Keep Going

In this episode Steve takes a deep dive into the 10,000m track event in our series on trying to make Michael into a track & field fan in anticipation of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. For the notes Steve created to help introduce Michael to the event, please see below.
Please note that we while we didn't go into the women's 10K nearly enough, we'll continue to bring out the important storylines over the coming months to ensure Michael has as much intel on the women's events as the men's. 

The 10,000m Episode Notes

• Relevance. It's more likely that you have experience running/racing the 10K than the 800m. Also, you understand the energy needs for this event more than the 800m. 
• The TEN. One of the biggest 10Ks of the year was run this weekend. Sound Running put on the their yearly 10K on So Cal in perfect conditions where athletes were trying to get their Olympic standards. This provides an excellent opportunity for you to watch the race before we talk & have it top of mind.
  Here is a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdnO--7pbP4
  You won't know many/any? of the names before watching this video & I won't be surprised if you want to fast forward to the final 5 min or so. If you do fast forward, I recommend you jump to 17 min (18:17 on the video). One argument for listening all the way through is you can get a chance to be exposed some of the lingo & energy. 
• How To Qualify for the Olympics. This will give us a chance to go over the rather confusing & complicated process for getting on the starting line of the 10K in Paris. 
• Another important 10K happened over the weekend in Spain where two of the favorites for the 10K gold medal ran on the roads. You can see that HERE of you are interested. 

Main Discussion Points

• We want to talk distance. How the event feels when racing. 
• We want to talk surface. Track (25 laps of the 400m track) vs Cross Country vs Road. 
• I want to talk about technology & how wavelight & new "super" spike/shoe tech has revolutionized the distance. Also, here is an interesting review of the top 6 models as of summer 2023.
• I want to talk a quick overview of the history of the event: Flying Finns, Emil Zatopek & then the African Dominance of the past 30 years. See below for a bit more on that. 
• Set Up for the Olympic 10K final. 
• Is the 10K redundant?

Quick History
The Men

• The Flying Finns: Paavo Nurmi & the dominance of Finland in the first 
• Emil Zatopek, of Czechoslovakia 
• East/North African Dominance 

At the World Championships, between 1991-2023, out of 51 potential medals, 47 were won by East or North Africans. The other four were won by Mo Farah of Great Britain, who was born & raised in Somalia, in East Africa. . 

At the Olympics, between 1988-2020, out of 21 potential medals East/North Africans won 17 of 21. 2 of these were Mo Farah. The other two were an Italian in 1988 (EPO era) & Galen Rupp in 2012. 

There have been a few eras in the 10K since the 70's.

• The Lasse Viren era (Prefontaine & Frank Shorter competed in this era).
• The Haile Gebraselassie/Paul Tergat era.
• The Kenenisa Bekele era.
• The Mo Farah era.
• & the Joshua Cheptegai era we are in currently. 

The Women

Women did not begin competing in the 10K until the late 80's at the World Championships (1987) & 1988 Olympics. 

Similar story to the men in the dominance of East/North Africans in the event. 

Recent Results & Race Videos setting up 2024 Paris Olympics

2019 World Championships at Doha: VIDEO & SUMMARY

2020 Solo WR by Joshua Cheptegai at Valencia with the wavelights VIDEO & SUMMARY

2021 Olympics in Tokyo VIDEO & SUMMARY

2022 World Championships in Eugene VIDEO OF FINAL 1K & SUMMARY

2023 World Championships in Budapest SHORTER VIDEO & SUMMARY

The TEN (VIDEO) was raced this weekend & 8 runners got the Olympic Standard. 

& that's just the men. 

In this episode we introduce a series in which we endeavor to educate & inspire Michael to become a track & field fan as we approach the 2024 Paris Olympics. As the series unfolds, we'll go through each of the distance/middle distance events & unpack the event, its history & attempt to set the stage for whatever transpires this spring & summer. It is an incredible time to be a track fan. Each event now has an unprecedented about to drama, really compelling storylines & rivalries & we are seeing an absolute renaissance in the sport, & especially in the middle & ling distances as America is finally competitve & the hegemony of the East & North Africans is beginning to be broken up. It is a very exciting time to be a fan. We hope you'll consider joing us on this journey we call Hoe To Become A Track Fan: An Introduction. Godspeed my friends, godspeed. 

In this episode Steve critiques Michael's strength training regimen. We cover four domains that should be considered when spending any time working on developing strength.

Some links to resources discussed in this episode:
The two classic text's Steve references here are by Jay Dicharry are Anatomy for Runners & Running Rewired. 

In this episode we discuss the roots of being local. In Austin, we have a local business support rallying cry that has become the de facto Austin vibe: Keep Austin Weird. We spend a lot of time wrestling with the concept of being local in a global running culture. This is our 50th episode & while we don't really celebrate the milestone in any concrete way, we definitely hit our favorite themes here.
Godspeed, my friends, godspeed.
 
Some links around what we discuss in this episode:
Comedor Running Club in Austin
Atreyu Run Club is Michael's crew in Austin.
Episode 25 where Paul Carrozza challenges us to invest in local events.

We've decided to jettison the intro & drop the needle right into the deep track. Let us know if you miss it...I certaily won't miss doing it!

What an awesome opportunity Michael & I had last week to interview the legendary Leo "The Lion Manzano.  This is a personal & wide-ranging discussion around his experiences in the sport & industry of distance running. One of Keep Going's missions is to explore local running culture & this episode does not disappoint on that level, but it is also so much more. Leo is incredibly candid, funny & insightful in detailing how a young Hispanic boy in Granite Shores/Marble Falls with limited options or opportunities ran himself into the American running legend he his today.
In this episode we cover a lot of ground but spend most of our time discussing Leo's local Central Texas roots & racing experiences. If you don't know who Leo Manzano is, you must be living under a rock. He won the first Olympic medal in the 1500m in the 2012 London Olympics in 44 years. As we discuss here, we argue that Leo - & his University of Texas teammates between 2004-2008 - fundamentally changed the face of American distance running.
Leo has two ventures we are excited to support. Check out his store at www.leomanzano.com. Leo is also announcing very soon his involvement in the new Border Line Track Club, founded by Paul Carrozza this spring. This group's unique feature - besides having both Paul & Crayton, his six-time All-American son, onboard - is to help athletes who find themselves in limbo in their collegiate career. There are many athletes who find themselves pushed out of the collegiate system. This group will allow these athletes to bridge back to the collegiate system, or bypass it altogether if that's the best choice. See this recent FloTrack article for more, We are very excited to see how this venture proceeds & look forward to supporting Leo & Paul in any way we can.
Please enjoy this extended & candid conversation with one of the all time greatest American middle distance runners, Leo "The Lion" Manzano. 

A correction in the audio: Leo was at UT from 2004-2008, not from 2008-2012. 

We have been dancing around the edges of capital P "purpose" in many of our discussions over the past year, but in this episode Michael & I dive in deeper. We consider if purpose should be considered as an ultimate aim or if we are in need of a  less grandiose & more useful conception. As usual we get into pretty deep waters. But you've come to expect that by now. 
So we hope you'll join us for a conversation we call Running & Purpose: Towards a Natural Style. 
Godspeed, my friends, godspeed. 

One of the core opportunities every runner needs to experience is getting embedded in a running community. Having others do the work along side you significantly nehances the running experience. In this episode we interview Ryan Yamba, president & social media coordinator for the Rose City Track Club based in Portland, Oregon. We discuss his personal running journey, the benefits of training in a group, the hazards & responsibilities of training in  group environments & more. In the final 30 minutes we really dig deeper into the meaningful experience of group running & how perhaps the cliche of the Church of the Long Run is actually a true statement.
Be sure to check out the Rose City Track Club's Instagram page for more of the flavor of their unique setup & vibe. 
Godspeed, my friends, godspeed. 

There are so many varieties of training experience: the easy run, quality sessions, long runs, VO2 max, threshold, etc. The list is very long here, for sure  One very specific varietal is commonly called, The Grind. In this episode we steep deeply on this concept & the ways it can be considered. Is The Grind essential? Is it good? Is it dangerous? What kind of wisdom, of felt sense, are required to balancing The Grind with the very real risks of overtraining. We mention discernment as being critical in this regard. An analogy of the defensive backs in American football has always seemed appropriate to be. There is a saying, "bend but don't break". This cuts to the heart of what we discuss around the critical distinction between working hard & smart & risking overtraining & injury. We hope we've thrown a little light on the subject in this episode we call The Grind: Varieties of Training Experience. 
Godspeed, my friends, godspeed. 

We have all experienced the existential dread around the 48 hours prior to a command performance: bubble-guts, lack of ability to focus or relax, the feeling that wish the race would not happen or there would be a cancellation so you don't have to go through the actual suffering you know is going to be served. In this episode, Michael & I explore this space in some details. We get meta & highly practical. Typical of how we've been rolling in these last few episodes.
Because it may be of interest, since I mention my recent episode of Running on Purpose, where I provide  what I hope is a helpful road map for skillfully operating- in training & racing - with the contents of your body, mind & soul. you can find links to the episode & worksheet below.
So please enjoy the episode we are calling Some Thoughts on Mental Training.
Godspeed, my friends, godspeed.

THE MISSION PROTOCOL
THE MISSION PROTOCOL DOCUMENT

Love & light are not all there is. While at some foundational metaphysical level, perhaps all is emptiness or bliss or any other altered state of consciousness. But in the day to day operations of being a human in this crazy, fucked up world at this "interesting time" in civilizational history, things are much more painful & messy & hard. How we wake up everyday pretending to be ready for the chaos that is awaiting us once we step out our doors of safety, is astounding to me. We talk about purpose or meaning or manifesting. But reality of the situation is that we are in nature & of nature & nature doesn't give a flying fuck about us. Our personal history & goals don't seem mean a goddamn thing to actual functioning of the universe. & there are hazards to being alive & aware & paying attention. Suffering, pain & risk are right here. Right in front of us. & if we are going reason & hope & try at this game of life, is to risk everything. We must wrestle with the angel of risk, just as Jacob wrestled with his angel in the Biblical story in Genesis (34:27). 
In this episode we get really real about risk: how most people avoid recognizing risk in their training & racing, how risk can effect our mental health & life purpose & how accepting risk & meeting it head are the cost of doing business when trying to operate in high performance situations. As we frequently do in these conversations, we lay out a blanket & sit down with risk. Along the way we get messy, ball the blanket up, tear at it gnash our teeth, bend over backwards as we approach the monsters hiding underneath it. We get hot & bothered in this one & I go on a few spontaneous rants. You've been warned. 
So join us in this exploration we call Wrestling with the Angel of Risk. 
Godspeed, my friends, godspeed.