The MicroCast

Running twice a day sounds serious, but is it actually right for you? This week, Zoë and TJ dig into the full science of doubles: what they are, what they're definitively not, and how to know if you're actually a candidate. Plus, a round of listener-submitted Hot or Nots and a great question about why early morning runs feel so much harder.

First up, meet Coach James Nance, a multi-sport specialist who coaches cyclists, runners, and skiers through big goals without burning them out. He's based in Fort Collins and has a knack for athletes navigating injury cycles, overtraining, and RED-S. If any of that sounds like your situation, reach out at [email protected].

Then, a deep-dive Hot or Not round featuring listener submissions: inversion tables (the effects last minutes, not months), muscle scraping (the original theory has been pretty much debunked), CBD and THC cream (weak evidence, real anti-doping risk), and Superfeet insoles (a rare instance where the research actually delivers, prefab orthotics perform as well as custom at a fraction of the cost).

Before the main topic, TJ answers a listener's question about why Zone 2 feels brutally hard at 5 a.m., and it turns out it's not just you. Core temperature, sleep inertia, cortisol, glycogen state, darkness, and cold all compound to inflate your RPE before you've even hit the first mile. There's real science here, and real solutions.

Then: doubles. An elite running a morning threshold session and an afternoon shakeout is doing something fundamentally different than a recreational runner cramming two hard efforts into a day. Zoë and TJ break down the physiology of why doubles work when they work (hint: PGC-1α, mitochondrial biogenesis, and aerobic signaling), who's actually a candidate, the gray zone trap, the ego trap, and why energy availability is non-negotiable if you're going to add volume this way. Bottom line: doubles are a tool, not a trophy.

We brought in the person we trust with our own training. Cliff Pittman is the Director of Coaching at Carmichael Training Systems, which means he's essentially a coach of coaches, overseeing the education and development of CTS's entire coaching staff. He's also, full disclosure, our coach. So we wanted to have an honest conversation about what coaching actually is, what it isn't, and the massive gap between what athletes see and what goes on behind the scenes.

Cliff walks us through the three pillars of good coaching: personal connection, evidence-based training, and data-informed decision making. We get into the invisible daily work that most athletes never see, why individualized coaching matters so much more than a static plan, and when a good coach should say "that's above my pay grade." We also dig into scope of practice, the uncomfortable gap between what athletes expect coaching to cost and what it actually costs, and how to find a coach who's the right fit for you, not just the most credentialed person on paper.

Whether you're currently coached, thinking about it, or coaching athletes yourself, Cliff brings a perspective shaped by a decade in the military, executive coaching, and now leading one of the biggest coaching organizations in endurance sports.

Plus, a quick introduction to Microcosm coach Zack Russell at the top of the show.

Is your watch making you a worse runner? We dig into two powerful books — The Way of Excellence by Brad Stulberg and The Score by C. Thi Nguyen — to unpack how metrics, Strava segments, and training scores can quietly hijack your motivation and identity as an athlete.

We also tackle a wild listener question: a 23-year-old running 30 hundred-milers a year. We break down the real physiology — rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury, endocrine suppression — and the psychology of the attention economy, dopamine loops, and identity fusion.

Plus Hot or Nots on running onesies, ankle weights, and legs up the wall. And meet Microcosm coach Kristin Layne, who specializes in multi-sport coaching for busy athletes.

Key topics: value capture, intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation, the 4 phases of competence, running by feel vs. running by data, RPE, and defining success on your own terms.

Books discussed:

• The Way of Excellence — Brad Stulberg
• The Score — C. Thi Nguyen

Want coaching? [email protected] | microcosm-coaching.com

Wired article on the Enhanced Games: https://www.wired.com/story/enhanced-games-freestyle-record-las-vegas-steroids/

You've got a distance that sounds impossible — maybe it's a marathon, maybe it's a 100-miler. The process for preparing to go longer than you ever have is more similar across distances than you might think. TJ and Zoë break down the physiology, psychology, and practical strategies behind training for longer distances, from glycogen depletion and fat oxidation to the central governor theory and how to build your long run without getting hurt.

Plus: Meet Microcosm coach Kristin Layne, and a new batch of Hot or Not — the Enhanced Games, face glitter, stair steppers, and smart shoes.

Topics covered:

• Why your body enters a different metabolic reality after 90–120 minutes
• The glycogen ceiling, fat oxidation, and mitochondrial density
• Why connective tissue adapts 6–12 months slower than your cardiovascular system
• How to build your long run gradually (and why it shouldn't exceed ~30% of weekly volume)
• Time-based training vs. mileage-based training
• The central governor theory and training your brain to go further
• Fueling for long efforts: 60–90g carbs/hour
• Why back-to-back long runs are smarter than one mega-long run
• RPE guidelines for long runs (stay at 5–6)
• Strength training for durability at ultra distances

Join Foothills: microcosm-coaching.com | Code: FOOTHILLS10Contact: [email protected]

Is fasted running sabotaging your performance? Are you accidentally under-eating on your hardest training days? This week, we break down the seven most common nutrition mistakes runners make, from calorie restriction at the wrong time to blindly copying elite protocols, and explain why the science says you probably need to eat more, not less.

We cover why your gut issues might actually be a training problem, not a food problem. We talk about why "clean eating" is often just restriction in disguise. And we explain why doing what Kipchoge does probably isn't what you should be doing.

Plus, we answer listener questions on accountability and whether high-carb fueling causes diabetes (spoiler: it doesn't). And Coach James Nance joins to talk about coaching multi-sport athletes, helping runners recover from overtraining, and his TrainingPeaks hot take that might surprise you.

In this episode:

• Why restricting calories on training days backfires
• The truth about fasted running and morning workouts
• How to actually fix gut issues during exercise
• Why "clean eating" can become problematic
• What 90-120g of carbs per hour actually means for recreational runners
• How to evaluate nutrition advice and follow the money

Studies and resources mentioned are linked below.

Get involved: Join our Foothills coaching community—one-on-one coach access, twice-monthly roundtables, and a supportive crew of runners. $10/month with code FOOTHILLS10 at microcosm-coaching.com.

Questions? [email protected]

REFERENCES:

Burke, L. M., Ross, M. L., Garvican-Lewis, L. A., Welvaert, M., Heikura, I. A., Forbes, S. G., Mirtschin, J. G., Cato, L. E., Strobel, N., Sharma, A. P., & Hawley, J. A. (2017). Low carbohydrate, high fat diet impairs exercise economy and negates the performance benefit from intensified training in elite race walkers. Journal of Physiology, 595(9), 2785–2807.

Costa, R. J. S., Hoffman, M. D., & Stellingwerff, T. (2019). Considerations for ultra-endurance activities: Part 1 – Nutrition. Research in Sports Medicine, 27(2), 166–181.

Cox, G. R., Clark, S. A., Cox, A. J., Halson, S. L., Hargreaves, M., Hawley, J. A., Jeacocke, N., Snow, R. J., Yeo, W. K., & Burke, L. M. (2010). Daily training with high carbohydrate availability increases exogenous carbohydrate oxidation during endurance cycling. Journal of Applied Physiology, 109(1), 126–134.

Loucks, A. B., & Thuma, J. R. (2003). Luteinizing hormone pulsatility is disrupted at a threshold of energy availability in regularly menstruating women. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 88(1), 297–311.

Melin, A. K., Heikura, I. A., Tenforde, A., & Mountjoy, M. (2019). Energy availability in athletics: Health, performance, and physique. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 29(2), 152–164.

Mountjoy, M., Ackerman, K. E., Bailey, D. M., Burke, L. M., Constantini, N., Hackney, A. C., Heikura, I. A., Melin, A., Pensgaard, A. M., Stellingwerff, T., Sundgot-Borgen, J. K., Torstveit, M. K., Jacobsen, A. U., Verhagen, E., Budgett, R., Engebretsen, L., & Erdener, U. (2023). 2023 International Olympic Committee's (IOC) consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57(17), 1073–1098.

How do you keep training when life gets stressful? Whether you're navigating a new job, new baby, a big move, or personal loss, your body processes all stress the same way—and that changes everything about how you should train.

In this episode, we break down the science of stress and running performance, including how the HPA axis works, why your "stress bucket" has a finite capacity, and why the same workout that built fitness last year might dig a hole this year. We share six practical principles for training through life transitions without burning out or losing the fitness you've built.

We also tackle Hot or Nots on splitting your runs (why two 4-milers isn't the same as one 8-miler) and running in extreme cold (when to embrace the treadmill). Plus, we debunk that viral Noakes study claiming you only need 10 grams of carbs per hour—spoiler: it's a cherry-picked narrative review from low-carb advocates with ketone patents.

What you'll learn:– How cortisol and the HPA axis affect your training and recovery– The "stress bucket" model and why your capacity changes during transitions
– Why RPE increases at the same pace when life stress is high– How to flip your training hierarchy so life leads and running follows– The detraining timeline (it's slower than you think)– How to set "conditions of enoughness" for your current season– Why frequency beats volume during chaotic periods

Also in this episode: Meet Coach James Nance, who specializes in multi-sport athletes, injury cycles, and RED-S recovery.

[email protected] | microcosm-coaching.com | Join our Foothills community for $10/month

Taking time off from running, whether from injury, illness, or life—doesn't have to derail your progress. In this episode, we break down the actual physiology of detraining and give you a science-backed framework for returning smarter, not just faster.

We cover what happens to your body during time off (spoiler: it's not as catastrophic as your brain tells you), why connective tissue is the real limiting factor in comebacks, and how to use RPE and walk-run protocols to rebuild safely. Plus, we get into the mental game of accepting where you are versus where you were.

Also in this episode: We weigh in on Burrito League (not hot), Strava's AI workouts (also not hot), and whether plyometrics belong in your training. And Zoë asks TJ a question from her own training log about whether running faster on good days is actually worth it.

📧 ⁠[email protected]⁠🌐 microcosm-coaching.com💬 Foothills Community: $10/month (code FOOTHILLS10)

Does cross-training actually help runners, or is it just a distraction from the main thing? We break down the research on what transfers to running performance and what doesn't, covering AlterGs, curved treadmills, ellipticals, cycling, swimming, yoga, and Pilates.

The key finding: VO2 max transfers between modalities, but running economy does not. Runners who replaced all running with elliptical for five weeks maintained their aerobic engine but got slower. We dig into who actually needs cross-training (masters athletes, injury-prone runners, those at their volume ceiling) versus who should just run more.

Plus: Hot or Not rapid fire on cross-training equipment, including the truth about weighted vest walking and why curved treadmills make you work 30% harder for worse results.

Happy New Year! Welcome to our first episode of 2026.

We kick things off with our Athens Big Fork Trail Marathon race recap—Zoe ran an 8-minute PR after 4 years of training (that's 30 miles per second of improvement), while TJ ran his worst time ever and learned some valuable lessons about mental performance and showing up when things don't go your way.

Then we answer a listener question: Does shoe cushioning actually matter for injury prevention? The 2024 research from Malisoo et al. might surprise you—it's not about how soft your shoes are, it's about something else entirely.

Our main topic: 5 signs your easy runs aren't easy enough. This is the single most common mistake we see as coaches, and fixing it might be the highest-leverage change you can make to your training. We break down the physiology of why slow running makes you faster, what the 80/20 research actually says (including a 2025 meta-analysis), and give you 5 concrete signs to watch for.

In this episode:

• Athens Big Fork Trail Marathon race recap

• The math behind 4 years of training for an 8-minute PR

• How to compete hard even when having a bad day

• Shoe cushioning research: perception vs. mechanics

• The physiology of aerobic vs. glycolytic training

• What 80/20 polarized training really means

• 5 signs your easy runs aren't easy enough

• How Kipchoge's easy pace compares to recreational runners

Studies referenced:

• Rosenblatt et al. 2025 (Sports Medicine) - Polarized training meta-analysis

• Jong et al. 2025 (Applied Sciences) - Sleep and injury risk in runners

• Malisoo et al. 2024 (European Journal of Sports Science) - Shoe cushioning perception

Connect with us:

Email: [email protected]

Website: microcosm-coaching.com

Join Foothills group coaching ($10/month with code FOOTHILLS10)

Your off-season choices today determine your race day results tomorrow.

Most runners get the transition season completely wrong—they either hammer through on their way to burnout or disappear entirely and spend January rebuilding from scratch. In this episode, we break down what actually works for year-over-year improvement.

We cover why taking zero time off after race season is a recipe for injury and plateau, the science of post-race recovery (CNS fatigue, hormonal reset, glycogen restoration), and why detraining fears are almost always overblown. We play Hot or Not with common off-season approaches so you know what to keep and what to ditch, discuss frequency goals vs. volume goals and why the switch changes everything, and talk about building accountability systems that don't rely on motivation.

The bottom line: rest is part of training—make this a core belief in 2026. You can cut volume in half for 4-6 weeks and only lose 5-10% fitness. Simpler plans are more likely to be followed. And your January determines your July.

Before spring hits, take 2-4 weeks of intentional rest after your last A-race, complete a full season assessment to identify 2-3 specific pain points, set frequency goals for transition season, build at least one accountability system into your training, and schedule monthly low-key events to stay engaged.

Connect with us:Email: [email protected]Website: microcosm-coaching.com