Info

Run to the Top Podcast | The Ultimate Guide to Running

Running podcast to motivate & help runners of every level run their best. The RunnersConnect team of coaches, headed by your host Finn Melanson, share with you the best running information backed by research, science and experts.
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
Run to the Top Podcast | The Ultimate Guide to Running
2024
March
February
January


2023
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2022
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2015
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2014
September


2012
September


Categories

All Episodes
Archives
Categories
Now displaying: 2020
Jul 16, 2020

In this second part of "Why do Runners Do That" series, Coach Ruairi and Coach Dylan answer three more questions that are commonly asked related to running. Tune in now!

Jul 15, 2020

Wendy Wood - Habits to Automatically Improve Your Running

 

Is running a habit for you? If yes, do you believe your running is a conscious choice? If no, how long would it take you to form a running habit? (Hint: A lot longer than you probably think.) What are habits anyway, and how can they benefit you as a runner? 

 

Psychologist Wendy Wood literally wrote the book on habits, appropriately called Good Habits, Bad Habits, and she shares with Coach Claire some of the knowledge she’s gained during her 30-plus years of researching habit-related behavior. She discusses how habits form and how they overcome your intentions, how you can create friction to make your bad habits less attractive, and how good habits can pave the way to expanding your goals and increasing your creativity. 

 

Wendy is Provost Professor of Psychology and Business at the University of Southern California, where she also served as Vice Dean of Social Sciences. A 2008 Radcliffe Institute Fellow, and 2018 Distinguished Chair of Behavioral Science at the Sorbonne/INSEAD in Paris, Wendy has advised the World Bank, the Centers for Disease Control, and industries such as Procter & Gamble and Lever Bros.

Wendy completed her graduate degree in psychology at the University of Massachusetts. She went on to be the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. Having published over 100 scientific articles, she received numerous awards for her research and teaching. For the past 30 years, her research has been continuously funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, and the Templeton Foundation.

 

Questions Wendy is asked:

 

3:55 You are a research psychologist who has devoted the last 30 years to understanding how habits work and you are also a runner, so when I heard about your work and read your book Good Habits Bad Habits, I knew I wanted to have you on the show.  First off, what got you started in studying our habits?

 

5:54 In your book you said, "Intentions are no match for our habits."  Can you describe this and basically define what a habit is?

 

8:16 A running habit, for example, I can use my own experience. I can tell you the first year that I was a runner, I hated every second of it, and then eventually it became just a part of my identity, who I am. It’s obviously my job now, but it took forever for it to be something that I really identified with. Is that really a common experience for most people that you’ve found?

 

10:10 Does it take a lot less time to establish a running habit for example if you reduce decisions, like run at the same time every day, always have the same pair of shoes, always run the same routes? Is there a shortcut to getting a good habit?

 

12:46 We crave things that are new. We want to do new and exciting things. But you’re also saying that the repetition, the doing the thing over and over and over again is also what we crave?

 

16:48 I would love to talk about goals and how they relate to habit. You’ve said that when you’re forming a habit at the beginning a goal is absolutely critical, but as the habit becomes more established, you might not need the goal quite as much or perhaps not at all. And how that relates to running, especially this year so many of our running races, our big goals, have been canceled, and some of the runners react in one way and they completely stop training or almost stop training, and other runners just seem to find brand new goals, other ways to motivate. I would love to hear your thoughts on that and how these two groups are different.

 

21:30 One thing that I would love to get your thoughts on are how do you establish a habit that isn’t daily, like for example, strength training? I often tell my athletes that they should strength train, lift some weights twice a week or three times a week, and for some people that’s a lot harder than doing it every single day. How do we get ourselves to do more intermittent things on a regular basis, just not on a daily basis?

 

25:07 You’ve said that bad habits are not that different from good habits as far as the way the brain works. One study that you referenced in your book was the famous marshmallow study, which everybody has heard about where little kids are given a marshmallow, and if they don’t eat it within a certain period of time, they’ll get a second marshmallow. And of course all hilarity ensues and these poor little kids end up eating the marshmallow in most of the occasions, except for some very resilient little kids who end up getting both. What I wanted to ask about, you talk about hiding the marshmallow, hiding the temptation, getting it out of sight, out of mind. Can you talk a little bit about how we can change our bad habits?

 

31:28 Now that you’re a researcher and you’ve studied all of this about habits, does that mean you do everything perfectly in your life now that you know all this information?

 

34:01 Another great thing that I learned from your books is If you "remove the friction,” that is what can help you develop much better habits. Can you talk a little bit about the friction? 

 

37:44 Another lesson from your book is that we need to take our thinking brains out of the picture. Is that what you’re saying? 

 

39:19 Wendy, what’s next for you? What questions are you researching now?



Questions I ask everyone:

 

41:13 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you first started running, what advice would you give yourself?

 

41:42 What is the greatest gift that running has given you?

 

42:46 Where can listeners connect with you?

 

Quotes by Wendy:

 

“I had two sons and like many women experienced a weight gain and I was very uncomfortable after they were born. I didn’t like being that heavy. And so I would try all kinds of different things to get myself out running, and it took about a year of trying different things to figure out exactly what was the right approach for me.”

 

“Once you become a habitual runner, it’s as if you can use that pattern in the service of a whole bunch of different goals.”

 

“We all have self control. It’s just self control is much more in our environment. It’s much more around us than in us.”



Take a Listen on Your Next Run

Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel

Mentioned in this podcast: 

 

Email Wendy

Wendy Wood at USC

Good Habits Bad Habits

Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community

RunnersConnect Facebook page

claire@runnersconnect.net

 

Follow Wendy on:

 

Twitter



We really hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Run to the Top.

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

The more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, the more I can reach out to and get top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

Jul 14, 2020

Everyone has pre-race anxiety. But are you worried about the negative impact of pre-race jitters on your performance? What are the ways to calm your nerves and deal with performance anxiety? Coach Hayley discusses in today's podcast.

Jul 13, 2020

In this week's Audio Blog, Coach Claire talks about the relationship between hip strength and running injuries. What's the latest research say? Are core workouts helpful to distance runners? What can you do to improve hip strength? Find out now!

Jul 10, 2020

In this episode, Coach Michael talks about one on our fascinating athletes - Bjorg Klem.  Find out how she handles the pandemic in terms of training/racing and creates positive influence in our RC community.

Jul 9, 2020

In this week's episode, we have a fun new segment where Coaches Dylan and Ruairi walk through some of the interesting running events happened in the last weeks. Tune in now!

Jul 8, 2020

Brian Reynolds -  World Record Powerhouse on Prosthetics

 

Brian Reynolds is a world record holder in several running distances despite not running until after college, and oh yeah, he’s a double amputee. Brian initially didn’t even walk much, never mind run, because he was convinced it just wasn’t possible for him. Instead he pursued powerlifting, accomplishing a deadlift of 485 pounds while weighing only 135 pounds himself.

 

How did Brian morph from powerlifter to running record holder? It all started with a fundraising hiking challenge in the Grand Canyon, an epic setting for a life-changing experience. Brian discovered a love for endurance, which eventually led him to running despite his prosthetic legs not being remotely suitable for athletic pursuits. He persevered through the pain, and incredibly, just three weeks after he ran his first mile, he ran his first marathon. Brian emphatically recommends you not follow this training plan.

 

Brian’s story is truly fascinating, and he also shares with Coach Claire how he’s staying inspired and finding meaning during the pandemic. He’s definitely not short on motivation! Brian also discusses his approach to alcohol and training and talks about his current work for the nonalcoholic brewing company, Athletic Brewing, who is generously offering a 15% discount for listeners of this podcast until August 10th. See the list of resources mentioned in this podcast for the discount code.

Questions Brian is asked:

 

2:54 You have an amazing story of starting off in weightlifting then transitioning to endurance running.  Your accomplishments would be interesting in their own right, but they are even more fascinating because you are a double amputee.  Can you talk about your history, beginning with how you lost your lower legs as a child?

 

4:29 Were you into sports and activities right away or did that happen later in life?

 

5:51 How much could you lift?

 

6:08 What did you like most about weightlifting?  What did it do for you?

 

6:43 What were the challenges of walking during the time you were weightlifting?

 

7:40 How did all that change for you?

 

9:50 Why didn’t you quit running given the effects of running with prosthetics not designed for a lot of activity? What was inside your head that made you want to keep going through all that pain?

 

10:44 When did you finally get new prosthetics that didn’t cause you running-related problems?

 

11:39 Was running a marathon a few weeks after getting your new prosthetic legs a good idea?

 

11:49 Tell me what that first marathon was like.

 

12:53  How sore were you afterward?

 

13:08 You’ve made a lot of progress since that first marathon. You actually broke the world record at the time for a double amputee in the marathon with a time of 3:03 in Chicago.  Can you talk about your progress and how you went from four-and-a-half hours to almost three hours? 

 

15:51 What have you done as far as training? Have you gotten a coach, or how have you really managed to lower your time so much?

 

17:49 How has your training changed since the pandemic?

 

18:23 Do you have any tips for runners that are struggling right now with motivation with no races?

 

20:23 You work for Athletica Brewing, a non-alcoholic beer company that is becoming super popular lately.  Can you talk a little bit about the company and what you do there?

 

22:38 What gave you the idea to not drink during training cycles?

 

23:29 Do you find it’s easier to be black and white about drinking/not drinking versus trying to moderate drinking during training?

 

24:24 Do you miss powerlifting at all? 

 

24:45 What is the line between lifting too heavy and just right for an endurance athlete?

 

25:49 How many days a week are you lifting when you’re in running training?

 

26:08 Are gyms opening up yet in New Jersey?

 

26:24 What is on your plans next? Any running-related goals that you have in the future?



Questions I ask everyone:

 

27:26 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you first started running, what advice would you give yourself?

 

28:17 What is the greatest gift that running has given you?

 

28:27 Where can listeners connect with you?

 

Quotes by Brian:

 

“It was definitely for me one of the hardest things I’ve ever done going from not really walking more than a block here and there to I think it was a 16 or a 17-mile hike in the Grand Canyon.”

 

“The prosthetist said, ‘What do you want to do?’ and I said, ‘I want to be the best runner an amputee can be,’ and he said, ‘We can make that happen.’”

 

“The half marathon has always been my favorite distance. It’s like the blend between the speed and the endurance.”

 

Take a Listen on Your Next Run

 

Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel

Mentioned in this podcast: 

 

A Step Ahead Prosthetics

Team in Training

City Coach

Use code CLAIRE for a 15% discount at Athletic Brewing until August 10th, 2020.

Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community

RunnersConnect Facebook page

claire@runnersconnect.net

 

Follow Brian on:

 

Instagram



We really hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Run to the Top.

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

The more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, the more I can reach out to and get top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

Jul 7, 2020

How to avoid emotional eating and curb unhealthy snacking during the pandemic? Coach Hayley shares some great tips to manage stress eating in today's podcast. Listen now!

Jul 6, 2020

Should you eat or fast before you run? What and when to eat to set yourself up for a great workout? What are the pros and cons of eating or skipping food before your workout? Find out the arguments for and against eating before a run from Coach Claire. Tune in now!

Jul 3, 2020

In this week's Team RC Update, Coach Michael talks about our RC athlete, Bjorg Klem - How she has such a positive influence in our community and what she suggests when it comes to moving forward with your training during this pandemic time.

Jul 2, 2020

In this week's episode, Coach Ruairi and Coach Dylan talk about 3 things that some runners do often. What's the hype around them? Why are runners doing that? What is the science behind them and are they worth trying? Find out now!

Jul 1, 2020

Salt, Sweat, and Hydration: Dr. Patrick Burns 

Should you be taking sodium and other electrolytes while racing? What are electrolytes anyway, and what are the key factors that affect electrolyte levels when running? Dr. Patrick Burns has been studying the answers to these questions and more, and shares his latest research in this episode.

 

Patrick started running as a Massachusetts high school student. He traded short distances for the two-mile event after discovering he was “not fast.” At Bowdoin College in Maine, he made another switch, favoring enjoyable and exploratory running over competition. This continued as he traveled the world as a nomadic teacher, using running as a way to explore new countries. 

 

Eventually, Patrick moved back to be near his family and go to Tufts medical school. His sister, Katie, had six marathons to her credit, and Patrick decided to train with her for one. This is when he really fell in love with running. Patrick and Katie completed the Boston Marathon, and more long distance races followed. However, once he began his Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Washington, Patrick had very little time to run.   

Four years later, Patrick did a Wilderness Medicine fellowship at Stanford. Here he discovered RacingThePlanet and ultramarathon running while working as a researcher on a race in Ecuador. He was hooked. Here’s Patrick’s definition of Type 2 fun: a self-supported, 250 km, 7-day race through extreme environments. He considered this brutal, grueling, and amazing. 

Patrick is currently a clinical assistant professor for the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the assistant director of the  Wilderness Medicine section. He continues to work with RacingThePlanet to answer questions related to ultrarunning.  This project coincided with his first RTP ultramarathon – a fantastically humbling experience.

 

Questions Patrick is asked:

 

2:35 You are an ultra runner and emergency room doctor at Stanford University and before I get into the main topics that I'd like to discuss today, how is the current situation there?

 

3:15 Stanford is now doing all their classes online. Is that correct?

 

3:59 As we head into the summer months in the northern hemisphere, many athletes become more concerned about electrolytes.  You are one of the authors of a very interesting study on hydration and electrolytes and you were also one of the test subjects.  Before we get into the study, can you give us a little primer on electrolytes, what they are, and why they are important for the human body?

 

4:56 What happens when you run long distances and get those electrolytes out of balance?

 

5:54 Can you explain what hypo- and hypernatremia are and why that matters?

 

6:23 Can you talk about some of the complications of hypo- and hypernatremia?

 

9:00 Is hyponatremia more dangerous than dehydration or hypernatremia?

 

9:34 Is sodium the most important electrolyte?

 

 9:54 Are some electrolytes more important than others?  Do you have to replace all of them while racing?

 

 10:31 Can you describe the study that you and your colleagues did?  What was the goal of the study?  How was it conducted?  

 

13:12 How many people raced in the event and how many people did you end up studying?

 

14:40 How were samples collected? Were you pricking people’s fingers? 

 

16:12 How good are we at hydrating and keeping sodium levels in balance?

 

16:54 Is a too high sodium level from taking in too much salt or not taking in enough water, or could it be either or both?

 

17:44 Did you talk to the runners in the study about why they were doing what they were doing with regards to sodium? Why is there such a big range of what we take in?

 

20:08 Should you change your sodium level intake in a hot race?

 

21:34 Do you have any insight on taking extra electrolytes for muscle cramps? 

 

23:13  I would love to ask you about the drink-to-thirst philosophy. We’re reading a lot about that nowadays, that that should be the only rule: drink to thirst. What do you think about that?

 

24:50 What about in a race where you’re not carrying your own fluid for the most part? You can’t really drink to thirst. You’ve got to wait until you get to that aid station, so there has to be some sort of plan that overrides the drink-to-thirst. Is this just, would you say, trial and error and see what works for you?

 

25:55 What questions are still unanswered when it comes to athletic hydration?  What’s next? Are you planning on more studies, or what are some of the things that you and the doctors that you work with are looking to study?

 

27:33 Are you going to test people with blisters to see what product works best?

 

28:17  What products do you like?



Questions I ask everyone:

 

28:59 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you first started running, what advice would you give yourself?

 

29:38 What is the greatest gift that running has given you?

 

30:15 Where can listeners connect with you?

 

Quotes by Patrick:

 

“Sodium is the electrolyte that seems to be dysregulated most often during running.”

 

“Our body does a lot of the work on its own.”

 

“Is there a benefit for hydration status with sodium? Probably.”

 

Take a Listen on Your Next Run

 

Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel

Mentioned in this podcast: 

Racing the Planet

nuun tablets

RockTape

Hammer Nutrition

Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community

RunnersConnect Facebook page

claire@runnersconnect.net

 

Follow Patrick on:

email Patrick

Instagram



We really hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Run to the Top.

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

The more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, the more I can reach out to and get top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

 

Jun 30, 2020

Can improving your gut health improve your running and make you a faster runner? What can you do to increase your gut microbiome diversity? Find out in today's episode from Coach Hayley.

Jun 29, 2020

How to safely increase your mileage to the next level? How to know what mileage your body can handle? Coach Claire discusses 8 challenges that can help you increase your mileage to over 60 miles a week without getting injured.

Jun 26, 2020

With New York City Marathon also getting cancelled, what can you do now to stay focused on your running and fitness goals? Coach Michael discusses a few new great options that you can utilize to become a better runner during this time.

Jun 25, 2020

In today's podcast, Coach Ruairi and Coach Dylan go through 3 books each that can inspire and motivate runners and talk about how the various principles discussed in the books can help you get the most out of your running lives. Tune in now!

Jun 24, 2020

Adina Crawford - Yoga Can Make You a Better Runner

 

Running dramatically changed Adina’s life, transforming her from a non-athlete to a source of fitness inspiration. One of the keys to Adina’s athletic ability and mental strength is yoga, a practice she believes everyone can benefit from.

 

Adina shares with Coach Claire her approach to yoga in the classes she teaches, how to get started, some of the best poses for runners, as well as some helpful tips. She talks about what mindfulness means to her, as well as the benefits of cross training. Most of all, she teaches us that with a positive attitude and a willingness to try something new, it’s never too late to transform your life.

 

In addition to being a runner and cyclist, Adian is also a certified PYTT 200 and 50 YSTT yoga instructor specializing in Vinyasa, Sculpt, and Restorative. She is a mentor, motivator, advocate, and community influencer who serves as an ambassador for Black Girls Run, HoneyStinger, Nuun,  Black Girls Do Bike (Shero), and ZOOMA National. She is also a FitPro for Athleta and serves on the Board of Directors for Black Girls Run Foundation.

 

Adina has a fitness blog and has been featured in various online articles, podcasts, and participated with the Brooks Running shoe campaign. In addition, she has taught at various locations including Lululemon, Athleta, private events, family reunions, private schools, and local fitness centers. 

 

In 2016, Adina completed her first Marathon (Chicago), numerous half marathons, several indoor triathlons and cycling events in various cities. She is recognized as a strong motivator and advocate for health, fitness, and wellness to her communities. Her goal is to bring more diversity and awareness to the mat and spread the love of all the benefits of yoga coupled with other activities. YOGA IS FOR EVERY-BODY.

 

 

Questions Adina is asked:

 

2:07 You are a runner, a cyclist, and a yoga instructor.  How do those three activities complement each other?  How did you get started?

 

3:09 How does yoga balance out running and cycling? What kind of yoga are we talking about?

 

3:32 Walk me through restorative yoga. If I show up at your class, what are we doing if I’m a total newbie?

 

4:48 You've been quoted as saying yoga is for every BODY. What do you mean by that? 

 

5:47 How did you get started in yoga?

 

6:15 One thing I have heard people say is that you don’t want to be too flexible as a runner because you want those tight springs so that you can run fast. So some of the athletes that I’ve coached have been sort of hesitant to get super flexible. What do you think about that?

 

7:07 How have you changed your practice with the whole pandemic?

 

7:59 What do you use yoga sandbags for? Can you go into detail about that?

 

8:40 What are some of the best yoga moves for runners?

 

9:48 With pigeon pose, a lot of runners are really tight in their hips. I know that you can do a couple of variations on pigeon pose that can kind of hit you in different spots. Can you talk a little bit about that? Your hips, or sometimes it hits you more in the hamstrings. Can you talk about some variations for the hips?

 

10:56 You touched a little bit at the beginning talking about mindfulness. Can you talk about the benefits of mindfulness with yoga and how it relates to running, and how it’s different than the mindfulness you might experience on a good run?

 

12:02 Can you talk a little bit about breathing? I know breathing is really important in yoga, and obviously it’s important in running too. Can you talk a little bit about what we’re supposed to be doing when we’re breathing?

 

13:16 Are there any other breathing techniques that we can use when we’re not practicing yoga or when we’re not running? Just anything else besides the deep breaths? I know several yoga types have different kinds of, you know, quick breaths in and then quick breaths out, and I’m not super familiar with it, so I was wondering if you could talk a little bit more about that?

 

14:49 Another thing kind of related to mindfulness is the idea of being present. If I think about running or if I’m in a race or something like that and if I let my head get too far ahead of worrying about, “This hurts. I should slow down,” or “I should stop. I should quit,” your brain goes a mile a minute and a lot of people who practice yoga have a better time with staying present. So how do you teach your students to stay present and what’s a good practice for someone who’s new to this?

 

16:07 Do you have specific thoughts about how to build your confidence? Because I know sometimes if you’re on a race for example, you might not have so much confidence that you’re going to get to the finish line in the time that you want, or whatever your goal is. Do you have a confidence practice?

 

17:03 You started running a little bit later in life. Can you talk about your running journey and how that all started? I think it’s an inspiring story.

 

18:31 How did you get started; what was that first day and first month like?

19:44 Where does yoga fit into your running journey?

 

20:56 I find the mindfulness stuff the hardest part of it, not so much the physical stuff. Do you have any tips for that?

 

22:30 I often think if we thought of running more like yoga, that we’re just practicing every day, I think we’d be a lot less hard on ourselves.

 

23:40 I love that you look to gratitude. Gratitude certainly helps us put things in a little bit more perspective, don’t you think?

 

23:55 Are gratitude and having a grateful heart things that you talk about in your yoga classes too?

 

24:52 Do you think doing yoga is efficient enough for a runner’s strength training or do people still need to lift some weights too?

 

25:45 I would love to hear some success stories about some of the people that you've inspired to get moving through running and yoga.  Do you have any of those for us to hear?



Questions I ask everyone:

 

28:03 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you first started running, what advice would you give yourself?

 

28:22 What is the greatest gift that running has given you?

 

28:37 Where can listeners connect with you?

 

Quotes by Adina:

 

“You make yourself available, you learn those poses, and you can do it.”

 

“Mindfulness in my view is a nice little mental health tool to carry with you.”

 

“Breath is the foundation of yoga.”

 

“I know that it is all about me when I’m on that pavement so I can’t compare myself to the next person or next person.”

 

“Rejoice in the fact that you are able to move.”



Take a Listen on Your Next Run

 

 

Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel

Mentioned in this podcast: 

 

Yoga Sandbags

Fleet Feet

Black Girls Run

Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community

RunnersConnect Facebook page

claire@runnersconnect.net

 

Follow Adina on:

Facebook

Instagram



We really hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Run to the Top.

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

The more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, the more I can reach out to and get top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

 

Jun 23, 2020

In today's podcast, Coach Hayley shares top tips for running safely in hot weather and making the heat work for you. Tune in now!

Jun 22, 2020

What are tempo and threshold runs? What are the three different zones of threshold runs? How to know whether you are running your tempo at the right pace or not? Find out in today's podcast from Coach Claire.

Jun 19, 2020

Coach Michael talks about the biggest lessons that 2020 has taught us so far from the running perspective. Listen now!

Jun 18, 2020

What are surges in running? How to do it? What are the ways to incorporate surges into your training? Coach Ruairi and Coach Dylan explain in today's podcast.

Jun 17, 2020

Toby Tanser - Running to Make a Difference

 

How did a nordic athlete wind up living and training in Africa and becoming a huge philanthropist? Toby Tanser,  the founder and CEO of Shoe4Africa, which has evolved from providing Kenyan athletes with running shoes to a charity focused on health, education, and women’s empowerment, and which built the first public children’s hospital in East and Central Africa, tells Coach Claire how it all got started.

 

In this inspirational episode, Toby also talks about his experiences in Kenya, including differences between Kenyan and Western attitudes towards running, and offers up some training tips as well. He discusses his “cult classic” book  Train Hard, Win Easy: The Kenyan Way, not to mention he literally wrote the book on the New York City Marathon. He has a great take on what makes the NYC marathon unique.

 

In addition to his philanthropy, coaching, writing, and running, Toby has sat on the New York Road Runners Board of Directors since 2002, was on the Achilles Track Club Board for six years before moving up to the Vice President of Achilles International in 2011, and is on the Coaches Advisory Board for Runner's World. 

 

Toby has many other achievements under his belt, but more than anything, he shows us how one person can make a huge difference in the world.

 

 

Questions Toby is asked:

 

2:27 You are a philanthropist, a coach, an author, a writer, and a former professional athlete. What roles of these have been your favorite?

 

2:58 Tell us a little bit about your charity, Shoe4Africa. How did it start and what is its mission?

 

3:59 Where has Shoe4Africa grown in the last 25 years?

 

4:34 It’s not just runners that you’re helping; it’s everyone?

 

5:20 Do you still go to Africa and run with people there?

 

6:11 You’ve also written several books about running and one of them is Train Hard, Win Easy: The Kenyan Way. I’d love to hear the story behind that book and some of the main training tips.

 

7:38 What are some of the tips you learned about how Westerners and Kenyans train differently?

 

10:52 How have things changed in the past 25 years in Kenya?

 

12:34 I think you’ve seen that in America nowadays people are learning from the Kenyans, and there are so many more group running programs out there as far as at the elite level. You have all sorts of training groups that you really didn’t see before, and it seems to be kind of based on the Kenyan model, don’t you think

 

13:48 It’s said that the Kenyans really take their jogging seriously too, which Westerners sometimes have a problem with. Can you talk about how they run easy?

 

17:11 You were on the board of directors for the New York Road Runners and the New York City Marathon for 15 years. Can you tell me a little bit about that experience?

 

18:56 Tell me a little bit about the New York City Marathon. You’ve written a book on it, so I’m sure you know a lot about it. Can you give any tips, any experiences about the marathon there?

 

21:06 How many times have you run it?

 

23:04 And after that day running the marathon for charity, pretty much that has been your whole life is running for charity in a sense?

 

24:50 Any thoughts about whether the New York City Marathon will go on this fall with everything that’s going on?

 

25:58 How are things in Kenya right now with the pandemic?

 

27:24 Have they started to reopen things again in Kenya?

 

28:44 What is next for you and Shoe4Africa in the future?

 

31:21 How can people help? If they’re listening to this and they’re inspired, how can people help the efforts that you’re doing?



Questions I ask everyone:

 

32:25 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you first started running, what advice would you give yourself?

 

35:21 What is the greatest gift that running has given you?

 

Quotes by Toby:

 

“You rarely find a Kenyan training alone. They’re always in some form of a group, and together you have an amazing power.”

 

“You run a marathon in Berlin or France and people come out and cheer, but in New York, they come out to cheer the people at the back of the pack.”

 

“Imagine if every single person said, ‘I want to run to make a difference.’”

 

“I think in life if you’re given opportunities and you turn them away, there’s only a certain amount of opportunity you can turn down before you start to realize, ‘Hey, I should be doing something.’ It’s almost like an obligation.”

Take a Listen on Your Next Run

Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes channel

Mentioned in this podcast: 

Shoe4Africa

Book: Train Hard, Win Easy: The Kenyan Way

New York Road Runners

The Essential Guide to Running the New York City Marathon

All4running

Juli Anne Perry Children’s Cancer Hospital

Run To The Top Winners Circle Facebook Community

RunnersConnect Facebook page

claire@runnersconnect.net

 

Follow Toby on:

 

Toby Tanser

email Toby 

 

We really hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Run to the Top.

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

The more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, the more I can reach out to and get top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

Jun 16, 2020

How to increase your mileage safely? Does increasing the total miles at the rate of 10% every week work for everybody? How quickly can you increase your running mileage? Coach Hayley explains in this week's ExtraKick episode.

Jun 15, 2020

What are electrolytes? Why is electrolyte balance important for runners? How electrolytes and hydration go hand in hand? Coach Claire explains in this podcast episode.

Jun 12, 2020

In this week's Team RC Update, Coach Michael talks about the biggest running lessons learned from 2020. Tune in now!

1 « Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next » 7