In this episode, Jackson Heidesch joins us to talk about the highs and lows of running and the mental skills, or toolbox as he calls it, he's working on to help navigate that journey. 

Jackson was the 20th high schooler to break 4 minutes in the mile, running a 3:59.08. He also ran 8:42 in the 2 mile indoors his senior year, which at the time was #4 on the all time indoor list, and was 5th at nike cross country nationals. He currently runs for Duke University.

Unfortunately, 4 minutes isn’t the only thing Jackson has broken, having dealt with multiple stress fractures in his first few years of college. Thankfully, Jackson gives us a behind the scenes how he’s handling these setbacks from both a physical and mental standpoint, and some of the tools he’s developed from working with sports psychologists.

This conversation mirrors a lot of what Dr. Zuleger shared in our previous episode about building our mental strength from the inside out.

I think you’ll really appreciate Jackson’s honesty and openness in this conversation as well as the practical ways he’s doing that internal work. Whether your a runner, triathlete, parent or coach, this episode has something for you.

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More ways to connect with Coach Griffin:

Let's connect on a free coaching consultation to see how if we're a good fit to help you in your endruance endeavors: https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult

Have a specific or random question about training, racing, coaching, or leadership? Let us know and we might be able to answer it on the podcast or in newsletter: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

Interested in sponsoring the podcast, newsletter, or coaching squad? We'd love to help you help others make the most out of life throught sport, find out more here: https://forgingirontraining.fit/becomeasponsor

Want to interview Griffin on your podcast? Let's connect: https://forgingirontraining.fit/interview-req

Want a behind the scenes look at Griffin's training and coaching insights along with foundational principles and fun training experiments? That's what the Forging Iron Training Principles newsletter and Griffin's YouTube Channel are all about: 

Newsletter: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

YouTube: https://youtube.com/griffinjaworski

This is a continuation of my conversation from Part 1 with Dr. Zuleger, but we focus more on the coaching aspect of things. The thing is, most coaches aren't taught leadership skills, they're simply picked because they were a good athlete or have been around the sport for a long time. But experience doesn't necessarily mean you know how to lead and create positive team cultures...

We talk about developing coaches as leaders, how they can better utilize captains, and see their own actions and behaviors as a performance. If you're a coach or business executive or manager, this has a ton of great insight for you, but even if you're just an athlete or parent, it can be helpful to know that your coach is learning as well, they're a work in progress and they're a person. While some athletes still struggle with negative coaching (even at some of the highest levels), most coaches I know truly do want the best for their athletes, but we don't always have the right tools to help athletes with their mental training, which is where Dr. Zuleger comes into play! 

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Dr. Zuleger is a CMPC, P.H.D. in Sport Psychology, and the Coordinator of the Applied Sport Psychology master's program that I'm in at Adams State University.

Connect more with Dr. Zuleger here:

http://drzuleger.com

https://www.instagram.com/areteperformance/

https://www.facebook.com/AretePerform/

This podcast is brought to you by Forging Iron Training Squad:

Connect with us or learn more:

• Website: https://forgingirontraining.fit
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/coach_grifjaws
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/coach_grifjaws
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/griffin-jaworski/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/griffinjaworski
• Articles: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

Training for endurance sports is hard! How much training should you do, how hard should you go, how do you adjust when your kids get sick and you need to take an unplanned day off or you travel for work? We get it! There is a lot that goes into it, and we'd love to help you navigate that process. Let's connect on a free coaching consultation to see how if we're a good fit to help you in your endruance endeavors: https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult

Have a specific or random question about training, racing, coaching, or leadership? Let us know and we might be able to answer it on the podcast or in newsletter: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

Interested in sponsoring the podcast, newsletter, or coaching squad? We'd love to help you help others make the most out of life throught sport, find out more here: https://forgingirontraining.fit/becomeasponsor

Want to interview Griffin on your podcast? Let's connect: https://forgingirontraining.fit/interview-req

Want a behind the scenes look at Griffin's training and coaching insights along with foundational principles and fun training experiments? That's what the Forging Iron Training Principles newsletter is all about. Dive in here: https://griffinjaworski.subs

Dr. Zuleger is a Certified Mental Performance Coach, P.H.D. in Sport Psychology, and the Coordinator of the Applied Sport Psychology master's program that I'm in at Adams State University.

Dr. Zuleger has worked with a wide range of athletes and teams, including NCAA champions and olympians but he's also passionate about educating coaches, both in how to they can help their athletes with the psychological side of sport but also in how coaches can view what they do as a performance. It's so fascinating because coaches teach athletes how to do better, but very often coaches just have to learn by osmosis, of watching other coaches, and maybe they know the technical side of sport but very seldom are they actually educated on the performance psychology.

This is a two part masterclass on what it means to build mental strength and be a great coach and leader.

Wether you're an athlete, a coach, a parent, or business person, there's something in these episodes for you. 

Connect more with Dr. Zuleger here:

http://drzuleger.com

https://www.instagram.com/areteperformance/

https://www.facebook.com/AretePerform/

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This podcast is brought to you by Forging Iron Training Squad:

Connect with us or learn more:

• Website: https://forgingirontraining.fit
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/coach_grifjaws
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/coach_grifjaws
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/griffin-jaworski/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/griffinjaworski
• Articles: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

Training for endurance sports is hard! How much training should you do, how hard should you go, how do you adjust when your kids get sick and you need to take an unplanned day off or you travel for work? We get it! There is a lot that goes into it, and we'd love to help you navigate that process. Let's connect on a free coaching consultation to see how if we're a good fit to help you in your endruance endeavors: https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult

Have a specific or random question about training, racing, coaching, or leadership? Let us know and we might be able to answer it on the podcast or in newsletter: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

Interested in sponsoring the podcast, newsletter, or coaching squad? We'd love to help you help others make the most out of life throught sport, find out more here: https://forgingirontraining.fit/becomeasponsor

Want to interview Griffin on your podcast? Let's connect: https://forgingirontraining.fit/interview-req

Want a behind the scenes look at Griffin's training and coaching insights along with foundational principles and fun training experiments? That's what the Forging Iron Training Principles newsletter is all about. Dive in here: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

Ellen Davis is a CSSD (Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics), entrepreneur, former division one athlete for the University of Missouri, and a proud boy mom. One of the things I really appreciate about Ellen is her practical advice, being able to distill the science of nutrition and fueling into something we can actually use in our daily lives.

In this episode, Ellen and I talk a lot about:

• Relative Energy Deficiency Syndrome, aka RED-S
• fueling for performance in real life
• the impact of mindset on our nutrition and our nutrition on our mindset
• navigating fueling as a parent
• balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood

Disclaimer, we do mention disordered eating and eating disorders, and while we don't dive in too deep here, I just want to say upfront that nutrition is an extremely complicated and challenging topic, and everyone has a different relationship with food.

However, I think it's important to have these types of difficult conversations and help educate ourselves, especially as coaches and parents, in order to make sure we are helping fuel ourselves for our own performance, as well as set our athletes and kids up for success in sport and in life.

Thankfully we have people like Ellen and her team at the Performance Collective that are here to help us navigate these choppy waters. 

The Performance Collective: learn more about and connect with Ellen and her team!

Ellen also mentions: Rebecca McConville: https://beccamcconville.com/

Let us know what resonated with you or surprised you, or if you have a question drop it in the link below so we can answer on a future episode or article. 

As always, we'd love it if you could share this with a friend or training partner, someone that you think might enjoy it or get something out of it! 

Until next time, happy training!

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More ways to connect with Coach Griffin:

Coaching and camps: forgingirontraining.fit

Forging Iron Training Principles: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

Ask a question: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

YouTube: https://youtube.com/griffinjaworski 

Today's episode is a real treat. Brady Holmer, or Brady from X, as he's referred to in the streets, drops by to give us a glimpse of his unorthodox marathon approach. Spoiler alert, he used it to crush a sub 2:28 marathon...only running 4 days per week! 

We talk about what he enjoys about the approach and why he thinks it's working, as well as why he started it in the first place. We recorded this a week out from his race, so it was great to see his confidence in the plan even before knowing the result!

Whether you're gearing up for your first endurance event or are a veteran in the sport, Brady's mindset, training, and knowledge are sure to give you some powerful insights.

Connect and learn more about Brady through his super popular newsletter and X account:

https://www.physiologicallyspeaking.com

https://x.com/B_Holmer

Brady's book VO2 Max Essentials on Amazon and Gumroad:

• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDF84HBB
• https://bradyjholmer.gumroad.com/l/VO2maxessentials

We also talk about our mutual respect for Gordo Bryn, who you can find more about here...and perhaps in a later episode of the podcast ;) ...

https://x.com/feelthebyrn1

https://feelthebyrn.substack.com

Connect more with Coach Griffin and Forging Iron Training:

• Our coaching website: https://forgingirontraining.fit
• Training experiments and mindsets on YouTube: https://youtube.com/griffinjaworski
• Dive into the physical and psychological principles of training in our newsletter: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com

My guest today is none other than Craig Alexander, aka Crowie, who likely doesn't need an introduction for triathletes, but for those who might not know him, Crowie is a legend in sport. Not only is he a 5x Triathlon world champion, including three victories at Ironman World Championship in Kona, he also had an incredibly long career at 25 years, racing well into his 40s which his just a testament to the sustainability of his approach. In this episode, we talk about what separates the best of the best and what he accredits his longevity in sport to.

However, we also discuss the challenges he faced, not only on a physical level but in the mental game as well. Plus we talk about parenting and coaching, and even combine the two and discuss coaching your kids.

This conversation was an absolute delight, and I'm excited to share Craig's fantastic perspectives with you all.

Learn more and connect with Craig:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crowiealexander

Sansego: https://alexander.sansego.co

This episode is brought to you by:

Forging Iron Training Camp: Come swim bike and run with us over in the Blue Ridge Mountains as we get some great training in while connecting with other athletes and creating some epic experiences. Learn more and register here: https://firstbourn.com/events/athletes/forging-iron-tri-camp-april-2-6-2025/

Forging Iron Training Squad: Training for endurance sports is hard! How much training should you do, how hard should you go, how do you adjust when your kids get sick and you need to take an unplanned day off or you travel for work? We get it! There is a lot that goes into it, and we'd love to help you navigate that process. Let's connect on a free coaching consultation to see how if we're a good fit to help you in your endruance endeavors: https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult

Other ways to connect with Griffin and the Forging Iron Podcast:

Have a specific or random question about training, racing, coaching, or leadership? Let us know and we might be able to answer it on the podcast or in newsletter: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

Interested in sponsoring the podcast, newsletter, or coaching squad? We'd love to help you help others make the most out of life throught sport, find out more here: https://forgingirontraining.fit/becomeasponsor

Want to interview Griffin on your podcast? Let's connect: https://forgingirontraining.fit/interview-req

Want a behind the scenes look at Griffin's training and coaching insights along with foundational principles and fun training experiments? That's what the Forging Iron Training Principles newsletter and Griffin's YouTube channel are all about:

Newsletter: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

YouTube: https://youtube.com/griffinjaworski

Austin O'Brien is a CMPC (Certified Mental Performance Coach) and 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier and competitor. In this episode, we dive into the difference between outcome and process goals, the benefits and challenges of shifting to a mastery orientation, how to conceptualize race strategy, and more. Austin shares a ton of great nuggets of wisdom, whether you're an athlete, coach, parent or human being.

Let us know what resonates with you, and share it with a friend!

Austin has PRs of 14:22 for 5k, 29:19 for 10k, 1:05:39 for half marathon, and 2:18:38 for the full marathon, but like he says in our conversation, he's gearing towards more PRs through a mastery orientation down the road. Connect and find more about Austin below:

Connect with Austin on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/aob_33?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Connect with Austin on Strava:
https://www.strava.com/athletes/15270834?oq=Austin%20

Mentally Strong Institute:
https://mentallystronginstitute.com/team/

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More about Griffin and Forging Iron Training:

Training for endurance sports is hard! How much training should you do, how hard should you go, how do you adjust when your kids get sick and you need to take an unplanned day off or you travel for work? We get it! There is a lot that goes into it, and we'd love to help you navigate that process. Let's connect on a free coaching consultation to see how if we're a good fit to help you in your endruance endeavors: https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult and also check out our triathlon training camp!

Have a specific or random question about training, racing, coaching, or leadership? Let us know and we might be able to answer it on the podcast or in newsletter: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

Interested in sponsoring the podcast, newsletter, or coaching squad? We'd love to help you help others make the most out of life throught sport, find out more here: https://forgingirontraining.fit/becomeasponsor

Want to interview Griffin on your podcast? Let's connect: https://forgingirontraining.fit/interview-req

Want a behind the scenes look at Griffin's training and coaching insights along with foundational principles and fun training experiments? That's what the Forging Iron Training Principles newsletter is all about. Dive in here: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

We hope you enjoy this conversation with Robby Wade! Let us know in the comments what stands out or resonates with you. Better still, share it with a friend who might find it interesting! Some of my favorite highlights:

• the game changing way Robby and Rythm are doing blood testing
• how to think about blood work for athletic performance AND long term health
• the crazy way Robby overcame fear
• his mindset on training and entrepreneurship

If you have a specific question for Coach Griffin or want to get connected, there's plenty of ways to do so down below in the show notes.

Until next time, happy training!

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More Info:

Rythm Health: https://rythmhealth.com

Use code: “fit” for 20% off your first order

Robby & Rythm on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/rythmhealth_/

https://www.instagram.com/itsrobertwade/

ForgingIronTraining.fit, check out our coaching and camp information!

Let's connect:

Training for endurance sports is hard! How much training should you do, how hard should you go, how do you adjust when your kids get sick and you need to take an unplanned day off or you travel for work?

We get it! There is a lot that goes into it, and we'd love to help you navigate that process. Let's connect on a free coaching consultation to see how if we're a good fit to help you in your endruance endeavors:

https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult

Ask a question:

Have a specific or random question about training, racing, coaching, or leadership? Let us know and we might be able to answer it on the podcast or in newsletter: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

Sponsor the podcast:

Interested in sponsoring the podcast, newsletter, or coaching squad? We'd love to help you help others make the most out of life throught sport, find out more here: https://forgingirontraining.fit/becomeasponsor

Dive in:

Want a deeper understanding into the physiology and psychology of endurance sport? Check out our newsletter, Forging Iron Training Principles:

https://griffinjaworski.substack.com

Experiment and enjoy:

Insights into Coach Griffin's personal training experiments over on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/griffinjaworski