Final Surge Podcast

Welcome to episode 34 of the Final Surge Podcast with our guest Jason Hartmann. Jason was a very successful professional runner who in the last few years Jason hung up his racing flats and traded them in for a coaching whistle. Jason is quickly building a very successful program at Saginaw Valley State and we talk to him about that process.

How did you get your start in running?

At what point would you advise a kid to start running full-time in high school based on your running history?

You ran at Oregon, what lead to the decision to go there?

When you were running at Oregon at what point did you think it may be something you wanted to pursue after college?

You had a very successful running area including a couple 4th place finishes at Boston and a top American at Chicago, what was the most memorable race for you?

You retired from running in 2014 and decided to get into coaching, what made you want to get involved in coaching?

You mentioned you coached Elise Cranny, was that your first time coaching?

With many high school kids, we see them peak or burn out after high school. What is it with Elise that has lead to her success in college too?

You are now coaching at Saginaw Valley State. How did that come about?

What was the program like when you took over vs. now?

What type of athletes are you looking for to be part of the program?

What is something your program does that you think all successful college programs do

What is something that you think you guys do that may be unique or different?

When coaching everyone has to find their own formula, their own voice, but we get influences from other coaches. Who has been a big influence in your coaching career and philosophy?

If you could change something about our high school programs, what would it be?

Is that your biggest challenge making it fun and getting the kids to be consistent?

You are making the transition from xc to track how do the workouts change from cross to a 1500 on the track?

So is the biggest change race paced workouts?

How are you using Final Surge in your coaching?

Are you laying out the week before hand for them? Or how are you putting the workouts in?

Are they required to log in and give you notes on how they feel or what do you expect from them?

Are you still doing some running on your own?

What does the future hold, where do you see yourself in 10 years from now?

Rapid Fire... 5 questions in under 1 minute Favorite running book? - Jack Daniels Current trainers you are wearing? - Vomero's Favorite race? - Minnesota Twin Cities Marathon Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Pizza and Coke Your favorite workout - Hill Runs

Connect with Jason on TwitterConnect with Final Surge on Twitter

Welcome to Episode 33 of the Final Surge podcast where we talk to Scott Simmons who is the coach of the American Distance Project in Colorado Springs. Scott has been coaching for 27-years and recently had his men go 1-2-3-4 at the US XC Championships. We talk about his program's success, training for a marathon and why he thinks the US is not where it should be yet in the marathon. We have been making some changes to the final surge software recently. If you have any ideas or have any questions please follow us at Facebook.com/FinalSurge or on Twitter @FinalSurge.

How did you get started in running?

How did you make the transition to coaching?

You have been coaching for 27-years, who have been your biggest coaching influences?

The American Distance Project has been making a lot of noise recently. When did you start the group?

How are you growing the team, what types of athletes are a good fit and how do you identify them?

I have read you are not as much of a believer in traditional periodization as many coaches and likely to always be working on every aspect of running. Can you explain your coaching philosophy?

You have runners from 1500 to 10k to marathon. We know the marathon is it's own beast, but how do you train an athlete differently if their focus is the 1500 vs the 10k?

Speed is much difference than endurance, an example if you take a 400-meter runner in high school they could work on dropping 1-2 a season off their 400 time while a 1500/1600 guy could drop 10-12 seconds. So obviously there is more bang for your buck on the aerobic side. Let's give some practical advice to a runner who may be listening out there. If some age group weekend 20 minute 5k runner out there is looking to make a change and get some improvement what are some of the things you would tell them to look at?

Do you use HIIT as part of your training program?

Let's switch to the marathon. One of the big differences between a marathon and a 10k besides the mileage, which is obvious, is fueling. Do you work on fat burning adaptation as part of your program and if so how?

What are you doing for workouts to target fat as a fuel?

If you have a new kid out of college who won't likely race over a 10k in the next few years, will you use this training at all or is it just for your marathon runners?

Is the 1/2 marathon closer to the marathon or 10k for you as far as fat burning?

The USATF XC was this past week and the top four men to cross the finish line were all coached by you. You are obviously doing something right. What are some of the things you are doing that you think every great program does?

Knowing you have four athletes heading to Uganda for the World's, and the weather will likely be a lot warmer, what are you doing to prepare your athletes for the climate change?

What do you do, that you think may be different than other programs?

You coached at the college and the professional level. So when you were a college coach and got in a group of incoming freshmen what did you see were the places that the high school students were lacking?

In America, we have had success in the last few years on the track, but we are not having the same results in the marathon. Where do you see us going for American marathon runners?

What do you think of the 2-hour marathon program? Do you think it is attainable anytime soon?

Rapid Fire... 5 questions in under 1 minute Favorite running book? - Once a Runner Current trainers you are wearing? - Nike Vomero Favorite race? - College Reunion Race Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Pepperoni Pizza and IPA Your favorite workout - 25x400 with short rest

Resources: Our interview with Joe Vigil Simmons Twitter Account Facebook Page of ADP Dhama Core Cooling

Welcome to Episode 32 of the Final Surge Podcast where today we talk to 2016 USATF Mountain Ultra Trail Woman's open runner of the year Addie Bracy. Addie, a former Olympic Trials track athlete made the switch to mountain racing in 2016 and won the US Championship in her first race. We talk about the transition to mountain and trail running and we also talk about her getting involved as a high school coach. I hope you enjoy this show and make sure you check out what the Hudson team is doing with coaching to support their athletes.

Addie welcome, we like to start out getting to know our guest a little better so if you could tell me how you got your start in running?

What was your high school running career like?

You walked on at UNC, how was it walking on and what can you share with our listeners about that experience?

You had a very respectful 16:20 in the 5k in college, that may not have been good enough to win a national championship, but many of our listeners, male and female would take it. After running at North Carolina, what was your thought process about what next?

Many, including myself, consider Brad Hudson to be one of the top US Distance coaches of our time. He was a guest of ours in episode 2 of this podcast last summer. How did you get connected with Brad and Hudson Elite?

So in North Carolina were you running on your own and not with a team?

How hard was it running on your own vs running with a group like you do now?

You recently made the jump into running up mountains for fun, what were you thinking?

So that was your first mountain race?

As you mentioned the selection for the US Team was held at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire this past summer and you won the US Title on the Women's side. I grew up in NH and have skied down Loon Mountain several times. But the only way I have even thought about going up is on the lift. When you lined up for that race what were your expectations?

Then you got to represent the US in the World Mountain Running Championships, how was that feeling of representing your country?

Are you going to continue to do mountain running competitively?

What were the biggest changes you made in your training?

What is a typical length and what is the elevation gain of a mountain race?

Can you break down the training a little bit for us on a week what it looks like for you now?

So it sounds like the biggest difference is your hard days instead of tempo work on the track is more of just trail work?

Is a hard day still speed week or is to more climbing now for the hard day?

Not only did you podium at the 2016 World Mountain Running Champs as a team, you also made the podium at the 2016 Eliptigo World Championships. How much time do you spend on an Eliptigo?

You have run at the Olympic trials and other prestigious races in your career. What has been the highlight of your running career so far?

You made the jump to high school coaching this past year. What made you want to get involved with coaching?

You mentioned you didn't know how serious they would be, every high school teams has a variety of

Welcome to Episode 32 of the Final Surge Podcast where today we talk to 2016 USATF Mountain Ultra Trail Woman's open runner of the year Addie Bracy. Addie, a former Olympic Trials track athlete made the switch to mountain racing in 2016 and won the US Championship in her first race. We talk about the transition to mountain and trail running and we also talk about her getting involved as a high school coach. I hope you enjoy this show and make sure you check out what the Hudson team is doing with coaching to support their athletes. Now on to the show.

Addie welcome, we like to start out getting to know our guest a little better so if you could tell me how you got your start in running?

What was your high school running career like?

You walked on at UNC, how was it walking on and what can you share with our listeners about that experience?

You had a very respectful 16:20 in the 5k in college, that may not have been good enough to win a national championship, but many of our listeners, male and female would take it. After running at North Carolina, what was your thought process about what next?

Many, including myself, consider Brad Hudson to be one of the top US Distance coaches of our time. He was a guest of ours in episode 2 of this podcast last summer. How did you get connected with Brad and Hudson Elite?

So in North Carolina were you running on your own and not with a team?

How hard was it running on your own vs running with a group like you do now?

You recently made the jump into running up mountains for fun, what were you thinking?

So that was your first mountain race?

As you mentioned the selection for the US Team was held at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire this past summer and you won the US Title on the Women's side. I grew up in NH and have skied down Loon Mountain several times. But the only way I have even thought about going up is on the lift. When you lined up for that race what were your expectations?

Then you got to represent the US in the World Mountain Running Championships, how was that feeling of representing your country?

Are you going to continue to do mountain running competitively?

What were the biggest changes you made in your training?

What is a typical length and what is the elevation gain of a mountain race?

Can you break down the training a little bit for us on a week what it looks like for you now?

So it sounds like the biggest difference is your hard days instead of tempo work on the track is more of just trail work?

Is a hard day still speed week or is to more climbing now for the hard day?

Not only did you podium at the 2016 World Mountain Running Champs as a team, you also made the podium at the 2016 Eliptigo World Championships. How much time do you spend on an Eliptigo?

You have run at the Olympic trials and other prestigious races in your career. What has been the highlight of your running career so far?

You made the jump to high school coaching this past year. What made you want to get involved with coaching?

You mentioned you didn't know how serious they would be, every high school teams has a variety of runners. How do you deal with the differences in motivation levels?

A large section of our listeners are high school coaches. What advice do you have for coaches, something they may not be thinking of when working with high school kids?

What advice do you give to your kids who want to continue competitive running after high school?

When we talked to Brad last year he mentioned the athletes at Hudson Elite did some coaching, are you involved in that?

Do you take runners of any ability?

And a Twitter question we had come in, you can follow us on Twitter @FinalSurge

There are a lot of busy coaches out there. How do you juggle coaching, training, work and a personal life?

What is next for you, any races on the schedule?

Rapid Fire... 5 questions in under 1 minute

Favorite running book? - Hudson's Little Black Book Current trainers you are wearing? - Salomon S-lab Sonic Favorite race? - 10k Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Bacon Your favorite workout - 400 repeats

Resources Addie on Twitter Addie on Instagram Addie's blog Hudson Training Little Black Book of workouts

Drew Hunter -

In episode 31 of the Final Surge podcast we welcome professional runner Drew Hunter. Many consider Drew the best American high school runner since Alan Webb. Drew turned down the opportunity to run at Oregon and instead signed a deal with Adidas to turn pro. We talk to Drew about what went into that decision-making process, how the new lifestyle is treating him and we break down a week of workouts. The first couple of questions there was a few audio issues with his phone, but it cleared up. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed doing it.

So let's start at the beginning, when did you get your start running?

Before that mile in 8th grade had you ever run before or was that really your first time?

How fast was your mile in 8th grade?

When was it that it struck you, hey I may be pretty good at this and have a future.

We talked to your coach Tom Schwartz in Episode 12 about you going pro. You had said you were going to head off to Oregon, but then you decided to take another direction, can you tell us what went into that decision making process?

So what are your plans for college?

You had ended your high school career with Lyme disease, you feel most of the way back or are you fully recovered from that now?

You signed with Adidas, but not really a team One of the tough parts about going pro right away is you lose that team aspect. How has that change been for you?

Your coach is across the country and you have no team, have you found any running buddies?

So how has your training changed since you turned pro?

Everyone who ran in high school knows the drill. You are in school all day, then you get in your running and strength work, you spend a couple hours on homework and by the time you realize it, it is time for bed and to get started all over again. Now, your job is a runner. So what does a day look like now that this is your job?

What's been the biggest challenge on or off the track for your transition to a pro?

Made your debut Sir Walter Mile last August, what was it like lining up on the line as a pro runner for the first time and not against high school kids your age did it feel different?

How is it working with Adidas knowing they are paying you, but at the same time knowing you are younger and not quite there yet. Do you feel any pressure?

This weekend you ran another sub 4-minute mile at The Armory to win the Men's 1 Mile Elite race during the New Balance Games. Is this where you see your career focusing on in the next few years the 1500/mile?

Let's talk about that training. Listeners love to hear training talk. Can you walk us through some training, the types of workouts you do, paces you run them in and such?

How are you communicating with Tom on these workouts?

What is your next race you have on the calendar?

What is the plan for outdoor season?

Did you set any goals for this year?

Where do you see yourself in 5yrs?

I know your mom is a high school track coach. If she incited So what advice do you have for young high school runners who may be just getting started in the sport of track?

Rapid Fire... 5 questions in under 1 minute Favorite running book? - Born To Run Current trainers you are wearing? - Adidas Supernova Glide Favorite race? - Mile Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Chocolate Protein Drink Your favorite workout - Hill Repeats

And because Francis Garcia was so passionate about asking questions on Twitter, we have a few bonus questions for you: If you could remove one sport from the Olympics what gets cut. Taco Bell or Del Taco

Drew on Twitter Drew on Instagram

Welcome to episode 30 of the Final Surge Podcast where today we talk to Coach Sarah Kozul of the Galloway Lakeland Florida Group. This episode we talk about the Galloway run/walk method, how a new runner gets started and builds up to their first race and how they determine training paces. We also discuss how she coaches runners to use run/walk to finish a race strong. We also talk about how she is using Final Surge to give plans to 140 runners. If anyone is interested in the Galloway training programs you can find them in our library of plans. Now onto the show.

How did you get your start in running?

How did you get involved in Lakeway Galloway Group?

When you first started running was that with a Galloway Group?

When you ran your first half marathon how long did you train?

Many people know of the Galloway program as a run/walk program. Can you tell us how that works?

Walk us through how you take a new runner who has not ran before and set paces for them using the mile time trial?

So on day one they walk/run for 30 seconds, for how long?

How many times will a new runner run in a 14-day training cycle?

You have a long training run and go from 3-mile long run to 14-mile long run, how does that ramp up?

Once they get up to the long run of 10-11 miles what does a week look like for them at that point?

You say your typical client is 55 years old, what are they looking for when they start?

How many members do you have in your group and what is the variations of ability levels?

People who work with you that have been running for over a decade still use the run walk?

Your more experienced runners who may be a little more experienced, what does their week look like?

You are personally trying to run a Boston Qualifier using run/walk so can you tell me what that week looks like for you?

Are you doing run/walk on your on your 6-mile runs now?

And are you working tempo type runs into your week too?

So in Final Surge how are you loading your schedules into the calendar?

Are you encouraging them to use it as a log and add notes on how they feel?

It comes to race day, what advice do you give to them to make sure they finish the race?

Rapid Fire... 5 questions in under 1 minute Favorite running book? - The Lola Papers Current trainers you are wearing? - Brooks Launch Favorite race? - A new race Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Hemp protein powder and OJ Your favorite piece of running equipment that is not your shoes? - Gymboss

Links Lakeland Galloway Group Website

Follow the Lakeland Group on Facebook

Follow Sarah on Twitter

Galloway Training Plans

Episode 29: Matt Fitzgerald. Matt may be the most prolific writer in endurance athletics with over 2-dozen books to his name. In this episode, we talk about the 80/20 training philosophy, the mental aspect of endurance athletics and we talk nutrition. Check Out Matt's latest book The Endurance Diet.

How you got your start in running.

When I am looking for the latest in training and science I usually turn to Alex Hutchinson, Steve Magness and you. What got you so interested in this?

Matt talks about a book he wishes he didn't write.

What is the 80/20 rule of training for endurance athletes?

You have written a lot about diet, what is race weight and how do you find it?

There are a lot of diets out there, is there one right way to eat?

Matt talks about low carb diet and quality of carbs and gives us examples of high-quality vs low-quality carbs.

We talk about the difference between diet for optimal performance vs. diet for weight loss.

Your book How Bad Do You Want It is about the mental aspect of endurance athletics. Can you talk about what you learned about the mental game?

One thing you mention is with perceived effort when someone thinks they are fatigued, there is research that shows with muscle stimulation that there had more to give. How can people get past this perceived effort level?

So the way you get past that is by being able to push through mentally. How can people work on their mental game? What tips or exercise would you recommend?

Matt talks about mental toughness and how it is really mental fitness.

A couple of questions from followers on Twitter, you can reach us @FinalSurge on Twitter

First one is the Group Effect, is hanging with a group of strangers in a marathon better than running the whole thing on your own.

We received a second question, I have a high school runner who does great in cross country until the last two weeks of the season and then he started faltering badly. I believe it was mental, nothing was wrong physically that we could tell. Now we are in indoor track season and the workouts go great, but as soon as I put him into a 1600 he struggles badly and runs times slower than workout times. Any idea where I could start to correct this mental aspect?

What is the next book?

Rapid Fire... 5 questions in under 1 minute Favorite running book? - What we talk about when we talk about running Current trainers you are wearing? - Hoka One One Favorite race? - Lewa Kenyan Marathon Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Smoothie Your favorite piece of running equipment that is not your shoes? - BSXInsight Wearable

Matt's website Matt on Twitter

Welcome to episode 28 of the Final Surge podcast where today we talk to Olympian Kim Conley who made her marathon debut this past fall. We talk about her epic Olympic Trial 5k race in 2012, her incident she had in the 10k trials this year and we discuss her making the jump to a marathon this fall. Two weeks ago we had a conversation with Olympian Nick Willis and we are giving away two free boot camps to his Miler Method. The two winning entries from iTunes are MilebyMile and DAllen. Email me [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter @finalsurge and we will get you hooked up.

Kim we always like to start out getting to know a little bit about our guests, can you tell our listeners how you got started in running?

So you started early in 6th grade, when was the point that you realized you were pretty good at this running thing and may have a future in it?

At what point did you start looking at colleges and what lead you to to UC Davis?

When you were running in school what were your plans, was running something to help get you through school or did you have aspirations of running post-collegiately.

Probably my favorite race of yours was the 2012 Olympic Trials. For those who don't know the story let me set it for you. You did not have an A standard going into the trials. And you needed the A to get to the Olympics. Julia Lucas had pushed the pace and you kept it so the A standard was within Reach. Coming into the last lap it was still in question if you would be top 3 and if you would get the A standard. Can you walk us through the last lap of that race?

At this year's Trials, you were one of the favorites to make the team in both the 10k and the 5k. You did make the team in the 5k, but in the 10k it was not the results you wanted when you lost a shoe in the race. Can you tell us what happened there and what went through your mind when you were deciding to continue or not?

If you had made it what would you have done, both or which?

You mentioned the US distance women are really deep, we can see that with the difference between 12 and this year with the A standards. What do you think are the big differences right now in women's distance?

Do you think women are training differently or do you think it is more of the groups pushing each other?

You had a couple of 15:10's this year before the Olympics, were you happy with the race at the Olympics or is there anything you would have changed?

Do you think the struggle was something you did leading up to the race or just bad races happen?

You made your marathon debut in New York this last fall, and you were coming off the Olympics where you had been training for the 5k. So how did the training have to change in the short time between Rio and NY?

Did you know you would be doing NY before Rio?

What type of difference were there in volume you did for your 5k work vs. your marathon training?

What were your goals going into the race, how did you think it was going to go?

So you have a marathon under your belt now. What do you think, you have a lot more marathons in your future?

So when will the next marathon be fall 2017 or likely 18?

What did you do well, that you would do again and what would you change in training?

How about the race itself, What if anything would you have done differently?

What did you do about fueling during the race?

What was your diet like leading up to the race?

For an adult age group runner who maybe has run a lot of 5 and 10k's, what advice would you have for them on making their marathon debut?

2017 is here, we are one week into the new year. What are your goals for this year?

What does a typical week this time of year look like for you?

Rapid Fire... 5 questions in under 1 minute Favorite running book? - Wishing on My Fathers Star Current trainers you are wearing? - New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo Favorite race? - 5k on the road Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Hamburger Your favorite piece of running equipment that is not your shoes? - Final Surge log

Kim on TwitterKim's Website

Welcome to Episode 27 of the Final Surge podcast where we kick off 2017 by talking to Coach Mario Fraioli. With the new year here we talk about goal setting, new year resolutions and setting yourself up to have the best year of running yet. We also dig into when a runner should get a coach and talk about his new coaching venture. Last week we talked to Olympian Nick Willis and I want to remind you about the contest we have going where you can enter through January 6th to win one of two boot camps with Nick at the Miler Method. Head over to Finalsurge.com/podcast and look for details under Nick's podcast. Dozens of you reach out to use every week on Twitter @FinalSurge and we thank you for your interactions Follow us and ask us any questions about Final Surge or let us know what questions you would like us to ask future guest.

Mario shares with us how he got started in running while in high school and his early basketball career. He also discussed how with the lack of structure in his high school program he had to use the Internet searching other runners training to get his start.

Mario recently made a transition from Competitor Magazine to Ekiden, a new coaching service. He talks about why he made the transition.

This episode will launch right after the first of the year. So most people are thinking about their goals for the year. Let's talk about those a little. We ask Mario when he has a coaching client come to him about goals, what advice do you give them in setting goals? Mario does not like the word goals and he explains why.

Someone on Twitter recently asked, how do I go about figuring out which event I am best suited for and should focus on? Mario talks about how he recommends experimenting.

We talked some about online calculators and how to use them to see what you need to work on.

We talked about goals, and if someone has a goal how much is it about just training vs all the other things like diet and sleep? We also discussed setting long term vs short term goals. Mario talks about making a daily check list that you can do daily to help you reach your goals you set.

Mario discusses what he learned from Alberto Salazar and breaking the training for the year down into two parts.

A couple of questions I got via Twitter and Direct message for you from listeners.

I am a 38-year-old runner who has been running for 4 years. My current PR in the 5k is 18:03 and has been since January of 2016. I cannot seem to break the 18-minute mark. What can I do to make the next jump. … Now I did ask him some follow-up questions to get a little more information. Right now he runs 5 days a week, averages about 35 miles a week. His long run is 8-10 miles. A typical week he runs a 4-mile tempo run at 10k pace and does one day of repeats on the track that vary from 400 up to 1600. Sounds to me like he has plateaued, what advice do you have for Jim?

Mario answers Jim with some good info including maybe how to get more power out of each stride.

We also talk about some pacing for Jim and what he should be doing on recovery days and how Mario uses 1/2 marathon pace to determine that pace.

2nd question that came in: I have been running for just over a year now and want to run a half marathon. My problem is with my family and work schedule I do not have as much time to train. My local Crossfit gym I go to is telling me there is a cross fit endurance program that they claim is a better way to train because it allows me to train more intense but in a lot less volume. Have you seen this program and what are your thoughts?

We talk about his new coaching company and why he started it. Coaching is not something for just elite athletes but really is for anyone at any point in your running career.

I ask Mario when a runner should think about getting a coach and why a new golfer will get a golf coach or tennis player will get a tennis coach, but runners seem to think they need to be elite before they hire a coach.

Rapid Fire... 5 questions in under 1 minute Favorite running book? - Once a Runner Current trainers you are wearing? - Brooks Caldera Trail Shoe, New Balance Vasee Pace Favorite race? - Boston Marathon Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Burger and Beer Your favorite piece of running equipment that is not your shoes? - Hat

Resources Mentioned in this Podcast Ekiden Training Greg McMillan Pace Calculator Tom Tinman Schwartz Calculator Greg McMillans's book You, Only Faster Runners World Piece on Goals for 2017 Book the 12-week Year Mario on Twitter [email protected] MarioFraioli.com website

Welcome to the Final Surge podcast episode 26, and our final episode of 2016. Today we talk to Olympian Nick Willis. Nick has represented New Zealand in the 1500 in the last three Olympics and had podium finishes in 2008 and 2016. We talk to Nick about his Olympic race this year, how he schedules training blocks for his training and we talk to him about his new project he launched The Miler Method. Nick and his wife are running 6-week online boot camps to help you run faster. Nick is offering two free entries into upcoming boot camps to our listeners. Head over to iTunes, leave a review of the podcast and you will be entered. For more information on other ways to get entries, head to Finalsurge.com/podcast and look for details under Episode 26 and follow us on Twitter @FinalSurge.

We will have the drawing for both entries on January 6th. Entries are allowed until noon time EST on 1/6/17.

Nick Willis

2016 you qualified for your 3rd Olympics 1500 meters finals in a row. You got a Silver in 08, 9th in 2012 and then you made the finals this year. What was your thought process coming into the race, what was your race plan?

When you go into a mile race do you have a plan or is your plan going to depend on what others do?

Do you prefer a quick race with even splits or do you prefer a slower race that becomes a kickers race in the last 300?

You got a Silver in Beijing then 9th in London and then come back for a bronze in Rio. What were the biggest changes you made in training and approach between London and Rio to back on a podium at the Olympic finals?

So where did you train at altitude leading into the Olympics?

So let's talk training. A miler is one of those events where you need endurance and speed. How do you balance your long run and strength work vs specific speed work?

Nick talks about the phases and training blocks he uses to train and keep adaptations.

When you move to the second block with more speed and race specific work what are you doing to keep up with the aerobic work and what do your long runs look like during this block?

You talk about these two blocks you use, are these blocks your only work or are you doing other work leading into these blocks during the off season?

You recently launched a new site Miler Method, what is your goal for this project?

When we are talking the 1500/mile, we usually think of high school, college, and the very elite professionals. While with the 5k or 10k there seem to be many more recreational and age group runners. So what type of clients are you getting for your program? Is your goal to get more people just working on their speed?

Are the boot camps done virtually or in person?

If you had a post-collegiate guy running a 15 minute 5k and a 30-year-old female running 22 min 5k in your program, how would their training be different from each other with Miler Method?

You mentioned running mechanics/efficiency and technique, how do you do this with them virtually when you are not there in person with them?

If you are getting 60 people at a time and individualizing every one's workouts, how are you managing all those schedules?

So what are you learning from this? Working with all these people there must be something you are learning that you can implement in the future?

Do you have any great success stories from some of these athletes who maybe have never trained for a mile before?

What do you notice about these runners, is it they don't train hard enough or often enough or what are you noticing they are deficient in when they come to you?

Here is a question that came in from Twitter: If you are trying to find the event you are best at, how do you recommend people go about doing that? The new year is coming up, what goals do you have for 2017?

How are you enjoying coaching, is this something you can see yourself continuing to do after you retire?

If someone wanted to get more information about Miler Method such as the cost, how would they reach you and get the information and why did you choose $72 for the cost?

If they are taking 6-weeks to become a faster miler, doesn't that also help with their 10k or half marathon times too?

Rapid Fire... 5 questions in under 1 minute Favorite running book? - No Bugles No Drums Current trainers you are wearing? - Adidas Supernova Glide 8 Favorite race? - Road Mile Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - Weet-Bix Your favorite piece of running equipment that is not your shoes? - I'm simple, just give me my shoes and shorts

Resources Miler MethodNick Willis on TwitterNick on Facebook

Final Surge Podcast Page Final Surge on Twitter Final Surge on Facebook

Episode 25 of the Final Surge podcast we talk to Nick Symmonds. Nick is a 6-time US National 800 meters champion, 2-time Olympian and won a silver medal in the 2013 World Championships in the 800. Nick is spending more time these days working on his new company Run Gum, but he tells us he is not done yet on his Oval Office. If you are not following us on Twitter we can be found @FinalSurge. Let us know your thoughts on the podcast or the Final Surge software.

For those who maybe have heard of you, but not heard your story, can you tell us how you got started in running when you were young?

You took a little different route out of high school and went D3, why did you choose that route?

After college, you got a contract with Nike?

My favorite race of all time to watch is the 1972 men's Olympic final for the 800 in which Dave Wottle won. I am sure you are familiar with it right? So with that in mind let's talk 800 race strategy. It seems that the most common way to run an 800, and i believe the way you try to run it too, is running about 2 seconds faster on the first lap than the second. While for most other races, coaches usually push for a more even or negative split. In that 72 race Wottle runs his race, he ran an even 26 for every 200 split. He was like 4 second back at 200, was like 2 second back at the 400 and was still in last at the 500. So that race seems to lend to a move even split, so I want to hear your theory on the race strategy there?

Most of our podcast are with coaches or athletes who are working with 10k, marathon type runners. So with an 800 runner, I want to talk a little training. We have many high school and college coaches who I know listen to this podcast. If you had a chance to develop an 800 runner say starting as a freshman in high school and you could have them until they graduated college, what would the training look like?

Would you be more strength based with1600 and 3200 or 200 for speed work?

How would you have strength or plyo work set up?

A few numbers for you… 1:42.95, 3:34.55, 3.59.68… These are your PR's for 800, 15 and mile. But I am curious, what is your 5k PR time?

Now, what about that 5.19 PR in the beer mile. Are we going to see an attempt to go sub 5 there?

Last we saw you on the track you were pulling out of the Olympic trials because of an injury. How is the rehab going?

So can we plan on seeing you make another run for a world championship or Olympic team?

What is your recovery process like? How much cross training are you doing or what other activities?

When will see back on the track?

So you are in the process it seems of transitioning from an elite athlete to an en entrepreneur, can you tell us about Run Gum and what growing pains you may have had?

When my athletes come to me about fueling I hate to talk about anything like energy drinks because I am a big believer in eating real food, not sugar and junk. Is Run Gum looking to be a replacement?

How does Run Gum work? Would a marathoner bring one piece with them?

We talk about him publishing his 800 training log.

Did you say you are going to run a marathon in 2018?

Have you thought about which one that is going to be?

There is a lot of talk about caffeine benefits for marathoners and ultra runners but what about for shorter races?

I think what we have seen from you is you don't always take the easy route. You seem to like challenges. How has that helped you in helping to launch a business?

What is next for the company, is it going to stop with gum or you have something else planned?

Rapid Fire... 5 questions in under 1 minute Favorite running book? - Once a runner Current trainers you are wearing? - Brooks Adrenaline Favorite race? - Olympic Trials 2008 Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? - RunGum Your favorite piece of running equipment that is not your shoes? - Half tights

Resources Run Gum Wottle 800 Race Nick on Twitter Run Gum on Twitter His book Life Outside the Oval Office