Every year runners spend countless hours training, recovering, and mentally and physically preparing for one event, the marathon. What many don’t know is just how much the event you select has an impact on the outcome and experience you can expect to have on race day. Every year, many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of marathons occur in the USA alone. Selecting the right one for you can mean the difference between a personal best, and an underwhelming capstone to your dedication and hard work. 

In this episode we bring back a former guest, Dr. Michael Rodriguez, the Owner of Endurance Sports Physical Therapy and Performance, to discuss how to choose your ideal marathon. Dr. Michael is a former D1 collegiate runner with a personal best of 2:34 in the marathon and 1:12 in the half. Dr. Michael also coaches runners and has gained a reputation for helping athletes knock down time barriers and achieve breakthroughs in the marathon.

On this episode we welcome Kari Gibbons, the champion and fourth woman ever to complete the Iditerod Trail Invitational 1000 mile footrace!

Kari is one of our Team PRG sponsored athletes and is an absolute legend in Minnesota Ultra Distance athletics. Kari has been in the ultra endurance game since 2014, and is known as the local queen of winter ultras. In this episode, we take a deep dive with Kari into her race at the Iditerod 1000, including how she trained, how the event itself played out, and lessons that you can take from Kari and apply to your own training and racing.

In this episode, we welcome Kari Gibbons, the champion and fourth woman ever to complete the Iditerod Trail Invitational 1000 mile footrace! Kari is one of our Team PRG sponsored athletes and is an absolute legend in Minnesota Ultra Distance athletics. Kari has been in the ultra endurance game since 2014, and is known as the local queen of winter ultras. In this episode, we take a deep dive with Kari into her race at the Iditerod 1000, including how she trained, how the event itself played out, and lessons that you can take from Kari and apply to your own training and racing.

Coach Landon Tourville from our coaching team right here at Performance Running Gym. Landon has a B.S. in Kinesiology with a minor in Sports Coaching, is a NASM Certified Trainer, and a RunDNA certified Gait Analyst and is the head of our gait analysis program here at PRG. Landon specializes in working with runners to develop custom strength and run training programs to help them run stronger, injury free, and achieve their running and fitness goals. On today’s episode we’re going to dive into Cross Training for Runners. We’ll cover why runners should consider cross training, the benefits and considerations with different types of cross training, weight training and why every runners should be hitting the weights to strengthen their stride and stay injury free, and how you can personally incorporate cross training into your plan to optimize your fitness and results on the road, track or trail.

John Storkamp is the Owner and Director of Rocksteady Running, the organization that directs some of the biggest trail races in the midwest, including the Superior Fall Trail Races, Afton Trail Races, Zumbro Trail Races, and the Endless Summer series. John himself is an amazing athlete with an incredible athletic resume. John has over 140 finishes at races of the marathon distance or beyond, including 27 wins at races like the Arrowhead 135, The Death Valley Trail Marathon, Chester Woods 50k, Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon, Zumbro 100 miler, Door County Fall 50 and more.

Under John’s leadership, many of the events he and his wife, Cheri, direct have gained national and even international recognition for their beauty, challenge, and above all else, the exceptional race experience and unmatched community vibe. Personally, I’ve run races all over the country, and I’ve never found an organization or community that has come close to matching the class act that is Rocksteady Running.

In this episode we take a peek under the hood at RSR and learn more about the history of the events that John and Cheri direct, as well as hear the stories of some of the challenges, triumphs, and adventures that will give us a window into the world of heading up the premier race organization in the upper midwest.

On this episode we discuss some of the most popular diet plans and nutritional approaches for athletes, the common mistakes that hold athletes back from real progress, and Josh's four pillars to address to optimize your nutrition and fueling strategies to improve your running, energy, and overall health.

Josh is the most recent addition to our coaching team at PRG and begins working with athletes 1-1 this November! Josh, a competitive road runner himself with an impressive resume.

Professionally, Josh helps athletes master their nutrition habits for both health and performance, improve their fueling and recovery strategies to help them increase mileage and maximize their performance potential, and to overcome mental roadblocks, navigate the complex web of diet related information, and ultimately find the program that works the best for their body, lifestyle, and sports performance goals.

In this episode, we discuss the mental and physical side of training for your best marathon, from finding your why and shoring up your mental game, to the specifics of what makes for a great training block.

Jeff Miller is a lifetime endurance athlete, running coach, and a friend to many in the Midwest trail and ultrarunning community. He holds four grandmasters titles at the rugged and relentless Fall Superior 100, won the Firetower 100k and Duluth’s Last Runner Standing in 2023, and has dozens of top 10 and podium finishes to his name over the last decade. In addition to being an amazing athlete, Jeff works full time as a running coach with his company, Northwoods Running. Today we’ve invited Jeff on to talk about longevity in running and his secrets to being a podium level athlete as he approaches his 60th birthday, including tips on how you can improve your longevity in the sport and continue to reach your full potential into your next decade and beyond.

Landon has a B.S. in Kinesiology with a minor in Sports Coaching, is a NASM Certified Trainer, and a RunDNA certified Gait Analyst and is the head of our gait analysis program at Performance Running in St. Louis Park, MN.

Landon specializes in working with runners to develop custom strength and run training programs to help them run stronger, injury free, and achieve their running and fitness goals.

Today we’re going to touch on a topic that is right in Landon’s wheelhouse, Strength Training for Runners. While the topic is well covered and frequently talked about, there is still a lot of misunderstanding about the specifics of how, why and when runners should do strength training, and how to make the most of their time in the weight room. Today we’re going to ask Landon the tough questions about why strength training is so important, what areas and types of strength training runners should focus on for best results, how to incorporate strength into the busy life of an athlete with the demands of a full time job and/or a family, and lastly we’ll talk about how to get started today with a strength plan that is right for you.

Dr. Kailee Carlson is a licenced acupuncturist and a RN with a doctorate in Chinese Medicine with a Sports Emphasis. She has her practice onsite at Performance Running Gym and has helped many in our community in reaching their sports performance goals. But in today’s episode, we focus on Kailee Carlson, the athlete. 

This past March Kailee completed the grueling Canebrake 200 mile race outside of Atlanta, GA. For most of us, the idea of 200 miles in a single race is nearly unfathomable. Our episode today will focus on how Kailee trained for the demands of 200 miles both physically and mentally, what the race experience was like, and learn about the post-race experience after completing this huge goal. We’ll also take some time to talk with Kailee about how her practice is supporting other athletes like her, and what it can do for athletes looking to improve their performance, recovery, or looking to just live life to the fullest.