The Natural Running Network

Steven Sashen is the CEO and Co-founder of Xero Shoes, a company dedicated to the design of minimal running shoes and the belief that as close to barefoot in all we do is healthier and promotes longevity. It is a rare opportunity to find a running shoe manufacture who refuses to bend to trendy designs in the hopes of earning more money! Richard Diaz has long been a supporter of learning to run as our bodies were designed to function as seemingly unpopular it may be to avoid trendy fashion. This is a conversation that may cause you to rethink your next running shoe purchase.

If Kipchoge ran BAREFOOT? Nike had invested a fortune to bring one of their Elite runners to the finish line of a marathon in under 2 hours. Elide Kipchoge did just that! Of course, Nike Monopolized on the event by creating a special racing shoe for him to wear which will pay them back 1000 times over. The question is… If Eliud was paid to attempt the Marathon BAREEFOOT would he have been able to better or at least match his amazing finish? There is a lot of controversy surrounding shoe design. Should a runner opt for zero drop? How about higher stack height or carbon fiber in the sole? Richard Diaz and Blue Benadum discuss these considerations and finally, what IF Eliud Kipchoge was to attempt the Marathon record barefoot? https://youtu.be/5K5OhUpzpv8 https://diazhumanperformance.com/shop/

Hard to believe but yes it’s true! I did an interview after a long break from podcasting.  I said I wouldn’t do it unless I found someone interesting to chat with.  So… I reached out to Rylan Schadegg, someone I think is worth a look.  A fierce competitor new on the OCR and functional fitness arena.  You can catch the video interview on my YouTube channel. https://youtube.com/c/RichardDiaznaturalrunningcoach

Time Trial Tips for Runners… In most training plans runners follow, rarely do you see Time Trials. Blue Benadum and Richard Diaz felt that it’s a topic that runners should understand and employ in their training. How to do it, when to do and why to do them is covered here in this episode! In the conversation Blue mentioned the training plan he followed for Boston and the Book I wrote “Training the Dark Side” find them both as a bundle from this link: https://diazhumanperformance.com/prod…

Who is Richard Diaz? it’s difficult to put a label on him and he would prefer you don’t. His notoriety is earned through his success as a coach and sports clinician and yes, he has written a few books. All the same he doesn’t like to be defined exclusively for these accomplishments. He has exceeded retirement age with no interest in shutting it down. Blue Benadum an accomplished elite marathon runner who apprenticed under Coach Diaz. Richard is no bull shit coach, those who don’t know him will quickly learn what makes him tick. Blue set a personal best at The Boston Marathon with a finish time of 2:23. Richard Diaz agreed to sit for this candid interview. You’ll learn that he’s been around the block and has earned a great deal of experience from his travels. Most that follow his work these days are from the obstacle course racing space. Many know him as the coach behind elite athletes such as Hunter McIntyre and more recently VeeJay Jones. He also works virtually with clients from all parts of the world on a daily basis. His recently released book Training the Dark Side is a departure from traditional training practices and is worth reading. Be sure to visit his website to learn more about the services he provides and to get an update on his clinic “Road Show.”

OCR for Beginners! There is so much to know and learn if you’ve never participated in a Spartan race or any other OCR event, such as Tough Mudder, Savage Race. The first thing you should know is that they are addicting! It seems people can’t get enough of them, almost to a fault. In OCR for Beginners we discuss things you need to work towards, what’s important, what is less important, basically things you need to know to crush your first Spartan Race! Your host, Richard Diaz is recognized around the world for the success he’s provided to some of the top athletes in the sport with a few world champions and many other elite athletes that have been influenced by his coaching. Leah Duhon is a fierce competitor who’s skills revolve around obstacle expertise is our co host and is on board to share some tips that will help you succeed in your first event! To see more on this topic, be sure to visit the YouTube page for this and other great videos to make you a better athlete!

dip’s OCR Run Clinic recap Tired of getting injured doing OCR Races? OCR Run Clinic Recap Tired of getting injured doing OCR Races? A few things you can depend on, the sky is blue, grass is green and OCR athletes get injured. Out of love for participation in Spartan races and other OCR events, many enthusiastic OCR participants will find themselves suffering from injuries that could have been avoided.  It’s a function of eduction and application.  Racing is not training or vice versa.  For over a decade Coach Richard Diaz has hosted running specific clinics that provide a wealth of information through clinical diagnostics, gait training and injury abatement solutions that are self help oriented and extremely effective. Did I mention we dial in your nutrition? Through our Resting metabolism assessment we can clearly define how effective your feeding habits are and show you how to develop a feeding strategy that is easy to follow and will balance your weight without sacrificing muscle! We also reveal your metabolic turn point so that your training intensities are always in control and progressive. If you have not had a chance to attend one of these clinics, we highly recommend that you listen or watch this entire broadcast. If you are interested in learning more about these clinics and upcoming dates, visit https://diazhumanperformance.com. Here is the video version: https://youtu.be/Fcdrf7_b278

If you run, you had to have been dealing with injuries and follow the concepts and rationale for shifting to “Running Naturally”.  Odd’s are you have been working at it, changed to a more minimal design in shoe selection and through it all, thus far, you’ve come up lame! Injury, frustration yet still feeling you are on the right path, that the frustration will result in success and are not about to give up, you need to hear this. You could be approaching the work all wrong! It’s not the process, it’s the practice. Listen as Coach Diaz feels your pain and discusses the posible culprits, how to abate the problems and put to use some self help treatments to get you through the rough spots in your quest to become a better runner. As you will soon learn, this is an audio version of the video version posted on our YouTube page. to gain a better appreciation for this content we recommend you visit the site to see it After you finish your workout!

Planning on setting new goals for the New Year? We set out to help you avoid common pitfalls so you can avoid inevitable failure! We cover 10 bad idea’s and 10 common approaches and conclude by adding our own spin on what steps to take to help you ensure your success!

Running Road VS. Trail So many athletes tell us they don’t like running on road because its hard on their bodies. Is it the surface we choose to run on or something more? Coach Diaz sheds light and his opinion on the choice between Trail Running and Road Running. We will also offer some insights on shoe selection relative to task. What’s your flavor? Why? Please leave us your comments and by all means… SUBSCRIBE!

Regardless if you are a runner, Obstacle course athlete, Hyrox or even Crossfit, The FLow Method of training will boost your tolerance to fatigue and build your capacity to deal with lactate production, who many see as performance killer. This conversation revolves around Richard Diaz’s recent book, Training the Dark Side. Our goal is to shed some light on frequently asked questions but the solution to truly understand the concepts, we recommend you get a copy of the book. It can be found on Amazon books or directly from Coach Diaz’s website in digital download format. Https://Diazhumanperformance.com

Over Trained? How to self-diagnose. Can you tell when you are over reaching with your training before it’s too late? It is a problem. Many athletes do not know when to say when, what is enough or when is it too much. There is nothing worse than putting in too much work only to be left lethargic, having to back off or even injured as a result. In this podcast, Leah Duhon, our Co-host asks the questions… When are we in over our heads and how can we self diagnosis the problem early. This is a loose conversation, we cover a lot of concepts and tools that can give us a heads up. Some of these solutions need no more than logic, possibly a good coach. You have to listen to get the whole picture! https://diazhumanperformance.com https://www.youtube.com/c/RichardDiaznaturalrunningcoach

The 1% Factor – How to accelerate your performance reveals what you can do to provide in the words of Sir Dave Brailsford “the Aggregation of Marginal Gains.” These solutions are so simple it’s hard to believe they would have such profound improvements over your training. And not just in sport but in everything you do! Co-host “Princess Leah” and I felt that every listener and viewer should give energy to this episode! We offer interesting insights from a few other dynamic presenters that caught my attention as will yours as well. Richard Diaz is a world renowned OCR Coach and performance clinician and host of The Natural Running Network

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about heart rate training (but were afraid to ask). Let’s face it, it’s complicated business to truly understand how, why and when as it relates to heart rate. Not to mention, knowing what heart rate you should be following for it to be effective for you! As it so happens, writing training plans and providing clinical analysis for athletes is my day job. Having interviewed countless athletes, I have come to realize how frustrating this can be. So… This episode will address many misconceptions and help to get the listeners on the right path to successful training with a powerful ally in heart rate. Its worth noting that this podcast was done in video format and there were visual aides that will not be available to you in audio only. I invite you to visit YouTube to see what I am explaining to gain clarity. https://youtu.be/bXo7UR8rs4k

Running Shoes… Which is right for me? It’s the most complex question asked of me as a coach. There is really no definitive choice that can be recommended. If you are well informed regarding foot function, the potential for running related injuries and the causes, providing advice here can be a slippery slope! It’s the most complex question asked of me as a coach. There is really no definitive choice that can be recommended. If you are well informed regarding foot function, the potential for running related injuries and the causes, providing advice here can be a slippery slope! In this episode, featuring our new co-host Leah Duhon, aka. “Princess Leah” we discuss and provide opinion on the decisions we all face when it comes to buying our next new pair of running shoes. Running Shoes… Which is right for me? It is worth noting that this podcast was originally done in video which can be found on Richard Diaz’s YouTube Channel, this is the link if you wish to see what is missing from some of the explanations in this audio version: https://youtu.be/TXP0LJOq6fA. At the conclusion of the video and audio, I made mention of some of the services and events that are available, they can be found at: https://diazhumanperformance.com