The Strength Running Podcast

As a runner himself, Jason Koop has two top-10 finishes at the Leadville Trail 100 and has finished some of ultrarunning's most challenging races like the Badwater 135, Wasatch 100, and the Hardrock 100.

He's the Director of Coaching at Carmichael Training Systems where he's been for over a decade working with runners, cyclists, and triathletes.

Today, coach Jason Koop focuses more on trail ultramarathoners, guiding some of the best ultra runners in the country:

• Dakota Jones, winner of the 2018 Pike's Peak Marathon (after he cycled 250 miles in the four days before the race...)
• Missy Gosney, 4th at the 2015 Hardrock 100 Mile
• Timothy Olson, former course record holder of the Western States Endurance Run

This wide-ranging conversation covers a lot:

• The nuances and pros/cons of progression runs
• Why (and how) to never let yourself become more than 10% detrained
• The impact of climate change on the sport of running
• What Jason Koop wishes he could tell his 20-year old self
• How he continually learns about running, coaching, and exercise science

Our conversation is a must-listen for aspiring coaches, ultrarunners, and running geeks who want to dive a little deeper into training theory.

Running injuries are formally called repetitive stress injuries. Do the wrong thing (over a prolonged period of time) and you can rest assured that you're probably going to get hurt.

Here's a great example from outside the running world. Recently I interviewed Staci Ardison in our monthly interview series for Team Strength Running about weight lifting. She's become a very competitive powerlifter over the last few years and asked about injuries in the weight room. What causes them? How do you stay healthy while lifting?

Her answer was surprising. It wasn't a neat new trick or fancy wrist strap for dead lifts.

It had nothing to do with what shoes you're wearing (in fact, she frequently lifts barefoot or whether or not you were wearing compression socks.

Her answer was this:

Not doing things correctly. Don't ego lift.

How simple. And also, how accurate.

In the sport of weightlifting (just like in running), injuries are caused by doing things you're not prepared to do.

I want to provide a bit more detail on and examples of these training errors so let's dive into the top 5 mistakes we make as runners.

For more on injury prevention, get our free email series here.

With some runners hesitant to brave the yoga studio – and the benefits unclear – I wanted to get a leading expert on the podcast to discuss yoga for runners.

Please say hi to Sage Rountree.

Sage isn't just an internationally recognized yoga expert with the highest level of training possible. She hasn't just worked with Olympians, NBA and NFL players, and collegiate athletes.

She's also a running and triathlon coach and the author of eight books, including:

• The Athlete's Guide to Yoga: An Integrated Approach to Strength, Flexibility, and Focus
• Racing Wisely: A Practical and Philosophical Guide to Performing at Your Personal Best
• The Runner's Guide to Yoga, 2nd Edition

With a PhD in English Literature, race experience from 400m to the ultramarathon, and experience teaching yoga at venues ranging from the local Turkey Trot to the Pentagon, Sage has a breadth of experience unlike most other fitness experts.

She's also the owner of the Carolina Yoga Company, the Hillsborough Spa and Day Retreat; and the Carolina Massage Institute.

And she's on the podcast to talk about the many benefits of yoga for runners.

Today I want to help you avoid the most common mistakes among new runners. These "unforced errors" derail your progress, invite injury, and make running harder than it needs to be.

Simply not doing the wrong thing can be the difference between success and failure.

It's like Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz once said:

"It's not the great play that wins the game. It's eliminating the dumb play."

Here are three of the most common mistakes I see beginners make with their running – whatever you do, avoid these at all costs!

For more on beginner running, get our Bonus Podcast for new runners at https://strengthrunning.com/new/

Pam is a Team Strength Running member. Every month, I get the team together for a live video coaching call. We talk about workouts, scheduling races, planning around vacations and injuries, and how to strategically plan a season.

I recently asked the team if anybody was planning a BIG goal and wanted to come on the podcast to talk more about how to achieve that crazy goal.

[These opportunities are only available to Team SR members. Learn more about the team here.]

Pam stepped up. She's not new to running but wants to run a marathon even though she's never run longer than about 9 miles. Her longest race has been 10k.

This is a unique place to be: an experienced yet low-mileage runner who wants to make the leap to running 26.2 miles.

We're left with a lot of questions:

• How can this transition be done safely with as little injury risk as possible?
• Can Pam train for a marathon now or should she wait?
• How can Pam build her mileage over the long-term to make running her first marathon easier to achieve?

These are the questions we're answering on today's podcast episode about running your first marathon.

This is a behind the scenes coaching call that I occasionally do for team members, highlighting their unique goals and struggles and how they can keep improving.

The format of the call is three parts:

First, what is Pam's background as a runner?

Second, what are her goals and current training like?

Finally, we strategize on how she can make those goals a reality.

To kick off 2018, we're focusing on strength training for runners. And there's an undeniable advantage from getting the fundamentals right before you learn how to start lifting weights:

Progress is faster (you get better sooner!)

Risks are mitigated (far fewer injuries!)

Results are more substantial (you get stronger!)

My goal is to help you limit the early mistakes as you start lifting weights so you can enjoy all of the benefits of strength training exercises:

• power
• fewer injuries
• speed
• coordination
• lean muscle
• efficiency

We cover a lot more on Strength Running's free weight lifting ecourse here – don't miss it!

If you don't know Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, you're missing out.

He's a professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine and a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force Reservists. He designed the US Air Force Efficient Running Project and has presented running workshops on over 50 military bases.

Mark has been a national-level Masters runner, completed more than 100 marathon and ultra-marathon races, and is a two time winner of the Air Force Marathon. His PR? A staggering 2:24.

He's also strongly involved in the local West Virginia running community:

• race director of Freedom's Run race series
• owner of Two Rivers Treads in his hometown of Shepherdstown

Mark's new book, Run for Your Life: How to Run, Walk, and Move Without Pain or Injury and Achieve a Sense of Well-Being and Joy is all of his expertise and experience distilled into one manual for preventing injury.

He's also on the Strength Running Podcast to discuss these topics in more detail.

We're focusing on three main areas of prevention:

• Running form: cues, mistakes, and big picture principles
• Barefoot running: how to get started and avoid injuries
• Lifestyle: what factors predispose you to getting hurt?

Tempo runs are beneficial for virtually every runner – from milers to marathoners, tempos are nearly ubiquitous.

Of course, they're a staple for longer distance runners training for the marathon and beyond.

If you're not familiar with this type of workout, there are three popular definitions:

1. Comfortably hard. A pace that's faster than "moderate" but not exactly "hard." If you have a high training age and prefer running by feel or perceived effort, this may be the most helpful definition for you.

2. The pace you could race for an hour. For some runners, their tempo pace is similar to or about the same as their 10k pace.

This definition is best used for more advanced runners.

3. 85-90% of maximum heart rate. If you train by heart rate (learn how to calculate your max heart rate here), this is a valuable way to ensure you're in the right range for your tempo run.

More scientifically inclined runners know that tempo workouts are run at or near your lactate threshold. This is the pace at which you're producing the maximum amount of lactate that your body can clear from your muscles and blood stream.

In other words, tempo runs are done at lactate threshold which is the fastest you can still run aerobically.

Most coaches - including myself - don't have the tools to discuss this serious issue. I have no personal experience or training with eating disorders in runners (though I have friends with disordered eating).

So I brought on someone who does: Annyck Besso.

The goals of this conversation are threefold:

• Give coaches better tools to educate, help, and guide their runners with eating disorders
• Open a dialogue among all runners and foster a healthy, productive conversation
• Provide resources to those who might be suffering from any type of disordered eating

Annyck is a Registered Dietitian with expertise in the treatment of eating disorders in private and academic medical center environments. She has a Bachelors degree in nutrition and dietetics, a Master's degree in dietetics, and specialty training in approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Family Based Treatment (FBT), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).

She's also quite the speedy runner, recently running 3:07 at the hot and humid Wisconsin Marathon.

Resources & Links from the show:

• The Recovery Record app
• Mind Body Health (Annyck's practice)
• Division of Responsibility Feeding
• National Eating Disorders Association Helpline
• FBT approach for treating eating disorders
• Recommended book: Nourishing Wisdom by Marc David
• Recommended book: Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
• Recommended book (for parents): Anorexia and Other Eating Disorders by Eva Musby
• Strength Running's free nutrition series

Thank you Annyck for coming on the podcast to share your expertise about the topic of eating disorders in runners. There are a lot of resources included that I hope all of our listeners will find helpful!

I'm not promoting running trails because they're beautiful. Or awe-inspiring. Or jaw-dropping. Though, that's certainly an added bonus!

Trail running is a welcomed alternative to road running because it's a different type of stress that helps you become a better runner:

• The uneven surface can limit the repetition of running, thereby reducing your injury risk
• The varying terrain and obstacles (rocks, roots, holes, more turns and elevation changes) requires more athleticism
• Softer surfaces can promote recovery on easy days

Plus, let's not forget that running trails usually means that you're going to run slower. And that can actually be a very good thing!

When used appropriately, train running can aid recovery by forcing you to run slower. A lower heart rate - on a softer, more forgiving surface - is how to structure a great recovery day.

From injury prevention to athleticism to recovery, trail running can help improve the quality of your training (and your race results).

To help you make the most of running trails - and get started with the least amount of stress - I spoke with trail and ultra runner Doug Hay.

Doug is the coach behind the Rock Creek Runner blog and podcast (Trail Talk). For a healthy dose of #trailporn, don't miss his Instagram!

He's also the creator of the Trail Runner's System (today's sponsor).

Our conversation covers a lot:

• Our best advice for new trail runners
• Do trails make running easier?
• How "trails" can be a lot more than just trails
• The risks of road running
• Trail running as a gateway drug
• What trail gear is absolutely necessary (and what isn't)?

We also include a challenge for you - so don't miss this episode.