on polarized training.
Welcome to episode 89 of the Final Surge Podcast where today we welcome 2x defending NCAA XC Champ Coach Mike Smith to the show. Mike has a unique background working for years alongside Jack Daniels before going into college coaching. We talk to Mike about his coaching philosophies. Please remember to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss future episodes and share it on Twitter or Facebook.
How did you start running?
How did you move from running at Georgetown to Coaching?
Was there any coaching between when you left college and the head coaching job at Georgetown?
What was it like working with Dr. Daniles
You had 4 years at Georgetown with great results. When you heard Eric Heins was stepping down at NAU what was your thought process when you were considering changing jobs?
Took NAU first-year assistant then took over for xc champ any pressure?
We focus on the championship race, but 99% of what you do is not at that race it is in practice day-to-day. Can you tell us what you are looking for in practice and what your interactions are like?
What do you think of race plans for your athletes?
Not everyone is going for the win as an individual, can you talk about winning the race within the race, what does that mean to you?
Your culture seems to be of a fun team where the top racers are all competitive, are they as competitive with each other in practice as they are in a big race and is that culture dictated by the athletes you have and will change with the athletes or something you instill in the team?
Tyler Day is one of your top runners and a very interesting story for me. Tyler went to high school less than a mile from my house and I watched him compete in high school. He had that great personality then too. And while Tyler was a good high school runner, I don't think anyone ever looked at him and said he would be a national all-American in college. What do you contribute to the huge jump Tyler made at NAU?
You said on another podcast that you thought one of the issues you see in training is over-prescription of VO2 work. Can you talk about your training philosophy.
How does your training differ from Georgetown to NAU because of the altitude?
Let’s say you were a high school coach living at sea level in a very flat area, and every year the high altitude teams came down to the state meet and over performed, how you would target your planning to offset the advantage the altitude teams have?
How does you periodization work. Are you like a lydiard with pretty strict training periods or are you more of the new school where you touch on everything all year with small variations?
What are you looking for in runners who may want to run at NAU?
You talk about moving with the ground, I know you run a summer camp for high school runners, is this something that athletes?
Final Surge round, 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - Once a runner
Current trainers you are wearing? - Ultra Boost
Favorite race? – Western States 100
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? – Mike and Rhonda's Lumberjack Special
Your favorite workout –
Welcome to episode 88 of the Final Surge Podcast where today we welcome Olympian runner Ruben Sanca. Ruben ran for Cabo Verde in the 2011 World Championships in the marathon and the 2012 Olympics in the 5k. Ruben won 2017 New England Grand Prix Road Racing title and was elected U.S.A. Track & Field New England Male Runner of the Year. We talk to Ruben about how he came to American at age 12, his running career and about his newer company, The Lowell Running Company.
Ruben can you start out telling us a little bit about yourself and how you got started running?
So you came to the US at the age of 12. I don’t know a lot about Cabo Verde besides it’s off the coast of West Africa. Did you speak English? Tell us what it was like for a 12-year-old to come here?
Was running big there or something you didn't discover until you got here?
You ran at U Mass Lowell then you went on to compete at the World Championship in 2011 in the marathon and the London Olympic Games in the 5k in 2012. What was it like competing in the Olympics?
What is your running goals now?
You are working full time, you train 100 miles a week and you manage the Lowell Running Company. How do you fit it all in?
So one of the ways I first started noticing what you were doing was from the activity online with the Lowell Running Company. Can you tell us what the LRC is and how that started?
Do you do group runs or is it all virtual?
Is your coaching all in person or do you virtual coaching too?
Do you work with mostly marathoners or do you work with others?
How are you using Final Surge in your coaching?
Final Surge round, 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? Lore of Running by Tim Noakes and for enjoyment: Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear
Current trainers you are wearing? - New Balance 880’s
Favorite race? – Boston Marathon
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? – Sirloin steak with sweet potatoes and Endurex R4 Endurance Formula
Your favorite workout – 4xmile at 5k pace for track and for marathon 3x3mi at marathon pace w/ a mile recovery at 95% marathon pace. This is one of the standard marathons workouts I do at the beginning of every marathon block.
Resources
Lowell Running Website
Sanca Foundation
Facebook Page
Twitter Account
Welcome to episode 87 of the Final Surge podcast where today we welcome Dr. Justin Ross to the show. Justin specializes in sports performance and has a practice called Mind-Body Health in Denver Colorado. Dr. Ross combined his love for endurance sports with his love for psychology to put together a practice that helps his patients perform their best on race day. We talk about getting ready for the big race and why the mind game is so important to perform your best. Dr. Ross see's patients both in person and online. Feel free to connect to him about what you may be struggling with.
I know you got started later in life in endurance sports and not in high school like many of our guests, can you tell us how you got your start?
What are you doing now?
You are a psychologist now a specializing in sports performance. Was there a moment, something specific that happened that made you decide I want to go in this direction?
So walk me through how this works with you. Someone contacts you and says I need help, can you walk us through the whole process of how you get started with them?
What are the most common issues that you hear from endurance athletes about mental?
Navy Seals talk about dealing with this a lot in their training. They say when you think you are done your body has 60% left to give still so how can you work on changing the perception of effort?
What is the big difference between working on them on race day and in training?
How often do you have someone come to you and say my 5k workouts are getting better and I am improving month over month but on race day I'm not improving?
How do you pinpoint what that might be?
Are your patients in person or virtual?
A college coach contacts you and says my team is doing great but year over year we cannot put it together on race day for our Championship race. What sort of general advice would you have for them?
When you say put yourself into these situations are you talking about getting to the point of fatigue like you would be in a race and then putting yourself in certain situations, or what are you working on?
Inner Game of Tennis teaches that self-talk doesn't work, you need to just do the reps so many times that you just go there, do you teach self-talk?
This year's Boston was interesting because Desi said she wasn't even going to be finishing the race and told Flannagan that she was willing to help her in any way. Then an hour and a half later she is competing to win, what lessons can we take from that?
What about goals, are goals part of what you do and if so how important are they?
How do you work to set goals with clients?
We hear a lot about the placebo effect, and it seems to be a real thing, can you tell us how we think things are working and maybe they are not? Like KT tape or compression sleeves, we hear people who swear by them and others who show research that they are doing nothing. Can you talk about it?
On race day someone is going for heir BQ and maybe this is their last shot to get it, how can they use their mind to push through?
We talk about doing this a lot during training, but what about meditation?
Final Surge 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - Endure
Current trainers you are wearing? - Newton Distance Elite
Favorite race? - Light At End of Tunnel in Washington
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Coconut Water
Your favorite workout - Tempo Runs
Resources
Welcome to episode 86 of the Final Surge podcast with our guest Olympian turned coach Tim Broe. If you were a running fan in the early 2000's you probably remember Tim as one of the few bright spots in US Distance running scene. Tim is now a professional coach with the Saucony Freedom Track Club. We talk to Tim about his early days in running, his Olympic experience and the devastating injury that ended his career to early. We then talk about his latest experience with the Freedom Track Club. If you enjoy this episode please rate us on iTunes and follow us on Twitter @FinalSurge.
How did you get your start in athletics?
Ran under legendary Michigan coach Ron Warhurst as a professional right?
What was that like, what makes him such a great coach?
2004 you made US Olympic team in the 5k, what was it like running for your country in the biggest show in running?
You mentioned had to go get a qualifying time after your Olympic Trials win. Running in the early 2000’s wasn’t exactly the high point in American distance running. You were one of the few bright spots during this time. Was it something that you paid attention to while it was happening?
Talk about how your career came to an end after the high
How did you make your transition into coaching?
You coach the Freedom Track Club how did that start
When you start with Wesley high school athletes, what type of program are you trying to bring to them to develop younger runners?
How different was it coaching a team with 11 kids vs 78?
I've heard your runners you coach and you talk about taking control of the race, what does that mean for you?
What advice do you have for someone who maybe isn’t at the level to compete near the front and maybe focusing on just setting a PR. What advice do you have for your kids who are not going for a win, but are a number 6 runner on your team?
Last fall you had a big signing with Molly Seidel to the Freedom Track Club. I saw she got sick before Payton Jordon, how is her training going?
Ben True raced the Pre 2-mile race this past week, how did his race go?
How will the team develop over the next 2-3 years?
Final Surge 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - Men of Oregon
Current trainers you are wearing? - Kinvara
Favorite race? - Billy Mills 10k and favorite to run was 3k
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Donuts and chocolate mill
Your favorite workout - The Michigan
Resources
Welcome to Episode 85 of the final surge podcast where today we have the pleasure of bringing you one of the best young track runners in the country Jess Tonn. Jess is fresh off her sub 32 10k win at the Payton Jordan. We talk to Jess about her running career to date including her stellar high school career where she qualified for 4 Foot Locker’s, her running career a Sanford and how it has been making the transition to running with the Brooks Beast team. We talk to her about the amazing coaches she has been blessed to have so far and how that has helped her in her own coaching career with RunDoyen. Jess’ energy is contagious and we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did recording it.
Tell us how you got started running when you were younger
You had quite a high school career, 4 year Foot Locker qualifier, 14 state titles in cross country and track and you went to an academically challenging high school with Xavier, how hard was it to put in the time you needed to be successful in school and as such an accomplished high school runner?
Was there ever a time in high school you thought I want to be a professional runner some day?
You also had a successful college career as a runner at Stanford, another tough academic school. There are dozens of young women runners in high school who go onto college and you never hear from them again except on Let’s Run message boards saying whatever happened to….. Why do you think you were able to make the jump to the next level?
What did you study at Stanford?
In November 2015 you signed a contract with Brooks to run as a professional. How hard or easy was it to make the decision to put off your career and chase your dream of being a professional runner?
What was it about Danny Mackey and the Brooks Beast team that attracted you to them?
Earlier this month you ran the 10k at Payton Jordan, I want to talk about the race in some details and ask you a few questions about different stages. But first, what were your expectations going into it?
What was that really hard workout?
Do you see yourself as a 10k runner going forward?
You mentioned you had some injuries, can you talk about getting through those?
Rabbit took the group through almost 3k at just sub 32:00 pace and when the rabbit left the track things started to stretch out. At 3200k you were down by about 9 second and by 5k it was almost up to 15 seconds and you were leading a chase group in 3rd. When the lead grew to almost 15 seconds did you ever think I should have gone with Ichiyama?
In the last mile your group started closing the gap, were you girls talking and communicating as it looked like you took turns leading the chase?
With 800 to go the lead group was back to 5 and Cliff made a push then with 500 to go Pagano made a push, and you were content on the back of the 5 person pack, what were you thinking, what was your plan as you saw what was going on ahead of you?
That last 400 you close in 70, and when you went at 300 there was no doubt who was going to win, you looked so strong. Did you feel as strong as you looked?
What have been your keys to consistency across her high school, college, and professional training that have supported your long-term evolution to a sub-32:00 performer?
What are your plans for he rest of the race season?
You are now coaching with RunDoyen and we will leave a link in the show notes if anyone wants to get a hold of you about coaching. You have been blessed with amazing coaches since high school. You had one of the top high school coaches in the country with Jeff Messer, then, of course, Stanford and now with the Beast club. All of your coaches are successful, but I am sure they are all different in their own ways and coaching methods. What have you learned from your coaches that you will use in your coaching?
Final Surge 5 questions in under a minute
Favorite endurance/running book? - Peak Performance
Current trainers you are wearing? - Brooks Ghost 10
Favorite race? - 10k
Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Gatorade, water and protein
Your favorite workout - 4 sets of 4x400 or 5-6 mile tempo on the track
connect with you online?
@JessTonn on Instagram
@JessTonn on Twitter
Jess Tonn on RunDoyen