Even if you've never run before, a half-marathon is not out of reach!  On the podcast this week (with a matching video on YouTube), we go step-by-step through what you need to know to get prepared to run your first half-marathon!

Today's podcast features Taren's personal story -- life before triathlon, how he got into the sport, what he did to achieve his best race results (including a 9:41 as a debut IRON-distance time), and what lead to the downfall of his health. He talks about where he is now and where he's headed.

Studies are unequivocal: strength training improves endurance performance.  But how do endurance athletes best include strength training in their plans?  On this episode of the podcast, we talk about everything you need to know about including strength training into your endurance (running, triathlon, swimrun, duathlon, running, cycling) training. STUDIES: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18460997 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17373596 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28459360 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33571959/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5889786/#!po=9.69388 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30131332/ LINKS: UCAN: http://Ucan.co/taren AG1: http://athleticgreens.com/taren

Starting to run can be a daunting activity for a lot of people. On this episode of the podcast, we give you the definitive, complete beginners guide to starting to run!  We go through the most important elements of starting to run: 1. Technique 2. Gear 3. Building Up Time/Distance 4. Planning For A Race 5. Injury Avoidance 6. Nutrition 7. Motivation 8. Weight Loss FOOT STRIKE STUDY: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24002340 LARGE DROP MORE INJURIES STUDY: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27501833

INSOLES STUDY: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31423908

MORE MASS USED MORE ENERGY STUDY:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7538857/

MAXIMAL SHOES INCREASED INJURY RISK STUDY:  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180625192637.htm RUNNING INJURY RISK FACTORS STUDY: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4338213/ FASTED TRAINING STUDY:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6983467/ HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING STUDY: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6290642/#B18 CHRONIC ELEVATED CORTISOL LEADS TO WEIGHT GAIN STUDY: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5958156/ SPONSORS: ATHLETIC GREENS https://athleticgreens.com/taren UCAN: http://ucan.co/taren

On this episode of the podcast, Taren shares details of where MōTTIV the business is at.  How we've gotten to where we are, how the business is structured -- and what athletes can expect from the MōTTIV training app going forward.

If you've ever followed a fitness influencer online, you might have wondered how on earth they do what they do or look how they look -- and what you see may make you feel bad, and not good enough.  On the podcast this week, Taren wants to dispel some myths and help you understand what's really behind a lot of what you see online in the endurance and fitness social media world.

Calories in, calories out is a highly debated topic in the world of health and fitness when it comes to weight loss. On the podcast today, we talk to Registered Sports Dietician Meghann Featherstun MS RD CSSD LD, who says science shows there's more to it than just calories in, calories out -- and she explains why!

Research has overwhelmingly shown good gut health is the key to good overall health; if gut health is poor, then having good overall health can be a challenge.  On the podcast this week, we talk to Dr. Bernardo Petriz, who has studied the connection between gut health and exercise, and has some fascinating findings to share that apply to triathletes and all endurance athletes!

Dr Kate Baldwin is a PhD with degrees in Sport Science and Physiotherapy.  She conducted an enormous study, spanning 26 weeks, on the impacts of strength training on triathlon performance.  The results of the study show that weight training is overwhelmingly helpful for improvement in endurance training/performance.  On the podcast today, we dig into the results with Dr Baldwin and discuss what's important to do in strength training, and what is and isn't true about training with weights.

The Professional Triathletes Organisation took the triathlon world by storm with the inaugural Collins Cup event, as well as the new professional triathlete ranking system in 2021. On the podcast this week, we chat with PTO CEO Sam Renouf about what they've got in store for 2022.