Welcome to episode 165 of the Final Surge Podcast. Today we welcome back to the show Coach Jay Johnson. Jay has a new book coming out called Consistency is Key. In the book, Jay gives 15 key points on becoming a better runner. The book is easy to get through yet has a wealth of good take-a-ways.

1:02 Great job with the new book Consistency is Key

3:17 The book is great for coaches but very beneficial to the athlete too to reinforce what we say

5:23 I love how you have laid out chapter one and taking two freshmen characters and how they 'transcend yourself' can you talk about that phrase?

8:39 You cannot change genetics, but you can change your capacity for work

12:13 No matter how hard you work and how smart you train there will be a plateau, how do you tell the kids its ok that this happens?

14:53 You talk a lot about the aerobic engine, talk about the importance of consistency for that

20:00 Lydiard is not as well understood when it comes to running fast, it has always been important

22:34 No matter how fast the engine is, if the body isn't strong it will break down, what resources do you have

29:00 One of the concepts is switching gears, how important is that to someone who may be a mid-pack runner?

33:17 Nutrition is an important part of this book, but so is sleeping. When dealing with kids how do you get this point through to the kids?

39:44 My favorite part is the end where you do short blurbs with

Resources Jay's website Consistency is Key Jay on Twitter High School Running Coach

Welcome to Episode 164 of the Final Surge Podcast where we welcome Coach Nobby of the "Lydiard Training & Academy" powered by "Five Circles".  Arthur Lydiard is a legendary coach and Nobby got to know Lydiard very well while he was still alive. We talk about the training system and he shares some personal stories about him.

:44 How did you get your start in running and meet Arthur Lydiard

5:52 What is it about Arthur Lydiard that makes him such a legend?

7:06 You spent a year living with him, what was it like being around him all the time?

13:06 At that stage in his life did he spend a lot of time in education and staying up to date with the latest in training?

17:07 Lydiard you were peaking for that one big race a year, does it work as effectively when you have many races a year and not just the one big one?

20:35 What does a 3-month conditioning level look like?

22:19 Easy running is all relative, what does that look like?

25:05 Mark Allen talked about using 180-age, but this sounds like even less

26:10 It is not all long slow work, right?

30:53 What about a new or younger runner, how do you build up that base because of the long miles he has?

34:38 What are the other phases of Lydiard training after base?

39:44 Running Wizard is all Lydiard Training Plans?

42:22 You have three programs, what are the differences?

46:36 How many weeks are these plans?

47:31 How similar is the training between running distances?

Resources RunningWizard.Net Newsletter - [email protected]

Welcome to episode 163 of the Final Surge Podcast. Today we welcome Marc Waxman of 113 Enterprises to talk about Chi Running and specifically Chi for high school kids. Chi has an upcoming virtual clinic designed for high school athletes to get the most out of their program.

:58 When did you get involved in running?

3:22 What was the most you had run before you decided to train for that marathon?

5:05 How did the transition to Chi happen?

7:32 How did that lead you to become a coach?

9:16 In what way has Chi had a positive impact?

10:57 What are some of the basic concepts that help prevent injuries?

13:29 You mentioned you used Final Surge and Hanson, how did you get involved with Hanson training?

15:52 Because of the times we are going through right now what are you guys working on to combat that lack of groups?

18:28 So what is the background of the virtual classes for student-athletes?

22:52 Are these plans predesigned training plans?

25:43 Is there anything specific you do with student-athletes vs adult runners?

27:43 Is there a certain type of athlete that could most benefit from Chi training?

29:00 Jay Johnson has a new book coming called Consistency is Key, isn't that what it is all about, training consistently?

29:32 Is this a good program for coaches to teach their athletes?

30:38 When do the classes start?

Resources Chi Running Marc 113 Enterprises

Welcome to episode 162 of the Final Surge Podcast. Every spring the track world watches as high school boys chase the elusive sub-4 minute mile club. This year with the quarantine lockdown that chase looked more elusive than ever. In late May a group of elite runners got together for the Quarantine Clasico. In that race Leo Daschbach unleashed a 56 second last 400 to become the 11th American high school boy to break 4. We talk to Leo's coach Dave Montgomery about his career and that race.

1:10 How did you get started in running?

3:36 Leo ran a 4:44 1600 which is good for a Freshman, but not what points to a sub-4 miler someday.

5:54 With his interactions with other kids Leo seems like such a good kid

6:42 Did he run before he was a Freshman or just soccer?

8:14 Was it the Sophmore year that you really saw the potential?

11:25 Some kids are great at the 800 and some are great at the 5k, not many have the range he does. Is that something you try to develop?

12:30 He had a great cross country season obviously, was there talk of chasing 4 at the time?

14:00 Where is he committed to college?

15:23 At the point it was clear there was not going to be a season did he ever back off?

17:15 During cross at Desert Twilight he was far enough behind Cole with 600 to go I didn't think he had a shot, but he unleashed a kick that was amazing.

19:14 When did the idea for the Quarantine race come about?

21:33 Pick a week 3-4 weeks out, what did a week of training look like?

23:42 Was 10-miles the typical long run?

24:32 Do you run by time or miles?

25:06 Things looked good going into the race, what was your conversation before the race?

27:14 With 250 left to go he is in a group of 3 of the best runners in the country and he just takes off from the group

28:28 Knowing he finished with a 56.6 do you think he could have gone even faster?

29:07 What do you think his ceiling is when he goes off to college?

30:50 What do you think his race will be in college?

32:34 What is your situation right now, how are you dealing with what is going on?

Resources Dave on Twitter Dave on Facebook Dave's Email

Welcome to episode 161 of the Final Surge Podcast. This week we do something different. We talk to 5 successful high school coaches from 5 different parts of the country about this summer of uncertainty. We get their advice on how they are dealing with the current environment and not knowing what the upcoming season will be like.

First I talked to Joan and Marc Hunter of Loudon Valley in Virginia. Next I had on Jonathan Dalby of Mountain Vista in Colorado. Following Dalby I talked to Doug Petrick of USC in Pennsylvania. Then Doug Soles of Great Oak in California joins us before we end with Jonathan O'Malley of Sandburg High in Illinois.

:57 Joan and Marc Hunter of

13:45 Jonathan Dalby

24:16 Doug Petrick

38:12 Doug Soles

48:50 Jonathan O'Malley

Welcome to Episode 160 of the Final Surge Podcast. Today we welcome Chris Twiggs to the podcast. Chris is a long time Final Surge user and an even longer coach with Jeff Galloway. Some know Galloway for from his spot on the US Olympics Team, some know him for his writing in Sports Illustrated, but most know him as the Run-Walk-Run Coach. We talk to Christ about the program, how it can help keep you healthy and running and how fast did Galloway actually do a marathon using this method. Also head over to FinalSurgeRacing.com to see the awesome virtual racing series Galloway has going.

1:14 How did you get started in running?

4:20 What about your first marathon training plan didn't work for you?

7:40 Who is Jeff Galloway?

10:10 What is run-walk-run and how did Jeff come up with the concept?

12:55 When did Jeff run a 2:16 Marathon using Run/Walk?

14:14 Is there research that shows how the walk breaks are effective?

15:44 What is the magic mile and how does that work?

18:25 Wouldn't the aerobic development be a factor in the magic mile accuracy?

20:37 Is run-walk-run only for beginners, are more experienced runners more hesitant?

28:59 Can triathletes use it?

26:30 How did your Galloway Training Groups get started?

27:40 How many cities have a program director right now?

29:00 You mentioned you guys run Disney every year. Is there a Galloway/Disney training connection.  

30:37 You were one of really early users FS?

35:35 Can you tell us about your training plans that are for sale on Final Surge and the difference between those and your custom plans?

39:09 Tell us about this new Retro Run Half Marathon series using the new Final Surge Virtual Racing platform.  I hear there is the opportunity to collect different medals and also get a Galloway training plan in conjunction with the race.

42:10 If an ultra runner wanted to run 4 back to back half marathons would that count?

Final Surge round, 5 questions in under a minute

Favorite endurance/running book? -  Galloway's Book on Running and My Best Race Current trainers you are wearing? -  Hoka Clifton and Wave Riders Favorite race? – Hard Rock 100 miler Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? – BCAA Your favorite workout – Mind of the Marathoner

Resources Magic Mile Calculator  http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/magic-mile/ Email: [email protected] Galloway Training Plans Virtual Retro Run Series

In honor of Ameican superstar distance runner Dathan Ritzenhein retiring today, we are releasing the last podcast we did with him as our best of show. This interview with him was from the fall of 2019 when we talked about American marathon racing, his running career, and his coaching. 

Welcome to episode 159 of the Final Surge Podcast where today we welcome coach and performance lab expert Benjamin Tilus to the show. Ben is the host of the XLR8 Podcast and does work with the XLR8 Performance Lab in Iowa. We talk about how you can take your threshold and VO2 Max numbers and make them work for you.

:55 How did you get started in running?

4:10 Where did you run in college?

5:30 How did you get into coaching?

11:11 You are still coaching high school?

12:20 What is XLR8 Performance Lab?

16:54 Does that $60 get you just the VO2 test?

19:07 Some people are getting these results from their watch, how accurate are those?

21:14 Do you bring your team in or do you just offer it as a service?

22:18 What are you doing with the information you are getting to benefit the athlete?

26:39 You give them paces for training?

29:06 Is one of the online running pace calculators better than others?

34:05 What are you doing now with your athletes during the shutdown?

39:16 Are your tracks open?

40:45 How did the XLR8 Podcast come about?

44:32 What is one guest you have had on that you took a lot out of it?

49:14 What if someone from another state is interested in getting tested can they reach out for other resources?

Resources XLR8 Website XLR8 Twitter

Welcome to episode 158 of the Final Surge Podcast. We welcome back the most downloaded guest of all time, Coach Tom 'Tinman' Schwartz. We catch up on a few things including how his team is dealing with the current lockdown situation, what teams should be doing now to get ready for the fall season and we discuss the new training plans he has released which you can find on Final Surge.

1:00 How are you holding up with the Covid-19 epidemic?

2:35 You used to coach from a distance for years so that must help?

2:55 Everyone healthy?

4:04 We had a group of high school coaches talking about the long-distance until cross, so how do you plan your time?

6:21 Most programs will take 10-14 days, would you recommend they do it now?

13:53 You just recently released a couple of training plans on Final Surge

24:04 Your buildup plan you are doing workouts week one

30:06 So you a fan of speed ladders?

31:59 The other training plan is a longer non-high school buildup

33:51 With the summer training plan could you use that during cross country season too?

37:20 When you are talking about taking a break you said people make the mistake of taking two weeks off

42:10 Talk about your calculator and how people should use it

49:35 I use the calculator often but I have used the 1600 a lot for paces

Resources RunFastCoach.com Running Calculator Training Plans Tom on Instagram

Welcome to episode 157 of the Final Surge Podcast. Today we welcome Amanda Brooks. Amanda is a coach, but you probably know here from her running blog Run To The Finish. Amanda is one of the most successful running bloggers of all time. We talk to her about her blog, about coaching athletes, how she is coping with the stay at home orders and we discuss her new book.

:59 How are you holding up during these stay at home orders?

1:28 How did you get started in running?

2:40 Did that conversation about being awkward in running, did that not lead you to track or anything?

3:19 Did you have the flexibility issues when you ran your first half marathon?

4:14 What happened after your first race?

5:16 The next year how did you come up with a training plan?

6:06 How did the blog develop?

7:14 2007 Everyone was getting a blog, was Run To The Finish the first blog?

7:47 When did you start getting involved in coaching?

8:44 You went 5 years before you made the blog your career, how did you stay with it that long?

10:20 The running blog community was a great community early on, where were some of your early inspirations?

11:50 When you decided you were going to make this a career what was the hardest obstacle?

12:34 How has viewership changed with social media?

13:36 How many blog posts do you have?

13:58 What is your most popular post?

14:17 Is the half marathon your distance you like?

14:55 During the quarantine how had viewership changed?

15:34 I see a lot more people in the day, do you think there are more out there running?

16:27 Are your coaching clients more experienced or newbies?

17:12 What are their goals?

17:49 When you start working with a client how do you start and come up with a gameplan?

19:16 What is the best way you like to work with new clients? What type of plans are there?

21:06 New runners and coaches

22:32 What are the most common injury issues?

24:28 What do you do with low heart rate training?

25:20 How does the 4 months of low heart rate running work?

27:40 How strict are you with the heart rate

28:04 If you have someone been running for a few years how hard is it for them to not get discouraged?

29:18 What do you recommend for heart rate monitors?

31:28 That Vo2 max on a watch can be off by a lot

32:02 What do you do for weak hips?

33:16 How are you using Final Surge?

34:42 Tell us about the new book

36:18 Did the 13 years of writing for the website give you most of the content, or is there all new material?

37:00 Will there still be a book tour?

Final Surge round, 5 questions in under a minute

Favorite endurance/running book? -  80/20 Current trainers you are wearing? -   Nike Epic React Favorite race? – Philly Marathon Favorite recovery meal or recovery drink? – Almand butter and Cheerios Your favorite workout – Long Run

Resources Coaching Website Amanda Brooks on Twitter Run To The Finish Book