The Natural Running Network Live

I ‘ve brought back Dr Emily Splichal, Podiatrist and Human Movement Specialist, she is the Founder of the Evidence Based Fitness Academy and Creator of the Barefoot Training Specialist®, BarefootRx® and BARE® Workout Certifications. Dr Splichal has dedicated her medical career towards studying postural alignment and human movement as it relates to foot function and barefoot training and running. Dr Splichal serves as a Consultant for some of the top fitness, athletic footwear and orthotic companies around the world including NIKE Innovations, Trigger Point Performance Therapy, Aetrex Worldwide, Crunch Fitness and Sols.

I ‘ve brought back Dr Emily Splichal, Podiatrist and Human Movement Specialist, she is the Founder of the Evidence Based Fitness Academy and Creator of the Barefoot Training Specialist®, BarefootRx® and BARE® Workout Certifications. Dr Splichal has dedicated her medical career towards studying postural alignment and human movement as it relates to foot function and barefoot training and running. Dr Splichal serves as a Consultant for some of the top fitness, athletic footwear and orthotic companies around the world including NIKE Innovations, Trigger Point Performance Therapy, Aetrex Worldwide, Crunch Fitness and Sols.

Matt Fitzgerald has authored more books on endurance sports training and sports nutrition than almost anyone in the industry. As of this writing he has penned 22 books, co-authored a handful of others and has two in the “Queue” as he calls it this year. Of interest for this podcast is: “How Bad do you Want it” and a follow up on eating habits of the greatest endurance athletes which should be released sometime in 2016. How Bad Do You Want It, promises to reveal the neuroscience behind the mind set of successful athletes. What do they think about, why and what results when they do. How we can trigger successful outcomes in our competitions through mental preparation and techniques we can employ to perform optimally. We also discuss the new trend in “Fat adaptation” diets. Do they work? You’ll have to listen to find out more…

Canadian Ryan Atkins is scorching the Battle Frog racing series, coming off of his second Toughest Mudder World Championship win where he covered over 95 miles in 24 hours! He is now setting his sights on the Spartan World Championships at Lake Tahoe this fall. Richard Diaz catches up with him to discuss training, running technique and all things to do with Obstacle racing as an elite pro. Obstacle racing is the hottest endurance sport in the world today. There is a whole new influx of amazingly talented athletes who are vying for top spots in the world rankings and Ryan has proven to be a force to reckon with.

Canadian Ryan Atkins is scorching the Battle Frog racing series, coming off of his second Toughest Mudder World Championship win where he covered over 95 miles in 24 hours! He is now setting his sights on the Spartan World Championships at Lake Tahoe this fall. Richard Diaz catches up with him to discuss training, running technique and all things to do with Obstacle racing as an elite pro. Obstacle racing is the hottest endurance sport in the world today. There is a whole new influx of amazingly talented athletes who are vying for top spots in the world rankings and Ryan has proven to be a force to reckon with.

Training and racing for obstacle races such as Spartan, Atlas, Tough Mudder and Battle Frog places unique demands on an athlete.  These events require the ability to perform at far greater intensity than preparing for a marathon.  Richard Diaz and his guest Dr. Harry Pino, a renowned sport scientist discuss these demands and the program written by Richard Diaz tailor made to prepare these athletes for the rigors of these intense competitions that he has justifiably named “The Dark Side”Lactate Tolerance Training for high intensity running

Travis Macy is best known as; “The Guy who won the Leadman Ultra Endurance Event”. Travis is a professional adventure racer, ultra-marathonrunner, coach and motivational speaker. We speak about his newly released book: “The Ultra Mindset” a book that serves as a guide to 8 key principles to becoming successful in sport, business and life. He delivers powerful self-help messages such as; “When you have no choice, anything is possible”.  This is a great interview for anyone who is in search of success.

Bart Yasso is considered “The Mayor of Running”. He is recognized around the world, having competed in running events on all seven continents from the Antarctica marathon to the Mt. Kilimanjaro marathon. A delightful ambassador to the sport of running and Runner's World "Chief Running Officer", Infamous for the; not so scientific but highly regarded “Yasso 800’s” a system of training and means for predicting a runners marathon finish time. Yasso won the U.S. National Biathlon Long Course Championship and won the Smoky Mountain Marathon in 1998. He has also completed the Ironman five times and the Badwater Ultramarathon through Death Valley.

Bart Yasso is considered “The Mayor of Running”. He is recognized around the world, having competed in running events on all seven continents from the Antarctica marathon to the Mt. Kilimanjaro marathon. A delightful ambassador to the sport of running and Runner's World "Chief Running Officer", Infamous for the; not so scientific but highly regarded “Yasso 800’s” a system of training and means for predicting a runners marathon finish time. Yasso won the U.S. National Biathlon Long Course Championship and won the Smoky Mountain Marathon in 1998. He has also completed the Ironman five times and the Badwater Ultramarathon through Death Valley.

Michael Johnson won 4 Olympic gold and 8 World Championship gold medals.  He holds the 400m world and Olympic records. His 200m time of 19.32 at the 1996 Summer Olympics stood for 12 years. Johnson is considered one of the greatest sprinters in history. He is the only male athlete in history to win both the 200 meter dash and 400 meter dash events at the same Olympics, a feat he accomplished at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He holds the world's best time at the 300 m.  Johnson is also the only man to successfully defend his Olympic title in the 400 m. Aside from his Olympic success Johnson accumulated eight gold medals at World Championships, and is thus tied with Carl Lewis and Usain Bolt for the most gold medals won by any runner in history.

Michael Johnson won 4 Olympic gold and 8 World Championship gold medals.  He holds the 400m world and Olympic records. His 200m time of 19.32 at the 1996 Summer Olympics stood for 12 years. Johnson is considered one of the greatest sprinters in history. He is the only male athlete in history to win both the 200 meter dash and 400 meter dash events at the same Olympics, a feat he accomplished at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He holds the world's best time at the 300 m.  Johnson is also the only man to successfully defend his Olympic title in the 400 m. Aside from his Olympic success Johnson accumulated eight gold medals at World Championships, and is thus tied with Carl Lewis and Usain Bolt for the most gold medals won by any runner in history.

Rose Wetzel has dominated the pro field in Obstacle Races through 2014 and is currently ranked #2 in the world as of this episode  and has she suggests, “Its early in the season”.  Listen as we discuss what it takes to rise to the top of the field in Spartan Racing, how important running skill plays into her success and her involvement in The American Ninja Warrior competition. Obstacle Racing is the hottest endurance event in the world today, drawing attention from the runners who historically have participated in marathons, half marathons are stepping up to the challenge offered by these unique competitions.

Rose Wetzel has dominated the pro field in Obstacle Races through 2014 and is currently ranked #2 in the world as of this episode  and has she suggests, “Its early in the season”.  Listen as we discuss what it takes to rise to the top of the field in Spartan Racing, how important running skill plays into her success and her involvement in The American Ninja Warrior competition. Obstacle Racing is the hottest endurance event in the world today, drawing attention from the runners who historically have participated in marathons, half marathons are stepping up to the challenge offered by these unique competitions.

Isaiah Vidal Elite Pro Obstacle racer is on the podium at almost every race he enters. Richard Diaz catches up with Isaiah to find out his tricks and share some with the audience. Running is recognized as a critical component of Obstacle Racing. Some say running skill represents 75% of the winning equation. Isaiah is working hard to add this asset to his portfolio. As a Spartan Elite Pro each athlete is ranked by the number of events they participate in and those in which they win or place. The events are set up around the world in three challenges, a sprint (5K) a Super (8 miles) and the Beast which is 13 miles all with unique obstacles to conquer.

Many runners are afraid to change the way they run even though they are plagued with running injuries. Richard Diaz and guest Peter Faletto, PT, gait correction expert, explain how a runner would change the way they run to reduce injury and improve performance. Both Richard and Peter are highly experienced in the practice of neuromuscular re-education through a very unique system of unweighting and passively correcting poor gait mechanics while in motion. Any runner who is engaged in marathon training, half marathon training or even high intensity sprint speed athletics should tune into this episode.