Running Rogue

In this episode, I teach the why, the what, and the how of a very important training principle... the power of progression. From warm-ups to easy runs to workouts and races, your goal should be to start a little slower and finish faster at every opportunity. Learning to execute your runs in this way will teach you how to enjoy your best workouts and ultimately to race your fastest. It is easier said than done, however, so I break down all of my tips on the topic in this episode. Listen, learn, and then go practice it yourself.  

In this episode, I share the audio from an Instagram Live with my last guest Nicole Winter (@nicolemruns). She asks me questions from her audience on the fundamentals of running.  We pretty much cover it all including breathing and running, form and cadence, building speed over time, managing recovery, how to think about chasing the BQ, training for a trail marathon, predicting your marathon time, whether or not to time-cap your long runs, and more. Thank you to Nicole for having me and to her audience for the amazing questions.

In this episode, I welcome Rogue athlete Nicole (Rauch) Winter to the show. I coached Nicole to her first marathon in January, and now she has dreams to chase a Boston qualifier next year.  In our conversation, we start from the beginning, discussing her background in sport and how she got into running in the first place. She describes the joy she experienced on her first run and how running is still an important outlet for her balance and mental health. As her running journey progressed, her mom encouraged her to try races, starting with a 5K and 10K before bumping up in distance to the marathon. Her first marathon training block did not goes as planned, however, and she was forced due to a knee issue to drop down to the half.  Ultimately, she found her way to Austin and eventually to Rogue where I helped her train for her first marathon in Houston in January of this year. We talk about her training for Houston and then all of the vibes of the race itself including the many things she learned along the way.

Thank you to a listener suggestion (and questions), this episode is dedicated to those that get a late start in running.  Regardless of when you start, you are worthy of big goals in this sport. In this episode, I talk about when to start, how to think about goal setting and potential, improving running form at a later age, and practical tips for getting started as a late-bloomer.  It's never too late to become a runner, and I hope this episode might just give you that final nudge. To take advantage of the offer in this episode, go to takecareof.com and use the code rogue50 for 50% off on your first order.

Training for fall marathons and half marathon is upon us with the focus for many now shifted to goals in September, October, and November. That means closing the chapter on your last cycle of work and starting a new one.  In this episode, I give you 10 tips for making sure you kick off your new training cycle the right way. Here's to more goal smashing ahead!

Disclaimer: This episode contains the story of one man's journey to face challenges with addiction and mental health (anxiety and depression). The discussion may be triggering for some, so please proceed with caution. In addition, Michael and I are NOT trained professionals so if you are struggling with one of these challenges, then we encourage you to seek professional help. May is Mental Health Awareness month, and I am honored to share the story of Rogue athlete Michael Wilt in this episode. Michael has struggled with anxiety, depression, and addiction since his college years. His alcohol addiction pushed him close to death in June of 2014, which was the wake-up call he needed to finally turn his life around and get the help he needed. During his recovery journey, Michael discovered running as an outlet, and he completed his first marathon in Austin in 2016 in 4:47. From there, he has improved his marathon time by nearly 2 hours, running 2:48 in Houston earlier this year. In this conversation, we dig deep

Consistency is more important for your running improvement than anything else. What you do today or tomorrow - easy run, long run, or workout - matters very little in the big picture. But, what you do from day to day and week to week, year to year, and ultimately decade to decade will determine how close you get to your potential in this sport. It's the body of work that matters - the forest, not the trees.  And yet, consistency can be so hard with all of the constraints we have in our daily lives including work, kids, and important relationships. In this episode, I talk about the importance of consistency, how I like to think about framing the trade-offs around consistency (hint: it's about priorities and not excuses), and then 10 ways to help you improve your consistency. We can all get better and be more consistent, and I hope this episode will help you do so.

In this episode, I get back to my growing series on the feelings of running. In this one, I talk about passion and apathy. What does it look like when we experience each one in this sport? And how do you overcome and/or channel each? If you have ever had a moment when you couldn't get out the door for your run or when you were ready to quit a race, then this episode is for you.

Marathon Monday is back after a 3-year hiatus, and it's the 50th anniversary of women being officially allowed to enter the race. In this episode, I give you one of my favorite Boston stories to commemorate the year that Bobbi Gibb became the first woman to run Boston as a bandit in 1966.  I also break today the elite fields on both sides and give you my predictions for the podiums as well as the top Americans. Then, I give my recommended Boston race plan for those toeing the line on Monday, as well as some crazy stats about the difficulty of running a negative split on this iconic course. If you aren't running on Monday, then you should definitely be watching. I will be in Boston to cheer and coach myself, and I hope to see some of you there!

You know I don't believe in short-cuts in training, and this episode isn't about that. It is, however, about making your running life easier with some tricks of the trade that I've learned in my journey as a runner and a coach.  In this one, I give you 11 running hacks to improve your running journey that cover the gambit from eliminating shoe funk and avoiding chafing to better recovery and route finding and more. Hack #1 is worth the price of admission alone!

Super shoes have revolutioned racing times in the last several years... there is no denying it. They can help you run a marathon anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes faster without any change in your fitness. Now that they are more ubiquitously available, each of us must ask ourselves... should I get a pair, and more importantly, how should it impact my training and racing? In this episode, I try to answer the big super shoe questions such as: - Should I get a pair? - If so, how should I choose the right one for me? - How should I break them in? - When should I wear them in training? - How do they affect recovery? - How should they affect my race pace and frequency of racing? I try to answer all of these questions and more in this episode. To take advantage of 20% off at InsideTrack, go to: insidetracker.com/runningrogue.

In this episode, I talk about coach-athlete relationships and how to optimize yours. Whether you have an in-person coach, a virtual coach, or are following the schedule provided by a coach you don't know, I give you 3 pillars to optimize this relationship to best reach your potential from it. Those pillars are: trust, communication, and ownership. I drill into all three and give you tips to think about for each. If you don't have a coach, then I highly encourage you to get one. You can go back to episode 139 for tips on how to choose a coach. To redeem the offer from InsideTracker go to www.insidetracker.com/runningrogue for 20% off their entire store.

In this far-reaching conversation, I catch up with Sasha Gollish after her new indoor mile world record for a 40+ year old athlete. We talk about the last 2 years of her training since she was on the show in December 2019 (episode 161). We cover super shoes, the Oura ring, readiness scores, racing the mile, and of course, how to run fast in your 40s. You will love this fun conversation with Sasha!

A listener slid into my instagram DMs (@roguechris) and asked me about my 5K/10K training for this spring. So, I decided to invite on my coach - Coach Cathy Casey - to discuss our approach for this spring block of work. Cathy coaches one of our Team Rogue groups in Austin, TX. She came to Rogue after spending 18 years in collegiate track and field where she eventually became head coach of the women's track and field program at Southern Methodist University (SMU). She is also an Ironman triathlete herself. In this episode, we talk with Cathy about how she structured this training block, key workouts, prep races, and racing strategy for those two distances. If you want to get fast, this is the episode for you! To take advantage of the 20% off offer in this program go to www.insidetracker.com/runningrogue.

The tempo workout is perhaps the single most important workout you will do as an endurance athlete, especially for those racing half marathons and marathons. It's the cornerstone of building aerobic strength (aka endurance). And yet, there is some confusion about what the word means and how to apply it in your training. In this episode, I break it all down and give you the how-to guide for the tempo workout from the purpose of this work to the types of workouts you can do, including timing and how to execute them. To execute the offer from this episode, go to insidetracker.com/runningrogue for 20% off.  

To quote Brene Brown, "choose the great adventure of being brave and afraid at the exact same time." For us, running is that adventure, and this episode is my ode to just that.  In follow-up to episodes 258 and 259, I continue my conversation on the feelings and emotions of running, this time by talking about fear and courage. What are the fears we face when setting big goals and chasing finish lines? And, how do we show courage in this sport?  For each, I talk about examples of what it like in my experience as an athlete and coach. Then, I talk about how to face fear and how to channel your courage with others to do even more.  To take advantage of the offer in the episode, go to insidetracker.com/runningrogue for 20% off.

Running technology and wearables have come so far since the days of the simple, Timex Ironman watches that could store 10 laps. Now, we have GPS watches, HR monitors, and other wearables that can track our biometrics 24/7.  Are we better off for it? I think so, yes, but only if we are careful in how we use these tools. In this episode, I give you five "dos" and five "don'ts" for how to use these tools. They should support you in pursuit of your goals instead of becoming counter-productive or destructive instead. The tail should never wag the dog.

It's been a while since I've broken down the course for the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, and I haven't done so since the course changed in 2018. Well, the race is coming up on February 20th so I give you the audio from an Instagram Live session I did on the @roguerunning page doing just that. My themes for this year are courage and precision, and for those racing, I encourage you to bring those characteristics to bear on race day. Then, I break the half marathon course down into 4 sections and the marathon course down into 6 sections, talking about approach and pacing recommendations for each. If you are racing Austin, best of luck to you. And if you aren't racing Austin, then I believe there are still lessons in this episode for any rolling course. To take advantage of the InsideTracker offer in the episode, then go to insidetracker.com/runningrogue for 25% off their entire store.

Downhill courses like Boston or the Revel races require unique preparation in order to perform your best. In this episode, I give you 6 things to consider when prepping for a downhill or rolling course. Prepare your mind, and prepare your body to run fast and let gravity do its thing! To take advantage of my offer with InsideTracker for 25% off, go to www.insidetracker.com/runningrogue.  

In last week's episode, I talked about the medium long run (MLR) as fundamental to my process goals in 2022. In this week's episode, I talk about why the medium long run is so important and how to execute it most effectively in terms of timing, distance, and pace. Plus, I cover a listener question on what to do if you have to make adjustments or if something gets in the way of the MLR. Do you shorten, move it, or skip it altogether? In addition in the intro, I give a quick reaction on the American Record results in Houston and tell you about my new podcast partner. For 25% off from InsideTracker, go to: www.insidetracker.com/runningrogue