Coaches on Couches

We've been teaching running for well over a decade. Coach Dale's first gig in sport performance was teaching linear acceleration and top speed running mechanics. Running form can be over taught and over complicated, so we are bringing you 3 of the easiest things you can do to improve your running form.

The quick version:

1. Improve your line of sight

2. Power your legs with your arm movements

3. Let your hips and chest fall together while focusing on heel lift (kinda 2 things sorry)

Bonus: Stretch! But which muscles are the most important to running form? Have a listen to this short episode and find out.

The shout outs take up the first 8 minutes or so because we had one heck of a race weekend.

Shout Outs:

Memphis in May Triathlon

Greg Rhode

Tony Gambrell

Heather Nichols

Jamie Bailey

John Zinn

Cliff Abeles

Wayne Ogorzalek

Tom Ratliff

Michael Ort

St. Jude Crew - Dr. James Downing, Lynn Wynn, and Coach Chris

Ironman Chattanooga 70.3

Phillip Young - PR and one of top bike times

Adrian Hall - Big PR

Assault on Mount Mitchell

William Hennessey - massive improvement

Cheaha Challenge - Gary Z, 128 miles almost 13k.

This episode could be bit of a controversial one. We will be chatting about what your training age (very different than you chronological age) should say about your training as a whole. We'll define training age, and talk about the different stages in an athletes journey, and how skipping a stage can affect an athlete's longevity, athletic potential, and enjoyment in their chosen sport. As a brief, here are the stages we'll discuss. Keep in mind, some athletes will never reach stage 4 or 5. That's fine. But skipping any of the first 3 can have a negative impact on an athlete's athletic or health potential. Training Ages: 1. Learn to Train 2. Love to Train 3. Train to Improve 4. Train to Compete 5. Train to Excel (Win) 6. Train to Age Gracefully Which stage are you on? This Weeks Shoutouts! - John Zinn - Wayne Ogorzalek - Craig Jostes - All the Mothers - Eric Cressey - Brett Cummins

It's a bit of a special episode for us. May marks the 10 year anniversary of BPC Coaching. It's been a fun and wild ride helping athletes of all ages and ability levels improve in their health, fitness, and the sports they love. But you don't make it 10 years without gaining a bit of wisdom (yeah we said it...wisdom), making long term observations, and learning specific lessons that there is no research to back, no book of knowledge to guide you, and are only specific to the population we work with. So we'll drop them on you. One after another. All of which formulate a major part of the way we coach. Some super specific, some vague but no less important. Here's to another 10 years! Shout Outs: - Sally Landham - Leigh Ruston - Liz Hall - Jeremy Matthews - Scott Stader of Run365 Good Luck: Gulf Coast 70.3 Athletes

We're talking to Brian Williams and Sean Hilsdon, race directors of the Walking Tall 50k/25k trail race, about their 6th born (we don't really know how many kids Sean has). These two guys have put massive time and energy into creating what we believe to be the premier ultra marathon in West TN. This is what you get when you bring together a financial planner and an eagle scout civil engineer. A grand ole trail adventure. We'll talk to them about how their dream became a reality and how they ended up getting 300+ runners in a 1st year ultra event. By the way, that's unheard of. We also go into what's new for the 2019 race, and what will most certainly stay the same. Hint: the course. We cap it off with our major tips for preparing yourself for this event, or any long trail event with lots of elevation for that matter. So if you are a race director, trail junkie, or someone who likes to get lost in the woods for hours, you won't want to miss this episode. For more info on the Walking Tall 50k/25k go to www.walkingtall50k.com Shout Outs! Phillip Young - 1st overall Tupelo Sprint Tri Heather Nichols - 2nd overall female Tupelo Sprint Tri All our Big Frog Challenge athletes (too many to list) Will Levy - Longest Ride to Date North Mississippi Endurance Team April Hilsdon Adam Williams Lorrie Williams McNairy County Bank (McCall Wilson)

Multisport is an A to B race. The clock doesn't stop in T1 and T2 people. So we are going to release our tips for free speed into the wild. We've done dozens of talks and clinics on this subject so we're refining it down to only the things that can make you faster with just a little knowhow and practice. No intervals required. So in this episode we talk about the keys of fast transitions. If you have no idea what transitions are, this one may not be for you. Unless you plan to do some multisport events in the near future...then it's exactly for you. And should be required. Here are the major bullet points: - Declutter your transition area. - Organize your transition area. Consider the order you will take off and put on gear. - Mark your spot! Don't rely on your gear to tip you off to your spot (funny story here) - Learn the flying mount and dismount! - The ole T2 grab and go - One last bike and gearing check before going to the swim start - Practice! We add in a few more tips and Coach Dale goes into why he doesn't think shoes on the bike is the fastest way out of T1 for non-drafting events. If you are ready to take minutes off your overall time, sit back, throw on your goofy looking helmet, get your speed laces set, and join us on the couch. Shout Outs: - Mathieu van der Poel Good Lucks: - Big Frog Challenge Athletes

We've talked before (episode 1) about avoiding a heat beat down, but today we are going to talk specifically about the value of sweat sodium testing. We chat about: - What is sweat sodium testing? - Why is sodium so important? - How much sweat sodium concentration varies in athletes - What's the average? - What to do with the numbers once you have them - How we test sweat sodium concentration - Cost of testing and how to find a testing location in your area Links: Booking group or local (Memphis) testing: https://buildpeakcompete.com/hydration Find a testing center near you: https://www.precisionhydration.com/pages/book-a-sweat-test Estimate your sweat sodium with a free online test: https://www.precisionhydration.com/pages/main-sport.html?source=bpc Don't miss this week's massive list of shout outs! - Philippe Gilbert - Ben Kanute and Daniela Ryf - Makena Gates and Justin Lippert - Megan Fillnow and Patrick Parish - Todd Buckingham and Casidy Hickey - Kirsten Sass - Hart Robinson and David Collins - Our Los Locos Duathlon AG Podiums (too many to list for time sake, you know who you are!) - Ironman Memphis? - Brian and Jade at Baron's Man Cave for the tight do's

In this episode, Coach D and Coach B-Fun break down what they learned from their best and worst race experiences. From poor hydration, to poor race preparation, to not knowing the competition, we've screwed it all up in our days so you don't have to. It just so happens that we learn a lot more from the races that didn't go as planned. This is a shorter episode with a little story time so get comfy and enjoy! This week's Shout Outs: - Alberto Bettiol - Liz Hall - Adrian Hall - Phillip Young - Willis Porter - Steven Bassett - Joe Martin Stage Race

In this episode we chat about the most common issues we see when fitting bikes. We've been fitting bikes professionally for the last decade and have seen a lot. Worked through a lot. It hasn't all been pretty, but no bike/rider combo is the same. These issues could be things about the bike, it could be things about the rider. Neither can be ignored if you truly want to be dialed in. We also dive into Coach Dale's philosophy and fitting process since it differs from a lot of fitters. With a background in exercise physiology and biomechanics, he prefers never to accommodate something that can be fixed with strength, stretching, or proper mechanics because it's better for the rider in the long term. If you pedal two wheeled machines and you've never been fit, aren't comfortable on your bike, or aren't sure if you are truly optimized on your steed, you won't want to miss this. If you are in the Midsouth, you can book a fit at bpc.setmore.com This week's shoutouts: - Dan Applegate - Brad Harriman - Hart Robinson - David Collins

In this episode, we have pro runner, coach, and sport psychology guru Lauren Paquette. And we couldn't be more psyched. Get it? As a multi-time Olympic trialist, Lauren is still traveling the globe taking on the best in the world. We dig a little into her past and personal life as always, but what we really wanted to dive into is how she prepares herself mentally for a big race. How do we best control that massive limiter between our ears? How do we get to the line with superb confidence and push beyond what our brain tells us we can't do? We ask Lauren about her personal mental strategies as well as the ones she suggests for the amateur racer looking to push beyond when the brain is saying "nope". The mental game has been Coach D's recent obsession so this one is a can't miss episode. Shoutouts! -Greg Rohoe -Margie and Tom Ratlif -Hart Robinson -Everyone racing for team USA

This week on the couch we've got local hometown hero and ITU elite triathlete Seth Rider coming in to chat with us. We've watched in awe as Seth has gone from shaggy-headed junior to getting a hair cut and battling the best in the world while fighting for a spot on the US Olympic team. We'd like to think his success revolves around all the group rides and races we exerted "tough love" on him as a teenager. But we've come to terms with the fact that he's just better than us and works harder than everyone else. We talk about Seth's journey so far and dive into the inner workings of the elite development pathway. You'll also get a glance into a general training week for the 22 year old pro. Our favorite part of the conversation was when Seth broke down some of the lesser known strategies involved in draft legal racing. If you're a fan of the sport of triathlon, you won't want to miss this. So find your own couch and hunker down! *We had a bit of an audio failure but we cleaned it up as best we could. But this was an awesome interview! Shoutouts: -Lee Ruston -Weekday Hammerfest -David Boyd - Walt Rider