On this bonus Run to the Top, we are going to talk about racing, and specifically over-racing. That’s when you are racing so often that it’s actually hurting your progress as a runner.
Now you might be wondering why I chose this topic, over-racing, right now just as some races are finally coming back after the pandemic. But that’s EXACTLY why I think this is the perfect topic right now.
Races are coming back and we runners are so thankful and excited to get back to the sport that it’s tempting to sign up for any and every race you can.
I’m the last person that is going to tell you that you shouldn’t go race, be social, test your fitness, and hang out with your tribe of runners. If it’s bringing you joy, it’s probably good for you. We all could use a big dose of joy right now.
But if that’s how you spend every weekend and you are wondering why your race times haven’t improved in a while, or if they are getting worse, over-racing might have something to do with it.
RunnersConnect athlete Jon tells us how over-racing at the beginning of his running journey started to affect his ultimate goal, the marathon, and how he now uses tune-up races as a boost to his build up instead of a detriment!
Learn how you can incorporate tune-up races into your training in a way that they are beneficial to your bigger goal race and your long-term progress.
Or if you just love racing as much as possible, learn how you can transform those races into workouts that improve your fitness!
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Can new tech in your shoe change the way you run for the better?
We are all used to our watches telling us how fast (or slow) we are, counting our heartbeats, our footsteps, or even telling us how much recovery we need (or trying to anyway!)
But now there is technology that can tell us even more. New wearables can give us some clues to our own unique running form so we can better understand where we can improve.
My guests today are here to tell you all about it.
Dr Grant Trewartha is the Head of Biomechanics at the wearable technology company NURVV. His research into the technical aspects of endurance running helped shape the development of a unique shoe insert called NURVV Run. Prior to his time at NURVV, Grant spent 16 years at University of Bath, leading significant research about injury prevention for rugby players as well as research on the biomechanics of sprinting and tendon mechanics during running.
Anna Kosciuk is a Sport Scientist and a Footwear specialist and is also a part of Biomechanics team at NURVV. Anna’s expertise is in learning how we can prevent running-related injury risk factors and maximize running performance through exercise and footwear. Prior to NURVV, she spent 4 years working in a specialist footwear lab where she performed detailed running gait analyses to match runners with the most perfect pair of running shoes based on their individual motion biomechanics.
So we get into the nitty gritty about shoes, running form, and how wearable technology works and where it’s headed in the future. Tons of great info in this one.
And in case you are wondering, no, we are not sponsored by NURVV and I have never tried the product. I just think that this kind of tech is interesting and could be very relevant to helping runners become better without having to go to a fancy lab. But I did reach out to see if I could snag a discount code if you are interested in trying it:
RUNPOD30 saves you 30% off NURVV Run in the US and UK only at nurvv.com
This week's show brought to you by:
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If you’re interested in learning more and giving Perform a try, we’ve got a special offer for you where you can save 30% by using the code RC30. Just head to: https://aminoco.com/rttt and use the code RC30 at checkout to save 30%
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Can you run a specific workout pace on feel alone? Without looking at your watch? Tempo runs, steady runs, threshold runs, VO2 max workouts...they all have a "feel" to them and if you can learn how to pace them properly without being a slave to your watch, you can become a better, more adaptable runner.
On this bonus episode of the Run to the Top, Coach Claire Bartholic introduces Laurie, a RunnersConnect athlete that has gotten very good at learning to pace by feel and effort. Laurie shares how she does it and Coach Claire explains how you can figure out how you should feel in any given workout by understanding the specific purpose of each one.
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Lindsey Bomgren from Nourish Move Love is a super fit Minnesota trainer and creator of amazing and free YouTube strength videos. While they are not marketed as “runners’ workouts” they are the exact same exercises that Coach Claire prescribes to athletes because they are classic strength moves that build better runners. But Lindsey just does them better.
Lindsey is a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor who has been featured in Women's Health Magazine, The Bump, Yahoo Finance, Cosmopolitan, Popsugar, Brit + Co, Well + Good and more.
Lindsey is tough, but also cheerful and encouraging, often interjecting with her signature catch phrase “holy bananas” when things get hard.
Coach Claire has been using Lindsey's videos over the past few month and the difference in her strength is remarkable!
Oh, and don’t forget to stay tuned at the end of the episode where we've got a major announcement about the future of the Run to the Top!
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The RunnersConnect family has grown! We welcomed a brand new expert coach to our staff this year and I’d like to introduce you to her.
Andie Cozzarelli is a 2:38 marathoner, semi-pro athlete from Raleigh, NC. She ran in college at North Carolina State, becoming a 2 time All-American in the 10k and joined Oiselle after college. She qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials in the Marathon with a half marathon and later went on to win her first full at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.
After coaching on her own, Andie has joined the coaching team at RunnersConnect and we couldn't be more thrilled!
But Andie’s running road was not always smooth and easy. As a sophomore in college, she was diagnosed with Celiac Disease after struggling with her training and developing some disordered eating habits. Her performances improved after making some important dietary changes, but it wasn’t enough to prevent some serious physical and mental health issues connected to her training and fueling. Thankfully, she has recovered and now is an advocate for mental health, nutrition, and balance in training.
Aside from running & coaching, Andie and Claire have another sweet passion that they share and we’ll get into that in this conversation.
If you think running a single marathon is tough, get ready to be inspired by Jocelyn Rivas. Jocelyn is on a mission to not just run 100 marathons, but break the Guinness World Records (plural) for being the youngest person to run 100 marathons AND the youngest woman to run 100 marathons AND the youngest Latina to run 100 marathons. Whew!
At age 24, Jocelyn already has 82 marathons behind her, many done during the pandemic, which was no easy feat. And we’re not talking loops she’s running through her neighborhood. These are real certified races, each one bringing her closer to her ambitious goal.
No stranger to adversity, Jocelyn is a DREAMer who was brought to the United States from El Salvador as a child and remains in this country for now thanks to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act.
Part of her 100-marathon motivation stems from her desire to shine a light on people like herself and to show others that women can do anything no matter where they were born. She talks about what this quest means to her, how she manages to pull this off with a challenging full-time job, and what training and recovery is like for her. Oh, and she’s doing this on a completely plant-based diet.
Jocelyn’s great determination and positive energy makes for a very unique and enjoyable conversation with Coach Claire!
Questions Jocelyn is asked:
4:00 You are currently trying to break two Guinness World Records to become the youngest person to run 100 marathons and the youngest woman to run 100 marathons. How old are you and what got you started with this quest?
4:50 How did you start running then? Did you just start with a mile or what was the first day of training like?
5:45 How old were you when you ran your first marathon?
5:56 When did you get this idea to go for the world record?
7:05 Can you explain what a DREAMer is?
8:04 What country are you from?
8:11 Does anyone else in your family run?
8:43 How did the pandemic affect your mission?
10;33 What are some of your favorite stories? How many marathons have you run in a week?
11:49 The obvious question is how do you recover from running 26.2 miles for six out of nine days? You must be sore and tired, so how do you get through that?
16:33 Let’s talk about food. You’re a vegan so you’re like me, and the first question that everyone’s going to ask is, how do you eat enough on a vegan diet? Where do you get your protein? How do you pull this off on just plants?
19:06 You just started eating vegan as an experiment. It wasn’t ethical or environmental. You just saw that people were doing it and decided to try it. Is that it?
19:52 Do you still use gels while you run marathons or do you eat something else?
20:50 How long does it usually take you to run the marathons? Are you running them really fast or what is your average finishing time?
22:28 What are you doing in-between each marathons? Do you have some kind of structured plan? Do you do speed work? Do you do strength training or are you just recovering?
23:59 Have you had any injuries? Are you worried about overtraining or anything like that?
25:22 You’re still working a full-time job 40 hours a week. What do you do and how do you fit all this in with your life?
29:47 You’re planning on hitting marathon number 100 in November in your hometown at the Los Angeles Marathon. What are you anticipating that day to be like?
31:13 What’s been the hardest part of this journey for you?
31:54 You don’t drive. Why don’t you drive?
33:34 What kind of support are you getting from the community? If you pull this off, you will be the youngest Latina to run 100 marathons. Why is that important to you?
35:07 Once you accomplish this, do you have any idea what’s next?
35:31 What’s your next marathon coming up?
Questions I ask everyone:
36:14 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you started running, what advice would you give yourself?
36:53 What is the greatest gift running has given you?
37:18 Where can listeners connect with you?
“I was actually not in a good place mentally. There were things going on with being deported potentially, and so I was just in a very dark place. And I was like, I want to make a statement. I want to make a statement that DREAMers are here to do something good. DREAMers are here to just help.”
“My biggest thing is I take recovery, I prioritize it more than anything. I use so many tools. I massage myself. I use so many lotions. You would make fun of me because I literally have like 10 different lotions and I use them all.”
“I use running as a type of therapy and it’s just so amazing. Once I am done with work, I go for a run. I come back and I’m just like, I feel amazing. That feeling that wow, just everything goes away.”
Take a Listen on Your Next Run
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