Summary: A lot of runners begin their training following generic advice or doing what they have read as conventional wisdom since "that's the way it has always been done." In the mid 1980s this frustrated Owen Anderson who took his newly minted Ph.D. and devoted his work to putting science and research behind running. After self-publishing his own research he was published in Runner's World Magazine where he was a regular columnist for many years. Owen has since been published in many other running publications including National Geographic Adventure Magazine, Running Times Magazine, Men's Health, Runner’s World, Shape, and RunningFitness Magazine (in the United Kingdom) and has written three books of his own. Owen has traveled to Kenya on 10 separate occasions to study the training techniques of the top Kenyan runners, and he has assisted such notable Kenyan runners as Tegla Loroupe (quadruple world-record holder) and Sammy Lelei (59:24 PR for the half-marathon, 2:07:03 for the marathon) with their training programs. He has also coached Benjamin Simatei (winner of the Park Forest 10-Mile Race in Chicago, Illinois), Antony Maina (bronze-medal winner at the Kenyan National Armed-Forces Cross-Country Championships), Leah Malot (African 10-K champion), Catherine Dugdale (seven-time Welsh cross-country champion and United-Kingdom representative at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne Australia in 2006), Joan Cherop (winner, Kampala Half-Marathon 2008), and Titus Loroupe (3:42 for 1500 meters). Owen has also operated a training camp for elite runners in Kaptagat, Kenya (with Jackson Limo as the on-site coach). He is now the race director for the Lansing Marathon in Lansing, MI and continues to coach both elite and amateur runners alike. In this episode, Owen will share the techniques of the elite Kenyan runners, their training strategies and what non-running related factor contributes heavily to their success. From their training strategies you'll learn ideas on how you can get faster and how to set realistic goals for improvement. We also discuss what is missing from most training plans and how this missing component is likely keeping you from reaching your true personal bests that you are capable of. He will also challenge many traditionally held beliefs that simply more miles and increasing volume alone are better for distance runners and instead propose a better approach rooted in science. If you are training for a marathon you'll learn why running a long run every weekend may not be ideal for peak performance, along with what you should be doing instead to be reasonably certain of attaining your goal time over the entire 26.2 miles. The episode is packed full of research based training advice you can immediately implement in your running! Quick Tip I'll address muscle cramping while you are running - what causes them, what to do if you get one while running and a helpful tip to prevent them from recurring on your run. Links Mentioned In The Show educatedrunner.com - Owen's Website lansingmarathon.com - Lansing Marathon
