The Strength Running Podcast

To help you shatter your perception of what's possible, discover the training necessary to run 100 miles, and inspire you to chase your next stretch goal, I've invited Magdalena Boulet onto the podcast to talk about her performance at this year's Western States Endurance Run.

One of the biggest names in the world of ultramarathons, Magda Boulet has an impressive list of credentials:

• 1st - 2002 and 2003 Pittsburgh Marathon
• 1st - 2002 San Francisco Marathon
• 1st - 2006 Orange County Marathon
• 2nd - 2008 Olympic Trials Marathon
• 1st - 2015 Western States Endurance Run
• 5th - 2016 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc
• 2nd - 2017 Western States Endurance Run

She prepares methodically for challenging races, leaving no stone unturned as she strives to compete with the fastest endurance runners on the planet.

This unique "testing mindset" helped her identify potential injury warnings before this year's Western States, vaulting her onto the podium.

Using a blood analytics service called Inside Tracker, she identified biomarkers outside of her optimal zones - and then went to work fixing them through diet and lifestyle changes.

She's on the podcast today to talk more about:

• What it takes to train for 100 milers
• Are they so different from marathons...?
• Her personal fueling approach for ultra marathons
• Pre- and post-race blood testing goals
• How her blood test results impacted her recovery

Enjoy!

To help you shatter your perception of what's possible, discover the training necessary to run 100 miles, and inspire you to chase your next stretch goal, I've invited Magdalena Boulet onto the podcast to talk about her performance at this year's Western States Endurance Run.

One of the biggest names in the world of ultramarathons, Magda Boulet has an impressive list of credentials:

• 1st - 2002 and 2003 Pittsburgh Marathon
• 1st - 2002 San Francisco Marathon
• 1st - 2006 Orange County Marathon
• 2nd - 2008 Olympic Trials Marathon
• 1st - 2015 Western States Endurance Run
• 5th - 2016 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc
• 2nd - 2017 Western States Endurance Run

She prepares methodically for challenging races, leaving no stone unturned as she strives to compete with the fastest endurance runners on the planet.

This unique "testing mindset" helped her identify potential injury warnings before this year's Western States, vaulting her onto the podium.

Using a blood analytics service called Inside Tracker, she identified biomarkers outside of her optimal zones - and then went to work fixing them through diet and lifestyle changes.

She's on the podcast today to talk more about:

• What it takes to train for 100 milers
• Are they so different from marathons...?
• Her personal fueling approach for ultra marathons
• Pre- and post-race blood testing goals
• How her blood test results impacted her recovery

Enjoy!

Joel smashes through goals normally considered impossible.

Recently, he completed an ambitious project to run 7 ultramarathons on 7 continents for charity to build 7 schools in developing countries.

He succeeded - raising over $190,000. The 777 Project brought him to:

• Thailand
• Antarctica
• Australia
• Patagonia
• South Africa
• Finland
• and Chicago!

Joel's philanthropic quest brought him around the world to extreme locations and terrain that nearly broke him.

But his persistence led to the constructions of seven schools through Pencils of Promise, a charity where 100% of donations go toward its mission of school construction, scholarships, and trains teachers.

Joel is on the podcast to talk about what it takes to run a series of ultramarathons in rapid succession, in varying climates, on very different terrain, all over the world.

What are the travel logistics like for such an audacious project?

How do you train for so many different races?

What kind of gear is necessary to race in Antarctica?

We cover that - and a lot more - on today's show.

Joel smashes through goals normally considered impossible. 

Recently, he completed an ambitious project to run 7 ultramarathons on 7 continents for charity to build 7 schools in developing countries.

He succeeded - raising over $190,000. The 777 Project brought him to:

• Thailand
• Antarctica
• Australia
• Patagonia
• South Africa
• Finland
• and Chicago!

Joel's philanthropic quest brought him around the world to extreme locations and terrain that nearly broke him.

But his persistence led to the constructions of seven schools through Pencils of Promise, a charity where 100% of donations go toward its mission of school construction, scholarships, and trains teachers.

Joel is on the podcast to talk about what it takes to run a series of ultramarathons in rapid succession, in varying climates, on very different terrain, all over the world.

What are the travel logistics like for such an audacious project?

How do you train for so many different races?

What kind of gear is necessary to race in Antarctica?

We cover that - and a lot more - on today's show.

Jonathan Beverly was the editor-in-chief of Running Times for 15 years. He's run nearly 30 marathons and hundreds of road and trail races around the world.

He's also coached with the New York Road Runners Club, taught several college running classes, and has coached junior and high school track and cross country since 2003.

Jonathan's new book quickly became one of my favorites. Your Best Stride: How to Optimize Your Natural Running Form to Run Easier, Farther, and Faster – with Fewer Injuries is a holistic look at how to run with better form.

He does not promote a certain brand of form (like Chi or POSE).

He won't make you run on your forefoot (that's a big no-no).

And he isn't even gung-ho about "cues" that make you run slightly differently.

Instead, the goal is to bring you back to when you were 10 years old. Remember back then? If not, just know that you ran with a lot better form back then.

Jonathan is on the podcast today to discuss how to reclaim your youthful, smooth, powerful stride.

Jonathan Beverly was the editor-in-chief of Running Times for 15 years. He’s run nearly 30 marathons and hundreds of road and trail races around the world.

He’s also coached with the New York Road Runners Club, taught several college running classes, and has coached junior and high school track and cross country since 2003.

Jonathan’s new book quickly became one of my favorites. Your Best Stride: How to Optimize Your Natural Running Form to Run Easier, Farther, and Faster – with Fewer Injuries is a holistic look at how to run with better form.

He does not promote a certain brand of form (like Chi or POSE).

He won’t make you run on your forefoot (that’s a big no-no).

And he isn’t even gung-ho about “cues” that make you run slightly differently.

Instead, the goal is to bring you back to when you were 10 years old. Remember back then? If not, just know that you ran with a lot better form back then.

Jonathan is on the podcast today to discuss how to reclaim your youthful, smooth, powerful stride.

Tina is a professional distance runner, Great Britain Olympic hopeful, and 11-time All-America Track and Field/Cross Country athlete for Ferris State University.

She's run in two British Olympic Trials, finishing 3rd in the 10k in 2012 and 5th in the Marathon in 2016.

Her personal bests, as you can imagine, are out of this world:

• 5k - 16:08
• 10k - 33:24
• Half Marathon - 1:13
• Marathon - 2:36

Earlier this year, Tina made a stunning announcement that she was taking a hiatus as a pro runner. She's recovering from amenorrhea (she didn't have a period for 9 years) and is hoping to start a family soon.

But she realized that she just didn't enjoy her running anymore.

Every run was a struggle. She dreaded upcoming workouts and just wasn't excited about training anymore.

I consider this to be an unspoken problem in the running community. Amid calls for consistency, putting in the work, and training "no matter what" there lies a deeper issue: once you've done that, when is it ok to stop?

Tina is on the SR Podcast today to talk about her journey and give hope to runners everywhere whose hearts just aren't set on hard training anymore.

This is an honest, real, and personal conversation that I hope you enjoy.

Tina is a professional distance runner, Great Britain Olympic hopeful, and 11-time All-America Track and Field/Cross Country athlete for Ferris State University.

She's run in two British Olympic Trials, finishing 3rd in the 10k in 2012 and 5th in the Marathon in 2016.

Her personal bests, as you can imagine, are out of this world:

• 5k - 16:08
• 10k - 33:24
• Half Marathon - 1:13
• Marathon - 2:36

Earlier this year, Tina made a stunning announcement that she was taking a hiatus as a pro runner. She's recovering from amenorrhea (she didn't have a period for 9 years) and is hoping to start a family soon.

But she realized that she just didn't enjoy her running anymore.

Every run was a struggle. She dreaded upcoming workouts and just wasn't excited about training anymore.

I consider this to be an unspoken problem in the running community. Amid calls for consistency, putting in the work, and training "no matter what" there lies a deeper issue: once you've done that, when is it ok to stop?

Tina is on the SR Podcast today to talk about her journey and give hope to runners everywhere whose hearts just aren't set on hard training anymore.

This is an honest, real, and personal conversation that I hope you enjoy.

I invited Simon Marshall, PhD and his wife Lesley Patterson to talk about practical strategies for building confidence, reducing pre-race anxiety, and managing fears.

Their new book The Brave Athlete is a handbook for the athlete's brain, showing you how to:

• Resist the urge to quit
• Embrace difficulty
• Respond positively to setbacks
• Build confidence and self-belief
• Cope better with stress and anxiety

This husband and wife team is quite the duo. Simon is former professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of San Diego and a professor of sport and exercise psychology at San Diego State University.

Currently, he's the performance psychologist for BMC Racing - a World Tour professional cycling team.

His wife Lesley Patterson is a dominant triathlete, having won three world off-road triathlon champions and an Ironman Triathlon. A professional mountain biker, she's also a former national champion in cross country.

And I think all of us get how important our brain is to our running.

How many times have you been halfway through a long run and dreaded every step?

How many races have you wished in hindsight that you had sucked it up and ran harder instead of settling?

It's happened to me more times than I can count. And it happens to world-class athletes (like Lesley, which we talk about) all the time, too.

This podcast will show you how to turn your brain into an asset, rather than a liability.

I invited Simon Marshall, PhD and his wife Lesley Patterson to talk about practical strategies for building confidence, reducing pre-race anxiety, and managing fears.

Their new book The Brave Athlete is a handbook for the athlete's brain, showing you how to:

• Resist the urge to quit
• Embrace difficulty
• Respond positively to setbacks
• Build confidence and self-belief
• Cope better with stress and anxiety

This husband and wife team is quite the duo. Simon is former professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of San Diego and a professor of sport and exercise psychology at San Diego State University.

Currently, he's the performance psychologist for BMC Racing - a World Tour professional cycling team.

His wife Lesley Patterson is a dominant triathlete, having won three world off-road triathlon champions and an Ironman Triathlon. A professional mountain biker, she's also a former national champion in cross country.

And I think all of us get how important our brain is to our running.

How many times have you been halfway through a long run and dreaded every step?

How many races have you wished in hindsight that you had sucked it up and ran harder instead of settling?

It's happened to me more times than I can count. And it happens to world-class athletes (like Lesley, which we talk about) all the time, too.

This podcast will show you how to turn your brain into an asset, rather than a liability.