Running Rogue

Track is back... major marathons are not. We start this episode with a recap of two mini track meets that happened this weekend in Utah and Oregon, including one in which the US 5K record was broken by the great Shelby Houlihan. Then, we turn to a quick discussion on the cancellation of the Chicago Marathon before switching to our main topic - finding purpose and motivation during this pandemic.  The racing calendar is quickly being cleared due to COVID-19 which is making it harder and harder for many to stay motivated. If that's you, then I get it, and you aren't alone. I give you 5 reasons to run right now, and 5 tools to put to work to help you stick with it. The work you do right now matters for the long term, and I hope this episode helps you stay on track!

It's been a weird time for many, and some of you may have gotten out of your running routine in the last several months for very valid reasons. You might be trying to re-start and don't know how best to do it. In this episode, I cover 7 tips for doing so that will optimize your chances for both staying healthy and for staying motivated while you rebuild that routine. With these tips, I answer questions such as: - How do you re-build your routine? - How do you build distance safely? - When do you add back strength work? And when do you add back speed? - How long will it take to feel "normal" again?!? I cover the above questions and more!

In this episode, I begin with a brief reaction to the cancellation of the NYC and Berlin Marathons and include a few additional tips on how to pivot from them to another goal (to build on the discussion from episode 188).  Then, I turn to a fascinating conversation with Lisa Tamati, an ultra endurance athlete from New Zealand who has raced over 140 ultra marathons in her career covering over 40,000 racing miles! She's run across deserts and across the Himalayas and is the first woman from New Zealand to finish the Badwater Ultra Marathon. Badwater is a 135 mile race through Death Valley to the top of Mt Whitney, and Lisa finished it not once but twice! Most recently, she has been on perhaps her most difficult journey yet helping her mother recover from a severe brain aneurysm that left her completely without memory and unable to function. Over 4 years, Lisa used all of the lessons she learned from enduring in her ultra career to relentlessly pursue a return to health for her mom. That journey is chronicled in

With episode 188, we appropriately bring you 8 tips for marathon training during the pandemic. How do you deal with the uncertainty of the fall racing season? And, how do you ensure you gain fitness that will have you ready just in case, but also benefit you for years to come? In this episode, former guest and Rogue coach Jen Harney joins the show to help me break it all down.

More or less every time I line up for a race or hard workout, there is fear that comes in those moments. I think about questions like... how much will it hurt? how will I deal with the path? will I respond or crack under the pressure? what if I do crack?  Inevitably though, when faced with my physical, I do respond. It's not always great or perfect, but I learn something about myself every single time. I've also learned many other truths from taking part in the journey itself, both from my own revelations as well as the insights of my running friends and community. In this episode with many-time guest James Dodds, we discuss this big question. What has running taught us? What truths has it revealed to us and how do we relish in those moments to learn?

In this episode, we take a pause from running content to talk again about the very important discussions taking place in our country on racism. With the help of long-time Rogue community member Dionn Schaffner, we dig into the ways that we can all help the cause by first educating ourselves and then taking action. As Dionn herself says, this is a time to educate, empathize, engage, and then expect others to do the same. She tells us how to do that in this episode. Here are some other resources to support you in doing that as well: Ways to support Black Lives Matter: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ Daily curriculum option for learning in 10/25/40 minute increments: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H-Vxs6jEUByXylMS2BjGH1kQ7mEuZnHpPSs1Bpaqmw0/mobilebasic Brene Brown podcast with Ibram Kendi on anti-racism: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bren%C3%A9-with-ibram-x-kendi-on-how-to-be-an-antiracist/id1494350511?i=1000476611079 75 things you can do for racial justice: https://medium.com/equality-includ

In this episode, I start with a discussion of the sadness, helplessness, and hopelessness I've felt during the last week after George Floyd's murder. I don't have answers, but I do know that action speaks louder than words. I am committed to action, and here are a list of resources where you can also do something to support the cause to end policy brutality and racism in our country: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ I know my words are no consolation for anything that is felt by the BIPOC community, but I also know that silence isn't an option either. Then, I turn to a brief discussion on the news surrounding the Boston Marathon and how you might think about that if you were registered for it. And finally on our main topic, I discuss how to identify, assess, and manage 3 types of fatigue in training - noncumulative fatigue, cumulative fatigue, and overtraining. Two of those 3 represent good fatigue and one represents bad fatigue. You need good fatigue to be your best running self. You have to balance stres

Last Friday, May 22, we hosted a Zoom call with the women of Hoka NAZ Elite - Stephanie Bruce, Kellyn Taylor, and Aliphine Tuliamuk. It's their first interview together since the Olympic Marathon Trials, and it's loaded with inspiration! We get to know them better, get a play-by-play on the Olympic Trials, and talk about how they are staying motivated during this challenging time. In addition, Ruth England asks them a few questions from our women-only training group on the unique training needs of the female body. And, yes, we talk about periods! These 3 strong women are doing so much for our sport. We can't thank them enough for taking the time to join us! For those who want to watch the video version of this conversation, here is the link: https://youtu.be/zltuU69lDj0.  

This short episode captures a conversation I had with Kara Goucher during the Rogue fall training kickoff a few weeks ago. In it, Kara provides an update on her situation during this uncertain time, and she discusses how she is staying motivated to train. Plus, she covers how she has dealt with uncertainty throughout her career including the lessons we can apply now. Finally, she ends with final thoughts for those who are looking to train for fall races but who aren't sure when or if those races will happen. Kara is always an inspiration, and I believe this conversation proves no different. I hope you enjoy it! Here is a link to the Rogue news site for those looking to sign up for podcast training or who are curious about our Front Door 5K series.  https://www.roguerunning.com/rogue-news For a full video of our fall training kickoff, you can click this link:  https://youtu.be/36luXzzkvoA

In this episode, I tackle an uncomfortable conversation on running and racism with one of the Rogue Dallas run leaders Alex Williams. Alex is an amazing runner in her own right, but she also happens to be a black female. She explains the complexities, challenges, and safety concerns of being a black woman on the run. We discuss how the biases and assumptions of others affect her planning for every single run, just because of the color of her skin. This conversation was sparked by the tragic death of a black man at the hands of two white men for doing what we all love to do - just going for a jog. Here is more on Ahmaud's story and how the running community has rallied to call for justice for his death. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/08/us/run-with-maud-ahmaud-arbery.html We must do more to not only speak out for Ahmaud but also to promote more inclusivity and openness for those of color in the running community. Alex and I conclude the episode with a conversation on some of the things that can be done to di

New or veteran runner, we've all had those stretches of training that just felt harder than they should. For you, this might be one of those times as we deal with the uncertainty of this current situation, but it could also be unrelated. In this conversation, I give you a decision tree with questions to ask yourself in order to get to the bottom of and then address your running funk. I talk about both the mental and physical reasons for a funk and give you practical tips to sort through either. I hope you don't need this podcast, but if you do, I hope it helps you get out of that funk! Here is the article referenced from Alex Hutchison: https://www.outsideonline.com/2411873/mental-fatigue-athletes-study-2020?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=onsiteshare And the link to sign up for the podcast training interest list: https://roguerunning.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=0ead6e3aae35e2d5947b6f07e&id=d1c769a089 Training starts on May 11th!

Last week, Jason Brooks and I recorded our final podcast training episode for the season with our base training group. In that episode, we recapped lessons from the 16-week program across the strength, running, and lifestyle components of the program. After recording the episode, I realized that the lessons would be valuable for all of you. Plus for those interested in the program, it gives you a perspective on the elements that we discuss. Our next base training program will start on May 11th. You can sign up for our email interest list here: https://roguerunning.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=0ead6e3aae35e2d5947b6f07e&id=d1c769a089

As promised last week, I interview Ruth England and Jennifer Howard-Brown for this episode to discuss their upcoming half marathon training program by women for women. We introduce you to Ruth and Jenn (both long-time Rogues) and of course talk about the program, but we spend the bulk of the time digging into specific insights on how women are different from men in training from hormones, menstrual cycles, and menopause to recovery and heat adaptation.  These insights are drawn from Ruth and Jenn's personal experiences as well as the book Roar by Dr. Stacy Sims. For those interested in learning more about this new podcast-based program with Ruth and Jenn, then join our email list by clicking here. 

I am excited to bring 3-time guest Mallory Brooks back to the show to discuss her experience training with the Maffetone Method. I originally had her on to discuss her early stages in the program for episode #97, and now I have her back to recap her experience discussing both what she learned and what she might do differently. The MAF method is a foundational program that is designed to help you improve your aerobic foundation. Many like Mallory use it for base training in order to improve your pace at a given heart rate level before moving onto greater intensity. Given the current situation, this type of training might be something to consider as a way to stay healthy and work on aerobic development while under quarantine. Plus as a bit of intro with her, we get the behind-the-scenes perspective on dealing with the pandemic as a race director, including how you can support races during this difficult time. For those interested in our May podcast training, check out these links: a. For program details: www.ro

In this conversation, James and I get reflective on the lessons we have learned from this time of quarantine and how these lessons might be carried into the future when this is over. It's admittedly hard to go to this positive place right because so many are facing tragedy, but it is one place that I am looking for personal hope. I am committed to being different (in a good way) on the other side, and I believe we all need to do our part to make the world a different place too.

In this episode, I bring on one of our coaches in NYC to discuss the current situation in New York City. Justin has been coaching with us in Manhattan since January of 2019, leading groups to the NYC Half and NYC Marathon last year. To start this year, the group was prepping for the NYC Half again, but then everything changed. Justin tells his story as a runner and a coach, and then we discussion the current state of affairs with the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic there. Justin provides his perspective from his self quarantine in Queens. In particular, I appreciate how he encourages us all to think about those cancelled or postponed races. Justin's energy for running and the running community is contagious. It brought a smile to my face, and I hope it does for you too during a tough time.  Our hearts go out to all in NYC...

Our training plans have been thrown into chaos, which is certainly frustrating. But as my podcast partner Jenn said last week, it's time to turn this training program upheaval into an opportunity to be more ready for your next race-specific cycle. In this episode, I talk about using this time to work your weaknesses and give you 8 different possibilities from raw speed to mobility to weekly volume and more. What do you need to work on and how can you use this time to be stronger/faster/better as an athlete on the other side? Check this link for the mobility tests that I mentioned from Coach Travis: https://www.strengthforspeed.com/movement-test-1

Races are cancelled or postponed, and life is seemingly on hold or in limbo due to COVID-19. At Rogue, we've had to move to a completely virtual world with no in person groups due to the ongoing spread of the virus. This episode is primarily for our members in this temporary virtual world but also for anyone who wonders what to do now. I discuss the current status of the situation with Rogue coach Jennifer Howard-Brown, and we focus the discussion on what to do with your training in the mean time. Every workout matters now, not just for your own sanity but to build your foundation for years to come. We talk about how to embrace that and keep doing the work! Links from our discussion: On the spread of COVID-19 and importance of social distancing: - From the Washington Post - From Medium From Facebook on small business grants: - https://www.facebook.com/business/boost/grants For a list of virtual races: - https://www.theramblingrunner.com/virtualraceseries To join us virtually now: - https://roguerunningsquare

In this episode, I start with an intro discussing the Boston Marathon and the Coronavirus and then give my tribute to International Women's Day (which happened yesterday). Thank you to all of the women who inspire me... I give a small sample of those on this podcast! Then, I turn to a topic that can be tough for many - how to process and bounce back from a bad race. We discuss how you can deal with the immediate aftermath, how to process lessons learned, and then eventually come back for your redemption race.  We have all been there, and I hope this episode helps you get through it so that you achieve your goals!

In this episode, I review an epic weekend of action with special guest Kara Goucher who was also in Atlanta to see the Olympic Marathon Trials. We break down all of the action from both races plus talk about the energy and vibe from the entire weekend. Then, at the end, I give you 5 lessons and takeaways for your own training and racing. This is a fun one! Also, as mentioned, you can now support the podcast on Patreon if you are so inclined. We have 4 levels of membership with varying perks. Check it all out here: https://www.patreon.com/roguerunning