The Natural Running Network Live

Stefanie Bishop is the real deal. Last year she literally ran away with the WORLDS TOUGHEST MUDDER CHAMPIONSHIP, this year as a tune up she participated in THE WORLD ADVENTURE RACING CHAMPIONSHIP.  Never heard of it?  Feature yourself and a team of companions with a map and compass braving 450+ miles through some of the most tortuous terrain and weather conditions imaginable with a goal of completion in 6 days. That’s how Stef gets her kicks.  Learn more about this adventure and her plans to defend her title and secure the prize money by pushing past 100 miles in 24 hours of hellish obstacles.

We often speak of “proper running” and when we invoke this term, its often met with controversy. Its time to put the quibbling to bed. Our guest, Dr Irene Davis is one the most respected authorities on the subject of running biomechanics. She does not pull her punches when it comes to running and what she refers to as “Running Evolution”. For many, this interview will be hard hitting and will at minimum, cause the heel strikers to pause and reflect not only on the way they approach their running but on running shoe selection.  Who is Irene Davis? Dr. Irene Davis is the founding Director of the Spaulding National Running Center, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School. She received her Bachelors degree in Exercise Science from the University of Massachusetts, and in Physical Therapy from the University of Florida. She earned her Masters degree in Biomechanics from the University of Virginia, and her PhD in Biomechanics from Pennsylvania State University. She is a Professor Emeritus in Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware where she served on the faculty for over 20 years.  Dr. Davis’ research has focused on the relationship between lower extremity structure, mechanics and injury. She is interested in the mechanics of barefoot running and its effect on injury rates, and is a barefoot runner herself. Along with gait analysis, her research encompasses dynamic imaging and modeling. Heres a brief overview of what will be discussed: Barefoot running, should you do it, where and how often?Running shoe design, whats the right shoe to wear?Is it okay to heel strike?What is the preferred approach, heel, mid or forefoot stride?

Nothing is more disheartening to an Obstacle Racer than an ankle inversion sprain weeks before that next big “A” race. Join Richard Diaz and his guest Dr Steve Capobianco Medical Director for Rock Tape as they discuss an easy ”do it yourself” treatment that can save you from serious down time away from training and racing. We’ll also discuss joint mobility and how this technique can be used to enhance range of motion. #rockfloss #diazhumanperformance

I did this interview about a year ago but I wanted to bring it out of the archive because Doc Kaufman has some great advice for grip strength, dealing with blisters and basically everything you need to know about getting a good climb on! For those who are not paying attention; Doc Kaufman is part of  "The Wolf Pack" a team of professional climbers who were a dominating force on "American Ninja Warrior". Noah and I traded interviews, I on his show and he on mine. He was fascinated with the sport of Obstacle Racing and is a life long climber and E.R.  Physician. Suffice to say; he knows a bit about injuries and how to treat them.

For  years I’ve spent countless hours trying to unravel the truth behind what is considered to be proper running mechanics. Over the past 5 years I’ve been fortunate to have one the most innovative podiatrists in the world to use as a sound board. Dr Emily Splichal the founder of Evidence Based Fitness is back on with us again to share her knowledge and this time, we did deep and provide answers to the questions I am often posed with. How do I deal with my nagging (fill in the blank) running related injuries?Is there a right and a wrong way to run?What exercises are best to develop my core strength and much more… If you are a runner, an obstacle course athlete or even a fitness enthusiast, you can’t afford not to listen to the podcast!

As many of you fans are aware (if you follow the sport of obstacle racing), Tough Mudder came out of the box with a new product... Tough Mudder-X which was a stadium style short course, action packed, high intensity event. The field was tight and packed with stud and studettes from the OCR and Cross-Fit communites. The promo was relatively hush, hush but now that its done and the program is slated to air on CBS in August we can talk a little about it.  Given the winners were posted all over social media, I think its safe to offer a congratulations to my friend and client, Hunter McIntyre for taking the win. Before you get too excited, this episode does not cover the race. It is an interview I did with Hunter a few months prior.  I felt it might be interesting to revisit his mindset leading into this new event.  Full disclosure: we knew of this event at the time of this initial broadcast.

If you want to perform optimally in a Spartan Race, Tough Mudder or any Running event for that matter; it’s important that you address the WAY you run before you concern yourself with HOW MUCH you run. There is quite a bit of confusion that exists in relation to running stride frequency vs. heart rate. It seems for many to attain a desired higher cadence can only come with a greater less efficient cost of work. Coach Diaz has asked his wing man Miguel Medina to join him as he attempts to shed light on proper running mechanics and unravel the cadence/heart rate frustration.

I love Peanut butter and Jelly. Jelly’s nice but never as tasty as when its combined with its soul mate peanut butter.  Every Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, or any obstacle course style athlete knows that to be successful in the sport you need to be a proficient as possible as a runner. Of course, if you can’t navigate through the obstacles without failure, this too is problematic. In this podcast, Yancy Culp, the founder and principle coach for Yancy Camp and I (Coach Richard Diaz) have come up with what we feel is an excellent opportunity for those that seek solutions to these aforementioned challenges.  You’ll need to listen to the show to find out what it is! 

Miles Keller, host of Link Endurance the podcast, asked if I would be willing to discuss my take on heart rate variability.  At first, I was not that excited but after thinking it through, I thought it might be fun to talk about some of the things I feel athletes waste their time, energy and hard earned money on. If you are curious about what heart rate variability is, or what I think you should not be doing, be sure to listen to this episode.

A Diva, by definition is: “a celebrated female singer; a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera.”  Laura may not be an opera singer but she is the sweetheart of Spartan Racing and yes, she can sing.  Better… she is an incredible singer aside from being a pretty tough OCR competitor.  I asked Laura to come on to discuss her choice of racing apparel, our upcoming OCR Running Clinic and… you guessed it. I asked her to sing and sing she does.  If you’ve never hear Laura sing, you need to listen to this episode.  You’ll be glad you did!

If you want to know what to expect from a Spartan Race course, ya gotta go to the source! Steve Hammond is behind the scene (literally) at Spartan Race. His title is “Race Course Manager” and if you don’t know him, you’ve no doubt seen him blazing around the race course in his souped up off road buggy, with a beard flailing in the breeze as big as life and a smile that says it all.  He’s having a hell of a good time. Steve and I met and I was sure from the first minute we would be friends. He is one of the most knowledgeable course managers in the obstacle course race business and he knows the competition.  In this interview, Steve and I talk about the competition how they’ll fare, the race course design and the upcoming races and the formidable challenges they pose.  If you plan on racing Palmerton or Asheville or, if you simply want an inside view-recap of Monterey, this is the episode for you.

A while ago, my wing man Miguel Medina and I (Richard Diaz) did a Q-n-A show in where we took questions from our friends on social media.  We ran out of time and tabled a page full of questions we promised to get to at a later date. As it turns out, this is that later date! I had to roll solo but I hope I addressed the questions presented with some clarity, questions like… “How much running should you do to prepare for an obstacle race”? “How can you measure heart rate effectively relative to grip strength training”? “How can you tighten up loose ligaments”? And much more… thanks to those who wrote in.  This is a pretty quick, down and dirty episode; you should have plenty of time to give it a listen.   

In every Spartan Race, Tough Mudder or any obstacle course race, there are always a few guys who I would consider “the rabbits”. They bring blinding speed to the competition.  Sometimes it’s just the ticket, other times the carries and strength work can toss a wrench into best laid plan. Mark Batres is a threat at any race he appears, with a 5K PR of 14:27 and he has been working hard to even the score when it comes to the bag and bucket carries. Will it be enough to win the NBC Series Monterey Spartan Super? Well… I asked him just that question, along with his opinion on the women’s field, going pro and the state of the sport at large.  Tune in to hear what he had to say!

The veterans of Spartan Race are well familiar with the notorious race course designer Norm Koch who was the mastermind behind the torturous event obstacles. What some may not know is that Norm is no longer with Spartan Race Inc. He’s moved on to another event producer known as “Bone Frog”.  It was a bitter sweet move and curiosity as to the politics and behind the scenes rationale overcame us, so we had to ask: Why did he leave? We also touch on the future of the sport, his thoughts on the Olympic potential and much more.  Norm Koch is a pioneer in this fledging sport of obstacle racing and his unvarnished view from the inside is worth a listen.

Alyssa Hawley member of The Spartan Pro Team has become a serious threat to the old guard in Elite Spartan Racing. She brings a unique blend of stamina along with the ability to out carry most in the field due to her strength. I caught up with Alyssa to get her take on the competition, find out who she is gunning for and her strategy moving forward to the NBC SpartanSuper at Monterey. Guess who’s on her hit list and why?