We brought some A+ brain energy and some C+ heart efficiency to this awesome episode! The main topics involved the extremely eventful weeks in the running world. On the joyous side, the Chicago Marathon was a race for the history books, with a new world record and blazing fast times from US runners. We celebrate the incredible Molly Seidel, plus talk about body image, fueling, rest days, training volume, and more. On the less joyous side, we discuss a controversy from a brand's social media post about the Boston Marathon. You know the one. And if you don't, get ready for a wild ride into the intersection of marketing, social media, and unintended consequences. We break it down, challenge each other, and hopefully come to a loving conclusion... After Megan was 100% right, of course.

And this episode was jam-packed with a mix of both important and irreverent discussions! Topics: last week's heart health setback, our hope for the future, training partners, protein intake, starting strength work, the cancellation of the Twin Cities Marathon due to heat and what that means for the future, abnormal heart rate responses, how to manage inflammation, and a listener corner email that will BLOW YOUR MIND.

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You want the best podcast vibes? Because that's what you get on this episode, with some 4 AM recording energy. Why were we recording at 4 AM? For the love of the game! The main training topic was answering a listener question about what excites us most right now in coaching and theory. We delve into some of the scientific history of VO2 max via a new study, whether you should do shorter races, how to think about intensity distribution, popular supplements we are intrigued by, and lots more. We backed that important discussion topic up with a silly compilation of shoe reviews. Do you want to find the next shoe for you? Start here. Then go other places too, since we are mainly making fun of shoe companies.

And that was just the start of the pre-dawn fun! Other topics: the FURTHER project seeing how far athletes can go, our one at-home recommendation to improve your quality of life, the most weird heart rate responses to stress, WHOOP's new use of AI, Transvulcania leaving the UTMB World Series, Jim Walmsley getting a golden ticket to Western States, a wonderful new study on ultras, and hot takes. Stick around for a beautiful listener corner email at the end that will bring tears to your eyes and put fire in your belly!

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The vibes were STRONG in this episode, even though the ankles were WEAK. It started off with a fun recap of the Grindstone 100k. What happens when an entire season is built around a goal, but it all ends in some delicious failure? Setbacks can be good for the soul, in moderation. In that way, they're kinda like bacon. Even more joyous than that was a full breakdown of Jim Walmsley's UTMB training, distilling some lessons from last week's interview. He gave us so many good nuggets, from weekly mileage to workout structure to season distribution, and we savor those tasty, tasty nuggets. Now we just need to convince Jim to let us co-write "The Walmsley Method."

All-in-all, this might have been the most fun we have ever had recording an episode! Other topics: the best sports story of the year, why we want to be like cyclist Sepp Kuss, a new study on training intensity in top cyclists, the $500 shoes from Adidas that were just used to set the road marathon world record, why that record makes us feel a bit queasy (with some unexpected tangents about economic theory), thoughts on caffeine intake via a new study on sleep impacts, and hot takes.

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This episode is one of the coolest moments of our lives: interviewing Jim Walmsley! We met Jim way back in 2016, and since then, we have been two of his biggest fans. Reconnecting more than 7 years later after his course record triumph at UTMB was such a joy.

Jim opened up about everything around UTMB, from his specific training approach to the emotional side of getting vulnerable, "failure," and finally achieving his big goal. Jim moved to France with his partner Jess, with everything pointed at this one event. How do you respond to adversity when so much is on the line in a very public way? He stepped into the fire with vulnerability and courage, and there are tons of lessons for anything you care about in life.

Topics: the emotional side of achieving his goal, overcoming low points and failures, pressure, training volume, his approach to workouts, going dark on Strava before UTMB, how his training has changed over time, nutrition during and after runs, his next big scary goal, and his legacy in the sport.

We can't wait for you to hear this one! We love you all! HUZZAH!

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We brought joy and so many spike proteins to this episode! The main training topic was on post-UTMB reflections about lower volume, higher energy training from the incredible Leah Yingling. You don't need to hammer your body to have success! We discuss why endurance training should uplift feeling good as a proxy for adaptation over time, starting at the cellular level and going all the way up to brain function. Healthy athletes crush b*tches!

A background theme of the episode was the sickness going around our house, and what it looks like to BELIEVE when dealing with tough moments. Though maybe we should have believed in booking refundable plane flights to the Grindstone 100k.

And there were tons of other fun discussions! Topics: acute versus chronic stress, volume accumulation, ultras and health, how our inner children might be guiding some of our athletic journey, the most uplifting story from a listener about their mile race, why Deion Sanders is our favorite coach, Coco Gauff's swag, Barry Bonds' Strava profile, heart rate changes across a season, interval duration, and hot takes.

Make sure you stick around for a beautiful Listener Corner email at the end. You'll be ready to run through a brick wall afterward!

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This very special episode is coming to you from Chamonix, right after the finish of the UTMB races! We were all around the courses, screaming until our voices gave out, gathering up all the inspiration from the incredible athletes. Our goal is to transport you to France with us for the most historic year ever! For the optimal listening experience, consume this podcast with a warm baguette.

The main stories were Courtney Dauwalter and Jim Walmsley at UTMB. Courtney redefined what is humanly possible this summer, and we discuss whether she is the best athlete ever across sports. Jim went all-in for his victory, moving to France to train on these trails. That course record is the payoff after years of hard work and belief. We are living in a moment of running history that will be talked about 100 years from now, and part of that future discussion will revolve around this year's race. How cool is it to be living history in real time?!

And there were so many other awe-inspiring things to talk about! Topics: Zach Miller's ability to dig deep, the importance of confidence, the power of being a hype squad, our European experience, France hot takes, training thoughts, why we are attending the CHURCH OF THE BIG QUADS, how age may not be the limiter that some previously thought, the benefit of cross training, and so much more.

We are extremely sleep-deprived, but more full of life than we have ever been before. The highs and lows of UTMB are metaphors for life, and this episode aims to bring you a steaming baguette of existence. We love you all! HUZZAH!

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We traveled halfway around the world to bring you this very special episode from Chamonix, France, the site of the UTMB races later this week! Our sleep is low, but our spirits are high. The main topic was on initial reflections on European racing and UTMB later this week. Our biggest prediction is that North American runners are going to have some major success over here in the coming decade, and we explain why. It's not just because we are extremely biased, though that plays a role. That discussion built into a new study on "physiological resilience" and how there may be a new pillar of training theory. For those scoring at home, that means there are now 4 pillars in the literature. Bonus pillar?! Huzzah!

That's not all! We chatted away the jet lag for one of our longest and most fun episodes ever. Other topics: the ubiquity of adversity, our deep thoughts on Europe, a wild new study on ultra endurance events and cognition, the evolutionary implications of the study, some breakthrough research on heat exposure and hemoglobin mass, hot takes, and an incredible listener corner.

From that listener corner: "The race showed me that strength didn’t come from doing the things I can already do, but trying the things I didn’t think I could."

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We had a blast on this episode talking about some of our favorite topics! The main discussion was on takeaways from a magical Leadville 100 Miler. Jacquie Mannhard's breakthrough win came from shockingly low training volume (often under 45 miles per week) and we break down some lessons from her journey. At the finish, she popped a champagne bottle like it was her destiny! New life goal: train hard to pop them bottles. We also break down this year's UTMB races, making some predictions and debating some big themes in the growth of the sport. Is this the year that Jim Walmsley wins? Yes, one of us thinks. Will we bet against Courtney Dauwalter? At least one of us is not stupid.

And that was only the start! Topics: a new study on energy constraints and compensation, some relationship thoughts, a listener corner that will give you so much life, and hot takes. Here's one take we are comfortable writing down: standing desks are how we know the Devil is a furniture designer.

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This episode was a total joy talking about food, brains, and training! The main discussion was on a term sent in by a listener: "food doping." Endurance sports are being revolutionized by a focus on high fueling levels during activity. Some cyclists consume up to 600 calories per hour in hard races! In the process, performances and fatigue resistance are accelerating at rates that haven't been seen since previous eras defined by PEDs and cheating. Is mid-activity fueling the secret to unlocking your potential in a healthy and sustainable way? We talk about the science and practice from the cutting edge of endurance performance. Your slurps will set you free!

We also geeked out on a survey of coaches discussing individual response rates in research, and how mental health is often viewed as a confounding variable. In the survey, coaches thought that actual physical training was 5th in the list of most important elements in determining adaptation. Meanwhile, research rarely focuses on all of the non-physical variables that go into individual responses! We discuss the offset, teeing up some exciting opportunities for athletes and coaches.

And that was just the start! Other topics: big training blocks, coaching science, gut training, sports stories, masculinity and gender, toenails, and hot takes.

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We brought full hearts and clear nasal passages to this awesome episode! The main training topic was on the gargantuan Strava files of athletes preparing for the UTMB races. We zoom out to talk about multi-year growth, a study on speed and ultra performance, and the balance between long-term health and short-term performance. Health and ultra performance can go together like ketchup and everything! We also talked about how we apply the principles of double threshold workouts using uphill treadmills and cross training. Yes-way to Norway!

And this episode was jam-packed with some of our favorite discussions! Topics: our all-time favorite study on aging and performance, Olympic Trials thoughts after the announcement of a noon start time in Orlando, the Kauai 50 Miler and the inspiring boss Ryan Miller, a tutorial from Megan on the side-pee, a study on timing strength training for optimal adaptations, and hot takes.

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