The Running Public

Training Tuesday #64: All About Ultras

The people have spoken: It is time to dive into training and racing distances over 30 miles! 

• How much volume do you need?
• Back to back long runs?
• How long is long enough in training?
• Do I need speed work?
• Gear, fueling, shoes, etc

Episode 64: Rea Kolbl

• Slovenian National Gymnastics Team Member for 10 years
• Spartan Ultra World Champion
• 2x World's Toughest Mudder Champion
• 2nd Place at ECO Challenge: Fiji
• Undefeated at OCR Races 8 Hours or longer
• Bachelor’s Degrees in Physics and Astrophysics from Cal-Berkeley
• Master’s Degree in Science and Engineering from Stanford.

This woman is one of the top endurance athletes on the planet but has taken the long, broken road to get here. Her story is incredible, as are the life obstacles she has overcome.

Training Tuesday #63: Swing the Hammer Hard!

If you're going to swing the hammer, swing that thing hard! That was a big take away from the Dr Fred Clary interview, as he talked at length about preparing for 110% or even 120% of the demands of your next competition. Today we explain what that means, why it matters, and how it works / what it looks like in training.

Episode 63: Dr Fred Clary

Fred Clary is a Chiropractic Neurologist, World Record holding Power Lifter, and a goldmine of knowledge about maximizing the potential of the human body. Today we look into the role strength training plays in unlocking your endurance potential. Be warned: Brakken filled an entire page with notes while recording this episode. This is one you will want to listen to with a pen and pad in hand!

Training Tuesday #62: All About Super Shoes!

The super-shoe era is officially here, so Doctor Kraker went into the lab to test out the Nike Alphafly against two "typical" racing shoes in order to get clear data that shows exactly how much these new shoes affect your running. Along the way we hit the following:

• What is a super shoe?
• How does the carbon plate work?
• How do they affect pace at Mile, 5k, 10k, Half Marathon, and Marathon distances?
• Should they be legal?

Episode 62: Lisa Kraker - Running for Happiness

Brakken's wife, Lisa, finally joins us today! Lisa hates racing. Hates it. She also can't stand easy runs, training schedules, and scripted quality workouts. We discuss how she structures her training and life in order to keep running a purely enjoyable and therapeutic exercise. 

Training Tuesday #61: Kirk's Vegas Recap

Kirk raced in Las Vegas this past weekend while Brakken commentated the Savage Race in Georgia. They have several takeaways from the two races that could be difference makers for athletes moving forward!

• The power of purposeful cross training
• How truly awful it is to race in sand
• The importance of a plan for attacking rigs
• Having the correct mentality for racing under the new pandemic style of races

Episode 61: Glenn Racz

Glenn is a self taught runner who didn't even begin training until after college. Learning on the fly, he progressed to a low 15 minute 5k and 4:12 mile over the course just a few years. From there, he was signed by the Spartan Pro Team in 2014 and has been an OCR racer ever since. 

Our longest episode yet, and you will not regret staying until the end! Glenn is one of the best people we have ever met in this sport, but he has also overcome some pretty incredible life obstacles along the way. If you don't know Glenn's story, buckle up!

Training Tuesday #60: Potentially Harmful Training Trends

We've noticed a few trends with the athletes we work with over the past few months. We want to go over them right now and hopefully help out anyone who is starting to exhibit similar behaviors in training! A few highlights:

• Rushing injury rehab in order to be ready for a "B" Race
• Forcing a specific pace on Easy / Recovery Runs
• Cutting weight too aggressively / restricting too many calories
• Trying to hit a monster workout too close to a race in order to feel mentally prepared

Episode 60: Listener Submitted Q&A

This month's Q&A covers a little bit of everything!

• How much is too much cross training?
• Nasal breathing as a tool vs a training style
• Should you treat Grip training like Endurance training?
• When to get new shoes for treadmill training
• Can you improve your ability to use fast-twitch muscles?
• Should supercompensation be used more heavily for designing training plans?
• And people apparently still really want to know who would win in a fight between the two of us...

Heads up, we get lost down a few rabbit holes regarding OCR schedules and the recent NCAA National Championship meet, so skip to 21:00 if you are just looking for the Q&A portion!