The Running Public

From college walk-on to professional runner, Steph’s passion for running and competing launched a career that has taken her around the world. So what prompted her transition from the track to OCR? Listen to her story today!

What should I be doing in training? What strength work is beneficial to me as a runner? What mobility work is needed? What about core work? This episode is your complete guide to what EVERY runner should be doing in training!

From 400lb Strongman to record setting Ultra Endurance athlete, John Clark has never been content to live an ordinary life! He broke the 24 hour Ski Erg record and then recently became the first to run a marathon in all 48 counties in England in 48 consecutive days.

We’ve all been there and we never want to be there again! Today is nothing but how to prevent muscle cramping!

The faster Kraker joins us for a story of running, injury, potential, setbacks, rock bottom, and rebirth. This is one you won’t want to miss!

Some people just love racing. They would rather race than train, and they try to fill their schedules with as many races as possible. The question becomes, “How do I structure my training in between back to back race weekends (or back to back to back)?”

Kevin Donoghue has never chosen the typical path through life, so it is only fitting to have followed the same outside-the-box approach as an athlete. What started as a career as a defensive lineman and kick returner turned into a passion for endurance racing, ultimately leading him to becoming one of Obstacle Racing’s most decorated athletes.

We ran out of time last week, so we’re finishing up the Q&A today! We have some great topics, ranging from race cramping to blood flow restriction training, plus Kirk tries to navigate the choppy waters of purchasing a camper while recording a podcast.

Annie is a relative newcomer to the world of endurance racing, but has had immediate success. Not an outstanding runner as a youth, she ground her way to the top of her sport through years of consistent work and an abundance of grit. Equal parts distance runner and mountain goat, Annie’s story is a great one. Enjoy!

Veejay Jones breaks down his latest After Action Race Report, then we discuss the heart rate training zones we personally use, our thoughts on the CBD craze, the importance of pace and terrain in training, and much much more!

Kris is one of the most widely successful endurance athletes in North America. A self described “hybrid athlete”, he has seen success in everything from ultra running to obstacle racing. Kris boasts a resume that includes a top 10 finish at the Western States 100, a top 3 at a Spartan Race US National series event, and a 3:51 downhill road mile. On top of that, Kris is a chef, restaurant owner, coach, and course designer.

Training built to race day, but now the race is over. What do you do now? The first thing every runner needs to do is assess their performance in a non biased manner. Easier said than done! Excuses vs factors. Positives and negatives. Luck vs execution. Lack of toughness vs lack of fitness. We use Kirk’s race this past weeks to walk you through how to approach your after action report and what to do with the information!

After listening to the Ross Wiemer interview (Episode 46), TJ Schraufnagel decided to begin running with the intent of completing a mountain ultra. This is the story of his journey from running 7 times in January to completing a 31 mile race in July, at altitude and with 10,000’ of elevation gain!

We’ve all been there, searching online for the magic workout or training plan to get us through our next big race. Searching for the secret sauce that sets the great ones apart from the mortals. But what the great ones understand, either intuitively or through trial and error, is that success is the result of days, weeks, months, and years of consistent work. There is no magic workout that will launch you forward. Today we break that concept down and explore it fully!

Hawk Call took a break from his summer build towards his senior cross country season at Utah Valley University and jumped into the US National Series race in Utah. In his first race in the elite field, he led for 90 minutes before finishing 3rd, putting the sport on notice. Today he walks us through his journey from “Hobie Call’s son” to D1 runner and future OCR star.

As runners, we work really hard in order to be ready for our next race course. Often times, this means targeting a specific skill (technical terrain, descending, etc) throughout our buildup to race day. However, we often leave those skills behind during our subsequent training blocks, leaving us scrambling to regain them when another situation calls for their use! Today we discuss the top perishable skills and how to keep them well-oiled year round.

100k US Champ. Team USA Ultra Runner. Coach. Freethinker. Psychedelics advocate. Anthony is unique in a sport full of uniqueness. Kick back and enjoy a running interview that will go places we’ve not gone before, while challenging you to rethink the way you approach caring for your running body.

We received an interesting question this week: ”How do you two approach a big mountain race, from the moment you wake up until the moment you cross the finish line?” We liked it so much we talked about it for 55 minutes! From wake up time, breakfast, and warm up to mindset, strategy, and fueling, this is everything we think and do on mountain race day!

Today starts with a few personal stories that highlight the importance of flexibility on race week. You don’t always need a perfect lead-up to race day. Bad nights of sleep do not always equal a bad race! We then move into analyzing whether or not you are due for a “mini reset” in your training, along with strategies for resetting properly.

When life hands you lemons, make a Q&A Episode! Today we touch upon training with limited time available, training with new babies, how to handle physically aggressive racers on course, dealing with chronic pain, cramping on course, and racing shoes that drain well.

On race day, having the best fitness isn’t always enough to guarantee success. Often times the style of race eliminates people from contention long before their engine does. Practicing specific race day tactics in training is the only way to make sure you are ready for any style of race that presents itself! Today’s episode breaks down the main styles of endurance racing and gives you specific workouts to implement for each.

Arielle is currently one of North America’s best endurance runners but her path to stardom is certainly not the typical one. From high school long and triple jump sensation to six months spent medically bedridden, Arielle somehow transitioned into the world of ultra running. This young woman has a story and message that we all can learn from!

We showed up with a topic to discuss, but 70 minutes later we still hadn't moved past a long rant and some good ole fashioned Olympic trials chatting!

Veejay rejoins the podcast for an episode about mindset and the importance of technique work and mechanical efficiency as runner. This an episode that will make you rethink the way you train and approach running.

Having a huge engine is great, but if you don't use it wisely you'll still leave time out there on the course! Today's episode is all about HOW to use your engine. Uphill, Downhill, and Flat Running all require the correct technique, mindset, skills, and strategy in order to maximize the hard work you put in building your fitness. Tune in and then throw down on race day!

We get a little bit of everything today with Rich! Coming off his recent win and World Best time at Dekafit and his second place debut at Hyrox, Rich talks training for hybrid races and maintaining high volume with minimal running while dealing with injuries. We also touch upon how to approach nutrition while injured, as well as a very in depth discussion on hotdogs and supershoes.

Today is a two-part episode. In part one we follow up on the idea of being in a "running slump". We had so much feedback after Brakken talked about his personal slump that we felt it was necessary to continue the conversation! In part two we discuss training in the heat and humidity. Tis the season for miserable running weather, so let's attack it together! Part two starts at 31:20.

Not our typical Q&A session! We only hit a few questions today because they were so good that we needed to spend a lot of time on each of them. It's like 10 mini Training Tuesdays! Race anxiety Pace vs effort in races What to do when you're totally unmotivated Setting appropriate goals and few more beauties!

2nd Place at the Canadian University Championships for Cross Country 2nd Place at the Canadian National Mountain Running Championship 36th Place at the World Mountain Running Championship Those are the accolades of a world class mountain runner. At 28 year old she's still just entering her prime, so why is this woman making the switch to Obstacle Course Racing? By the time she finishes telling you her story, it will all make sense!

One of the hardest parts of endurance racing is choosing the correct effort and pace for any given race distance. Some people seem to intrinsically understand how to manage their race efforts, but the vast majority of us crash and burn time and time again. Today we give you all our tips, tricks, and strategies for nailing your next race!

Rylan is the newest "name to watch" in the OCR scene. At only 23 years of age, he has already retired from professional mountain bike racing and switched gears in order to attack obstacle course racing. Sit back, relax, and get to know the next big thing in this sport!

Every once in a while, we need to step way outside of our comfort zone and do something that scares us. Something we may not be prepared for. Something that changes us. Have you offered yourself that opportunity lately?

One of the UK's top OCR racers, Natasha had an extremely unique journey to becoming an endurance athlete. She didn't find running until she was 29, but quickly made up for lost time. From medical hardships and developmental anomalies to sub-3:00 marathons, Natasha is an inspiration to the "everyman and everywoman" looking to improve their running and mindset towards training.

We preach sustainability and caution on this podcast. We drive home the point that we need to hit certain paces and metrics in training. Well, today we throw all that out the window and discuss hitting workouts based on your future goals rather than your current fitness!

Hunter is teaming up with American Record Holder Ryan Hall to set the Clydesdale Marathon World Record (fastest marathon by a male over 200 lbs). He ran 2:55 at 214# with no marathon training. Hear how they plan to run under 2:37 this fall. Come for The Sheriff, stay for the training talk and his priceless nuggets on mental approach to training, competition, and life!

Today is a look behind the scenes to what a typical conversation between Kirk and Brakken looks like. No agenda, no specific topics, just talking about races and training. However, the second half features Brakken making a bold statement about doing nothing but Compromised Running for the rest of the year and detailing why and how he plans to do so!

We hit a little bit of everything today ladies and gents! We have to say, the level of thinking behind these questions is really impressive. We love seeing people take their training seriously, and your dedication shows in your questions. Some highlights include: Carbon trail shoe discussion What certifications should a running coach have? How to manage racing twice in one day How to calculate fueling needs for a race What OG OCR athlete would we bring back? HR Zones vs FTP Zones

Lactate Threshold might just be the single most misunderstood concept in all of endurance training. So, we dedicate an entire episode to explaining and simplifying this awesome piece of training jargon. Get ready to take some notes! And pay attention for the longest analogy (7+ minutes) we've ever used!

Three months ago, Nick was preparing to prove his ranking as one of the most promising young racers in North America. Then, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. The toll it immediately took on his body has been severe, and he is actively fighting to regain control of his dreams of being a professional athlete. This interview will leave you rooting for Nick while realizing how lucky we are to be able to run in the first place.

The people have spoken: It is time to dive into training and racing distances over 30 miles! How much volume do you need? Back to back long runs? How long is long enough in training? Do I need speed work? Gear, fueling, shoes, etc

Slovenian National Gymnastics Team Member for 10 years Spartan Ultra World Champion 2x World's Toughest Mudder Champion 2nd Place at ECO Challenge: Fiji Undefeated at OCR Races 8 Hours or longer Bachelor’s Degrees in Physics and Astrophysics from Cal-Berkeley Master’s Degree in Science and Engineering from Stanford. This woman is one of the top endurance athletes on the planet but has taken the long, broken road to get here. Her story is incredible, as are the life obstacles she has overcome.

If you're going to swing the hammer, swing that thing hard! That was a big take away from the Dr Fred Clary interview, as he talked at length about preparing for 110% or even 120% of the demands of your next competition. Today we explain what that means, why it matters, and how it works / what it looks like in training.

Fred Clary is a Chiropractic Neurologist, World Record holding Power Lifter, and a goldmine of knowledge about maximizing the potential of the human body. Today we look into the role strength training plays in unlocking your endurance potential. Be warned: Brakken filled an entire page with notes while recording this episode. This is one you will want to listen to with a pen and pad in hand!

The super-shoe era is officially here, so Doctor Kraker went into the lab to test out the Nike Alphafly against two "typical" racing shoes in order to get clear data that shows exactly how much these new shoes affect your running. Along the way we hit the following: What is a super shoe? How does the carbon plate work? How do they affect pace at Mile, 5k, 10k, Half Marathon, and Marathon distances? Should they be legal?

Brakken's wife, Lisa, finally joins us today! Lisa hates racing. Hates it. She also can't stand easy runs, training schedules, and scripted quality workouts. We discuss how she structures her training and life in order to keep running a purely enjoyable and therapeutic exercise.

Kirk raced in Las Vegas this past weekend while Brakken commentated the Savage Race in Georgia. They have several takeaways from the two races that could be difference makers for athletes moving forward! The power of purposeful cross training How truly awful it is to race in sand The importance of a plan for attacking rigs Having the correct mentality for racing under the new pandemic style of races

Glenn is a self taught runner who didn't even begin training until after college. Learning on the fly, he progressed to a low 15 minute 5k and 4:12 mile over the course just a few years. From there, he was signed by the Spartan Pro Team in 2014 and has been an OCR racer ever since. Our longest episode yet, and you will not regret staying until the end! Glenn is one of the best people we have ever met in this sport, but he has also overcome some pretty incredible life obstacles along the way. If you don't know Glenn's story, buckle up!

We've noticed a few trends with the athletes we work with over the past few months. We want to go over them right now and hopefully help out anyone who is starting to exhibit similar behaviors in training! A few highlights: Rushing injury rehab in order to be ready for a "B" Race Forcing a specific pace on Easy / Recovery Runs Cutting weight too aggressively / restricting too many calories Trying to hit a monster workout too close to a race in order to feel mentally prepared

This month's Q&A covers a little bit of everything! How much is too much cross training? Nasal breathing as a tool vs a training style Should you treat Grip training like Endurance training? When to get new shoes for treadmill training Can you improve your ability to use fast-twitch muscles? Should supercompensation be used more heavily for designing training plans? And people apparently still really want to know who would win in a fight between the two of us... Heads up, we get lost down a few rabbit holes regarding OCR schedules and the recent NCAA National Championship meet, so skip to 21:00 if you are just looking for the Q&A portion!

Waking up for the second day of racing can be a brutal experience. Today's episode is designed to make that process as smooth as possible for you! How to train for multiple days of racing How to approach race week What to do immediately after Race #1 How to warm up Day #2