Endurance Planet

Sponsor: You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get more than 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $15, normally $30. This deal is exclusive to our EP audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here! And for all your regular UCAN shopping: EP fans get 15% off UCAN, just click the UCAN link to activate the discount or use code “enduranceplanet19” if you’re shopping at generationucan.com for that same 15% discount. Intro MAF meetup was a success! Floris Gierman “won” with the best MAF pace. He’s a passionate student of MAF and you can check him out here: https://extramilest.com and https://extramilest.com/podcast/ Mike C. asks: Curved treadmills- are they harder, same, worse and should we tailor workouts? Thank you for the fantastic podcast and recommendations. Due to various reasons many of us will be running on treadmills this upcoming season. While nothing is a perfect match for outdoor running as outdoor running itself, Curved Manual Treadmills are being promoted by many as closer and more realistic than flat, motorized treadmills. Additionally, there are claims that it can help promote better running form and better use of posterior muscles (https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/6/3/58/htm). I was hoping to get your opinion. There are some differences between the brands such as maximum curvature, curve radius and belt friction which at least one manufacturer says makes a difference. I also know Dr. Mark Cucuzzella has a couple set up in his store and I trust his opinion. CMTs appear to be significantly more difficult: 1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29789265 2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5694659/pdf/fphys-08-00914.pdf 3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30084302 4) Runners World had an article that cherry picked a study and suggests another that is being worked on saying running on a CMT is similar to running on a regular treadmill at 8% incline: https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20950925/you-are-working-harder-on-a-curved-treadmill/ Some people I know say that to account for this difficulty, they adjust their workouts by 20% as suggested in the above linked RW article. (I.e. they mark their distance as 20% greater than what the treadmill says and since their workout duration is constant their pace is increased by 20%. To me, this seems like cheating but the couple of runners I spoke with says that this is almost a perfect match for their RPE and running outdoors.) Here is a nice review article from simplifaster: https://simplifaster.com/articles/curved-treadmills-pros-cons/ This brings me to a couple of questions: 1) We have all heard of “live high, train low”. Is training on a CMT the opposite and thus counterproductive? 2) If our goal is to run long distance, isn’t it counterproductive to work at higher metabolic cost? Don’t we want to be as efficient as possible? Or am I not thinking about this correctly? 3) Do you think we should adjust our workouts similar to previously stated if running on a CMT? 4) If we are going to do Treadmill Running, what are your thoughts on CMT vs traditional flat, motorized treadmill running? Just wanted to add a brief addendum: I find that with my current motorized flat treadmill that it feels my deck gets a bit unstable and bouncy as I approach 12 mph (5:00 min/mile) on short intervals. I did brief test runs on 3 different manufacturers of CMTs (and I do notice differences between them) and did not experience any of the unstableness and felt very comfortable at the higher speeds. I also like the idea of quick acceleration/deceleration of the CMT and you self select the pace instead of running at treadmill defined pace. What the Coaches say: Curved treadmills are great for hill training “Schoenmakers also pointed to curved treadmills as being a useful tool to practice hill running for athletes living in flat territory, noting that the machines are a great workout for the posterior chain muscles: glutes, hamstrings, calves. (He and his coauthor, Kate Reed, are working on a study showing curved treadmills represent the equivalent of an 8 percent grade on motorized treadmills.)“(source) See this study: The physiological and perceptual demands of running on a curved non-motorised treadmill: Implications for self-paced training “Runners really do work about 30 percent harder on the curved, non-motorized treadmills and to expect a 20 percent difference in pace.” “No participant was able to complete the 4 min run at 80% Vmax on the cNMT. Running on the cNMT elicit a higher relative oxygen uptake (%VO2max) across all velocities compared to the MT and was accompanied by significantly higher

Sponsor: Our shop page includes the gold-standard supplements by Thorne Research that athletes trust. Whether for performance, improving wellbeing or enhancing health (or all of the above) Thorne Research will have a formula that fits your needs and it’ll be backed by clinical research and 100% quality. Some of our favorites by Thorne include Multivitamin Elite, Vitamin D/K2 drops, Basic Prenatal, Cal-Mag Citrate, Creatine, Meriva 500-SF, Bio-Gest (digestive enzyme), L-Glutamine Powder, Iron Bisglycinate, Beta-Alanine, Basic B Complex, and Thorne’s Sleep Bundle for Athletes. Paul Laursen is an author, scientist, coach and entrepreneur who’s back on the podcast to discuss his latest project that’s years in the making, one of the most comprehensive resources on high-intensity interval training to ever exist, called HIIT Science. To find out more, head to their website, hiitscience.com, for their free blog and resources, online course and more. Purchase the book, The Science and Application of High-Intensity Interval Training here.   On this show: Podcast mentioned: Alan Couzens on how heat affects fat oxidation rates. Study: The effect of a physiological increase in temperature on mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in rat myofibers. The study was done on rats Paul’s comments: when becoming fat-adapted, you get more mitochondria in the muscle cells, which produce more ATP (energy) from the burning of fat and fatty acids allowing more mitochondria to generate more energy. Take in carbohydrates, but it might be beneficial to have more mitochondria to be able to burn more fat so that the system doesn’t shut down as much as it would if you weren’t fat adapted. HIIT Training: Content vs. context Depends on how much strength, speed, and endurance your sport requires An image of content vs context When looking at endurance sports, you want the HIIT to target the development of the aerobic system Two key benefits of HIIT (if done appropriately): Fast-twitch muscle fibers become more fatigued resistant Increased cardiac output efficiency The biggest misconception about HIIT: It’s NOT about “no pain, no gain!” Always leave a session feeling like you could have done one or two more. How many days do you want to take off between HIIT sessions? The general consensus is 48 hours, a threshold session is 24 hours, and an aerobic session didn’t need any recovery time Context is very important! If the HIIT is done in the running context, it could be up to 72 hours A beginner triathlete might need a whole week Is there a way to add HIIT to your regiment safely for an athlete who has a history of injuries? Depends on the injury HIIT can be added to a lot of different modalities of exercise For example, you can add them to swimming, cycling, and water running Different types of HIIT intervals: HIIT training is defined by periods of exercise that are above your threshold or inside your red zone The red zone exists within a range; the higher the intensity the shorter the duration Long intervals: Between 2-5 minutes of duration at VO2 max; separate it by a recovery duration of 1-3 minutes First example Second example Short intervals: Between 10-60 seconds of duration followed by an equivalent amount of recovery time; First example Second example Repeated sprint intervals: Typically used in a swimming context Between 6-15 seconds all-out followed by a 20-30 seconds recovery Game-based intervals: Typically used in a team sports context How do you envision a plan that blends MAF & HIIT? And do you see the two as being able to complement each other for max results? Both fit in well, within the polarized training model Context is important Steven Seiler’s Polarized Training model: 80:20 rule Other topics covered: How women avoid and/or monitor RED-S and related ailments in a world where still so much research is based on males, and we see that men are more resilient to the effects of low energy availability and related ailments, etc. Putting HIIT in the follicular phase vs. luteal phase Other links mentioned by Paul: https://twitter.com/hiitscience/status/1105423646087176192?s=20 https://twitter.com/hiitscience/status/1124376928495046657?s=20 https://twitter.com/hiitscience/status/1077164585386418178?s=20The post Paul Laursen: HIIT It! How (and Why) To Add High-Intensity Interval Training to Your Endurance Program with Success first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get more than 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $15, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here! James Proctor asks: Training in Cold Climate for a Hot Weather Race While my question is specific to one race, I think that triathletes from close to half or one third of the country have pondered this issue. I got a medical deferral to Ironman Arizona 2020 and I have purchased a plan on Training Peaks which has two rides over six hours each (one at the end of October and the other at the beginning of November). Temperatures here in Eastern Washington are hovering in the mid 40s to low 50s during the day and some days haven’t even reached 40. I dread the idea of riding on an indoor trainer for over six hours and I know how important it is to be on the road to sharpen bike handling skills. I got some great ideas off of the Slowtwitch forum but was curious if you or one of your great coaches had any input. I think I could handle a few hours outside bundled up and layers if it isn’t raining (rain, wind and 40 degree temperatures can be miserable). If you feel this could warrant a few minutes on your podcast, I think it would help a lot of people. What the Coaches say: Wearing multiple layers that don’t vent can create a micro-climate of 100 degrees F. You’ll be fine! Sauna sessions (not steam room) after workouts at the gym can also help you adapt to the heat. Consider doing race recon training. If it’s possible, do a quick trip in the late summer to Arizona to train. Bike handling skills come from short rides and technical rides, so don’t worry that trainer rides will take away from that. Almost everyone hates long rides on the trainer! Lucho suggests cutting the 6-hour bike on the trainer. Consider instead doing 2 rides a day: Morning = 2×20 min hard on the trainer Evening = 2 hours aerobic Tawnee, on the other hand, thinks there is a payoff to dealing with the tedium of long rides. But it’s best to do these outside. IMAZ isn’t too technical of a course (it’s 3 out-and-backs without hills). Don’t stress too much about bike handling. Kevin G. from KY asks: Vertical Gain Training I love the show! I live in Kentucky with relatively few hills for training. I have been running ultras for a couple years and wanted to know your and Lucho’s thoughts on how to train for races with significantly more vertical gain than I can am able to find. My current approach is to use strength training and the stair machine. But this comes at a cost of less time actually running. Notes for context: 1) I typically train 6x per week. 2x for full body lifting. And 4x for cardio with 1 of those being on the stair machine and the other 3 running. 2) My hilliest running route can get about 60ft/mile and I’m doing 50k – 100m with up to 200ft/mi. 3) East coast races to altitude is not a factor. Just elevation gain. What the Coaches say: The stairmaster doesn’t help you with the overriding problem of downhill pounding. Lucho recommends eliminating one of your full-body lifting days and replacing it with a run that incorporates plyometrics, such as squat jumps, walking lunges, or bulgarian split squats. Consider going to a football field and running diagonal across the field then doing plyometrics across the end zone. Repeat as appropriate. If you can do 10 intervals, then you’re good. If you can build up enough durability then you can start loading your squats. Lucho’s challenge to anyone: try doing 100 walking lunges! (Good luck walking the next day ) This plyometric approach is very helpful for “weak” runners who are not durable. Hill repeats would obviously be helpful. The incline doesn’t need to be too steep. Consider taking a weekend trip to a hilly area to train. You can reap lasting benefits from hill training only once a month. Jason T. asks: What equals a low stride rate? On a recent show you listed risk factors for injury and a low turnover was one of them (I think!). Simple question — what stride rate is ‘low’? What the Coaches say: There’s no magical stride rate number. Though the classic answer is that a low stride rate is under 170. It’s worth getting a run analysis done by a professional to determine if you’re running at too low a stride rate. Ankle collapse is a telling sign of a too-low stride rate. John C. asks: Should you really increase your stride rate? Hi Endurance Planet. Firstly, I enjoy listening to you guys, keep up the great work! Question: I am a fairly serious runner,

Sponsor: Check out BodyHealth, the makers of PerfectAmino, an athlete’s secret weapon featuring eight essential amino acids in the exact ratios needed to ensure proper protein synthesis in the body. PerfectAmino has been tested and approved for in-competition athletes and professional sports; and all of us over at EP have used in in our athletic careers. BodyHealth also offers Perfect Calm, a new well-formulated magnesium powder supplement to round out an athlete’s needs in particular getting good sleep and stress management. And did you know that BodyHealth also offers well-formulated natural vitamins and supplements to meet your other needs including their Body Detox, Healthy Sleep Ultra, Intestinal Cleanse, weight loss aids, and more. Plus, PerfectAmino now comes in a sugar-free powder form that’s great for those who don’t like pills and/or want something tasty to mix in your workout drink! Welcome to episode 13 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit. On this episode: Brain says: A Followup “Thanks” From HPN 11 Tawnee & Julie thank you so much for this episode. The last few months I’ve gone to fasted workouts, high fat, lower carb lifestyle. So far I had been able to do bike training sessions of about 2-2.5 hrs on just some coffee with collagen, mct oil, and ghee and taking in a bottle mix with EEAs and felt great. However I’m training for IMSTG in May and I know this fueling will not be enough to get me through the race. This podcast gave me some ideas to play around with so I’ve got Tailwind, Ucan, Fbomb, and Justin’s Nut butter on the way. Our Seasonal Eating Guide – Part 1, Winter: Eating with the seasons is one of the best things you can do for your diet. Our aim with this list is not to say that these are the only vegetables and fruits you should eat, but rather to inspire you to expand the foods that land on your plate and *when* you eat them — by choosing certain foods when they’re at their peak! Julie and Tawnee share some of the best fresh seasonal foods to buy this coming year; five for each season. 1. Endives Two different types depending on the shape of their leaves (curly or straight) From the chicory family along with radicchio Grown in conditions without light which deprives them of chlorophyll Tastier with cooler temperatures Lasts in the refrigerator for up to a week Pairs well with: garlic, lemon, chilies, anchovies, and all cheeses Cooking methods: Braise Grill Saute Steam Raw Nutrition profile: Loaded with vitamin K (72%), most B vitamins, and C Folate And inulin (a type of soluble fiber) 2. Rapini Similar to broccoli rabe Best consumed within 3 days of purchase; tends to get more pungent and bitter the longer you keep it around The stem is tough; trim the base of the stock by an inch and peel the first few layers to cook Pairs well with: pork, creamy cheeses, white beans, and anchovies Cooking methods: Boil Steam Grill Roast Saute with olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes Nutrition profile: Vitamin A, C, and K Fiber Calcium Folate 3. Hardy Kiwi Originated in China, brought to New Zealand in the 1940s, and was introduced to the US in the 1960s. Now, it is mostly grown in California or imported from New Zealand and Chili It is not as sustainable as other fruits because it takes a lot of water to grow (something to consider when buying) Loaded with Vitamin C (141% in one large kiwi); Julie likes to eat them when she feels like she is getting sick Doesn’t have the fuzzy skin like regular kiwis There are different variations of the kiwi (i.e., in the dormant season, the Arctic Beauty kiwi can survive in -25 degrees) 4. Kohlrabi The “cabbage turnip” (German) Cruciferous or brassica family (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower), but a little more hearty like a root vegetable (potato + turnip or radish) with a light sweetness. Sweeter with cooler temperatures Stores well to make it fresh and available throughout the winter (Nov-Dec-Jan-Feb-Mar-Apr) Nutrition profile: Vitamin A, Bs, C, and K Copper, manganese, iron, potassium, and calcium Dietary fiber 5. Turnip Prefers colder climates Good shelf life Mild taste High in vitamin C and a good source of fiber Greens are nutritious too (antioxidants, vitamin K, folate, calcium, potassium, magnesium) Collagen protein vs. whey protein – what’s the difference? Summary: whey and collagen have a different nutritional profile; it is good to have a variety. Collagen can be a good supplement and complement to an athlete’s routine. Definition: Collagen – the main and structural protein in the body including muscles, tendons, bones, skin, digestive system Whey – complex water-soluble protein Derived from: Collagen – animal cartilage, bones, and skin Primal Kitchen Collagen Vital Proteins Collagen Whey – 20% of the protein in cows milk Function: Collagen &#8211

Sponsor: You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $15, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here! Announcements MAF Meetup! Join us for a MAF run in Orange County, Calif! Tawnee is organizing a MAF run meet up at the Laguna Beach High School track on Jan. 11 at 8am PT. Get there a bit early, as we plan to start the MAF run on the track at 8. There is free parking on the street by the track entrance(s). We’ll do roughly a 2-3 mile warmup and 3-5 mile MAF run test. Depending on your ability you can run more or less, as needed. Plan on about an hour of running. We’re in it together and there’s ZERO pressure! Just come out and have fun in a group environment and learn more about MAF testing if you are new to it or if you’re a MAF veteran join some like-minded runners! Details: 8am PT January 11, 2020 Laguna Beach High School Track 625 Park Ave, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 Study mention: “Listening to Fast-Tempo Music Delays the Onset of Neuromuscular Fatigue“: Background info: The potential physiological mechanism(s) underlying the effect of music on performance may reside in altering perceptions of fatigue as well as changes in brain activity. It has been suggested that emotional responses to the music such as eliciting a unique memory may also contribute to the observed increase in performance. What remains unknown is the influence of fast-tempo music on neuromuscular fatigue. EMG looks at muscle function. EMG amplitude is influenced by the number of activated motor units and their firing rates. The electromyographic fatigue threshold (EMGFT) is the highest exercise intensity that an individual can maintain for an extended period without an increase in the EMG amplitude. The study: 10 college aged men, EMG on their rectus femurs (quad). Did a single leg knee extension exercise at increasing watts until fatigue criteria met. Intervention included songs at 137 to 160 beats per minutes – songs were instrumental of popular songs (Beat it, etc). Music was asynchronous to activity (knee extensions 70 bpm) The findings: Fast-tempo music increased the EMGFT compared with no music. Subjects achieved a higher maximal power output when listening to music. Fast-tempo music did not influence absolute or relative end-exercise heart rate. Most studies looking at this show an increased performance (higher watts, etc), this was one of the first to show an increased time to neuromuscular fatigue (increase in exercise tolerance). Why? Changes in brain activity. Listening to music, during exercise influences brain regions that result in attenuating internal cues related to fatigue. Increased activity w/ music in these areas: Temporal regions Insular cortex LIFG [left inferior frontal gyrus] Robert W. asks: Dropping an Hour Off A Current Marathon Best to Get A BQ I am looking to run a BQ next fall and am looking for your recommendation on how to spend this winter, spring and summer. The goal race is the Erie Marathon fall 2020. With that time frame, it seems remotely possible on paper to cut my 4:05 PR time as needed to hit the 3hr qualifying time. What would you recommend as a periodized plan for getting my speed and endurance up enough while I have this time at my disposal? BACKGROUND: I quit smoking three years ago just before turning 30 and began running as a means to overcome the addiction. Needless to say, I’ve become hooked and ran my third full marathon this fall. I’ve logged a lot of races most at 10miles or more with a lot of Half marathons as training races. I’ve been self-trained, using Garmin training plans with a mix of MAF and mostly following the 80/20 model and daily 2milers with the dog(I don’t push him faster than 10min pace, so I don’t treat these as “quality” runs since I’m way under MAF). So, just a mix-mash of everything. CURRENT STATUS: This fall (2019) I ran the Akron Marathon and was pleased to PR 4:05:38 (previous PR in 2017 on this course at 4:23). I felt stronger than in previous years leading up running between 4 and 5 days a week following a Garmin intermediate marathon training plan averaging 30-40miles per week. I only got one20miler before a 3 week taper, but raced four half marathons as my “long runs” over the course of a month before taper. The issue I ran into during the race was a bit of a left knee niggle around 23miles. It caused me pain and I needed to walk a bit until about the last mile. Since the race, I took some down time and recovery until my knee reliably wasn’t sore. Recovery was light running with the dog, but the second my knee showed pain, it became a walk. Rece

Sponsor: Have you explored Nourish Balance Thrive yet? It’s the wellness solution created for athletes, by athletes. The NBT team can help you heal fatigue, insomnia, hormonal or digestive problems so you can regain peak performance! Nourish Balance Thrive has a carefully cultivated tools to better assess your health. Our guest on this episode is Jill Miller, a pain-relief and wellness expert with 29 years of corrective movement expertise that forges links between the worlds of yoga, massage, athletics, and pain management. Her signature self-care fitness programs, Yoga Tune Up® and The Roll Model® are found at gyms, yoga studios, hospitals, athletic training facilities and corporations worldwide. Jill is also a mama and expert at pregnancy and postpartum health and healing for women, she has a special program just for moms called Roll Model Mama. On this episode, Jill explains the crucial steps to preventing and/or healing diastasic recti during pregnancy and in the postpartum phase. Find out more about Jill and her products at www.tuneupfitness.com. More from Jill: Diastasis Recti Do’s and Don’ts Video with Jill demonstrating postpartum breathwork   On this show: Diastasis recti (DR) – what is it? Doesn’t every woman get it during pregnancy? Need understanding of connective tissue, fascia, facial interface Split tear thinning of abdominal muscles (right and left hemisphere), from zyphoid process to pubis Linea alba has different natural tension on different people Even babies have DR! So, DR is perfectly natural and it’s natural to have weakness in this area. But there can be an unnatural drift on right vs. left sides, i.e. a tensional pull away from the midline. Drift occurs in various layers of the abdominal muscles, it can go through all the layers, so diagnosis is about figuring out what layer is pulling away the most? The rectus abdominus is the outer most layer that we notice the most. The goal is to re-establish tone that crosses R/L and also flex the spine (flexion). Body has to re-train core control after DR happens. Breath is key! Correct intraabdominal pressure – get things to act as a unit to avoid rift in DR. Sara Tar – Crossfit athlete who’s been very open about her major DR who joined Jill on the Today show to discuss DR. Jill helps Tawnee through a little self-diagnosis on Tawnee’s DR, which is mostly in the upper rectus abdominus. DR – not just the width but the depth of DR down in the layers. If it’s down through the TVA, surgery might be an option. Jill’s daughter was born with an umbilical hernia and how Jill helped her to naturally strengthen her core to avoid surgery. (Seams in utero didn’t seal correctly.) Book recommendation – Diastasis Recti: The Whole Body Solution to Abdominal Weakness and Separation by Katie Bowman Whole body weakness could be birth defect or improper exercise, e.g. not engaging TVA or improper breath during core work. Have you connected your breathing to your ab work? Prepare to Repair! If you get DR, you have to learn how to BREATHE well. So why not start now?! You need the breathing practice for pushing anyway J Breathing helps transfer proper tension into TVA. Later in pregnancy, breath transfers to ribcage (because there’s no room below)! Three zones of respiration. Zone 1 below diaphragm. Zone 2 rib cage. Zone 3 Inner baby carriage – this capsule needs to be tensioned. Jill mentions the use of her Corgeous ball in the Roll Model Mama program. How to properly use your breathing muscles: Are you ever completely letting go of muscles in the body? Are you holding unconscious tension? Female core is notorious for unconscious tension. Are you always pulling in your belly? Chronic shortening of these tissues is not good, we need to let them go in order to get descent of respiratory system. Diaphragm is distended on inhalation. Correspondingly, TVA should receive that pressure and swell (everything expands). During exhale we need to allow a reflexive rebound, i.e. drawn in and up. Diaphragm goes back to dome position. Chronic tension? Diaphragm can’t descend as low as it could because it’s prevented from doing so. No cooperative play. Bottom line: Don’t always hold it in. Every hear someone say “pull belly button to the spine”? That’s not enough! Instead, Jill says to synch core into spine to work on TVA (which is mostly on the sides). When TVA contracts is creates a global synching, it’s not a spinal flexor it’s a stabilizer. Get your pelvic floor checked in the postpartum phase! Breathing cues: Breathe in—feel that pelvic floor (perimeter of gut) distends On exhale “gather” tissues and compress in toward center. Blow out 99+ candles and rid self of all available air. As you get more advance you can target activation of certain muscles more specifically, e.g. Internal abdominal obliques. After many births or “life things” that affect core we lose proprioception so we want to stimulate tissues and regain control. Muscle contraction at the right t

Sponsor: You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $15, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our EP audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here! Sponsor: Be sure to open Amazon via enduranceplanet.com—it’s just one extra click to link to Amazon through the sidebar banner or search bar (to the right of the page) or click the Amazon links in the show notes. Thanks for supporting the show. Announcements and Intro Remarks Endurance Planet has tons of new gear! In addition to shirts, there are also baby onesies (see picture of baby Cora on EP’s instagram!), super warm beanies, and socks. Send photos of you and your family sporting EP gear to [email protected] Tawnee briefly discusses diastasis recti—keep an eye out for a future podcast on this topic! Peter W. asks: MAF Test Question – Time to Introduce speed now? First off – let me say thank you for this really wonderful podcast. You guys have helped changed many peoples lives – many of whom you have never, and will likely never met – extremely grateful for this podcast, and all of the insights. So a big Thank You is in orders! Offseason MAF maintenance question: I am 32, 6’1 – 160lbs and on a plant based diet. I’ve been run for about 3 years, but have only really focused on training MAF for the last 18 months or so. I average about 30 – 40 miles a week in the offseason and about 50 – 60 miles during more formal training. I recently completed a 10 mile MAF test using the 180 formula and adjusting for +5 beats – which puts me right at 153HR as my MAF level, and I normally train between 140 – 150HR for about 90% of my runs. Results are as follows – note the course was not a track, and had some bridges with elevate…which I love to run due to the very scenic route. · Mile 1: 7:09 (pace)/ 149HR · Mile 2: 7:16 / 154HR · Mile 3: 7:22 / 155HR · Mile 4: 7:30 / 155HR · Mile 5: 7:32 / 155HR · Mile 6: 7:41 / 153HR · Mile 7: 7:46 / 153HR · Mile 8: 7:48 / 154HR · Mile 9: 7:55 / 154HR · Mile 10: 8:00 / 153HR My question: I’ve been responding very well to MAF based training over the last year or so, however, given the results above, and the fact that I find it challenging to hold a HR of say 165 – 170HR for an extended period of time (puts me in the low 6 min pace wise)…would you start to incorporate specific speed drills right now, or should I see were MAF takes me, and introduce speed-work closer to an event. What the Coaches say: It’s important to know what you’re training for, but Lucho’s initial reaction is to say, yes, do speedwork. Holding 165-170HR should be difficult. But if you find that you can’t hold 170-175 for more than a minute, then yes, you’re deficient in that upper-end. Once a week doing a long threshold run at 165-170 would be fine. Also doing work in the 155-165 zone would be good. Speedwork: 8″-20″ all-out followed by 4′ of total recovery. This is a safe approach that won’t wreck your MAF training. But ease yourself into it. Gradually build up the intervals (start with 3-4x 8″ on a hill). 800s and 400s would also be ok, so long as you don’t go overboard. If you’re more than 30 weeks out from a marathon, then go ahead incorporating speed. Ease off at the 30-week mark and focus in on marathon-specific build starting from 18 weeks out. Strength and lactate are also important factors in running well. MAF/aerobic fitness isn’t the whole picture. Roland Y. asks: Is most of the time spent training below your actual MAF? (This is a question we’ve had sent to us several times recently) I discovered endurance planet 10 years ago – how listen to you guys is to save the episodes so when I take my holidays I can binge – I cannot count the number of times I have been laying on the beach in the canary islands and drifted into relaxation. Setting myself up raring to get out training when I return home to the uk. So I decided let’s give this MAF thing a go… you are always talking about it. Quick question When you calculate your MAF is the objective to do most of your training below MAF. Currently I am attempting to train in the fat burning zone which is around 10 beats below my MAF, or do you train as normal but below your MAF regardless. What I am attempting run / cycle and lower my heart rate but increase my speed / pace – aka Mark Allen style. ( already with MAF I am leaning that walking is now my best friend – keeping in that fat burning zone is hard) What the Coaches say: Initial thoughts: while MAF is a good approach to maximize fat burning, about 80% of fat metabolism is dictated by di

Sponsor: Holiday shopping to do? Be sure to open Amazon via enduranceplanet.com—it’s just one extra click to link to Amazon through the sidebar banner or search bar (to the right of the page) or click the Amazon links in the show notes. Thanks for supporting the show. Welcome to episode 12 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit. On this episode: Intro banter Tawnee shares about introducing new foods to Cora and how chicken liver & Vital Choice Salmon roe were a big hit. Do babies eat intuitively (based on what they know they need) vs. preferentially (what they want)? Tawnee’s Instagram stories has baby food recipes and tips. How Julie gears up to run outdoors in winter conditions: Wool socks Altra Lone Peaks Yaktrax Mittens (not gloves!) Insulated running tights Hanna B. from Germany asks: Fueling a MTB race with Fructose Malabsorption (and Hormone Tie In?) So great to have Tawnee back on the show, I follow you on Instagram and love seeing all the chubby baby pictures, it makes my heart smile every time. I have a question regarding fructose malabsorption in terms of fueling during a race. After suffering from severe gastrointestinal issues for almost 8 months and having to bail on most of my cycling and running training, I was finally diagnosed with fructose malabsorption via a hydrogen breath test. It also explains why I would feel like taking gels (SiS isotonic gels) would almost make me feel slower and give me gut problems. It’s not just fructose from fruits I can’t have, but also onions, broccoli, certain beans, and a variety of other vegetables, as well as normal white/brown sugar as this is often up to 50% fructose. It seems I also only do well eating small portions. The upside is that now that I know what ails me, I can dial in my diet properly, and have started working out again despite losing a lot of fitness. Next year I’ll be racing an 84 km Mountain Bike Race with quite a bit of elevation, I will need a good 5 1/2 hours to complete that race, and I have no idea how to fuel it. The aid stations usually have isotonic drinks with sugar that I can’t have, nor can I have the watermelon or bananas or coke (ew) offered. Since I am just re-starting my base training now and have a lot of time to test and get used to foods during a race, are there any practical tips you could give me? I know that I will be using a lot of glycogen as it will be a hard race with a lot of climbing, so I would like to replenish that. I can have pure glucose, dextrose and maltodextrin. Does the body absorb these differently or is there any timing issue that I need to look out for? I know you aren’t nutritionists per se, but since there are a few other fructose malabsorbant people in some of my Facebook groups, any answer from trainers would probably benefit them as well. It was a fructose breath test, I’ll have to wait for a while to take a SIBO test. I’ve cut down on FODMAPs and it seems to help. However, even classifying FODMAPS isn’t easy as different websites list different things, and I’ll be fine with some foods listed as “bad”. Fiber is also still difficult, I’ve started adding psyllium husks to my morning smoothies to get my gut used to it. Water kefir seems to help, and my safe foods are white rice and boiled eggs. Ha. Maybe I can fuel a race with that. I know this sounds insane but I have a feeling that my reproductive hormones play a part in this, as my periods have become very irregular when this started, although the GYN said everything is fine. He (my male GYN), says I don’t need a hormone test, so I’m looking for a new one to get tested. As far as numbers, all I have are the lab results from the Fructose breath test. I had 18 ppm as a baseline which was already high, then it went up to 55 after 15 minutes, 85 after 30 minutes and over 100 after 45 minutes. I had such pain that I had to go home and lie down. It’s not easy and I’m thankful for any input. What the Coaches say: 101 Definitions Intolerance – dose dependent response. An individual will be able to tolerate some of that food, but if over consumed symptoms can start to occur. Can present as brain fog, skin issues, GI distress, headaches. Malabsorption – contents or nutrients in the food aren’t digested properly because they are not successfully transported through the intestinal wall. Some contents will be absorbed, but some won’t. Allergy – can’t tolerate any. What is Fructose? Monosaccharide – simple carbohydrate – stuck in small intestine and draws water to itself in the small intestine can cause painful diarrhea, etc. Foods high in fructose: Apples, pears, mangos, melons, honey is 40% fructose, artichokes, cauliflower, onions, beets, sweet potatoes, high-fructose corn syrup sof

Sponsor: Ready to go deeper with your health but don’t know where to start and having trouble obtaining blood tests from doctors? Check out Inside Tracker, an awesome service to use for convenient and informative blood testing geared toward athletes. IT uses science and technology to deliver ultra-personalized guidance based on blood biomarkers that span from cholesterol to inflammation and much more. You can get up to 43 biomarkers tested and more on your journey to bettering performance, along with many other features such as your “inner age,’ genetic info, and personalized recommendations. Our favorite is the Ultimate package. Use code “enduranceplanet” for a 10% discount. Sponsor: You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $17.50, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our EP audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here! For all your other UCAN needs, EP fans get 15% off UCAN, shop now. You can also use the code “enduranceplanet19” if you’re shopping at generationucan.com for that same 15% discount. On this episode of Ask The Coaches with Lucho and Tawnee: Intro Banter and Announcements Do Our Survey! We need your help! Participate in a survey to help us learn more for a new athlete health & nutrition program and be entered to win a 30-min consult with Tawnee for free! The brief backstory: Tawnee has been collaborating with sports nutritionist and registered dietician, Dina Griffin, on a new project, and we want to learn a little more about you to help us fine-tune things. So if you would be kind enough to take this survey we’d sincerely appreciate it. Be sure to add your email and you’ll be automatically entered to win a free 30min consult with Tawnee! Lee Cordova asks: MAF – walking “too easy,” running “too hard” Hey Tawnee and Lucho, hope all is well!! I have a MAF question which means you have probably answered it at some point, but couldn’t find it looking back through the archive, so may be a good topic to cover again! My wife is getting back in to running after an injury, and has been doing so with a heart rate monitor for the first time. She broke her femur, so it has been a long and slow recovery! The question is about her training that we’ve been working on together – but asked with her permission For a while a brisk walk could get her heart rate into a good aerobic/MAF zone, but now walking is too easy – and yet every time she goes into running her heart rate jumps way up. It seems like her MAF pace is in between walking and running. What should she do to build a solid aerobic base, hopefully eventually getting her MAF pace to a 13min/mi? Right now she has been doing run/walk intervals, even though the running is sending her HR above the aerobic zone. What the Coaches say: You’re on the right track with run/walk intervals. Plyometrics (hopping and jumping) will help strengthen the muscles that aren’t used to running. Stand on one leg and lift your heel a half inch off the floor and hold it until it burns. Lunge to knee drive. Air squats into walking lunges for thirty minutes. Biking would also help (if you do that sport too). Walk uphill and run downhill; hike a 3 mile climb then run down. Going 5-10 beats over MAF is ok (as long as your perceived exertion is still light) because you’re working on regaining fitness. You’ll see an improvement in your HR after a month of training. Running unnaturally is a recipe for disaster, so don’t be a slave to MAF if the slower jog messes with your form. Kate Brown asks: Stepping up from 50ks to 100ks Hi! Having now run 4 small ultras, all around 55kms, I’m contemplating doing a 100km race next September. This would be my best way of getting closure on the ultra trail monte rosa which got half cancelled thanks to snow. I had a thoroughly good time completing the 1st 2 days of the stage race and the 100km race does only the 2nd have of the full course. I’m curious what changes I should make to my training other than the obvious add in some night running. Attached is the bulk of my run training in the run up to the UTMR and I don’t really envisage adding anymore volume aside from maybe adding in some weight vest hikes. My lead upto the race is relatively short & constrained by the fact that every year I guide for a week in the Dolomites for a group doing the maratona cycle sportive in early July and bike intensively for the 8wks preceeding, with no energy left for running. However this formula suits my motivation to run. Winters are spent most doing XC

Sponsor: Check out this stellar Black Friday Discount deal with our friends at Inside Tracker, which is the place to go for convenient and informative blood testing geared toward athletes. IT uses science and technology to deliver ultra-personalized guidance based on blood biomarkers that span from cholesterol to inflammation and much more. For a limited time (just a few days), Inside Tracker is running their BEST sale of the year for our fans: $200 off the Ultimate package, their most comprehensive and best selling test of 43 biomarkers. The Ultimate package at the ultimate price, for the ultimate version of you. Use code CHEERSEP at checkout to receive this discount. Or maybe you want to start off slow and work your way up? Get 25% off any goal-specific packages that test between 7 and 20 biomarkers. Use code CHEERSEP at checkout to apply this exclusive deal. Act now, these deals end on Dec. 2, 2019 at 12AM PST and you definitely don’t want to miss out on this opportunity to optimize your health and fitness. If you’re tuning in after those dates, you can use code “enduranceplanet” for a 10% discount. Today’s guest is Krista Austin, Ph.D, CSCS, a sport scientist currently serving as an industry consultant and performance specialist for professional and Olympic sport athletes. Austin has worked for the United States Olympic Committee, the English Institute of Sport, England’s Cricket team and multiple national governing bodies of sport including USA Wrestling, USA Taekwondo, USA Weightlifting and USA Triathlon. Her wide range of expertise includes consulting for professional sport teams on the use of intermittent hypoxic training, preparing athletes for the NFL combine, endurance coaching for distance runners and triathletes of all levels, and providing performance nutrition to multiple populations from elite athletes to diabetics. Austin recently authored a chapter on Injury Prevention and Recovery for the “The Women’s Guide to Training for Triathlon” and has also authored the book, “Performance Nutrition: Applying the Science of Nutrient Timing,” which approached nutrition from a performance perspective through the intentional use of food to optimize an aspect of human physiology. Topics Krista’s story Rebuilding marathoner Meb (and introducing him to UCAN with great success). Intermittent fasting (IF) vs. Regular meal intake Weighing the benefits to “even” refueling/meal intake vs. time-restricted feeding and/or intermittent fasting? Why a 12-14 hour overnight fast should be “no big deal” for all of us. Female health considerations Working with a female athlete’s menstrual cycle. Treating amenorrhea in active athletes. Sports nutrition for women vs. men Guiding a nutrition plan for a female athlete – what variables are factored in to ensure their unique physiology and health needs addressed? Krista proposes: Maybe the idea of women not being small men misses the point a bit? Krista shares why male and female athletes are actually far more similar and should be treated as such. The post Krista Austin, Ph.D: Simplifying Sports Nutrition, and Are Female and Male Athletes More Similar Than We Think? first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: Ready to go deeper with your health but don’t know where to start and having trouble obtaining blood tests from doctors? Check out Inside Tracker, an awesome service to use for convenient and informative blood testing geared toward athletes. IT uses science and technology to deliver ultra-personalized guidance based on blood biomarkers that span from cholesterol to inflammation and much more. You can get up to 43 biomarkers tested and more on your journey to bettering performance, along with many other features such as your “inner age,’ genetic info, and personalized recommendations. Our favorite is the Ultimate package. Use code “enduranceplanet” for a 10% discount. Sponsor: You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $17.50, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our EP audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here! For all your other UCAN needs, EP fans get 15% off UCAN, shop now. You can also use the code “enduranceplanet19” if you’re shopping at generationucan.com for that same 15% discount. On this episode of Ask The Coaches with Lucho and Tawnee: Intro Banter and Announcements Do Our Survey! We need your help! Participate in a survey to help us learn more for a new athlete health & nutrition program and be entered to win a 30-min consult with Tawnee for free! The brief backstory: Tawnee has been collaborating with sports nutritionist and registered dietician, Dina Griffin, on a new project, and we want to learn a little more about you to help us fine-tune things. So if you would be kind enough to take this survey we’d sincerely appreciate it. Be sure to add your email and you’ll be automatically entered to win a free 30min consult with Tawnee! Jon let us know about a cool event: “I thought you might get a kick out of an event that happened this past Sunday in West Michigan. In honor of Eliud Kipchoge’s first ever sub-2 hour marathon, I organized a marathon relay in Holland, MI on Sunday, Oct 27 and recruited 44 other runners to run 210×200 meters to see if we could match or beat Kipchoge’s time. It was a ton of fun and we got it done in 1:49:32 (4:11/mile pace). Runners ranged in age from 8 to 55 years old and ran between 1 and 26 legs. I ran 26 of the 210 legs and I’m feelin it this week! Crazy to imagine maintaining that pace for 26.2 miles solo There’s a more thorough recap and really cool highlight video available at sub2relay.com“ Research mention: Training Prescription Guided by Heart Rate Variability Vs. Block Periodization in Well-Trained Cyclists 20 well trained cyclists (15 completed) 2 week baseline 8 week intervention- HRV and BP groups, both maintained volume that was similar in each group HRV trained according to HRV monitoring (weather to do HIIT, low intensity or rest, etc.). IF HRV was low they were not to do HIIT. BP had set training program (as seen in study) Several evaluation interventions with 40min TT, etc. Used HRV4Training app, measured upon waking for 90 seconds. For the HRV-G group, training was prescribed according to their HRV morning values following a decision-making schema (24) (Figure 2). Cyclists only performed 2 consecutive sessions of high-intensity training and did not accumulate more than 2 consecutive days of rest. Results Both improved Vo2max Performance (40 TT) increased in the HRV-G but not in the BP group. Individual changes in 40 TT reported only 1 subject with a decrease in performance for the HRV-G, whereas the BP group presented 3 subjects with less power output in POST (Figure 5). In addition, the mean change was 6 +/- 6%, and it has been suggested that changes lower than 4.4% could be due to normal day-to-day variation (26,27). Peak power output improved in the HRV-G group with no change in the BP group. Both improved power output at ventilatory threshold (WVT1 only in HRV but WVT2 in both groups) qualitative assessment showed likely beneficial effects for the HRV-G, whereas in the BP group, it reported possibly trivial effects. Therefore, it seems that individualizing high-intensity training when the athlete is in optimal cardiac autonomic homeostasis could lead to an improved adaptive response to training. “Importantly, these data show that HRV- guided training prescription presented a more positive response at improving fitness and performance than a block periodization (BP).” Loren Q. asks: Hilly MAF Training Hi! New to your podcast and am absolutely loving it! What a great format and lots of solid info. I have been doing MAF for about a month and am curious how I should approach long up

Sponsor: Ready to go deeper with your health but don’t know where to start and having trouble obtaining blood tests from doctors? Check out Inside Tracker, an awesome service to use for convenient and informative blood testing geared toward athletes. IT uses science and technology to deliver ultra-personalized guidance based on blood biomarkers that span from cholesterol to inflammation and much more. You can get up to 43 biomarkers tested and more on your journey to bettering performance, along with many other features such as your “inner age,’ genetic info, and personalized recommendations. Our favorite is the Ultimate package. Use code “enduranceplanet” for a 10% discount. Welcome to episode 11 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit. On this episode: Research Review: Non-nutritive Sweeteners (NNS) Implications for Consumption in Athletic Populations Purpose of this review: (a) consolidating the existing metabolic concerns in cell culture and animal models, (b) demonstrating the risks and benefits of use in human subjects, and (c) establishing where future research should investigate with regards to consumers using NNS to increase performance and optimize body composition. Types: Saccharin Sucralose Sucralose represents one of the most researched NNS used commercially, making up more than 4,500 products and 62% of the over 1-billion dollar NNS market (79). Aspartame Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K) Stevia Conclusions: Most studies thus far on animal or in vitro studies; not enough studies done on humans to make any conclusive statements. Not enough evidence to link them to cancer. Some evidence between them and the impact on the gut microbiome. Saccharin seems to be the worst in terms of gut health. Stevia seems to have the potential to be the least harmful, but also hasn’t been studied for long enough to determine anything for certain. “Overall, the inclusion of NNS in popular protein supplementation may be perpetuating many of the hypothesized mechanisms relating to altered metabolism and decreased satiety.”   Jeff asks: Cholesterol & Low Carb Diets I have a very functionally minded primary care physician who agrees with past show guests that the most important lipid statistics are ratios. While my key ratios are all ideal, my total cholesterol is at such a high level that it cannot be ignored and we finally gave in to trying low dose statins in the last few months. We will run a full set of tests again after 6 months to determine our path forward. I would ask that you have a general discussion on managing cholesterol levels with a typical low carb eating style. Personally, I am a 54 year old male, describe myself as an “active couch potato” – run 30-60 miles per week, but have a desk job, typically eat a 1-egg vegetable omelette, wild-caught smoked salmon, decaf expresso with whole milk and a small amount of seasonal berries for breakfast, a salad with olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon or lime and meat left over from the previous night’s dinner for lunch, and whatever meat, potatoes and veggies we have for dinner – plus another glass of whole milk. I may indulge in a bowl of ice cream a couple times week for dessert…   Cholesterol Chat Outline Ideas for high cholesterol on LC/keto. Why we need/want cholesterol (but things can go wrong). What biomarkers matter and why you might need to go deeper in testing more than typical lipid panel. What are some numbers to look for. Dietary / nutritional interventions.   3 theories of high LDL & lipids on low carb or keto Feldman’s theory – “Higher energy demands, lower body fat stores, and lower glycogen stores in lean mass hyper responders trigger the liver to increase production of lipoprotein particles so that TGs can be transported to cells for use as fuel. Since cholesterol travels along with TGs, blood cholesterol levels might rise as the liver pumps out more lipoproteins to keep up with the body’s energy demands.” Keep in mind this is so far unproven. “Ketone production requires acetyl-CoA, precursor to cholesterol. Having more acetyl-CoA in circulation could theoretically increase cholesterol synthesis.” “Higher saturated fat intake increases cholesterol absorption; low insulin state decreases LDL receptor activity. Together, these variables can in theory increase circulating LDL concentration.”   Also check: Thyroid! Hypothyroid at even subclinical levels may put lipids at higher risk. Studies show that LDL-P (particle number) can decrease with use of thyroid hormone. TSH < 2.5, and T3 and T4 is low, could be low pituitary function. If TSH is normal, check diet for high in carbs and saturated fat. Leaky gut / gut dysbiosis Genetics   Dr. Tom Dayspring – Lipidaholics Anonymous Case 291 C

Sponsor: You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $17.50, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our EP audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here! Intro Banter and Announcements: We have a bunch of new EP gear — including just-added men’s and women’s athletic tech T-shirts — for casual wear, kids and babies go over to our Gear page. Get your hands on some and send us a pic of you sporting the logo! Wanna run Ragnar SoCal with the EP team? It’s April 3-4, 2020 and we are opening a second team. To find out more, email us at [email protected]. Shoe debate after the sub-2 marathon: should we regulate things like midsole height and carbon plating? Is it the shoes? A proposal to regulate footwear in road running. Tawnee reviews the Apple watch vs. Garmin (Garmin wins) Tawnee mentions using a stroller strap for safety; here’s the one she got. Dr. Matthew Klitsch asks: Most Common (and Preventable) Injuries? I’m a huge fan of the show and have been listening to every episode for about a year now. I wanted to gather some information to better help the athletes I take care of in my office. Specifically my goal is to help keep athletes healthy and cross the finish line in the same level of health they started the race in. In doing so It’s much easier to keep athletes healthy, prevent injuries than to put out flames days or weeks before races or big training days. So to get to my question. Over the course of your and Lucho’s coaching journey, what “injuries” have you most frequently seen (aside from traumatic incidences)? What the Coaches say: Dr. Ebonie Rio on The Fundamentals of Tendon Training and Rehabilitation: Just Fly Performance Podcast #144 Commonalities of injuries in adult runners (compilation of many studies): Top location of injury in adult runners: Knee Lower leg Foot Top types of injuries in adult runners: Tendonitis Inflammation Strain Intrinsic risk factors for injury: Previous injury Age Hip abductor weakness Higher BMI Men Decrease calf strength Extrinsic risk factors for injury: Less experience Excessive weekly training distance Lower stride rate Lower volume Excessive training progression in novices Less than 2 days off per week Using orthotics or inserts Minimalist shoes A Review of the Current Literature on the Utility of the Functional Movement Screen as a Screening Tool to Identify Athletes’ Risk for Injury Study on FMS as injury predictor – Recent studies on the FMS have demonstrated major flaws in its ability to predict overall injuries with high rate of false positives that never resulted in injury. Based on the conflicting evidence, rehabilitation and strength and conditioning specialists should use caution when attempting to use the FMS for injury prediction in athletes. The FMS is better described as an assessment of the quality of human movement as opposed to a risk-assessment tool. First, although the FMS is considered a screen, studies report low to medium sensitivity and higher specificity; this is problematic as viable screens demonstrate the opposite characteristics. If anything, the FMS can rule-in factors that indicated a possible injury and thus should be considered more of an assessment than a screening tool. A majority of the FMS research indicates that composite scores do not correlate with injury prediction (5,12,22). As previously mentioned, this can be due to the variability of the methodology used in FMS studies, or it may be related to components of the FMS that do not correlate with certain sports’ demands. However, when the FMS was used with a single sport or an individual component from it, a majority of the results demonstrate better correlation to a future injury (1). Tendon loading types Suzzane S. asks: Easing Back Into Running Hi Coaches, I’ve been a listener of your podcast for a few years now and always learn a lot from you guys. I’m hoping for some advice. A brief history – 39 yr old female, Hashimoto’s and Raynauds but otherwise healthy, 5’7”, 130-135ish lbs. I eat whole foods diet and have played around with paleo, gluten-free etc to find what works for me. My sleep is decent. -Former exercise addict, used to do half marathons (middle of the packer), bootcamp workouts and feel anxious if I couldn’t get in a sweaty workout most days. Two years after having my daughter (she’s now 6), I kinda burnt out by trying to do it all, work etc and working out too hard. Burned out. I started to taper things down and tried the MAF approach. Over the past few years I’ve been gradually cutting back, first with

Sponsor: Have you explored Nourish Balance Thrive yet? It’s the wellness solution created for athletes, by athletes. The NBT team can help you heal fatigue, insomnia, hormonal or digestive problems so you can regain peak performance! Nourish Balance Thrive has a carefully cultivated tools to better assess your health. Sanjay Rawal is a filmmaker and runner. His most recent film is called 3100: Run and Become, which documents a small but mighty race in New York every year in which people spend nearly their whole summer running roughly 60 miles every day consecutively on a 1/2 mile block until they reach 3100 miles, taking them on a path to self-transcendence. On this show we talk to Sanjay and learn about this powerful yet little-known-about running race in Queens. Find Sanjay on Twitter and Instagram. View the movie trailer here. Sanjay’s story and his path to a deep meditation practice. His spiritual master Sri Chinmoy, a lifelong advocate of fitness and self transcendence. Running as a spiritual practice and as a way we can overcome preconceived limitations about ourselves. Mention: Deepak Chopra’s book, Buddha. Many of us struggle to meditate – tips to stay consistent with it and disciplined to sit? The 3100 race – how and why this race even started, what was(is) it trying to achieve? It’s a small amount of people, about 12 or so, and no spectators, running from every day all day for nearly 2 months. Inside the runners experience and this concept of transcendence that takes place. The mind shuts off, heart and soul come forward (like a silent meditation retreat) – what triggers this transcendence? What it’s like for the mind to “shut off” and experience transcendence. Do we have to suffer to get there? How can we tap into this in our running and/or meditation practice. How we can let go (even if a little bit) of results, pace, performance, rankings, and all that…. and take a more spiritual approach to running. How can we use our spiritual practice to boost our running performance The post Sanjay Rawal: A More Spiritual Approach To Running, and The Group in Queens That Runs 3,100 Miles Each Summer first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $17.50, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our EP audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here! Welcome to episode 10 of Holistic Performance Nutrition featuring Coach Tawnee and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit. Michael says: In Response to HPN 9 and Vegan Diets Hi Tawnee and Julie, As a long time listener to the show, I looked forward to a balanced, and informed view on plant-based diets for athletes. Instead it came as very one-sided. First, portraying a plant-based diet as being insufficient is not a valid argument, if you can’t account for plant-based athletes who excel at their chosen sports. If a plant-based diet is inadequate for health, why does the American Dietetic Association claim the opposite? (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19562864/). In addition, how do medical professionals who specialise in plant-based nutrition arrive at different conclusions to the ones you reach? It’s also highly problematic to adopt the position of an omnivore diet as the healthy standard against which other diets should be measured. Why is it that you don’t mention any of the adverse health effects of eating meat, apart from a brief mention at the beginning of the show? The WHO has concluded that processed meat is carcinogenic, and red meat is likely carcinogenic. (https://news.un.org/en/story/2015/10/513662-new-un-report-links-processed-meats-cancer-humans-red-meat-also-likely-cause). In terms of supplements, using a B12 supplement is widely recommended for vegans. I think most people considering adopting this diet would already know this. An ethical and environmental point you mentioned relates to pasture fed animals. If animal welfare is such a concern, why is killing them acceptable? To me that sounds like a contradiction. In relation to the environment, animal agriculture is a major contributor to climate change and deforestation. Take a look at what’s being said about the cause of the fires in the Amazon, for instance. You mentioned that this was not the focus of the podcast, but you then talk about how animal agriculture can be sustainable. This is a questionable claim. My view is that health, ethics and the environment should not be considered as unrelated. My last point is that if you’d like to present a credible argument, based on research, why not draw on a wider range of literature? If you’re not willing to, it would be an idea to inform listeners that what you are arguing is based on your own personal views, and some research and opinions which support this. Finally, it would be great if you could host a plant-based medical professional and/or athlete to hear her/his views about what you discussed. All the best. What the Coaches Say: Our goal is to give our audience resources and tools. We are looking at longevity and longterm health, and that partially question explored how sustainable vegan diets are with keeping an open mind. If your body is craving animal proteins be willing to listen to it. Athletes require more vitamins and minerals than non athletes and omnivorous diets may really help with that. Understand the WHY of adopting any diet and not just jumping on a bandwagon. Utilization for vitamins and minerals is higher in athletes than non-athletes. Highlighting the theme of this podcast to become healthier, empowering you to right the ask questions. We are not here to say there is “one true way” nor “one diet to follow.” Living in harmony with vegans and omnivores. Athlete results don’t tell the whole story of one’s health (eg fit but unhealthy). Omnivorous people make a lot of mistakes with diet as well. A lot of meat eaters are not getting it right either and risk deficiencies. If our diet is limited we need to know where to supplement, and no matter what diet you tackle: 1) eat nutrient dense foods, 2) eat local whenever possible.   Shawn asks: Healthier Race Fueling Options? Greetings Endurance Planet! I have a basic question. I’m looking for in-race fueling advice for my first 70.3. It’s the Muncie IronMan 70.3 in my home town and it’s July 11th 2020. I have already paid hoping to have that carrot as a great motivator through the winter. My question is fueling during the race. I recently ran a couple half marathons. One on the trails and one on the road. I fell apart at the 10 mile marker in both race situations. It could be I need to increase my long run. My longest long run leading into the most recent road half was 12 miles. I ran a 1:42:00 but was planning to run a 1:39:00 or faster. During that last road hal

Sponsor: Be sure to open Amazon via enduranceplanet.com—it’s just one extra click to link to Amazon through the sidebar banner or search bar (to the right of the page) or click the Amazon links in the show notes. Thanks for supporting the show. Thorsten and Tawnee caught up the day after the 2019 Ironman World Championships to recap race highlights and take you through the record-breaking, awe-inspiring day! You can read more race review details and stats over at Thorsten’s website, trirating.com.   Men’s Top 5 Jan Frodeno Tim O’donnell Sebastian Kienle Ben Hoffman Cameron Wurf Women’s Top 5 Anne Haug Lucy Charles-Barclay Sarah Crowley Laura Philipp Heather Jackson The post Kona Special: Race Recap of the 2019 Ironman World Championships with Thorsten Radde first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Our friends at UCAN and renowned coach, Hunter Allen, co-author of Training and Racing with a Power Meter, have teamed up and are offering an awesome giveaway where you can score a spot in one of Hunter’s Peak Coaching Group Camps and a $275 UCAN Nutrition Training pack to fuel your training. If you win, there are five camps from which you can choose, all taking place in 2020. Click here to enter this giveaway or go to enduranceplanet.com/hunterallen where you will simply provide your name and email address. Be sure to do this asap as the deadline is Oct. 23, very soon. Also be sure to pick up UCAN Tri Starter Pack, which is a sampling of all UCAN’s products, and by using this link that will activate a 50% discount on this package making it just $17.50. And as always use code enduranceplanet for a 15% discount on all UCAN items. Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. Hurry while this special lasts! Intro Endurance Planet is opening up a second team for Ragnar! Email [email protected] if you’re interested. New moms are medaling at Worlds and men in their late 30s are breaking world records! These amazing feats shows that we’re learning how to take better care of ourselves as athletes and extending the limits of what we thought was possible. Julie (aka IronMutti) asks: NORSEMAN 2020 I have now been listening to the podcast for about a year (I think a fellow Betty first got me onto it) and I listen a lot, so I’ve been catching up on old episodes as well (but I have by no means heard them all) This may be a question for the podcast, but it may also have to be a single consult (as much as I’d like to be coached by you, I don’t think I can afford it) I am a 48 year old mum of 4 (23,17,10,8) I was an active swimmer, track and field, handball, in my teenage years. Did rowing at university and mountain biking/spinning after my first daughter … then moved to Canada (from Europe) and life happened without much exercise. 4 years ago I had the opportunity to start teaching spinning again and took it. 3 years ago I drastically changed my lifestyle (nutrition metabolic efficiency, training…) and started triathlons. So at my last race I was lucky (I did jump for joy and let out a scream when they pulled my name out of a hat) to get a world card spot for the 2020 NORSEMAN race…. It doesn’t scare me and I know I can finish, but of course now the black shirt dreams have started. Competing against 250 other hopefuls the majority of them being the 35-40 AG men, there is a very small chance of getting lucky, BUT if there is a chance that I can get into the shape that will allow me to compete for a spot in the first 160 I want to take it. My swim is good, and cold does not bother me I will need a 7hr bike And then there’s the run… already my weakest… 25k + 8k of Zombie hill …. If I can ace the first 33k I will crawl the rest if I have to Thinking of running mostly hills, long hills, short hills steep hills and doo strength training. But would like your taken this (Lucho … I have been mostly barefoot all my life and only put on cycle shoes and the occasional high heels to go out, I do not own a pair of socks and run all my races in Zoot Solana shoes with no laces and bare feet) I currently swim 3 times a week (3-4k OWS in the lake June to October and the pool) on swim days I add a run after easy 1hr, intervals, long run ( 75min to 150min) On the interspersed days I teach 1hr spinning followed by 1hr TRX plus another 1hr of spinning at night I try and do. One long 3-5hr bike a week during the summer and teach 2hr class of spinning in the winter One rest day Of course I have times (42.2k 3:53 stand alone, 12:06 IMAZ,…) and ME crossover point data…. And can send that if needed. What the Coaches Say: You’ll definitely want to wear socks for this race. The hill-work you’re planning is key. Get your hiking effective so you can hike really hard. Consider hiking with a weighted vest. Run 30K then have your weighted vest at the bottom of a hill, where you’ll do 3×1 mile up the hill. Tawnee recommends the Hyperwear weighted vest for training Do long runs that finish on a steep climb. Make sure your hill endurance is good. The conditions will be the most challenging part of this race. Make sure you’re training in the cold. You want to psychologically handle the cold. You also need to be physiological able to deal with the cold. Lucho is worried about the number of spin classes you’re doing. Make sure you’re biking outdoors in the winter. Practice dressing for intense cold/rain/wind conditions. Use a pair of cycling shoes that are a size too big, so you can wear an extra pair of socks. If your shoes are too tight it’ll reduce blood flow, which is not what you want. In the cold you need to up your carb intake. You have to increase fueling to prevent hypothermia. Claire P. asks: Pregnant Triathlete – “Freaking Out Big Time” I’m an avid listener of the podcast. I love the co

Sponsor: Our shop page includes the gold-standard supplements by Thorne Research that athletes trust. Whether for performance, improving wellbeing or enhancing health (or all of the above) Thorne Research will have a formula that fits your needs and it’ll be backed by clinical research and 100% quality. Some of our favorites by Thorne include Multivitamin Elite, Vitamin D/K2 drops, Basic Prenatal, Cal-Mag Citrate, Creatine, Meriva 500-SF, Bio-Gest (digestive enzyme), L-Glutamine Powder, Iron Bisglycinate, Beta-Alanine, Basic B Complex, and Thorne’s Sleep Bundle for Athletes. The Ironman World Championships take place on Saturday, Oct. 12, and on this episode we are here with Thorsten Radde of trirating.com (Twitter @ThRadde) for our official Kona preview. Grab a copy of Thorsten’s Kona Rating Report, which is nearly 200 pages of detailed athlete analysis and race info. Thorsten was also nice enough to put together a TriRating Kona 2019 Cheat Sheet for our audience, which you can download and use as you’re listening to this podcast and as you watch the big race on Saturday to help you better understand the make and female pro race dynamics. To watch live: Coverage of the entire Ironman World Championships will begin at 4:30 a.m. HT/7:30 a.m. PT/10:30 a.m. ET at Facebook.com/Ironmannow. On this show some of the professional Ironman athletes racing in Kona who we feature include: The Women Daniela Ryf Anne Haug Jocelyn McCauley Sarah Crowley Honorable Mentions: Sarah True Heather Jackson Kona Rookies: Imogen Simmonds, Laura Philipp The Men Jan Frodeno Cam Wurf Patrick Lange Honorable Mentions: Sebastian Kienle Lionel Sanders Kona Rookies: Cody Beals, Alistair Brownlee Don’t forget to get your TriRating Kona 2019 Cheat Sheet so you can be dialed in on race day!!  The post Kona Special: 2019 Ironman World Championships Preview with Thorsten Radde first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: PerfectAmino by BodyHealth is an athlete’s secret weapon, featuring eight essential amino acids in the exact ratios needed to ensure proper protein synthesis in the body. PerfectAmino has been tested and approved for in-competition athletes and professional sports; and all of us over at EP have used in in our athletic careers. BodyHealth also offers Perfect Calm, a new well-formulated magnesium powder supplement to round out an athlete’s needs in particular getting good sleep and stress management. And did you know that BodyHealth also offers well-formulated natural vitamins and supplements to meet your other needs including their Body Detox, Healthy Sleep Ultra, Intestinal Cleanse, weight loss aids, and more. Plus, PerfectAmino now comes in a sugar-free powder form that’s great for those who don’t like pills and/or want something tasty to mix in your workout drink! On this show, we welcome back coach Alan Couzens to dive into two new studies that endurance athletes will want to hear about, especially those who are prone to cramping and/or those racing in hot conditions. Check out Alan’s blog or follow him on Twitter. The studies discussed on this show include: The effect of a physiological increase in temperature on mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in rat myofibers. Electrolyte beverage consumption alters electrically induced cramping threshold.   What we discuss: Electrolyte beverage (EB) study: Subjects, consisting of 7 males and 2 females in their 20s, had their tibial nerve activated to induce a toe cramp. These people reported regular cramps in calf as well as foot/toes, abs, triceps, or hamstring during activity or sleep. Blinded study, each subject was tested twice; once with EB, once with placebo. What they found: EB can increase the electrical stimulus frequency required to elicit a cramp and decrease the pain experienced when a cramp occurred in euhydrated, cramp-prone individuals, which suggests that EB consumption independent of hydration can decrease cramp susceptibility in young people. However, EB did not prevent cramps from occurring in any participants. “There is still no well-controlled, randomized study that has determined if commercially available EB can decrease cramp susceptibility in euhydrated individuals. Thus, the purpose of the present study is to determine if EB consumption alters the frequency of nerve stimulation at which a cramp occurs (i.e. threshold frequency, TF) compared to a placebo beverage (PB) with similar fluid volume and flavor profile. We hypothesize that EB consumption will increase TF, indicating greater cramp resilience when compared to PB consumption.” Some impractical aspects of the study that being that it took place in a well-controlled lab vs. out in the field, but that also allowed for much more specific measuring of key variables like hydration state. Localization of cramps (e.g. overuse of muscle) vs. systemic causes of cramps. Theories of why we cramp during exercise: Pushing muscles harder and longer than what they’ve been trained to do (localized cramp). E.g. cramping on the run coming off a very hard bike is more frequent. Noakes and Maffetone theory say whole body stores are enough to deal with stressors of endurance exercise. But is a race like Kona different? Maybe it’s just very individualized. Hot Shot mention: Muscle cramps are caused by hyperactive motor neurons and they tested the threshold in which a muscle will cramp and using this When muscle is held in shortened position for long time and contracted the inhibitory neurons switch off, which can lead to increased excitability of neurons, thus cramping. We can in theory distract this excitability with a supplement like hot shot, pickle juice, spicy things, etc. Pickle juice seems to be effective when it comes to reducing cramps. In the study: Increases the intensity that an athlete would have ot be performing at before cramping sets in. No one avoided getting a cramp, everyone did cramp, it’s just that their threshold increased when using the EB. What they drank: Participants were given 0.5 L of their assigned beverage for consumption. Both beverages were similar volume (0.5 L), color and general flavor (lemonade), and mixed with the same brand of bottled water. The EB was a commercially available beverage packet (Fuelocity Plus, United Citrus Corp, Norwood USA) with 120 kCals, 29 g of sugar, 840 mg of sodium, 320 mg of potassium and 5 mg of magnesium and 300 mg of l-alanine The PB was a commercially available low-calorie beverage packet (Crystal Light, Kraft Foods Inc., Northfield USA) with 5 kCals, 0 g of sugar, 35 mg of sodium and 0 mg of potassium, magnesium and l-alanine. Sweat rate and sweat sodium loss were not measured or utilized in this study. This EB was heavy in sodium with 840 mg. Using a drink like this in training and racing. Real world application: Don’t diminish the role of electrolytes especially if you&#

Sponsor: You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $17.50, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our EP audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here! Intro: Tawnee did a 6K Xterra trail race! Holding back on the hill climb by walking allowed her to cruise for the rest of the race and win her age group. Google has changed their algorithm to downgrade functional and alternative medicine information. You’re going to have to look harder to get this information. Swim Study: A Swim-Specific Shoulder Strength and Conditioning Program for Front Crawl Swimmers “THE SWIMMING SHOULDER KINETIC CHAIN (SSKC) DESCRIBES THE GENERATION OF SWIMMING PROPULSION USING THE WHOLE BODY. EFFECTIVE SWIMMERS WILL USE THE SSKC IN THEIR STROKE, SO EFFECTIVE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING PROGRAMS SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE THE SSKC.” “Interestingly, shoulder flexibility and range of motion have a relatively low association with shoulder pain. Time off from competitive swimming is associated with shoulder problems, perhaps suggesting there is a continual adaptation that occurs in swimmers through their swimming career. Hence, return to competitive swimming following time off should be managed carefully to avoid potential shoulder injury.” “Three main phases have been identified in the FC stroke where shoulder problems may occur (38): the catch phase, the pull phase, and the recovery phase (Table 1). In these phases, swimmers who are at high risk of experiencing shoulder impingement typically show 3 characteristics in their FC stroke technique: (a) a large amount of internal rotation of the arm during the pull phase; (b) late initiation of external rotation of the arm during the recovery phase; and (c) a small tilt angle or shoulder roll (38). Pink et al. (24) similarly observed that 70% of shoulder pain occurred during the first half of the pull, and 18% of symptoms were in the recovery phase. Swim fatigue has also been shown to significantly influence the swim stroke mechanics by reducing stroke length and external rotation range of motion (20).” The exercises: The swim hand plank The swim hand plank coordinates thoracic rotation, scapular rotation, and the trunk and abdominal muscles (Table 2). It is the only SSKC exercise that incorporates a thoracic rotation movement Step and rotate with marching arms The step and rotate with marching arms exercise focuses on the rotator cuff shoulder muscles alongside the hip flexors and spine extensor muscles (Table 3). The rotator cuff muscles are responsible for key phases of the FC stroke (Table 1). During the catch phase, the rotator cuff muscles undergo initial eccentric then concentric contraction as the hand enters and catches the water. This stabilizes the humeral head and improves the dynamic GH joint control during this phase. Overhead squat sequence The overhead squat is a good exercise for developing a strong push off and streamlined glide position adopted in swimming while activating the posterior rotator cuff, gluteal muscles, back extensor muscles, trapezius muscles, and whole-body range of motion (Table 4). The addition of elastic resistance and light weights will encourage good recruitment of the rotator cuff muscles throughout this whole-body movement. In addition, this exercise recruits the gluteal, trapezius, and back extensor muscles that are important in the coordinating and stabilizing role of the leg kick. Prone over a stability ball This exercise activates the deltoid muscles, teres major, triceps, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, abdominal, rotator cuff, and serratus anterior muscles (Table 5). It is a very good sequence for using the swim kinetic chain within an upper-limb closed kinetic chain scenario. Rotator cuff and scapular muscles will be engaged alongside abdominal and hip flexor muscles. The prone position with external arm movement aligns with the arm movements in the catch phase of FC swimming, and correct movement will activate eccentric contraction of the subscapularis muscle of the rotator cuff group. The internal rotation of the GH joint during this exercise will activate concentric contraction of the subscapularis muscle and align with the pull phase of FC swimming (Table 1). Glenohumeral External Rotation Motor Control This exercise uses the rotator cuff muscles that are used in the catch, pull, and recovery phases of the FC stroke (Table 6) Glenohumeral Internal Rotation Motor Control Similar to the GH external rotation exercise, this GH internal rotation exercise uses the rotator cuff muscles that are used in the catch, pull, and recovery phases of the FC stroke (Table 7). Lying supine with the arm supported,

Sponsor: Check PerfectAmino by BodyHealth, an athlete’s secret weapon featuring eight essential amino acids in the exact ratios needed to ensure proper protein synthesis in the body. PerfectAmino has been tested and approved for in-competition athletes and professional sports; and all of us over at EP have used in in our athletic careers. Plus, PerfectAmino now comes in a sugar-free powder form that’s great for those who don’t like pills and/or want something tasty to mix in your workout drink! BodyHealth also offers Perfect Calm, a new well-formulated magnesium powder supplement to round out an athlete’s needs in particular getting good sleep and stress management. Julie Moss is a Ironman triathlon legend whose 1982 crawl to the finish at the Ironman World Championships made sport history and inspired countless athletes to do a triathlon. Julie’s new memoir, Crawl of Fame: Fifteen Feet That Created an Ironman Triathlon Legend, is now available to the public and it is a very exciting and insightful read that dives into Julie’s personal story and her journey to finding purpose through triathlon. On this episode we chat with this incredible athlete who’s been racing triathlon ever since that fateful February day in Kona, Hawaii, most recently competing in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Nice, France. We hear all about her career in triathlon, motivation, the spiritual connection in racing, and also how Julie now trains as a masters athlete. What we discuss: The story of Julie’s “crawl of fame” at the Ironman in 1982 and how it changed her life. You are a champion for your own dreams. What is so important to me that you’d be wiling to crawl for it? Sport gets you to question: what are you willing to do to get to your goal? Central governor theory- not too easy to even reach this point of failure. The psychological, mental and spiritual component. Heart connectedness. How Julie got turned onto Ironman during senior year in college. Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation: Emotional connection to feeling like you’re good at something; it’s not about competing against someone else. Pro triathlon back in the day and Julie, in her early 20s, being somewhat of a free spirit through it all. How Julie was red-lining for much of her training in the early days. Getting more serious about sport, starting to use a HR monitor, etc, around the time she started dating Mark Allen. Did Julie do MAF? Julie’s key to longevity in sport – long breaks and downtime between all the racing. Now in the past ~10 years she’s been able to train better, smarter, etc. The value of bricks/transition runs off the bike and why Julie ALWAYS runs off the bike!!! Julie outlines her weekly training that gets her to the level of qualification for world championship races in her 60s. Her recovery days, what do they entail? (Hint: not just days off resting.) Being self-coached. Breaking down transition runs into small pieces, and how incredibly helpful this is to build mental toughness for longer days. Incorporating walking into runs. Her race in Nice in 1989, where she had a breakthrough performance, winning the event and beating legend Paula Newby Fraser. Bringing your best. “Focus on your effort.” Other people do not determine your success! On writing the memoir and getting personal. Julie’s son with Mark Allen- he dabbles in triathlon and is pretty good, and also hiked the full PCT.  The post Julie Moss: The Crawl of Fame, and Finding Purpose and Personal Growth Through Sport first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $17.50, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our EP audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here! Intro EP is taking runners for a second Ragnar team! Email [email protected] if you’re interested. Zach Bitter just set the world record for the 100-mile (with an average 6:48 mile pace!) Tawnee gratefully responds to a respectful listener critique of ATC 292 (regarding stereotypes and runner anxiety): Rachel wrote: Dear Tawnee, I’m a big fan of the Endurance Planet podcast and am so happy to have you back on the show! However, I was recently concerned about a couple of comments that you made on the recent episode ATC 292 in your response to Brennan’s question about running together with his partner. First, I was concerned that you immediately assumed her anxiety was about being attacked while running alone, even though the question itself didn’t mention the source of her anxiety, and there are so many possible factors (whether clinical or mundane) that it could be. Regardless of the reason for her anxiety, it seemed particularly unhelpful to then describe in detail all the safety risks for female runners when running alone, since that just has the potential to make her anxiety worse. Finally, and most importantly, I was really disappointed that you assumed homeless people and individuals with mental illness were the perpetrators of attacks along the trails near your parents’ house. Just because someone is unsheltered (likely due to economic and/or residential displacement) does NOT mean that they are unstable, violent, or anti-social — and particularly in light of current economic inequality, the housing affordability crisis (especially here in California), and displacement of low-income communities. Moreover, studies show that individuals with mental illness are far more likely to be the victims of violence and/or crime, not the perpetrators, so describing the attackers on the trail as “loonies” just perpetuates harmful stereotypes. I appreciate you taking the time to read and consider this feedback, and I would love to hear any response you may have. In general, I deeply appreciate your sensitivity to issues of mental health, equity, and personal / spiritual well-being, so I hope this can add just a little bit to that. Jessi asks: Split Long runs – pros, cons and the why? Hello! I was hoping you could speak a little to the theory of breaking up long runs for marathoners and ultrarunners. Here’s some context: I am training for a couple of 50 milers this year and hopefully building toward a 100 miler the year after and have heard a few interviews with Camille Herron and some other ultra runners. In those interviews they talked about breaking up a long run in to morning and afternoon sessions, and how for them, they contribute it to their success and lack of injury in the sport. I am curious about a couple of things: (1) Is it just as simple as breaking say a 24 mile run into a 16 mile run and an 8 mile run later? Or how is it best to split those and how much time ideally would we want in between sessions? Does 16 + 8 = 24? Or would it be more like 16 + 10 or 12 to get the same benefit from split runs? (1b) As far as training load goes, does a split run compare to a full long run? Is there any evidence that one is “better” or more efficient than another? (2) Is there any evidence that this helps to prevent injury? I can see both sides…if you run the long run all at once, you have more time to recover before your next session, but your form may end up suffering more in the later half of the run. If you break apart the run, you will have less overall recovery time before your next session, but theoretically you will have better form in the latter part as you will have rested in between. I’ve been battling an ongoing hamstring issue the past year (finally doing some PT to help strengthen and learn to fire the glutes more), and was wondering if this approach may help in that process by splitting up stress of a long run on my hamstring in to smaller segments. I would like to perhaps experiment with a split long run here or there, but was curious as to your take on its effectiveness. I have a little bit of an issue convincing my ego that 24 miles is the same as a 16 + 8 mile in terms of what I would get out of it in terms of ultra training, but at the same time I don’t want to reject it completely because I am too “proud” to split up runs (and not see those longer runs appear on my Garmin…psycholog

Sponsor: Have you explored Nourish Balance Thrive yet? It’s the wellness solution created for athletes, by athletes. The NBT team can help you heal fatigue, insomnia, hormonal or digestive problems so you can regain peak performance! Nourish Balance Thrive has a carefully cultivated tools to better assess your health.   On this episode we’re joined by two legends of endurance sport, Dr. Phil Maffetone and six-time Ironman World Champion Mark Allen. Mark had a 15-year professional triathlon career in which he was coached by Phil starting in the 1980s. Working with Phil led to Mark discover the MAF Method, which he now uses for athletes he coaches at Mark Allen Coaching. Mark is also starting a new project called 1989thestory.com consisting of 10 stories that will be written by he and Dave Scott about the year leading up to their 1989 classic battle. On this show we talk all about the benefits to hiring a coach, using the MAF Method, and also some great stories from Mark and Phil about the “good ol’ days.” Mark’s history racing in Nice, France and 10-time win at the triathlon there. Phil and Mark met in late 1983, and shortly after started working together. Prior to Phil, Mark was training “stupid” by going too hard too often getting injured, sick and burned out often–until he switched to MAF. The MAF philosophy is to gain fitness without destroying yourself. Heart rate training back in the ’80s and Mark’s first MAF Test experience at 25 years old. Mark went from 8:30 pace to 5:30 pace with MAF. Discipline with MAF is a key component to making it work. Mark ran 45-55 miles per week to get those results + patience (others gave up but Mark stuck with it). Speedwork is fine tuning the system after developing the aerobic base. Phil’s story: Like so many of us, was he once a “no pain no gain” guy in his athletic journey before he formulated the MAF Method? 1980 NYC marathon, he wasn’t as healthy as he should have been and he realized he was in an imbalance and his health was not optimal, giving birth to the idea of balancing health and fitness. Phil’s early days with the MAF Method–did he ever doubt or question whether it’d work when he first started trying it out on athletes? Mark uses MAF as the foundation of coaching his athletes. The benefits of using HR are deep to guide athletes. For example, is one data point such as FTP or pace enough to gauge fitness gains? No, use in combo with HR. Podcast: Myth of Non-Responders What happens when Mark sees an athlete not responding to MAF? Look at variables OTHER THAN training alone–family issues, job, sleep, diet, and so on. Our body can only handle so much stress. Benefits of having a coach who’s using MAF “The fact is we all need some health.”–Phil “A coach helps you have a better experience in sport.”–Mark Often trying to be your own coach backfires. The problem of “no pain no gain.” Mark & Phil give their opinions on group workouts and the camaraderie? Training volume and choosing race distances–coaches will help you set the pace to get to your goals. Using total time vs. mileage for workouts. MAF for longevity: Mark used MAF 13 out of 15 of his years as a professional triathlete, he’s a testament to the MAF Method working for health & wellness into later years in life. He doesn’t have any chronic injuries as he ages unlike many of his peers. Mark has intuitively adjusted his MAF over the years even now at age 61? Generally, he sticks to the formula and makes minor adjustments as needed and based on feel/results. His MAF pace has slowed down a lot (according to him). Be willing to make adjustments to your MAF heart rate as the years go by and then measure results. If you spend many years pushing things your health might be similar to someone who’s unhealthy and overweight and it may take longer to get results–so have patience and trust! The post Mark Allen & Phil Maffetone: The Benefits of Having a Coach and MAF for Athletic Longevity first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $17.50, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our EP audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here! Note: Tawnee and Lucho differ slightly from strict MAF in some ways. What they present in this podcast is based on their years of experience coaching athletes and seeing how these protocols play out in the real world. You can read Dr. Maffetone’s book to get the pure MAF details. MAF Basics: MAF = max aerobic function; it’s not an abbreviation of Phil Maffetone’s name, and it’s not m-a-t-h. Training philosophy developed by Phil over decades of practice (since the early 1980s). MAF is a metabolic approach to heart rate training (not cardiovascular) that is aimed at putting you in a maximum fat-burning zone. Benefits to overall health; avoid being fit but unhealthy. Examples: better manage stress, avoid overtraining, decrease inflammation, burn fat for fuel (even when not exercising), injury prevention, enhanced endurance, etc. Requires attention to overall health, wellbeing, clean diet, etc., in order to get max benefits (e.g. it’s not just about running!). Show mention: 8 Steps to mastering MAF MAF Application: Why you would choose to do a MAF program vs all the other training programs out there? People who thrive on intensity will not enjoy or even benefit from MAF. Type 3 neurotypes who love order and dislike risk will likely love MAF. What are your goals? If you’re interested in true health benefits, then MAF is for you. But if you care about shorter, faster races then MAF won’t necessarily help you get there. Even if it doesn’t jive with your personality, MAF might be right for you if you need to make lifestyle/mental shifts to regain balance. Finding your MAF heart rate with 180 Formula and why it’s ok to be a bit loose with the exact MAF HR number. Your MAF HR is a range of plus or minus 5 beats. You don’t need to be obsessive compulsive on staying exactly on the beat. If you do a metabolic test in a lab you can adjust your MAF HR according to those findings (e.g. very good fat burners may see that they have a higher MAF HR than when using 180 formula). Show mention: more on metabolic testing Listen to our shows with Dina Griffin (this is about maximizing your nutrition for run performance). If you’re a great fat burner, you might be able to continue burning fat even if you’re running at a high HR. In that case, don’t use your crossover HR to guide your MAF runs. Switch to running by feel. A MAF run should feel easy. How much volume is needed on a MAF program to get results (this is a big one). Is there a general minimum people should look to hit, e.g. 10 mpw? 20 mpw? 30 mpw? Or is this idea bogus? The amount of volume you need depends on where you’re starting from. Look at what you’ve been doing for the past 4-6 weeks. If you haven’t been running, then start with just 6 miles a week. It’s important to slowly build your confidence. Let’s say you’ve been running 20 mpw for the past 4-6 weeks, and you’re feeling good but not necessarily seeing improvements in your pace. It’s time to increase your volume appropriately. Don’t just double your long run! Think about the workout you’ll have the next day… and the next. Play the long game. To find your own optimal volume when doing MAF, consider two variables: how much time do you have and how durable are you? Cut the run short if you ever start to feel shaky or weak. How to do a MAF test: Eat the same thing (at the same time) before every test. Ideally, you would be eating a more high-fat meal beforehand, rather than high-carb. Don’t radically change your diet before your first test. Go to a track (it formalizes and standardizes the test). Do a sub-MAF warm up for 10-20 minutes, and slowly build up to MAF HR. Run 3-7 miles at your MAF HR (really stick to it), using your watch to record the average pace per mile. Depending on your level of fitness, you will see your MAF pace increase as you fatigue. If you’re not feeling well after the first mile, scrap the test! Something is off, and you don’t need to let the test results bother you. Carry on with the run, but don’t use the results. Re-test later when you’re rested and conditions are optimal (extreme heat and cold will definitely impact the test). Adding intensity vs volume – when your MAF test plateaus and/or you’re ready to increase training load, how do you know whether to add more MAF volume or start adding intensity? When

Sponsor: You can support Endurance Planet when you shop on Amazon! It’s super easy: Just be sure to open Amazon via enduranceplanet.com—it’s just one extra click to link to Amazon through the sidebar banner (to the right of the page) or click the Amazon links in the show notes. Thanks for supporting the show. Welcome to episode 9 of Holistic Performance Nutrition featuring Coach Tawnee and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit. Intro Banter Tawnee’s vanlife adventures take them up the California coast, but they are putting full-time vanlife on hold for now. Julie just got finished hiking the Wonderland Trail and you can read her blog about it here.   Study mention: Quercetin phytosome® in triathlon athletes: a pilot registry study.   Why Do Vegans Get Looked at As Unhealthy? Angela asks: I really enjoy your podcast. I do wonder though how it’s always assumed that vegans are more likely to require supplements than omnivorous people. As a vegan it’s tiresome. So if there are stats I’m not aware of I would be open to hearing about it. I follow so many plant-based athletes and nutrition gurus that it’s jarring to hear vegans referred to as deficient in vitamins or minerals due to diet. What the coaches say: Whatever diet you adopt, understand WHY you are eating that way. Meat is one of the most nutrient-dense food sources on the planet. Vegan diets, in many cases, may only temporarily make you feel better, and there’s nothing wrong with eating more plants, but at one point you may find yourself craving meats and animal-based foods – honor those cravings because they are there for a reason. Bioavailability – in many cases animal-based sources are much better than plant-based foods in terms of bioavailability. Bioavailability means the portion of a nutrient that is absorbed in the digestive tract. Conversion – many plant foods do not easily convert into nutrients found in animal-based foods. ALA conversion is poor in humans: 5-10% for EPA and 2-5% for DHA. Chris Kresser says, “On average, less than 0.5% of ALA gets converted into the long-chain EPA & DHA, and that number is even worse in people that are chronically ill or have nutrient deficiencies (common in vegans and vegetarians).” Are plant proteins as bioavailable as plant-based protein sources? Beta carotene found in plant foods, which is inefficient at converting to vitamin A. Nutrients at risk on all plant-based diet: Vitamin A Vitamin B12 Vitamin D – high levels in seafood, dairy, eggs, organ; not much in plant based foods (the sun may not be enough for many of us) Calcium Iron Zinc Iodine Choline Selenium Creatine Taurine Methionine Glycine Omegas-3s, EPA and DHA Testing nutrient levels is tricky. So look to symptoms, listen to your body! If you feel off, irritated, fatigued, sad, etc., those are all signs. Even supplements aren’t a perfect solution. Bioavailability is limited in many supplements. Vegan Diets: practical advice for athletes and exercisers B12 – “The body appears to have a limited capacity to absorb vitamin B12 supplements orally [88, 89], which is limited by the presence of intrinsic factor, a glycoprotein secreted by the stomach that combines with B12 prior to absorption in the small intestine [89]. For an ingested 500 mcg oral supplement, only an approximated 10 mcg might be absorbed [89]. Because of this poor bioavailability, sublingual drops, lozenges and transdermal products have been developed and marketed under the pretence that they offer better absorption, however research supporting these claims could not be found when writing this article.” B12 is needed for nervous system function, red blood cell formation, etc, and you can’t get from plants. Food prep matters: Phytates and lectins found in plant foods may further inhibit absorption rates of nutrients (e.g. iron and other essential minerals). Soak and sprout grains, nuts, seeds, etc. for optimal nutrition. EAT diet, which is high in plant-based foods and very low in animal proteins, is deficient in the following nutrients according to work by Zoe Harcombe: B12 Retinol – the form of vitamin A we need since we can’t rely on carotene to be converted. Vitamin D Vitamin K – 71% in this diet was K1 in broccoli, but K2 from animals is better absorbed Sodium Calcium Potassium Iron – 94% in the EAT-Lancet diet is from plant-based forms of iron. But heme iron from animal products is more bioavailable than most plant forms of iron. Environmental concerns of eating meat. We can still consume meat and feel good about how we are treating planet, by consciously choosing where we get our meat – grassfed, wild, organic, small local farms, etc. Listen to this show with Chris Kresser and Diana Rogers to understand more! Shop at farmers markets, visit farms. One more thing on B12: This study showed: 92 percent of vegans and 77 percent of veget

Sponsor: You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $17.50, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our EP audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here! Announcements We have a bunch of new EP gear for men, women, kids and babies over at enduranceplanet.com/gear. Get your hands on some and send us a pic of you sporting the logo! Wanna run Ragnar SoCal with the EP team? It’s April 3-4, 2020 and our team is almost full (but we can always do a second team). To find out more, email us at [email protected]. We’re also bringing back our EP newsletter so if you want exclusive content you can sign up for that in the box right above this post in the header, and we promise not to spam you; it’ll just be once a month. Also do you have a cool race story to share? You can submit your race report to [email protected], for a chance to be featured in our EP newsletter. We ask that any race reports be limited to ~500 words. Looking forward to hearing more from you guys and all the cool things you’re doing out there! Intro Tawnee did her first MAF test averaging 10:40 pace and felt great afterwards (which is how you should feel after a MAF test). No pressure to advance right away; priority number one is health and family. Tawnee’s favorite workout these days is 3-4 miles at MAF and finishing the final mile 1-min on/1-min off ALL OUT. Lucho is still sporadically hitting the track and hasn’t lost anything, even though he’s not training intensely anymore. Clint asks: Training and top 5 exercises for an explosive mile Hey Lucho and Tawnee! I have been listening to Endurance Planet from the beginning and I am still stoked and educated by every podcast. Awesome work. I am a 40 year old ultra-endurance-running-junkie living on a small island in the Caribbean. I have been running for 20 years and have done everything from 5k’s to hundred mile runs, but I have mostly been ultra-centric. I always spend a part of my year, about three months, focused on speed, and then move into training for ultras for the rest of the year. I often follow a Jack Daniels Plan for speed and then one of his marathon plans for ultras. I have done loads of MAF effort training. I like to run between 40-60 miles a week. Peaking around 80-mile weeks. I do lots of strength work-4 days a week(because I love it). All my strength work is body weight or done with a weighted back pack. No machines and no dumbbells. (Except for leg extensions.) I do a push day, pull day, legs twice a week and a core day. I also add in some skill practice-handstands, dragon flags, l-sits and human flags. So, since turning 40 I have set the goal to run faster and stronger in my forties and try for personal records in all distances. 100 mile, 50 mile, marathon, half-marathon, 10K, 5K and one mile. This weekend I will try for a PR at the 50 mile distance at the Ice Age Trail 50 mile. Need to go under 8:00 hours. Next, I want to train to PR at the 1- mile distance. The goal is below 5 minutes. Here’s the questions: How should I structure a week, month, block to run my fastest mile? What would be your top five leg exercises to get faster, stronger for a mile? Thanks for years of motivation and education. What the Coaches Say: As far as structuring the training, Lucho recommends Daniels’ plan (although Lucho critiques it for going to fast too soon, but this shouldn’t be a problem for you because of your strength work). Periodization in 4 blocks, 6 weeks each (but Lucho thinks stretching it out to 8-10 weeks is better for the first 2 blocks). Lucho thinks a 30-week program would be better. Genetics do play a part here: do you have the durability to train to run a fast mile? To avoid overtraining, stop a track workout if you’re not hitting your splits. Remember, you’re not a robot. Just because you program your training a certain way doesn’t mean your body is going to respond as expected. Be aware of psychological and physiological nuance during your training and adjust accordingly. Any time you have a race distance with a specific time goal, you have to shift your thinking toward specific percentages of effort level and speed. Lucho’s top five leg exercises Hip extension – power and durability Hamstring eccentric Nordic hamstring Jump rope Hills Tawnee’s top five leg exercises Elevated reverse lunge with hop (trx) Plyo- Box jumps, lateral bounds, squat jumps SL RDL Pistol squats or modified version Push press Other good exercises Squat/DLs Bosu ball squat and lunges Trx knee drives with jump Half kneeling press Power cleans Planks w/ knee drive, try having hands on bosu ball or medicine ball OH walking lunge

Sponsor: You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $17.50, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our EP audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here! Announcements We have even more new EP gear (including baby onesies and kids t-shirts) over at enduranceplanet.com/gear. Our team for Ragnar SoCal on April 3-4, 2020 is quickly forming and we’re almost full (we can always do a second team). To get in email us at [email protected]. We’re also bringing back our EP newsletter so if you want exclusive content you can sign up for that on our website and we promise not to spam you; it’ll just be once a month. Also do you have a cool race story to share? You can submit your race report to [email protected], for a chance to be featured in our EP newsletter. We ask that any race reports be limited to 500 words. Looking forward to hearing more from you guys and all the cool things you’re doing out there! Study Discussion Step Frequency Training Improves Running Economy in Well-Trained Female Runners The purpose of this study was to determine whether a short training program to increase step frequency to approximately 180 s·min in well-trained female runners who had step frequencies likely to be suboptimal (176 s·min) would elicit improvements in RE. An additional aim of the study was to see whether a short training program could be effective in learning to run with a higher step frequency. Variables that affect RE: hip joint angle, knee angle, step length, and step frequency. Tartaruga et al. (43) found that 28% of the variability in RE could be explained by step frequency. It seems that an optimal (i.e., most economical) step frequency of approximately 180 s·min21 is observed in elite distance runners. de Ruiter et al. (38) found that both novice and trained runners self-selected stride frequencies that were, respectively, 9% and 3% lower than optimal. Numerous studies have noted that spatiotemporal gait parameters affect RE. What they did: 22 Female runners who had (a) a 5-km personal record time between 17 and 22 minutes within the last year; (b) been running regularly for at least 5 years; and (c) a current step frequency ,176 s·min21 were recruited for this study. Experimental and control groups ran on a treadmill for 15 minutes for 10 consecutive days. The experimental group received step frequency training while the control group received no step training and ran at their preferred step rate. Before and after the 10-day training program, RE was measured at 2 velocities (3.4 and 3.8 m·s), and the groups were compared. Before running, the foot switch was attached, and the metronome was set to 180 b·min and used to help subjects run at this step frequency. The foot switch equipped data acquisition system provided real-time step frequencies, and the subjects were cued if they needed to increase or decrease step frequency. Subjects were encouraged to remember each training session and try to replicate the 180 s·min during daily training runs that took place after the treadmill training session. 3.4 m·s is 7:53 mile pace (4:54 km) and 3.8 m·s is 7:04 pace (4:23 km). Results: Increased their step frequency by 8.2% at 3.4 m·s and by 5.7% at 3.8 m·s. Increased their step frequency from ~165 to ~179 at 3.4 m·s and from ~170 to ~180 at 3.8 m·s. Significant changes in step length were observed at both running velocities as step frequency increased. 14.1% and 8.7% lower oxygen consumption values at 3.4 and 3.8 m·s, respectively, compared with the control group. Post-training oxygen consumption was 8.6% and 3.2% lower than pre-training at the two velocities. HR was 4.8% and 5.4% lower in experimental vs. control at the two velocities, and this was achieved at a higher step frequency and lower oxygen consumption. Optimizing RE involves a complex combination of biomechanical, physiological, and neuromuscular components (2), and in this study, we sought to alter only one variable and, thus, simplify what a runner needed to concentrate on. After training and after running at a higher step frequency, a lower energy demand was most likely developed, whether it be through alterations in movement pattern that minimized wasted energy or through improved elastic energy storage and recoil. As a result of the lower energy requirements, the heart would not have to pump as fast to meet the oxygen demands of the working muscle. This method proved to be more effective than the POSE running technique at making runners more effective. POSE is considered the holy grail of running, but it involves a lot of variables. Changing too much too quickly leads to injury. Sand Ru

Sponsor: Our shop page includes the gold-standard supplements by Thorne Research that athletes trust. Whether for performance, improving wellbeing or enhancing health (or all of the above) Thorne Research will have a formula that fits your needs and it’ll be backed by clinical research and 100% quality. Some of our favorites by Thorne include Multivitamin Elite, Vitamin D/K2 drops, Basic Prenatal, Cal-Mag Citrate, Creatine, Meriva 500-SF, Bio-Gest (digestive enzyme), L-Glutamine Powder, Iron Bisglycinate, Beta-Alanine, Basic B Complex, and Thorne’s Sleep Bundle for Athletes.   Intro Banter Julie shares about her sciatica, and despite the setback focusing on what she can do. Wonderland trail around Mt. Rainer. Can’t get down about injuries, there are lessons to be learned! Today’s topic on pregnancy: Pregnancy is a sensitive and emotionally-charged topic. The goal of this show is to help you decide what is best for you, know the right questions to ask, and help you do your best. Pregnancy is mysterious in many ways, and so much of it is out of our control.   Casey Asks Trying To Conceive I am a longtime listener and have learned a lot from you guys throughout my ultra-endurance career. This question has nothing to do with any of that. I listen to all the usual health and fitness podcasts but have had a difficult time getting any real information. My wife and I have been trying to get pregnant for about 8 months unsuccessfully. Its crazy how much we have learned about the reproductive system over that time and I am somewhat embarrassed to admit I was (am) completely clueless how to have a baby. There is so much more to it than the obvious. My question for you ladies is what type of diet/supplements/vitamins or other protocols should we be eating/doing to put our bodies in the most fertile, primed for reproduction, state? Our diets are not bad, not perfect but generally we eat a lot of veggies and meats from a local farm. I am an endurance athlete, my wife not so much. Actually I’m concerned that my training is partially to blame. I have run multiple ultramarathons and tons of marathons and Spartan races over the past few years. I do feel as though my testosterone had taken a hit due to all the miles on the road. I’ve actually taken the past year off and recently feel like it’s starting to rebound. I bought a Peloton (spin bike) and started to run a little again lately as I’ve committed to an ultra Ragnar (32 miles over a day and a half, race is not until October) so my plan is to maintain fitness without compromising my health. What the Coaches Say: Truths: Getting pregnant is often harder than many of us expect it will be. Sex cannot be a chore! Keep it fun! Sex can be destroyed when it’s all about ovulation and pregnancy. Timing your ovulation to conceive can mess with your head and it’s important to not get overly obsessed with data. Don’t just point fingers at the woman, a man’s health needs to be checked too. Get male sperm tested Volume Count Motility Form Male infertility causes and signs Dietary deficiency, environmental toxicity, and so on. Considered if there is low sperm count, high abnormal sperm levels, or low sperm motility due to testicular causes such as chromosomal abnormalities or testosterone deficiency. Stemming from the HPG or more localized (most common) resulting from testicular inflammation. Note your stress response and HPA axis function. Up your antioxidants Vitamins A,B,C,E Zinc Selenium Sperm more vulnerable than eggs so keep them safe! Avoid fried food, too much alcohol, etc. Tips 72 days for sperm to mature 90 days for egg to mature Avoid extreme training during this time (i.e. do a mellow 10k instead of ultra) Avoid high heat exposure, such as no sauna or spas Bring exercise down to normal people standards If not active enough, get in more exercise to increase circulation and Tawnee switched from heavy running to more mellow activities such as SUP, taking her intensity down a notch There is no magic pill to get pregnant, you have to look at your lifestyle. Bond together as a couple and keep the romance alive. Supplements (for both guy & gal other than prenatal) For woman: Prenatal (Thorne Research’s Basic Prenatal) For man: Mutli (Thorne Research’s Multivitamin Elite) For both: CoQ10 (Designs For Health Q-Evail) Both male and female fertility; egg health, increased fertilization L-carnitine (Designs For Health Carniclear) Improves sperm health and overall female fertility Several studies found that both LC and ALC supplementation improves disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome [12], endometriosis [19] and amenorrhea [17]. Carnitines are reported to increase gonadotropins and sex hormone levels as well as improve oocyte health [17]. Fish oil high in DHA (Nordic Naturals ProOmega) High dose Liposomal Vitamin C (Empirical labs) NAC or Liposomal Glutathione (Empirical labs) Vitamin D 2,000-8,000 IU depending on status (Thorne Research

Sponsor: You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $17.50, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our EP audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here! Intro Check out new EP gear here! Email us a picture of you in the new gear EP is beginning to gauge interest for Ragnar SoCal 2020 (either the first or second weekend of April). Please email at [email protected] to let us know if you’re interested. Other Updates: Tawnee has a beautiful, healthy baby girl: Coralee Mar! Tawnee wanted to let people out there know that traumatic events have a physiological effect. After losing Whitney, Tawnee had a very hard time running at MAF; her heart rate skyrocketed uncontrollably. Now, as she slowly eases back into running postpartum with Cora, Tawnee is having a much easier time controlling her heart rate. She attributes this to her happier mental state and less physiological stressors (Cora is sleeping like a champ). The takeaway is that emotional trauma is physiologically disruptive, so if you notice that in your own MAF journey, be gentle with yourself and recognize that it’s normal! Lucho’s taking a break from track competition to support his kids at their baseball games and give himself a break from the type-A, hyper-focus on racing , which was beginning to impede his overall health/strength goals. Gut Microbiome and A Connection To Elite Running? Mike Capka 6/29/19 There was a recent study that looked at the gut microbiome by looking at poo of successful athletes. I was wondering if you think this is legit despite the conflicts of interest. With all we are finding out about the gut microbiome, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that some species may aid performance if the results are to be believed. I was initially going to ask other questions but the answers were just going to supposition. Recent articles on this: https://www.outsideonline.com/2399074/performance-enhancing-microbe-harvard-study https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/elite-athletes-rsquo-gut-bacteria-give-rodent-runners-a-boost/ https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/25/health/microbiome-athletes-study/index.html The coaches say: Tawnee doesn’t see this as a game changer for boosting performance. Most runners have to think about the gut in much broader terms, especially dealing with conditions like leaky gut. It’s more important to take efforts to have a healthy gut, rather than focus on having one special strain of bacteria. Tawnee promotes SoundProbiotics because this company has actually done research to develop a blend of probiotics that promotes overall gut health for athletes that will aid immunity, not just boost performance. The fact is, your GI tract is so severely blunted during exercise that it’s unlikely that your microbes could reduce overall lactic acid. The major difference between professional and amateur athletes is training, not a gut microbiome. A lot more research is necessary before we should invest heavily in this probiotic. Also, for the record, lactic acid is not the bad guy when it comes to performance. 20×20 Mile Marathon training Emily Babay 6/30/19 Hi and thanks for the great the podcast! My question is about the 20 long runs of 20 miles prior to a marathon that Lucho’s mentioned on a few previous episodes. I am working to hit 20×20 miles while training for a November marathon, and am having a blast. I look forward to planning my route each week, and enjoy having a process goal as the focus of my training block. So I was wondering if you had any guidance for the actual execution of this? I have been doing a mix of easy miles, progression runs, workouts within the long run, etc, to keep things fresh. But is there any recommended intensity? Also, is it necessary/desirable to do runs of more than 20 miles (in previous marathon buildups, I’ve done several 21-24 mile runs)? Thanks for the training inspiration and any recommendations! The coaches say: The type of intensity you’re doing is more contingent on where this 20×20 appears in your training. If you’re doing this now for a November marathon, you probably shouldn’t do any intensity above tempo. Then, closer to the race, you can reduce your long runs to 16-18 miles with more speed intervals (even getting to VO2 max). 20×20 is an arbitrary number. You can continue the 20-milers if you have time in your training and your body isn’t breaking down. You could also run a little more than 20-miles if your body is feeling good. Watch for steady decreases in your pace in the final miles. This is a sign of too much stress and you should bail! Lucho’s primary rationale for doing this 20×20 is m

Intro: Fitness, by Brock’s account, is broken into three categories: Movement: general motion plus mobility (think squatting to pick things up and reaching up to grab things from higher places, like what our ancestors did with foraging) Exercise: invented to fill the holes in our movement patterns Training: what we do in order to reach specific fitness goals, such as running a marathon or deadlifting your body weight. This is above and beyond basic health, maybe even taking away from your health in the long term but it brings you joy and is worth it. Nathan asks: I have had heel pain since the end of January. At first, I thought it was a Plantar issue which technically I probably have a slight case of but I had someone look at it and he said I for sure have Infacalcaneal Bursitis. The fellow who examined me said: “If you do have P.F., it’s an atypical type (inflamed only near the attachment at the calcaneus). You definitely have infracalcaneal bursitis. Your short calf and hip external rotator muscles can cause calf pain, though (through a sort of mis/overuse of the intrinsic muscles of the foot).” And then prescribed ice, calf raises, heel drops, and glute stretches. The only change I can think of is the beginning of January I was charging some hills at night with a headlamp for 3 weeks straight with some trail running friends and I typically stand most of the day at work also. I remember Brock you saying you have been dealing with plantar and I feel like mine is not getting better. So I was wondering if either of you has suggestions. I have tried to stay off of it as much as possible. The past 2 months I forced myself to take a break. I am getting antsy but want to get healthy. I have been mashing my calves, doing heel drops and calf raises. I am mainly a runner. Marathon distance. Greg White and I wanted to do CIM this December but I haven’t really done anything all year because I haven’t wanted to make it worse. I also trail run typically. I walk in Vivo Barefoot and run in Altra and have been for a while. So I have just been hiking and keeping things mellow for now. The coaches say: This injury is caused by impact; it’s a form of bruising and inflammation. Brock suggests getting an ultrasound done to see if there’s a bursa there. If it is, you can get it drained and that will drastically speed up the healing process. The diagnosis your practitioner gave you is very contradictory. Get a second opinion. Walking in the minimalist shoes isn’t helping you right now. Get a shoe with arch support and heel drop for extra cushioning white you heal. Lucho used the Superfeet green orthotic when he was healing his plantar fasciitis. Take a look at this video Brock’s friend Brad Kearns made https://youtu.be/RRDC8erSNqw which explains why you need to hold the stretches longer than you think. Also, watch this one from Brock https://youtu.be/sNKR-8kiPRM that shows some of the techniques I used to help my heel pain. Lucho notes that dynamic stretching is important before a workout, whereas static stretching should not be done before a workout, but it does help in the long term. Michael asks: On the last episode, you had a question from a triathlete on strength training who’d mentioned that neither Pftzinger nor Maffetone offers much advice on strength training. I’ve been using Daniels for my marathon training for years, and the chapter on supplemental training in the Daniels’ Running Formula book is pretty sparse, as well. You referred him to Dave Scott, Joe Friel, or Mark Allen as good sources for triathlon training. This has me wondering – in your opinion, who has the book on strength training for the marathon? Still loving the show after all these years, thank you so much for what you do. The coaches say: Strength training is very personal. It’s hard to give a one size fits all. There’s no such thing a strength training protocol that’s “for” the marathon. A squat is just as good for a runner as it is for a football player. You could say that a marathoner doesn’t need to do bench press. But that’s obvious. Anything for hamstring, calf, quad, hips, lower abdominal is helpful for you. Going outside your range of motion for running movement might not be helpful. Consider doing a half squat rather than a full squat. Still, doing full ROM strengthens your whole system and makes you a more resilient athlete. Lucho suggests a lot of plyometrics, hopping drills, and hills, not using barbells. You can never go wrong strengthening your hips. Seven Way Hips is excellent. Hamstring eccentric motions are also important. Don’t forget your feet! Brock’s article on how to take your weaknesses and make them strong. Check out Kelly Starrett’s book Ready to Run. Find a general strength training routine that’s not too severe or advanced, especially if you don’t have a background in lifting. These more technical movements are not necessarily b

Sponsor: Check PerfectAmino by BodyHealth, an athlete’s secret weapon featuring eight essential amino acids in the exact ratios needed to ensure proper protein synthesis in the body. PerfectAmino has been tested and approved for in-competition athletes and professional sports; and all of us over at EP have used in in our athletic careers. BodyHealth also offers Perfect Calm, a new well-formulated magnesium powder supplement to round out an athlete’s needs in particular getting good sleep and stress management. And did you know that BodyHealth also offers well-formulated natural vitamins and supplements to meet your other needs including their Body Detox, Healthy Sleep Ultra, Intestinal Cleanse, weight loss aids, and more. Plus, PerfectAmino now comes in a sugar-free powder form that’s great for those who don’t like pills and/or want something tasty to mix in your workout drink! We’re joined by Brie Wieselman, a functional medicine practitioner from Santa Cruz, CA, who runs a successful online clinic with other clinicians serving patients all over the world. Brie specializes in gut health, hormones, and female health. Today she is taking a dive into the topic of endometriosis and adenomyosis, with tools on how to functionally approach healing and relief from these conditions. For more about Brie’s services and inquiring about hiring her, click here. And, as mentioned in the introduction, if you’re curious about Brie’s experience with gestational diabetes, you can read more on her blog here. Brie joined us on EP back in 2016, on a show you can listen to titled, Foundations of Functional Medicine and Applications to Reach Optimization. Allison asks: I am an avid listener to EP and I would love to hear Coach Tawnee and her co-host talk about Endometriosis and it’s lesser known, but similar affliction, Adenomyosis (I have both!!! Ahhh!!). For those of us in training, this can mean extreme pain from the time of ovulation through the actual week of our periods. I have to schedule races around my period because I bleed so much and am in so much pain the first few days, Racing during this time would be out of the question. Constipation and bloating during non-period weeks are also symptoms of Endometriosis and can really impact training. The only treatment my healthcare/traditional OBGYN has suggested are synthetic hormones, which do NOT work for me, an IUD (no way!), and surgery. What research I’ve done on my own points to using food limitations -I don’t eat dairy or soy to avoid excess estrogen – or other natural remedies such as castor oil and heat or ACV to help balance estrogen and improve motility in the gut. What other ideas do you have for us women who are in training to help with Endometriosis and Adenomyosis? It feels like a full time job trying to manage it and train at the same time. Notes from Tawnee and Brie’s Conversation: Endometriosis 101: tissue grows outside the uterus and causes pain, especially during a woman’s period, but also possibly during ovulation and sex. 1/10 women likely have endometriosis, but not everyone has symptoms. Severity of symptoms doesn’t necessarily correspond to severity of overgrowth of tissues. Having more than four drinks a week can increase your risk for endometriosis. This condition be caused by HPA axis dysfunction, genetics, and environmental toxins that act as endocrine disruptors (eat organic, filter your water, and avoid BPAs in containers). Over-training can definitely put you at risk! Adenomyosis 101: tissue invades the wall of the uterus. More common to show up in women in their 40s and 50s. Besides causing pain and heavy periods, it might also cause trouble with urination. Conventional treatment Using hormones to stop reproductive cycle as a means of stopping the pain cause by endometriosis. Laparoscopic surgery can be helpful for progressed endometriosis, especially in reversing infertility. Hysterectomy is the most extreme surgery to remove the uterus entirely. Functional medicine’s approach Endometriosis corresponds with autoimmune diseases (often caused by estrogen dominance and low progesterone) and inflammation. Huge tie-in with gut microbiome and vaginal microbiome The gut microbiome plays a big role in regulation female hormones (“estrobiome”). Dysbiosis can cause higher estrogen levels, which then cause autoimmunity. Most women who have endometriosis also have SIBO. Bri’s Protocol First involves clearing out the bad stuff (microbes and parasites) and then boosting the good stuff in your gut. The goal is for you to be pooping regularly and being able to handle fiber. Regulating blood sugar Losing body fat, if appropriate. Finding the appropriate diet: high vegetable keto or paleo. Check out Ketotarian Note: low carb works better in postmenopausal women; if you have HPA axis dysfunction it might be better to get those things under control first before going very low carb. Eliminating dairy and soy ca

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Generation UCAN Superstarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for endurance athletes and health enthusiasts. Have you seen UCAN’s brand-new look? Their new packaging is sleek and sophisticated, still with the same great SuperStarch you’ve come to know and love for steady, long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash. EP fans get 15% off UCAN, shop now. You can also use the code “enduranceplanet19” if you’re shopping at generationucan.com for that same 15% discount.   “Danny” asks: 1. So I wanna do a full Ironman in 2020.I’ve done 47 marathons so running endurance isn’t an issue. It’s the other two disciplines I can swim all day with a swim bouy, but the second I get rid of it in attempt to kick, my legs fall in the water as if I am bent at a 90 degree angle. So I need to work on kicking. I can only get in the pool twice a week. Should I spend most 2019 doing kicking drills on both days or drills one day and swim with the bouy the other? 2. Next I HATE road riding. Bores the Eff out of me. I do like mountain biking. Can I get away with doing most of my miles on a MTB and ride long every 3-4 weeks in 2019 to get ready for 2020? Once again I can only ride twice a week and maybe a 3rd day every couple of weeks if lucky. How would you schedule MTB rides twice a week to help get to the needed miles to adequately train for an Ironman? Thanks guys. Keep up the great work! The coaches say: Do both kicking and drills, both days. It’s never either/or with these. Normal protocol: warm up/swim full set/kick set/swim full set/cool down. Aim for 100-200m kicking in warmup, 300m kicking drills during main swim, and at least another 100-200m kicking in cool down. Two main drills: Kick on side progression (body balance drill) Kick face down (hands at side or in front of you) Feet should be splashing Kick on one side Incorporate switches Vertical kicking (flutter kick; knees locked; small and fast) Using some type of light buoyancy thing can help Kick to deep end (50m); vertical kick for 1 minute; kick back to wall (50m) Many runners struggle with kicking on the swim; it’s a prevalent problem, but super important to correct, because kicking balances your energy on the swim. You can’t burn out in the first leg of the race because of a deficient kick! Worst case scenario: a wet suite is like a a full body pool buoy… You want to fix your kick, but you can always rely on the wet suite assistance. 2K of drills is harder than 4K of regular swimming. Drills will kick your butt and get you feet! Lucho does the majority of his riding on a road bike on dirt (set up your bike accordingly). If you hate road riding, then just mountain bike! It’s worth it to sacrifice training log numbers for your happiness. Are there ways you can amp yourself up to road ride? Focus on what you like about it. One benefit of the road: you can be very precise on your intervals because there aren’t a lot of variables (whereas on the mountain bike you let the terrain dictate your intensity). It’s not necessarily bad for you to do a 4-hour mountain bike, but you’re going to have to get used to aero position on TT bike Your run fitness will definitely benefit you on the bike (biking doesn’t help you for running) Scott Beatty asks: I really enjoy the podcast. You guys are doing a great job. I have a question about training specificity for a trail race. I recently completed my first 50k trail race and it was an epic disaster, but I was bitten by the bug and can’t wait to do my next. I did the first 20 miles in 3:35, and the last 10 in 2:42. I did alot of training before the race for going up hills, but neglected to train enough on the downhills… which destroyed my legs. You covered exactly how I need to train for the down hills in ATC 271, so I feel like I know what I have to do to improve in that area. My question is related to the amount of time I need to spend on actual trails. Here is my situation. I am a 40 year old foster parent of a 3 and 2 year old, and recently we added their sibling to our family, a 6 week old.Before we had the baby, it was hard enough to get out for longs runs, now it’s even harder. I’m a road runner, always have been because of where I have lived. The closest decent trail to me for training is a 20 min drive away and doesn’t open until 8am, so training on it before work isn’t an option. I manage to squeeze in a run before work, climbing out of bed at 3:55, and when I need to build the mileage will squeeze in another after the kids go down in the evening. Most Saturdays, I’ll “sleep in” until 4:30 to get my long runs in before the house gets too crazy. Needless to say, finding times on the weekend to do a long trail run isn’t easy, and I noticed in the 50k that my ability to technically navigate the trails was lacking. There is a lot of lateral movement on the trails navigating obstacles that isn&#82

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Generation UCAN Superstarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for endurance athletes and health enthusiasts. Have you seen UCAN’s brand-new look? Their new packaging is sleek and sophisticated, still with the same great SuperStarch you’ve come to know and love for steady, long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash. EP fans get 15% off UCAN, shop now. You can also use the code “enduranceplanet19” if you’re shopping at generationucan.com for that same 15% discount. Intro Brock’s been working on his Weighless program, which targets the mindset behind diet and lifestyles shifts. Fitness Genes identifies a lot of other genes than 23andme, such as the gene that makes you not get hungry. Lucho’s training for the 800m and is back to long runs at MAF (6-7 miles). Dane Asks: What’s up guys, “Blue Collar Baller” here! I’m a UPS Driver and I still get 25-35k farmer walk steps and stair climbing in a day, I won USAT Cross Triathlon Nationals in 2017. We had a baby boy in 2018, and I only raced 1 Olympic with Elites, it wasn’t pretty! I tried to keep some fitness ready to hit 2019 hard. My training was going great until a month ago on a long run I had a “Calf Heart Attack.” It is pretty much a deep strain in the Gastroc calf muscle. I can run short 3-4 miles easy with no pain, but I don’t trust it to do any speed. I have been working on a faster cadence for less ground contact and less impact, (I have long legs that like to stride!). So, with Cross Tri Nationals 9 weeks out, should I mainly focus on hard training for the bike/swim and easy running until full recovery? I will say my swim is fair, I can average 1:25s in Olympic distance swim whether I train 3 days a week or 1 day. I’m a powerhouse on the bike, like to hammer and I am very technically good. I am a decent runner, my volume is low, but I can block the internal governor on race day and suffer as needed. The coaches say: Fun fact: the calf is sometimes called the “second heart” because of the gastroc (gastrocnemius) pump muscle. You should not go to the track and do a block start 100m (duh). So build up from there… see what’s reasonable and increase the intensity to threshold slowly. The fact that you can run 3 miles easy is a sign that there’s not a tear. You might just have a cramp (which can last a week and cause enough damage to have lasting repercussions in the form of DOMS). Start with deep tissue muscle massage to find the problem area. Use heat not ice on the area to help recovery. Also don’t stretch it! Intervals and speed work are not necessary if you can build up to threshold on a 4 miler. You’re going to have hypersensitivity to the area because your brain is trying to protect it. If your calf is feeling tweaky then definitely focus on your other disciplines. This is the best part of triathlon! Adelle asks: Greetings from Massachusetts! I’m a big fan of the show and have learned so much since I started listening to your podcast last year. I am a 48-year-old triathlete (competing in sprint, Olympic and 70.3). I took up cyclocross 3 years ago and I am in love with this sport, it’s such a fun yet challenging sport with a great community. Triathlon remains my priority, I see cyclocross as more of a fun way to mix things up in the offseason, however that doesn’t mean I don’t want to improve at it. I have seen a big improvement in the last 3 years in my technical riding skills but the part of cyclocross that absolutely crushes me are the sprint starts and the fast flat power sections. My question is how can I train for these fast sections while still focusing primarily on triathlon training. My A-Race is a 70.3 in mid-September and my cyclocross season typically runs from late September through mid-December. Any suggestions you can give me would be very much appreciated. The coaches say: The solution to your cyclocross problem will be complementary to your triathlon cycling. Doing max efforts on the trainer are best so you can totally focus on power and brute force over skill. For fast flat power sections, start with 10-15 seconds maximal effort then work up to 5-7 minutes for pointy end threshold. This will certainly help your 70.3 effort. You can do these at any time because it’s not as jarring as running. Make sure you take adequate recovery between intervals so you can hit the max efforts . 10×1’ on 1’ easy recovery is one of Lucho’s favorite. These intervals will also train you to stay relaxed and deal with suffering. 20’ in zone 4 broken up however you can is another one of Lucho’s favorite workouts, which is effective for cyclocross and 70.3 Brock has used a system called TrainerRoad that aligns with these interval principles. Practice sprint starts for 10-20” going all out on the trainer. In 70.3 buildup, do sprint efforts no more than twice a week and on easier days. These should not fatigue you and negatively impact next day’s workouts. Only do threshold stuff

Sponsor: Be sure to open Amazon via enduranceplanet.com—it’s just one extra click to link to Amazon through the sidebar banner (to the right of the page) or click the Amazon links in the show notes. Thanks for supporting the show. Sponsor: Also, check PerfectAmino by BodyHealth, an athlete’s secret weapon featuring eight essential amino acids in the exact ratios needed to ensure proper protein synthesis in the body. PerfectAmino has been tested and approved for in-competition athletes and professional sports; and all of us over at EP have used in in our athletic careers. On this episode we’re joined by Ryan Hall, the American Record holder for the half marathon (59:43) and holder of the fastest marathon time ever run by an American, a 2:04:58 at Boston. Also a two-time Olympian who grew up in Big Bear Lake, CA, Ryan is now a coach, speaker and author who lives in Flagstaff, AZ, with his wife Sara and their four adopted daughters. Check out Ryan’s new book that recently came out, Run the Mile You’re In: Finding God In Every Step. It’s a great read that all you athletes are sure to enjoy! Ryan’s Career Timeline: 2007 HM American record 59:43 2007 debut marathon London 2:08 2007 Olympic trials marathon win 2:09 2008 Olympics Beijing 2:12 10th 2011 Boston marathon 2:04:58 (unofficial fastest American record) 2012 Olympic Trials 2nd 2012 Olympics London DNF 2014 Boston 20th 2015 LA DNF 2016 Retires age 33 2017 World marathon challenge- average 3:39 (7 marathons 7 continents 7 days) Wisdom from Ryan: Small decisions you make (especially as a kid) can change the trajectory of your life. Ryan shares his epic childhood story of running 15 miles around Big Bear Lake when he had no running experience and actually hated running back then! Let love not fear guide you. Ryan sees this attitude as informing his running career as well as his and Sara’s decision to adopt 4 daughters from Ethiopia. If you want to see how far you can go and compete with the very best, you have to dip into the unhealthy range and go all in. Good health and elite performance are mutually exclusive. In retirement, Ryan’s goals are to feel good and that means gaining muscle weight (which increases testosterone). He retired at 5’10” and 127 lbs, which he says was “his worst.” He raced best at 138 lbs. Lower weight isn’t necessarily better for performance or health. John Ball, DC in Tempe, Arizona helped him solve plantar fasciitis. Process of shifting gears in retirement: Went straight into the gym, so it wasn’t such a dramatic lifestyle shift. He was still able to challenge himself and see growth in his new sport. When he quit running, he quit entirely besides a handful of easy 30-minute runs with his wife. Continued eating clean, healthy foods, but ate a lot more. Your body can’t build muscle when it’s not in a caloric surplus. Became a much more intuitive eater. Competing in the World Marathon Challenge His longest run before the challenge was 7 miles. His average weekly volume was less than 20 miles. Ended up getting a stress fracture in his hip in Morocco on day 5, but gutted it out to complete the challenge. He was deadlifting the day after he got back home, because there was no impact. The lack of injury in weightlifting has been his favorite aspect of the sport. Coaching Has his athletes do 4 sets of half squats, hex bar deadlift (best movement a runner can do), toe raises, and step-ups with weights (total time: 30 minutes). Strength training is definitely helpful for runners, but hill sprints are a way around it. We are all an experiment of one, so give strength training a fair try and see if it benefits you. Red Flag Symptoms and Tips for Current Runners Low hormones. If you take 2 weeks off and feel so much better, then monitor your return to sport closely. You might need more rest. Pay attention to your emotions and motivation. If you don’t feel like exercising, take that as a serious sign that your body might be having some issues (rather than you’re “just lazy”). Check the trend of your workouts. In the long term, they should always be trending up. Don’t starve yourself. Surround your intense workouts with carbs. The post Ryan Hall: On Rebuilding Health, How To Be A Wiser and More Intuitive Athlete, His Top 4 Strength Exercises For Runners, and Much More first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Generation UCAN Superstarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for endurance athletes and health enthusiasts. Have you seen UCAN’s brand-new look? Their new packaging is sleek and sophisticated, still with the same great SuperStarch you’ve come to know and love for steady, long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash. EP fans get 15% off UCAN, shop now. You can also use the code “enduranceplanet19” if you’re shopping at generationucan.com for that same 15% discount. Intro Congratulations to the Gibson family on their healthy baby girl, Coralee! Welcome to Julie McCloskey—a Registered Holistic Nutrition Coach (RHN) based out of Missoula, MT—for filling in for Tawnee while she’s on maternity leave. (She’ll be back this summer!) Craig Moss Inflammation: Good or Bad? Hello my fitness family — Can you explain inflammation to me? Is it good or bad? I know you need it to help the healing process but then why take anti-inflammatory things like CBD or eat an anti-inflammatory diet? Is some good but too much bad? If so then how do things like CBD play a role? Do you need to know how much natural inflammation you have from foods and stress to accurately take any anti-inflammatory drugs/supplements? What the Coaches Say: Inflammation is the immune system’s response to an irritant – the body’s response to any damage (a repair process) Releases inflammatory mediators including the hormones bradykinin, histamine, and IGF-1. They cause small blood vessels in tissue to become wider allowing for more blood to reach the injured tissue (turn red, feel hot). This increased blood flow allows more immune system cells and proteins to be carried to the injury in order to support the healing process. And also these hormones irritate nerves and cause pain signals to the brain as a protective mechanism. You cause damage if you reduce inflammation at the onset. You inhibit all the bodies innate changes. Dr. Mirkin retracts his coined RICE method How long has the inflammation been there? Acute good, chronic bad. At what point is inflammation bad? Not sure. Look for visible signs of inflammation, listen to your breathing, energy levels. CRP blood test, <1mg Your approach to inflammation should be based on what’s causing the inflammation in the first place. Inflammatory foods require a different approach than a sprained ankle, for instance. Stay away from all anti-inflammatory products after a hard workout, including curcumin, boswellia, and NSAIDs (well, stay away from these always!) CBD: Our bodies all have something called an endocannabinoid system that works to balance our hormones, which in turn regulates our endorphins, thyroid, adrenal function, and immunity among other things. CBD is a cannabinoid, and as such, it “switches on” the receptors of the endocannabinoid system, improving its performance which is why people have such a wide range of benefits from taking CBD – it normalizes so many processes in our bodies and brings them back into alignment. That said, you don’t just want to take this concentrated formula right after a hard workout or a sprained ankle. Let your body respond to these acute instances on its own. Best to use CBD if you have low grade general inflammation and need some relief as you work to figure out the root cause. In general, stay away from inflammatory foods including sugar, processed cheese, factory farmer meat, and even caffeine. Be especially careful to eat an anti inflammatory diet in the off-season after you finish a high volume block of training and/or a race.   S.S. (wishes to remain anonymous) Time for a paradigm shift? Before I start, let me say this: your podcast is my favorite – I look forward to it every week! And congrats to Tawnee – I’m sooooo happy for you and wish you all the best!! So here we go. I’m a 39yr old female with goals of staying healthy, active and strong for the long term. My ‘favorite’ form of exercise is outdoor running (I’m totally middle-of-the-pack, 55ish min 10K, 2ish hr half to give you an idea) but I also like the feeling I get from doing some weights too. I eat a whole foods paleo-ish diet, have no weight problems (130-135 lbs for years) and have Hashimoto’s (controlled) and Raynauds. For the past few years, my exercise routine has been to get in about 5 or 6 runs/week, 30-60 min, trying to keep my heart rate under 140 most of the time. I would run fasted in the morning thinking that this would overtime improve my fat burning and help me to improve my pace at low heart rate. My other reason for the way I was training was to try to keep my exercise-stress low as I’m a bit of high sympathetic-type of person. I would also do a bit of strength work (push-ups and squats, mostly body weight). This was convenient and worked well with my work/family life and I enjoyed getting out in the mornings. I had no injuries for y

Sponsor: Head to enduranceplanet.com/shop for a bunch of cool products and services we’ve come to love, use and endorse. Everything we offer is centered around helping you achieve the ultimate in health and performance. Also when you shop through endurance planet you directly help support the podcast so we can continue to provide you with great content always for free… Get started now on the path to optimizing your health and performance! Check out Sound Probiotics, the first pure probiotic plus prebiotic formulated specifically to improve the gut health and immunity of the competitive athlete, for those who train and race simply can’t afford to be sidelined by illness or GI issues, and EP fans save 10% and get free shipping on Sound Probiotics. Also on our shop page are the gold-standard supplements by Thorne Research. Whether for performance, improving or enhancing health, or all of the above, Thorne Research will have a formula that fits your needs and it’ll be backed by clinical research and 100% quality. For athletes we like everything ranging from Glutamine and Mervia, a powerful all natural anti-inflammatory, to multivitamins, B vitamins and digestive enzymes. Intro Banter Tawnee shares a little blood sugar story and the need to test how you individually react to certain foods — in this case, gluten free replacements weren’t necessarily the healthier option for her! List of food products and brands that were found to contain glyphosate. Avril Fueling for a 5-Day Running Race Thank you for all your time that you and your team put into your fantastic podcast. You all have been keeping me company on my runs the past few years! I’m hoping you can give some advice on nutrition to aid mid-race recovery. I’m completing a 5 day, 315 km (15,000 m gain) mountain race this May in Wales, UK. The race goes from the north of the country to the south taking in some amazing mountains along the way. Each day has a set distance and we stay in tents overnight. Each day will likely be 12 to 15 hours running out on the hills so recovery time will be limited. This race will be all about finishing for me, the drop out rate is high and its a big leap forward compared to previous races so I won’t be pushing for a fast time. I have completed multiple 3 and 2 day races and recovered well between days but usually these are 6-10 hour running days so there is considerably more time to eat and recover each night. The individual daily distance are achievable for me (i.e. I have raced them several times) but getting up and repeating the same distance on little recovery will be a challenge. What the Coaches Say: Create a spreadsheet to estimate calories you’ll be burning each day, and how many calories you estimate you can realistically replace through food. Take PerfectAmino! Pack a quality non-vegan protein source: bagged wild salmon, sardines, clams, oysters, grass-fed jerky, collagen, bee pollen, protein powder drink mix. Paleo Steve’s PaleoKrunch Granola Packables: Trail nut butters, dark chocolate, trail mix w/ coconut flakes, seaweed snacks, honey, turmeric ginger granola, energy bites Real food mini meals – pb&js, smoked salmon wrap, pizza Magnesium Bisglycinate – best absorbed, used to overcome def. Citrate – bowels, sleep, balance Oxide – constipation, acid reflux Malate – fatigue Taurate – muscle spasms, brain health Jenny Help Repairing My Relationship With Food Hi! My name is Jenny. I am a fan of the Endurance Planet podcast and just finished listening to your episode on how someone can get their period back. This email is mainly intended for Tawnee and Julie. After listening to the episode I was inspired to reach out and get your insight/advice on something that I’m having trouble figuring out. I realize it’s kind of a loaded question, but I’m pretty desperate to understand this more, so if you have any insight that would be so appreciated. I am a competitive Spartan racer and, after years of playing soccer (a goalkeeper), became an endurance athlete about a year and a half ago. Before I started running a lot and training more, I weighed 155 (I’m 5’11”) and was probably consuming about 3000 calories per day. After building up my training volume, I lost weight and ended up getting down to 142 while eating around 2750 calories per day. Upon the advice of a nutritionist (after getting metabolic testing, which told me that my RMR is 1760 calories), I bumped my calories back up to 3000 calories per day to support my training. 3000 calories should still have technically been a deficit, but I gained a few pounds and hovered around 145-146 for a while. I wanted to get back down to 142-143ish, so around June of this year I dropped back down to 2750 per day. However, my weight never dropped. I’m actually 150 now, despite eating in what I believe to be a deficit. I usually have a meal where I treat myself about once per week,

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Generation UCAN Superstarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for endurance athletes and health enthusiasts. Have you seen UCAN’s brand-new look? Their new packaging is sleek and sophisticated, still with the same great SuperStarch you’ve come to know and love for steady, long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash. EP fans get 15% off UCAN, shop now. You can also use the code “enduranceplanet19” if you’re shopping at generationucan.com for that same 15% discount. Intro: Lucho’s new man crush is the climber, Alex Honnold. Check out the documentary Free Solo! Key takeaway: repetition is essential in conquering fear. Sean: Re-Building a 50 y/o To Be Fit-For-Life I’m a nearly 49 year old endurance athlete with a history of multi-day adventure races, paddling events, rogaines (orienteering), and ultra running. (Lucho coached me through Leadville and other events including a few 24 hour runs.) The past 6-8 months have been a bit rough, 1st with sacrum / groin issues which the MRI showed as a stress reaction in the pubic bone, and now with a torn ulna collateral ligament (thumb) which required surgery to re-attach it. The former has meant no running since November 2018, though I was able to walk a lot, hike some, swim, spin, and do strength training. (Mtn biking tended to inflame the sacrum.) Now, with the thumb situation, upper body strength work is for the most part out (I may be able to get away with some core work), and can probably do some leg work. (LEG EXTENSIONS HERE I COME!) Any kind of serious cardio is out for at least 4 weeks due to the sweat factor making the cast a bit nasty. So I’m leaning towards taking a decent break there, hoping the groin/sacrum issues finally have a chance to heal anyway. All that said, as an endurance athlete fast approaching 50, how would you rebuild me into a true grandmaster badass? Goals these days are less about traditional ultra runs (though I won’t count them out), but more like solo long adventures (famous runs like SCAR, a 72 mile self supported run on the Appalachian Trail), “strange format” races such as last man standing, off road ironman (hey, I said I’d do an ironman when I was 12, and have yet to do it!), Rogaines (24 hours of orienteering), etc. I can’t rule out doing some multi-day paddling and biking events, too. And I still want to thru-hike the AT, and I do get out for a couple of multi-day backpacking trips every year. So in general, a wide swath of endurance pursuits lay ahead of me in my 50s, 60’s, and 70s. I’m now viewing this extended time off from running and now a shorter window of no cardio as a break — a break in hindsight I should have taken long before. And when I come back, I want to be stronger and more fit than ever! What would that journey look like if you are starting from near ground zero? (I know my nearly 30 years of endurance pursuits means I have a lifetime base that has not gone away.) The coaches say: Look into getting a removable, workout-friendly cast. Look at this as an opportunity; you’ve learned what your limits are, so in the future you’ll be more paranoid and not get injured again. These kind of injuries don’t just suddenly appear. There are warning signs that you need to pay attention to and deal with before a full blown injury happens. You need to look at what you’re doing outside of endurance activity to build up your body. Diet and adequate recovery are crucial. Honor what your body can realistically do. Consider going from Ironman to Olympic distance and/or letting go of time goals. Invest in a sturdy and significant strength training program. The worst thing you can do for a tendon injury is to rest it. You need to safely rehab that modality (find a good PT to help you do that). Consider investing in a rowing machine. Perhaps reconsider your speed goals on through hikes/runs. Going slower allows you to absorb the beauty of the trails and landscape. Craig: Over 40 & Suddenly Getting Injured More Hello my endurance friends. I started running at age 18. I made it to age 40 without any major injury and rarely stretched or did any mobility/strength work (other than the beach muscles). Then I got a sacral stress fracture. The PT’s told me I was very, very stiff (usually they said I was the stiffest person they’d ever met- yay me! First Place!!!!) So I diligently did mobility work, stretched and did specific leg strength work for years. Now it has been 6 years of that type of work and I get injured ALL THE TIME! I haven’t ramped up my mileage or thrown in speed work too soon, in fact I haven’t even attempted speed work since I seem to get a soft tissue injury every 3-5 weeks. ANd I don’t rush back to training when I do get these injuries. I take all the time needed until I don’t feel anything in that area to start running again. So I guess my question is; how come? I

Sponsor: Have you joined Thrive Market yet? Thrive is basically Costco meets Whole Foods meets Amazon, and in addition to the hundreds of health foods and products they already carry, Thrive now offers high-quality meats, poultry and seafood, as well as healthier wines, that can be shipped to your doorstep. Sign up for an annual membership now to start saving on healthy food, personal care products and clean products for the home. Shop conveniently from your home computer or your smartphone. Sponsor: Ready to get a better look at your inner health but don’t know where to start and having trouble obtaining blood tests from doctors? Check out Inside Tracker, an awesome service to use for convenient and informative blood testing geared toward athletes. You can get up to 30 biomarkers tested and more on your journey to bettering performance, along with many other features such as custom dietary recommendations and your “inner age.” Use code “enduranceplanet” for a 10% discount. This episode we have runner and coach David Roche. David started the Some Work, All Play (SWAP) team in 2013 and is a coach to some of the top trail runners in the world. He is a two-time national champion runner, a three-time member of Team USA, and the 2014 USATF Men’s Sub-Ultra Trail Runner of the Year. He is also a contributing editor for Trail Runner Magazine and co-author of the book, The Happy Runner. David’s married to Megan Roche, who is also an accomplished runner, fellow SWAP coach, and co-author their book. She recently obtained her medical degree from Stanford. On this show we talk with David all about the keys to happy running and more: Living in Colorado and driving Outbacks or Sprinter vans. Having a fridge in your car (and other modes of transportation) is pretty amazing. Dog people David and Megan have a dog named Addie, who they refer to a lot in the book. Sometimes she runs with them, but more so she’s a snuggler. DNA testing for dogs — finding out what your mutt/mix is with the Wisdom Panel. On writing The Happy Runner and not passing up the opportunity when it fell into their lap, and sticking to their gut of including a section on happiness (and not just training). Allowing their voice to come through in the book. What David has learned from Lucho, who’s a good friend of his. Why the focus on happiness? We’re all dealing with issues in our head. We’re all staring into an abyss and how we can get comfortable with what’s uncomfortable, our demons, etc. They teach us to learn the right approach to your goals and not get overly number obsessed. Addressing performance anxiety, depression, going to therapy, etc. The stigma around seeing a therapist and how it’s not something to hide or be ashamed of. David and Megan invite us to let down our guard and share our vulnerabilities. Research on how athletes respond differently to different stimulus and stressors based on their mental state. Self-loathing athletes may not adapt as well or as quickly as those with more resilience. In other words, our physiological adaptations are tied into our mental state. Athletes who “hide” don’t allow themselves to reach their potential. We all have issues, let’s see them as “friends” that we cope with. “An unexamined running life often becomes an unhappy running life.” Ability to be present and zoom in on the process. The goal is to find the joy in the moment — both good and bad moments. On failure, and why it’s so important to experience this! Optimize what you can do in the context of your life. Transactional nature of athletics. How to have a healthy relationship with results, and risks we run of caring too much about results. Celebrate every achievement. Remove self-evaluation from the equation. Whether first or last, not let that lead to judgment or assign self-value based on those results. With pros, they teach them to celebrate whatever happens once the start gun goes off. At the end of the day, athletics can just be funny. Don’t take yourself too seriously. David’s story: A former football player. His time in law school at Duke and meeting Megan, where they got into running together. Put too much focus on running and results at the price of having a balanced life outside running (selfishness). When he “saw the light” and totally changed his approach. Working as an environmental lawyer for a while and realizing his calling was elsewhere. Making the leap to coaching, with Megan’s encouragement. Megan graduating from Stanford as an MD and is now making some decisions on her next steps; currently doing more research. Getting ok with uncertainty is important — take the leap! Give that itching urge you have a chance even if it’s scary. David’s big takeaway: NO MATTER WHAT YOUR DEAL IS, YOU ARE ENOUGH! Mister Rogers — let’s all channel more of

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Generation UCAN Superstarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for endurance athletes and health enthusiasts. EP fans get 15% of UCAN, shop now. You can also use the code “enduranceplanet” if you’re shopping at generationucan.com for that 15% discount. Have you seen UCAN’s brand-new look? Their packaging is looking sleek and sophisticated, still with the same great SuperStarch you’ve come to know and love for steady, long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash. Intro Lucho’s started using the SweetBeat HRV app. Easy aerobic exercise can increase HRV based on research and Lucho’s experience. HRV scores are individual! Your number is an n=1 (don’t compare yourself to Lucho). We can’t just rely on technology to guide our training. So be mindful whether or not you decide to comply with your device. Sometimes it’s ok to do the workout, even if your tech says you “shouldn’t.” Vladamir Cycling Cadence in Triathlon Brett Sutton has been posting about his views on cycling cadence in triathlon (for example, here: https://team.homeoftriathlon.ch/en/teams/home-of-triathlon/blog/do-you-want-to-ride-faster). In a nutshell, he says that everybody other than professional cyclists should pedal with a lower cadence than 90 rpm, because it’s too difficult for those who did not grow up racing bikes to pedal at 90 rpm and because it’s somehow less efficient. In the linked post, he “backs it up” with a more developed piece by one of his coaches and a one-time pro cyclist, Cameron Watt (http://blog.trisutto.com/the-great-cadence-debate/), who attempts to put physics behind that idea, essentially saying the higher the watts you are pushing, the higher your cadence. Frankly, none of that makes any sense to me. For one, I don’t recall ever having trouble pedaling at 90 rpm and in fact tend to go higher during focused efforts. In Watt’s article, he at one point talks about track sprinters who are pushing massive watts and cadence and says, see their cadence is high because their watts are. That makes no sense. The reason track cyclists have a very high cadence is because they are riding a fixed gear bike and increasing cadence is the only means of accelerating. Sprinters have to strike a balance between selecting a massive gear for the final kick and having a reasonable ratio so that they can get up to speed reasonably quickly at the start. Further, to take Sutton/Watt’s argument to its logical conclusion, shouldn’t we also run with a lower cadence too? What the Coaches Say: A cadence of 72-80 (as Sutton recommends) is reasonable for an amateur IM athlete. At the end of the day, your cadence is individual. If you’re between 75-90 then you’re probably fine! If your run is suffering, then look at the cadence. Too low of a cadence and you won’t be able to run after the bike, because your muscles are fatigued. Variety in training is crucial. If you can’t do over 100 RPM, then you need to work on that. Likewise, if you’re dying at 60 RPM, work on that. Don’t worry about cadence on race day. It should be “preferential gearing” AKA let the athlete do what’s natural to them. This low cadence approach is definitely not applicable to the run! No research suggests that a low run cadence is advantageous. And, as with cycling, your natural inclination is the best. BONUS: Tawnee dug up a number of research articles on the topic: 1. The Effect of Pedaling Cadence on Skeletal Muscle Oxygenation During Cycling at Moderate Exercise Intensity. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190212120114.htm https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/why-amateurs-shouldnt-try-to-pedal-like-chris-froome-191779 New study (Feb 2019) on 9 recreational cyclists, found over 90 rpm less efficient. But these were not trained athletes. They exercised at a power output equal to Tvent, pedaling at cadences of 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 rpm, each for 4 min. Tissue saturation index (TSI), a measure of vastus lateralis oxygenation, decreased from rest to exercise; the magnitude of this TSI reduction was significantly greater when pedaling at 90 rpm (−14±4%), compared to pedaling at 40 (−12±3%) and 50 (−12±3%) rpm (P=0.027 and 0.017, respectively). Albeit small, the significant decrease in TSI at increased cadence recorded in this study suggests that skeletal muscle oxygenation is relatively more affected by high cadence when exercise intensity is close to Tvent. 2. The effect of cadence on cycling efficiency and local tissue oxygenation. Study on 14 Trained triathletes/cyclists. They tested 60, 80, 100 rpm tested in 8 min trials and found that they had higher efficiency and economy at lower cadences. It was concluded that: (a) Trained cyclists and triathletes are more efficient and economical when cycling at 60 rpm than 80 or 100 rpm; (b) Local tissue oxygen saturation levels are higher at 80 rpm than 60 and 100 rpm; (c) Heart rate and blood lactate levels are higher with cadenc

Sponsor: Be sure to open Amazon via enduranceplanet.com—it’s just one extra click to link to Amazon through the sidebar banner (to the right of the page) or click the Amazon links in the show notes. Thanks for supporting the show. Sponsor: Also, check PerfectAmino by BodyHealth, an athlete’s secret weapon featuring eight essential amino acids in the exact ratios needed to ensure proper protein synthesis in the body. PerfectAmino has been tested and approved for in-competition athletes and professional sports; and all of us over at EP have used in in our athletic careers. We are back with Holistic Performance Nutrition episode 6. On this show, coaches Tawnee and Julie share six of their favorite nutrient-dense foods for athletes. We breakdown what makes these foods so good for athletes (including plant-based athletes!), and give our buying tips, favorite brands, cooking methods, nutrient profiles, and more. Quick links mentioned on this show: Dr.Sara Gottfried on eating 20-30 plant species per week! Thrive market Vital Choice PaleoValley Organ complex Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Common deficiencies in athletes: Iron – crucial for athletes, especially female athletes who are more prone to anemia. Magnesium – ATP production from fatty acid oxidation, muscle relaxation, bone remineralization. Vitamin D – aids in the absorption of calcium. Calcium – excreted in high sweat sports. Vitamin B12 – formation of red blood cells and DNA regulation. Zinc – Post-exertion tissue repair, immune boosting, fights infection. Selenium – aids in immune function and cell repair. Vitamin E – aerobic athletes need more because our cells undergo more oxidative damage; E is a well-known free radical scavenger. Protein – endurance athletes need it for maintaining aerobic metabolism; aids in recovery and wound healing. Adequate nutrients can mean quicker recovery time, lower infection rates, less fatigue, and ultimately, can help athletes reach their desired performance levels. Eat to Compete – breakdown of athletes’ needs and what foods to find them in.   1. Liver Contains more nutrients, gram for gram, than any other food. Meat from pasture-raised animals are 2-4 times higher in omega-3’s than meat from commercially raised. Also benefits communities, the environment, the farmer. Nature’s most concentrated source of vitamin A. All the B vitamins in abundance, particularly vitamin B12 (50x more than steak). Best source of folate. A highly usable form of iron. Trace elements such as copper, zinc and chromium; liver is our best source of copper. An unidentified anti-fatigue factor. CoQ10, a nutrient that is especially important for cardiovascular function. A good source of purines, nitrogen-containing compounds that serve as precursors for DNA and RNA. there because they help the body get rid of toxins Myths: The liver is full of toxins? The liver neutralizes toxins, but doesn’t store them. Toxins are stored in our fat tissue and nervous system. It does store: Vitamins A, D, E, K, B12, Folate, copper and iron. All of which are an excellent source of high-quality protein. Too much Vitamin A? Buying & cooking: The best choice is liver from animals that spend their lives outdoors and on pasture. 100-gram serving of beef, lamb, bison or duck liver (about 4 ounces) 1-2x a week, providing about 50,000 IU vitamin A per serving. Chicken liver, which is lower in vitamin A, may be consumed more frequently. Marinate overnight in lemon juice or ACV with garlic and herbs to neutralize the flavor. Pat it dry and fry medium heat in butter until really brown on the outside and rose on the inside. Add tamari sauce. Julie’s favorite cooked liver recipe is to slice the liver thin (no more than 1/4th inch) then dredge it in a mixture of almond flour, salt and lots of pepper. (Almond flour is just a replacement for those who don’t eat grains.). Fry on both sides in ghee or lard. I usually cook up the whole liver at one time then either heat up the leftovers during the week, or snack on it cold. It’s a great substitute for a power bar or other on-the-go meal. Summary: Not all liver is the same. Incredible sources of B12, A, Iron, Protein, and trace minerals. Great for stress and energy. Supplement Form: Ancestral Supplements, PaleoValley, Vital Proteins Sam’s Liver Pate recipe: Ingredients: 1lb liver ¾ cup cashews 1 white sweet onion 1 apple 4 sprigs thyme ¼ tsp pepper 2 tsp salt ¼ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp lemon juice 6 tbsp coconut oil Directions: Pour boiling water over cashews and soak during prep and cooking. Heat 2 Tbsp of coconut oil in skillet over medium heat Sauté onions for about 5 minutes, until soft and slightly translucent. Add apples and spices, and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the apples are very tender. When skillet ingredients are almost done, rinse and drain cashews then put in food processor with 3/4 cup warm water and lemon juice. Process for 1 minute, u

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Generation UCAN Superstarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for endurance athletes and health enthusiasts. EP fans get 15% of UCAN, shop now. You can also use the code “enduranceplanet” if you’re shopping at generationucan.com for that 15% discount. Have you seen UCAN’s brand-new look? Their packaging is looking sleek and sophisticated, still with the same great SuperStarch you’ve come to know and love for steady, long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash. Send us a note to let us know how UCAN is working for you! Intro Banter Kid-friendly strength training tips: Make sure they’re aware of technique and posture. Do lots of jumping. Be creative with the movements (especially by using a medicine ball, bands, or cables). Keep it positive (do movements they enjoy). EP mentioned on Triathlete.com (but they forgot Lucho!). Anya Low max heart rate & strength training follow-up Fist of all, I love all of your insight and efforts to look into the literature regarding the questions on strength training. I am a physical therapist and specialize in treating endurance athletes and spend much of my “free time” nerding out by reading articles specifically on this topic so I can best direct treatment and injury prevention programs. The question on episode 283 RE: body weight vs loaded strength sparked and interest because this is a topic that I have changed viewpoint in the past few years. usually, I am a fan of higher load, lower rep exercises that specifically target the muscle/tendon/joint of interest (calf, quad, glute, ham). Of course, this means the loading is much less “functional” but does elicit actual tissue adaptation and general load resilience. Since it seems like you guys get a lot of questions regarding injury prevention and strength training, I though you might appreciate this podcast with Dr. Rich Willy. He is one of the leading experts in the field of running injury prevention and rehabilitation, and happens to live here in Missoula (yep, I’m in Missoula and was stoked to hear that you came through here last year and met Julie and that she is now a part of your show!). He has become a wealth of knowledge for me and has spoken on may other podcasts. I think this interview provides a nice, simple summary that you may be able to pass along to your athletes or use in future questions. Also, I loved Lucho’s contribution about importance of lower leg strength…often so under appreciated. Ok, I apologize for the rambling, but this stuff is my true passion, so I could go on about it all day. Now for my question: I am a runner, but over the years have dealt with enough of my own injuries (mostly due to relative overtraining and under fueling…getting a handle on that and love the episodes that discuss this btw) that I mountain and road bike just as much. At the moment, I am running healthily and training for several races this summer — a few 30k’s, 14 mile trail race, and maybe a 50miler. I tend to stay away from shorter races because I have a serious problem with operating for very long at high intensities. I have gotten a HR monitor and wear it quite often. My max HR is about 163bpm, and my LTHR is about 149-151. My FTP wattage on the bike is 192 and this correlates with the LTHR mentioned above. My resting HR is about 40bpm. Ok, so my issue is, I feel like i don’t have a lot of wiggle room between my LTHR of 150ish and completely maxing out at 160. Does this seem normal to you? I also find it interesting that my MAF HR should be around 148 (I’m 32), but this is way to hard for me to sustain for a 3 hour run. I have given up on that and followed Lucho’s advice to think more as training in Zone 1-2. I do believe that I tend to train too much in a zone 3/4/5 and rarely train in the 1-2 range, so I have been working on that (125-135bpm), but, I do continue to incorporate 1 day/week of high intensity work (hill repeats, tempo, 800s). My question is: 1) would you suggest focusing more on tempo runs in the 150bpm range on terrain that mimics the race (hilly), or shorter efforts pushing into my max HR with more complete recovery if my goal is to be more competitive in a 3-5 hour trail race but also be able to hang onto the front group when someone attacks in a bike race? As I write this, I’m thinking that I may not be able to get the best of both worlds, but would love any insight you have on the matter. What the Coaches Say: Tawnee’s notes from Dr. Willy’s podcast: Lift heavier w/ low reps; you don’t have to do a ton of reps as an endurance athlete. Cartilage, tendons, and ligaments adapt better to heavier low rep, and running is more specific to high rep. Lifting heavy can reduce risk of injury by 50%, but stretching does nothing. Heavy squats, calf raises, lunges — keep it simple. Walking can help load tolerance as an athlete. First off, your HR isn’t “b

Sponsor: Head to the EP Shop page, enduranceplanet.com/shop or in the show notes, where you can find products and services we’ve tested and come to love, and when you shop through us you not only support the show but you can have the peace of mind that we’ve done the work to find the best of the best out there for health-minded high-performing athletes. Like Sound Probiotics – EP fans save 10% and get free shipping. Sound Probiotics is the first pure probiotic plus prebiotic formulated specifically to improve the gut health and immunity of the competitive athlete. You simply can’t afford to be sidelined by illness or GI issues, and Sounds Probiotics has your back. Also on our shop page are the gold-standard supplements by Thorne Research. Whether for performance, improving or enhancing health, or all of the above, Thorne Research will have a formula that fits your needs and it’ll be backed by clinical research and 100% quality. For athletes we like everything ranging from Glutamine and Mervia, a powerful all natural anti-inflammatory, to multivitamins, B vitamins and digestive enzymes. Dr. Phil Maffetone is back for what’s sure to be another instant classic, as we help you understand and assess your blood sugar regulation and holistic health. Topics discussed: How blood sugar was treated decades ago vs. now, and how there’s an increased acceptance to using this information. Types of diabetes — type 1, type 2, gestational Interview Tawnee did with a Type 1 diabetic Jame Stout years back. What is Type 3 diabetes and how it’s related to brain function and decline such as Alzheimer’s disease. Gray areas with blood sugar — when you’re blood sugar levels are “subclinical” thus not diagnosed as a disease, but still showing red flags and this needs to be addressed. How other subclinical health issues are sometimes ignored but still can have a huge effect on one’s wellbeing and deserve attention, such as subclinical hypothyroidism. What we need to do is 1) be holistic and 2) assign risk — what are the risks of even subclinical issues? Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that is typically discovered early in life, as opposed to type 2 adult-onset diabetes. Type 1 is a condition that we can influence significantly with diet and lifestyle, to the point of getting off insulin, Phil says. It requires a great health care practitioner and getting healthy. Let’s look at people as individual humans not label them as “diabetic.” A listener asks us: I am a 34 year old Type 1 diabetic and novice endurance runner. I was wondering if you had any insight on the ability to prevent hypoglycemic events on long runs (10 to 20 miles) by using the MAF method to stay in a “fat burning” zone. I have some success with this with my own little n=1 experiment by wanted to know if you knew of any science to support this theory? The answer lies in the same principles that we often discuss with the MAF Method. The role of ketones and fatty acids. Phil likes fasting blood sugar below 90; somewhere between 80-89. How are we obtaining our blood sugar values, and how our response influences the test (i.e. are we stressed out when testing causing a shift in BS)? Continuous blood sugar monitoring — shows you how your body is not only responding to food but to life. Phil says, don’t just measure your blood sugar until you start from the beginning by getting healthier, then start adding on layers of health monitoring. Is the MAF Method important to develop metabolic efficiency to prevent hypoglycemic responses in exercises by being a better fat burner? Phil says yes. The role of diet even for endurance athletes, and especially those with blood sugar issues. KEY to find this out: How much natural carbs can be consumed without it interfering with your blood sugar? The role of body fat: You can’t have steady blood sugar if you body fat is too high. Overweight vs. overfat and our past podcast with Phil that addresses this. Phil’s book, The Overfat Pandemic. 20-40% of the non-obese population still has too much body fat, Phil has found in his research. Waist to height ratio Excess body fat associated with chronic inflammation and these blood sugar issues. We’re all an n=1, treat your diet and body that way and experiment to find what works for your wellbeing. 3-4 g protein per kg or bodyweight may be too much because protein can convert to glucose. Phil’s category for people who’ve been diagnosed with diabetes and have overcome it: “former diabetic,” “healthy diabetic,” “diabetic in remission,” etc… the point is our body remembers this condition and we have to still be cognizant. At-home monitoring and using a blood glucose meter. The problem is the technology: at-home glucose meters can have a 15% variance, which can be a huge difference. Don’t rely on glu

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Generation UCAN Superstarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for endurance athletes and health enthusiasts. EP fans get 15% of UCAN, shop now. You can also use the code “enduranceplanet” if you’re shopping at generationucan.com for that 15% discount. Have you tried Tawnee’s UCAN Porridge recipe yet? Click here fo the recipe and try it in your training an racing this year for steady, long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash. Intro Announcement: Tawnee is pregnant again (35 weeks)! Her and John are so grateful for the Endurance Planet community’s support and well wishes these past 15 months. Allison L. asks: IMLP Bike Training I am doing Ironman Lake Placid in July, as you know the bike course ends with an 11-mile uphill. On one loop there is about 2700′ of elevation gain. My training route is 43-miles https://www.strava.com/routes/17451916 with about 3000′ of gain but I live at the bottom notthe top. It is a low traffic route so it is great for training. I can do it twice and refuel at home. The big climb is at mile 10-15 with a hard steep climb at mile 35. I did this route last year for another full distance https://www.strava.com/routes/17451977 that also had 3,000 of elevation per loop but it ended down not up. I felt good on the bike. The goal was slow and steady and that is what I did (time 7 hours, 14:30 total, The next day I felt tired from going to bed late but I did not feel beat up. I even did another full 4 weeks later just for the experience). My question for IMLP is do I need to practice more on ending with a long climb? Or is just the overall elevation per training loop good enough? Extra question – to improve my bike times should I do lots of climbing in Zwift or should I focus on speed since I am a slow and steady slowpoke? The coaches say: Practicing a long climb before the finish is important for race execution but not necessarily for training; the main concern is mentally understanding that at mile 100 you’re going to hit a big climb. The key in training is to not push your climb, so it doesn’t waste you for the rest of the race. Consider doing one of two options to make your training more specific: Continue on after your second loop to do the big climb one more time, then easy spin down. This means your ride will be longer than 86 miles, but this will be good for your overall fitness. You could also drive to the top of the hill and start your ride from there. So that means you end your 86-mile loop at the top of the hill (and use your car as an aid station). As for the Zwift, on a trainer you’re only focused on wattage so there is no difference between a climbing interval and a speed interval. Outside you’ll actually see that difference. You could simulate climbing by lowering the cadence, but you don’t want to do this for Ironman training. You want to maintain the same cadence on hills as you do on flats so you don’t kill your legs for the run. Thoughts on training for speed: Focus on wattage and heart rate over speed. Just ride in zone 2 a lot and you will get better; you don’t have to focus on speedwork necessarily (though you shouldn’t totally neglect the higher end) Limit your time in zone 3, and zone 4 is a plain no-no. Lucho’s classic workout recommendation: 2 hours zone 2, 5x 10sec at max wattage with cadence 90+, rest 1-2 min., 1.5 hours zone 2, repeat intervals. Trent Davidson asks: Is Bodyweight Strength Enough? My first year in triathlon, I opted for a bodyweight strength training routine instead of free weights and had reasonable success; however, I returned to weights a while back with no significant drawbacks. If my fitness goals are general health focused (as opposed to competing at any particularly advanced level), is bodyweight strength training adequate/comparable? (e.g. does it have the same benefits for cognitive function later in life; building bone density; etc.?) Separately, are there any good cardio alternatives to running that don’t require a gym and aren’t cycling or swimming? (Had surgery for hallux limitus a few months back and have been advised not to run, lest I accelerate the arthritis). The coaches say: Bodyweight strength training can be equal to or more beneficial than loaded weight training; but they’re not mutually exclusive. You can certainly make gains with both. Do what you enjoy! Bodyweight Pros Doesn’t beat up joints as much / allows body time to heal up after being beat down without stopping training. Great if you have limited equipment and no gym access. Allows for natural ROM. Good for neuromuscular training, body awareness, and proprioception. Advanced levels are incredibly intricate and require full body tension for big results. Usually high rep endurance—good for endurance athletes. The exercises that are equally or arguably even more effective than the weight equivalent include glute ham raises (vs leg curl), power

Sponsor: Head to enduranceplanet.com/shop for a bunch of cool products and services we’ve come to love, use and endorse. Everything we offer is centered around helping you achieve the ultimate in health and performance. Also when you shop through endurance planet you directly help support the podcast so we can continue to provide you with great content always for free… Get started now on the path to optimizing your health and performance! And be sure to grab your PerfectAmino by BodyHealth, an athlete’s secret weapon featuring eight essential amino acids in the exact ratios needed to ensure proper protein synthesis in the body. Sponsor: Be sure to open Amazon via enduranceplanet.com—it’s just one extra click to link to Amazon through the sidebar banner (to the right of the page) or click the Amazon links in the show notes. Thanks for supporting the show. [/sponsor] We’re back with episode 5 of Holistic Performance Nutrition featuring Tawnee and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who runs wildandwell.fit. On this show we take another dive into the topic of amenorrhea and female athletes, with Tawnee and Julie offering new advice that we’ve not yet shared on the show yet. Amanda asks: I am a huge fan of your podcast and have listened to nearly every one. I know you’ve addressed this topic before but I am a female triathlete with large goals in the sport. I currently podium in my age group at nearly every 70.3 distance I participate in but have hopes to turn professional in the next few years. A year ago I began working with a nutritionist as I was gaining body fat and weight even though training had increased and my diet hadn’t changed. It was really frustrating but after working with nutritionist I quickly saw results and lost 25lbs over the course of a few months. Just for reference, I am 25 years old, 5’6” and currently sit around 125lbs although was probably closer to 119lbs at the end of the 2018 season. If you haven’t guessed where this question is going here it is, I lost my period in July and it still hasn’t returned (as of March 2019). Along with that, I have noticed a significant dip in my sex-drive. In fact I would say it’s nearly absent. My partner is also a triathlete and we both notice fluctuations in sex drive but mine seems to be steadily low if not none which I know frustrates him sometimes let alone myself. My period has always been fickle even as a youth and before endurance sports were a part of my life. Beginning March last year, I have tracked my calories and macros daily and have been very diligent in making sure I nail the numbers my nutritionist has given me based on hours of exercise per day aligned with consumption. In recent weeks, I have let go of the tracking a little bit and focused on eating more carbs and protein and not restricting even when I feel like maybe I should. I am averaging 12-15 hours of training per week right now but body weight hasn’t fluctuated much in a while. Any tips on boosting sex drive and getting the period back without putting on additional pounds or body fat %? Is this nutrition based? When should I be worried? I would guess my current body fat is around 15%. I had blood work done recently to check a number of things including Sex hormone which was in normal range (globulin- 21 and testosterone-12) and Cortisol 13.2 (blood test was taken at 4:30pm). I’ve listened to the Stacy Sims podcast on here multiple times and I still don’t know what else could be causing me to lose period and have no sex drive. Any help or advice would be SO appreciated. The coaches say: Hypothalamus signaling (HPA axis, HPO axis, HPT axis) The hypothalamus is the hormone control center located in the brain that senses stress levels in the body and responds accordingly. If the hypothalamus does not “tell” the pituitary to make sex hormones, a domino effect takes place. “Endocrine and neuroendocrine experiments have found that the proximal cause of menstrual and ovarian dysfunction in these women is disruption of the pulsatile secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) by the pituitary and that this is caused by disruption of the pulsatile secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) by the hypothalamus.” https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jappl.1998.84.1.37 Bottom line: Your hypothalamus has direct control over hormone production. You have direct control over the signaling of your hypothalamus. Weight loss Significant weight loss can be a huge stress and trigger for hormones to act funky. Weight is one area where women struggle the most—in being told to eat more and actually regain weight that they don’t want to necessarily gain, but it’s crucial. Need to find our unique weight “setpoint”—that point in which biological functions reach an equilibrium. The word “restriction” was introduced to Amanda through this weight loss journey. “Normal” body fat (BF) and body weight are often not enough, periods can go absent if

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Generation UCAN Superstarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for endurance athletes and health enthusiasts. EP fans get 15% of UCAN, shop now. You can also use the code “enduranceplanet” if you’re shopping at generationucan.com for that 15% discount. Have you seen UCAN’s brand-new look? Their packaging is looking sleek and sophisticated, still with the same great SuperStarch you’ve come to know and love for steady, long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash. Intro Banter Lucho geeks out about sunrisesunset.com Lucho finds a forum that confirms cycling can help a sprinter (in terms of both running mechanics and speed). His latest workout: 10x 30’’ on the bike with 3’ rest intervals; adjust seat height so you’re at full extension and reaching at the bottom of the pedal stroke. The value of NOT always stimulating yourself (with caffeine or other ways of getting amped) before a workout. Rory Using Tempo, Threshold and MAF for Ultra Training Hi guys (from Scotland). As you can tell from the subject title I have a few things to consider but Ill give you some background first. I am 47 (48 in 2 weeks!) years old, married with 3 teenage boys and in full-time work. Oh, and I play the bagpipes (I’m sure you’ve discussed piping on the pod before so just thought I would chuck that in there). I began running when I was about 40 with the whole family joining a local running club. Since then I have progressed from cross country, dabbled in a few road races (but hate the standard 5k’s and 10k’s), half marathon, marathon, triathlon and now mainly ultras. My marathon PB was 3:06 2 years ago, I managed a top-ten finish in a hilly 38miler last October (5:33) and a 3rd place finish in a night-time lapped course completing 42.7miles (6:29). I began MAF training 5 months ago mainly using an undulating road from my front door that does involve a couple of hills but I can keep track of my pace running it regularly. I have done 2 MAF tests (HR 133) on track showing improvements and getting to 8:58 pace. Not at an ideal time of day or week, though (Friday evening after a full week’s work so I know I can perform faster at that HR). I have a “good for age” entry for London marathon this year and was planning to head for sub 3 but have now scratched that in favour of a 53-mile ultra the day before. The first race this year (I have a few) is a 50km mix between trail and tarmac on March 30th, relatively flat and I would like to be coming in under the 4 hours. Since the beginning of January I have started to introduce some faster sessions, back with my local club, once/week. They involve a mix of hill reps, fartlek and tempo runs on road. There is a track session, too but I’m not doing those just now. On my regular MAF 6-10 miler route I did a threshold test a few days ago and came out with a lactate threshold of 175 at a pace of 6:26min/mile. What I’m wondering is how best to use this info in my training for the flat-ish 50k? I’m thinking: dump the club sessions just now, train mostly MAF with at least one tempo or even threshold run each week, building up my tempo runs to maybe 15miles. I think I want to look at maintaining a 7:30 pace over the 50k. I’m managing to get out 5-6 times/week. I know I should also be doing some strength training, I even have the kettle bells, but don’t get round to it regularly. I actually entered for this race late in the day after a friend suggested it, now I want to race it! Ultimate goal this year comes in September with the Transalpine Run over 8 days. The coaches say… Lucho approves of you following your personality type and doing tempo over high intensity (in the form of 5Ks and track workouts). Edging up into threshold over tempo is great to practice, especially in preparation for your transalpine race. 15-mile tempo runs are fine, but don’t limit yourself to that distance. Give yourself a range of 12-20 miles (bail even before 12 if you’re not feeling good). Avoid a typical taper with high intensity; you can keep your tempo but don’t worry about doing the highly stimulating things you don’t enjoy (like strides). Slowly reduce the duration of tempo runs during your taper: 15 miles (three weeks out), 10 miles (two weeks out), 5 miles (Tuesday of race week). After recovering from your March race, do 6-8 weeks of pure MAF base building and see where that gets you. For the transalpine, intensity might be necessary to come up the hard grades, so keep the tempo and threshold in there. If you need motivation to keep the intensity in your routine, go back to your running club for a more competitive vibe. Kevin PTSD & Fight or Flight During MAF I have service connected PTSD which makes the MAF method difficult as it’s often next to impossible to control my stress levels. It seems to me that running is associated with the “fight or flight” response a

Sponsor: Inside Tracker is an awesome service to use for convenient and informative blood testing geared toward athletes. You can get up to 30 biomarkers tested and more on your journey to bettering performance. Use code “enduranceplanet” for a 10% discount. We are joined by two rockstars of the endurance sports community, Jess & BJ Gumkowski, who are the triathlon & lifestyle coaching team of YogiTriathlete. Jess & BJ are experts in all types of endurance disciplines (from ultra to Ironman) as well as mindfulness and meditation for athletes. They host the YogiTriathlete podcast, as well as host monthly retreats for athletes in San Diego, which entail a 3-day immersion into the “awake and ready life,” and are co-creators of the m21 revolution online mediation and mindfulness community. Today they join Tawnee on this episode of Endurance Planet to talk about how to ride the high vibe: Sharing stories of life on the road: Jess & BJ left their “perfect-on-paper” life to enter the unknown, start fresh, and build new roots. They lived out of a Honda Fit for 6 months as they traveled from the East Coast and to the West Coast, where they settled in San Diego. They kept their adventure open-ended and didn’t know exactly where they’d end up, and found so many lessons along the way. They lived out of their car and mostly slept in a tent every night for months. They also didn’t even have a fridge or cooler, and had to shop daily for food. Practicing minimalism: The idea of letting go of “stuff” and leaving things behind, and then realizing that you are ok (and even happier) without most that stuff. How to stop acquiring more, even as a triathlete who has lots of gear, and prioritizing what’s important. Get hyperfocused with less to perform better. That 6 months of travel for them were terrifying and transformative, and when things felt overwhelming, just come back to the breath. Following your calling even when no one else believes in it. Starting YogiTriathlete from scratch, and holding onto belief even when times were tough. The abundance mindset: Starts with self-worth. Avoid the “lackful mindset,” e.g. I don’t have enough time, I can’t do that,I’m not good enough, I don’t have enough, etc. Move forward from feelings of fear by feeling the abundance around you (e.g. nature around you not monetary). Abundance is not just a bank account, it’s a vibrational set point. That abundance is you. Tools to counteract the lackful mindset: Don’t try to just squash thoughts. Allow what comes up to come up. Gain neutrality. Focus awareness on breath. This can be uncomfortable but it’s needed! Be neutral with negativity, don’t judge. What we resist persists. Non-judgement. Moving toward presence is tied into performance Feel your intervals, see the pain, and learn how to tolerate it. How the lackful mindset can keep us from getting to the races and goals we want. It’s ok to fail, see that point at which you fail, don’t fear it — failure is how we then can learn to break through. BJ shares his personal story on how he hit a low point in life only to then adopt mindfulness/mediation, and how it literally saved his life. How BJ is setting the right mindset for Kona qualification, and getting faster at Ironman into his 40s. Finding our identity, and not being identified by sport. Character traits that lead us into needing meditation and “level up.” Immersion into the “awake and ready life.” Jess shares when meditation clicked for her in 2010 and the baby steps she took into that world, trying a little of everything along the way. Meditation 101 for athletes — it starts with the breath. Identifying what type of meditation will be a good fit for an athlete. Paying attention to your breath while training, and not manipulating it nor the commentary of what’s happening (just the breath)! Why swimming is so good for a transition into mindfulness meditation. Present moment awareness is key for peak performance. But sometimes we just need to let things go to not fuel the fire. Stop fueling the fire by understanding: you are not your thoughts! Don’t indulge the fears, that is only fueling the fire. The art of detaching. “I am not my body, I am not my thought, I am not my mind.” BJ shares: How do you keep goals but also detach from numbers and results. (Hint: don’t be attached.) Why it’s best that athletes practice neutrality. Frame your mindset and vocabulary to work for you and manifest the abundance in your life — e.g. “I get to!” You are worth it.  The post Jess & BJ Gumkowski of YogiTriathlete: The Abundance Mindset, Facing Failures, and Why You Need Presence For Performance first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Generation UCAN Superstarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for endurance athletes and health enthusiasts. EP fans get 15% of UCAN, shop now. You can also use the code “enduranceplanet” if you’re shopping at generationucan.com for that 15% discount. Have you seen UCAN’s brand-new look? Their packaging is looking sleek and sophisticated, still with the same great SuperStarch you’ve come to know and love for steady, long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash. Intro Banter Reference to previous episode on chronotypes. Lucho’s blog post on neurotyping. Meredith asks: Overcoming Fears I’m a runner making the transition into being a triathlete, and I spent most of last year training for my first full Ironman (Wisconsin). I had the run portion under control from years of half and full marathons, and my high school swim team days paid off by bringing my stroke back pretty quickly, but the bike was another story. I’d never really biked besides to get from point A to point B before Ironman training, and I was doing solid mileage on my point-A-to-point-B road bike, but I was struggling to improve. A friend let me try his super nice tri bike three months before my race so I could try aero position and see how a lighter bike felt, but I was so distracted trying to figure out my positioning and balance and stuff that I ended up losing control and broke my arm in a human vs. pavement collision. All things considered, I was super lucky. It was a clean olecranon process fracture (basically sheared the head off my ulna), a surgeon stuck a plate in my arm, and Ironman Wisconsin gave me an injury deferral for a year. I healed fast and got back to running, then indoor biking, then swimming as cleared by my doctor, and just got the plate taken out in January. I’m already running, swimming, and indoor biking again, but I am terrified of getting cleared to bike outside (which should happen in a few weeks). Any time I even think about it, I just start replaying the seconds leading up to the crash in my head — realizing I’d lost control, realizing I was going over and it was unrecoverable, and the minute after impact where I just laid there on the (thankfully empty) street thinking, “Shit, I’m hurt.” My questions: How do I get over this fear and get myself back to biking outside? I’ve gotten hurt in sports before and have never had this sort of mental block with getting back into it. I’m worried that the 6+ months I’ve been forced to take off outdoor biking has given me too much time to build up my accident into something worse than it was, but I’m also worried that if I get on a bike nervous and jumpy, I’ll be more likely to get hurt than before. Should I even bother trying to convert to aero position/a nicer bike, or just stick with what I know? I’ve got a half-Iron in June (Steelhead) and then the full in September, and it’s not like I’m trying to do super well in either — I’ve got goal times, sure, but I’m mostly doing this to get the experience and see if I catch the triathlon bug. I’m leaning towards just using my trusted road bike (Diamondback Airen — it’s nothing fancy, but it’s solid), but I totally see the merit in a lighter bike/having the option to shift body positions every now and then, too. I’m a 29 year old female, I live in Michigan (crappy winters and roads full of potholes), and I train solo (without a coach or group), if any of that impacts your answers. The Coaches Say… Mindfulness meditation can strengthen the mind. Train yourself to be more aware of thoughts and your reactions to thoughts and feelings. This allows us to not feel as helpless in the face of our fears. When you feel the fear or issue arise, stay with it, don’t try to fight it. Eventually it will subside. Focus on breath = less controlled by anxiety. Breathe in for a count of 4 and breathe out for a count of 8 to increase serotonin; avoid shallow breathing. Exposure is key. Don’t indulge your anxiety or fear by avoiding the thing (trigger). Avoidance may give us temporary relief but avoiding it is allowing the anxiety to win and grow. Avoidance also breeds sense of failure in us. Start small coming back to riding on the road. Just practice clipping in and out first, then go for a ride around the block. Researchers have found that there are three characteristics that help us become more resilient and hardy: Challenge – Reframe the fear as a challenge, not an overwhelming threat. Control – We don’t have control over everything but we can control our actions, and this can help us become empowered and do what we need to do for ourselves. Commitment – Stay motivated and committed even through hard times, move forward with intention. Think of your crash as a learning experience that will prevent it from happening agai

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Generation UCAN Superstarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for endurance athletes and health enthusiasts. EP fans get 15% of UCAN, shop now. You can also use the code “enduranceplanet” if you’re shopping at generationucan.com for that 15% discount. Have you tried the new UCAN? Check out the UCAN Performance Energy Powders, powered by SuperStarch, for steady, long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash. If you’re already a UCAN user, this is the same great product you know and love with a brand-new look! Welcome to episode 4 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) with Julie McCloskey, registered holistic nutrition coach, and Tawnee, a certified sports nutritionist and holistic endurance coach. Anonymous male athlete asks: I am a 31-year-old man from Norway. The last years I have been running and trained for trail-marathons. I started my running for about 5 years ago, with the goal to get in better shape, and lose some weight. I am 181cm high, and my weight is now about 67kg. The last year I switched my training to triathlon (half ironman distance), but I still have focus on keeping my running endurance because I still want to participate on a couple of marathons. I am training 7 days a week, about 10 hours. I do the most of my training in the morning (5 o clock) so I don’t lose too much time with my family. One of my biggest concerns, I am always hungry for food, but I feel that I am eating too much already. Do you have any advices on how I can eat to feel a little less hungry and still not increase my weight? Some days (1-3 times a month) I get so hungry so I am «over-eating» on greens and oats, typical on the evening. How can I avoid this? A typical eating day for me is: After morning workout: some muesli, sometimes a banana and 1 dl yoghurt Breakfast: 2dl Oatmeal porridge, mad on water, with 4 dl fat-free milk to drink Snack: 1 Carrot Lunch: 3 slices of bread with cheese and a little caviar, 1 slice crispbread, 1 bell pepper, a tomato and one orange Snack 2: 1 banana Dinner: Lots of greens and vegetable, chicken or fish, and a little bit of rice or pasta Evening meal: 1 slice crispbread with 1 egg, and one slice crispbread with mackerel. 2dl yoghurt with oats. I am drinking a lot of water, and some coffee during the day. I am only drinking alcohol (1-2 glasses of wine, or some beers) max one Saturday a month, and only eating 1 little chocolate every Saturday. Snacking in between meals Is always fruits or vegetables, and I eat a lot of carrots, maybe too much. ALSO: I feel that I am not able to push as hard as I should on my run intervals, or my bike intervals. On the bike, I feel too weak to push my heart rate up in zone 3-4 on the flats. Any advices? Should I differ more on my training and go more slow on more of my workouts? The coaches say: This is a heavy carb diet, consider replacing some meals with LCHF especially meals that are separate from training times. Best way to find out is to log on MFP or another app that calculates macros. Carb cycling would be a good strategy to avoid too low carb too fast. As carbs increase, you can lower fat grams; keep protein stable (20% calories, or aim for around 80-120 g/day – 1.4-2.0 g protein per kg bodyweight a day if training) Also can carb cycle within a day – e.g. LCHF B/L, then carb refeed at night, or vice versa – higher carb post workout in AM then LCHF rest of day. Training with MAF complements development of metabolic efficiency i.e.higher reliance on fat for fuel Focus on higher satiety foods Could have low leptin and not getting the signal to “put down the fork” so he is always hungry Leptin is made in fat cells, and at 5’11 147ish he may not have enough fat cells to generate hormone balance Possible nutrient deficiencies, I’d increase variety and cut the refined carbs for sure Cravings for oats and greens? Both high in manganese and although a rare deficiency, could be a thought – Deficiency results in joint pains, clicking of joints, weak ligaments/muscles Don’t eat so close to bed, save carbs for dinner, and balance that BS Carb ranges Ketogenic/very low carbohydrate diet: ~0.5 g CHO/lb (~1 g/kg). Lower/moderate carb diet: ~1 g CHO/lb (~2 g/kg) or slightly more. A typical high-carbohydrate diet: ~2-3 g CHO/lb or more. Also may consider monitoring blood sugar levels with at-home blood glucometer. Some norms to watch for: <90 mg/dL fasting in morning <140 mg/dL 1 hour postprandial <120 mg/dL 2 hours postprandial Back to baseline (fasting levels) 3 hours postprandial Mike asks: From my understanding the main benefit to a fasting run is to teach the body how to better utilize fat as an energy source due to the lack of available sugar/carbohydrates. If we run after eating a breakfast with little to no carbohydrate would it have the same benefit since we would not be adding additional sugar to our system? (E.g. my typical breakfast is 4 eggs with but

Sponsor: Be sure to open Amazon via enduranceplanet.com—it’s just one extra click to link to Amazon through the sidebar banner (to the right of the page) or click the Amazon links in the show notes. Thanks for supporting the show. Sponsor: Be sure to check out our favorite supplement for athletes, PerfectAmino by BodyHealth. Protein in your food alone may not be enough. Amino acids must be in the right ratios to be utilized. That’s what makes PerfectAmino so potent. PerfectAmino has all the essential amino acids in the exact ratios needed to ensure proper synthesis in the body. It can boosts training, recovery, healthy lean mass (bones, muscles, ligaments, connective tissues), and more. PerfectAmino has been tested and approved for in-competition athletes and professional sports; and all of us over at EP have used in in our athletic careers. Chris Asks: Ironman Looking For Love Thought you guys may have some fun with this one; and perhaps a little different than some of the other questions you get. Maybe. 35 year old single guy who loves a good endurance challenge (Ironman, Leadville, etc. à humble brag) I’d say I’m slightly better than average but can be put in my place by most at any moment from an athletic perspective. Don’t really care much though, just out there to compete and play with my friends. Staring down the barrel of another year of training and practice in prep for 70.3 at St. George and 140.6 Wisconsin. I love it! It’s fun for me. The trouble is I am actively seeking a partner in crime. How the heck does someone find and maintain love when their favorite hobby includes getting up at 5 AM to ride bikes for 6 hours. I’ve been on plenty of first dates where her eyes gloss over as you start talking about going to bed at 7:30 PM on a Saturday so you can get up after 10 hours of needed sleep to go make exercise. To be fair Ironman is easier than dating. So why wound ’t I just Ironman. I feel like you and the team may have some fun anecdotes and advice for me. I can’t imagine this is unique just to me? All right heading to the pool because that’s the normal thing to do at 4:45 AM on a Friday Morning. You guys rock! The Coaches Say… Are you looking for a sherpa or a race partner? Think more about what type of romantic partner you’re looking for, and search accordingly. If you’re looking for more of a training partner (or, at least, someone who wants to do a little bit of racing themselves) commit to socializing outside of training with various athlete communities. Look for social functions put on by local triathlon clubs. Also consider proactively seeking your love interest at the gym, races, or even masters swim. Sure, you’re not looking your best in these scenarios, but that’s a good thing! Consider online dating for athletes: Fitness Singles or GoSporty If you’re looking for more of a sherpa, then don’t talk up triathlon so much on your first date. Focus on connecting as a person, not an athlete. Pro tip: Make it about her! Ask the woman lots of questions to truly get to know what she’s like… she’ll likely love this. Above all, resist the natural athlete urge to be a hermit because you’re prioritizing training. If you really want to find a romantic partner, then put yourself out there! Dan Asks: Strength Training DOMS I’m training for an April marathon and I’ve just started to build a better strength program into my training (moving from body weight to actual weights and lifting). I was wondering whether you had advice on how schedule my strength training? I do a workout run, easy, workout, rest, long (Tuesday to Saturday) then another easy run Sunday and rest Monday pending how I feel. I tried strength on an easy day, but the workout was really hard the next day – thoughts on how I overcome this (or should I suck it up because it will be hard for a while)? The Coaches Say… You want to start heavy weight lifting well before peak marathon training. Loaded weight should take place in off season, and transition to body weight during marathon season. Don’t force the weight now… body weight is sufficient to prevent injury. Using the TRX can help you expand the “body weight” repertoire. Resistance bands are also good. Instead of doing heavy leg weight sessions, do hill repeats for sport-specific strength training. Consider taking a “microdosing” approach to strength: try 10-minute isometric holds. See Tony Holler’s articles on this approach here. If you do want to continue with loaded weights, gravitate toward unilateral lifts. Tawnee has her athletes do balancing stick exercises (holding T position) to check for imbalances and train stability. James Asks: Keto Runs Thank you for your great advice. I started the keto diet with a protein focus on New Year’s day. I realize that I left out some information from my last question. I am a mesomorph (think Christian Bloomenfeldt without

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by BodyHealth, the makers of PerfectAmino, an athlete’s secret weapon featuring eight essential amino acids in the exact ratios needed to ensure proper protein synthesis in the body. PerfectAmino has been tested and approved for in-competition athletes and professional sports; and all of us over at EP have used in our athletic careers. This is Part 2 of our interview with Brad Kearns, for Part 1 click here to listen. In this show, we pick back up on the testosterone conversation from Part 1 of the show. Brad is the host of the Get Over Yourself podcast, professional speedgolfer, co-author to the Primal Endurance and Keto Reset Diet with Mark Sisson. Enhancing testosterone naturally (summary): Reduce training stress: Do fat-burning/MAF workouts and limited HIIT (covered in part 1) Chronic temperature stress Diet: Be a conscious eater, sensible, and avoid extremes. Topics covered in our continued conversation: Temperature stress as a hormetic stress: Cryotherapy – does it count for cold water therapy? Maybe not as effective but has its own benefits. Cold water is an instant cure for anxiety and boosts norepinephrine. In as little as 30 seconds you alter your physiology to reap the benefits. Chronic cold exposure can benefit immune function, and adaptations for athletes who will be in the cold Get out before you start shivering or feeling loopy! You can take it too far! Diet and testosterone Eliminate nutrient-deficient foods, i.e. get rid of the crap! (Whether that’s vegan, keto, macros, etc.) Be a conscious eater, sensible, and avoid extremes. It doesn’t just have to be the ancestral diet (i.e. an overabundance of fruit maybe is not the best idea even if it is a natural food our ancestors ate). Main goal: Metabolic flexibility – don’t be wedded to regular meals as main source of energy and get good at burning your own fat for fuel!!! Achieve this with intermittent fasting, lower carb periods, etc. But it’s not just about low carb to get there, we produce glucose in other ways that can spike blood sugar even in the absence of carbs–a lot of this is stress and a chronic sympathetic state. Diet and stress: Don’t let dietary ambitions cause you more stress. Sometimes time-restricted feeding works, sometimes it doesn’t. If you’re healthy you should be able to handle any food (in moderation). Don’t just blame the food if things aren’t happening. Do avoid things like bad fats and oils. It’s important to create healthy habits that will last. Moderation vs. keeping a strict diet regimen. Brad says be strict at first, especially with sugars, bad fats, etc., and eventually you can be more moderate when health and metabolism are in good shape. Other Vegetable oils = not good! See Cate Shanahan‘s resources. How eating well can boost your MAF pace. Dropping excess body fat: Be good at burning fat before you start trying to lose weight. Sounds easy enough to just drop carb intake and decrease insulin levels to lose weight, but this can been further disruptive to an unhealthy body. FIRST you have to be healthy, i.e. gut health in order, stress managed, cortisol levels normal, able to burn fat for fuel, etc. The Keto Reset Diet says for gut health: Leaky gut is rampant for endurance athletes, so start with fueling with clean foods during training. To boost his T levels, Brad takes a highly spontaneous approach these days. Dr. Tommy Wood said he needed to eat more food to get rid of energy fluctuations, with less fasting. Sometimes more moderation sometimes hardcore keto. The most important factor is having the mental commitment to do what it takes to achieve your desired goals. Tawnee makes the point, do we sometimes sabotage ourselves from achieving these goals because we have unhealed wounds and mental work that needs to be done first? So it’s not just about getting healthy first before losing weight, it’s about being mentally sound as well! Food can be a coping mechanism. Don’t use food as a drug. Be mindful of disordered eating patterns if they develop on the healthy diet journey, and being careful not to develop an eating disorder. Gluten – do we all need to give it up or is there a case for it being ok? The post Brad Kearns Pt 2: Take The Cold Water Plunge, Unlock Dietary Success, and Master Your Body at Any Age first appeared on Endurance Planet.