The Natural Running Network

Many of the elite athletes in the sport of OCR work hard to draw attention to themselves to earn sponsorships and fan base. Mark Jones will have none of it, he just loves to challenge himself; the bigger the challenge the better. From Death Race to Worlds Toughest Mudder and all points in between. I asked Mark to be a guest to discuss the things that drive him and to speak on the future, past and present of the sport of Obstacle Racing. He was also kind enough to provide some insight into some of the events he and his fellow event producers have slated for 2017. You don’t want to miss this!

Miles Keller is your better than average OCR athlete and he plans on making adjustments to this statement by improving his approach to training. Miles attended one of our OCR Run Clinics (Dallas 11/20/16) and we invited him on to discuss his take on what he learned and his feelings about the event. If you are one of those who have been thinking about attending one of these clinics but can’t seem to pull the trigger, this is a good episode for you to listen to. In this episode you will: * Learn why it’s important to train with heart rate * Learn why running for is so important * Who should attend these clinics? * Why Miles is eating his Thanksgiving dinner alone! Miles is cohost to the Link Endurance Podcast: https://goo.gl/EOtbVl  

Long before there was OCR or Spartan Race, there was Adventure Racing. It’s not surprising that with the popularity of obstacle course racing that Adventure Racing has made resurgence. Adventure Racing is a serious test of endurance, a team competition strewn over the toughest terrain the world has to offer. Up to six days and hundreds of miles, unsupported, no GPS allowed, only map, compass and the wit of the teams trusted navigator.  In this episode, Richard Diaz interviews Erik Nachtrieb one of the executive producers of the AR World Series. Erik explains what it takes to meet the challenges of arguably one of the toughest physical challenges in sport. If you love to race OCR, grab a cup of coffee, you’re going to love this!

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to participate in one of our OCR Running Clinics, this is a great episode for you. Rather than banging the drum ourselves, we decided to pass the microphone around to all the athletes who attended our recent clinic in Killington Vermont. This way you get an unscripted first-hand account “live” from the folks who just completed a weekend training with us. Those who listen to this and wonder how to get involved the best way to learn more is by visiting our coaching site. Here you will find upcoming dates and information on virtual coaching services and if you have questions regarding the mechanics of getting us to come to your home town, just drop us a message. Here is the link: www.naturalrunningcoach.net

Everyone knows that to be successful in the sport of Obstacle Racing you must develop your running skill. Never mind that of all recreational sports, running leads in the number of injuries that athletes endure. What’s interesting is that the leading cause of these injuries is improper running skill and could easily have been avoided with proper training. Our host Richard Diaz is a highly sought after running form specialist and performance diagnostician. In this episode of “Listen and Learn” He hopes to point out the principal flaws runners make and what they should do to correct these flaws and get back to running injury free and optimal performance. If you are setting out to run your first marathon or are an avid Spartan Race aficionado, this is an episode you don’t want to miss! ”Running more often or at greater intensity with bad form is a hell bound train!”

Grab a cup of coffee and tune into a fascinating account of the shocking trail of hypocrisy that belies the tidy myth of clean athletes fighting corrupt deviants.  Cleaning up drug-soaked sports has been a mission at odds with the spectacle hungry interests of advertisers, Olympic organizers, governments, and fans. None of whom want to spit in the sports nourishing broth of money, national pride and power. Author Mark Johnson shares his “Spitting in the Soup” an eye opening account of social and economic clamor that arises from our ongoing efforts to create a sporting island of chemical purity in the midst of a drug dependent world

What is it that makes us want to push ourselves past our comfort zones, to race on broken bodies and to push on beyond reason?  Who better to discuss this topic than someone who has mastered the art of Ultra-Endurance Suffering, Charlie Engle?  Charlie is famous for his HBO Special “Running the Sahara” in which he and his band of running comrades ran over 4,600 miles across the Sahara Desert, the most unforgiving piece of terrain on the planet. Charlie is a recovering alcoholic/drug addict who is now 20 years sober. His insights on suffering will make you pause.  He also speaks on his recently released book “The Running Man” a memoir on the life and times of a recovering addict turned ultra-runner. If you have ever pushed yourself to the edge and wondered why you do it, this episode is for you!

Ryan Kent is a member of the Spartan Pro Team and a consistent top 10 finisher in OCR Elite competitions. His visit to our show was long overdue. We decided to get him on, have him provide some insights into The Spartan World Championships coming up in a few weeks and to give him a chance to try and edge out his big sister (not really) Spartan Pro Teammate Rose Wetzel in a promotion offered up by their mutual sponsor Marriott.  Listen to find out how you can easily win a free entry into your next Spartan Race!

Ever since Born to Run was released there has been a revolution from heel striking to “Natural” mid foot running. This revelation has spurred huge shifts in running shoe manufacturing and many runners who have made an attempt to this transition without proper guidance have suffered an entirely new set of injuries. Join me (Richard Diaz) and my guest Dr. Emily Splichal, Podiatrist and Human Movement Specialist, and Founder of the Evidence Based Fitness Academy as we discuss how the body reacts to ground force impact, the challenge and reward of making this transition and how our running shoes influence our running.  We discuss the importance of minimal shoe wear during Obstacle Course Racing and much more. If you are plagued with running injuries, are confused by marketing hype from the running shoe industry or simply want to learn more about these concerns, this is an episode you don’t want to miss. #barefootstrong #diazhumanperformance #EBFA

If you race OCR you know how addicting it can be. Out of sheer curiosity we asked a few pointed questions… How old are you, how much do you think you spend each year on OCR events, will you exercise off season restraint and how often have you been injured if at all? The average responses may surprise you. There was no agenda, we cast no judgement we just thought it might be interesting to hear what people had to say about the amount of money they spend what the average age is of those we queried. The sampling was taken from around 60 respondents. If you are afraid you spend too much on obstacle course racing, this revelation may be therapeutic or shocking.  Give it a listen!