The Natural Running Network

It may seem like a heavy statement to say “The Fittest Runner I’ve Ever met” but in all the years of assessing the fitness of athletes (over two decades) this runner, Blue Benadum has consistently tested off the charts in a VO2max test, I’m talking over 85 mls/kg/min!  To put this in perspective,  a score that high would rank in the top 1% of the fittest athletes in the world. This does not necessarily mean the top performer in a category but, Blue is no slouch. He won the Lake Tahoe Triple Marathon (3 consecutive marathons over 3 days) with an average finish of under 2:55 each. At the conclusion of the final marathon (which was the fastest) he executed 100 air squats and 100 pushups on there finish line!  This weekend he’ll participate in an IronMan Triathlon with less than 9 weeks of preparation on a borrowed bike.  You got to hear the entire story~

I’ve often spoke of the importance of dedicating time to MSD sessions in each training week. They will not only keep you sharp, fine tune your running skills but if you’re not already doing them, it may be the reason you can’t seem to break through your performance plateau’s. If you are currently dong what you’ve been told are speed workouts at the track and you are not doing or don’t understand the nature of the motor skill development drills explained in this podcast, all of your hard work will ultimately yield little progress. The process I’ll explain in this episode, taken to heart, has the potential to bring your performance to the next level and well beyond expectation.  If you’re a runner, if you compete in Spartan Races or Tough Mudder, you do not want to miss this episode.

The beginning of this episode starts out with some high opinionated commentary about the state of OCR, bad decisions made by Tough Mudder, followed with curiosities regarding the direction taken by Spartan Race.  Once thats done, Shan Kahn and I discuss the importance of getting the numbers right with training; how much volume to take on, the intensity, how heart rate plays into all of this when planning for a race, diet and a lot more!  If you stick through the opening chatter, you’ll get some good advise to help you train smarter, not harder!

It may seem like a play on words but Allison Tai is one Tough Mudder in every sense of the phrase.  Just recently coming off of the win at The Spartan Ultra Beast World Championships this year (2017), she is setting her sites on the win at The Toughest Mudder World Championship in a matter of weeks.  Her story is one of fables, having been taken out by a car while riding her bike, suffering a broken back, hip and arm to return to ultra endurance racing is simply amazing.  We talk with Allison about her goals, her desire to break 100 miles at WTM and the competition.   

Did you barely survive or thrive when crossing the finish line this weekend at Spartan Race World Championships Tahoe? Richard Diaz and Shan Khan dive into what was seen from those finishing the race, how ankle stability and foot strength is crucial to these distances, when and how you should start training for an endeavor like this, how grip intensive it was along with talk about what the live feed and the weekends event does for the future of OCR, and much more. Does single malt Scotch really help out the pre-race prep? You won’t want to miss this.

The Obstacle Course Racing Season has a few big events over the next few weeks with Spartan World Championships this weekend, followed by OCR World Championships and Toughest Mudder but once these events wind down, what then? Are you planning an Off Season?  What will that look like, will you take a few weeks, months off to recover and prepare?  What will you do instead of racing or is it your plan to continue racing where ever you can find a venue?  Shan Khan and I visit this topic and discuss the options.  If you have put in a solid year of racing this episode is for you,

Before Natural Running was Vogue, before Born to Run, there was Pose Running. Almost cult like, Dr. Nicholas Romanov had spent a lifetime studying the way we should be running. Much of what he created is difficult to refute. It was fun to have a chance to discuss his theories and compare them to my own.  This interview was conducted over 2 years ago but I thought it was worth bringing back out for those who have not heard it. Enjoy!

Its a rare occasion when we go live and take callers, unfiltered and unedited. This used to be a very popular format for us so we thought, why not give it a shot and see how it goes.  The topic of the Questions and Answers revolved around pre-race tapering, preparation for The Spartan World Championships and dealing with altitude. We also discussed our top favorites for the Elite field, running related injuries and some recapping of our clinic in Killington and discussions regarding the clinics we have slated for the balance of 2017.  All in all it was a lot of fun, we hope you enjoy this episode.

He seems to come out of nowhere, when people start to wonder where he’s been, then like a wrecking ball, he destroys the competition.  Tough Mudder recently released its CBS debut of the new format in OCR competition, Tough Mudder X coined as the toughest mile on earth and offered $25,000 in a winner take all event.  Hunter made short work of the preliminary and then bettered his time by nearly a minute in the finals to take home the cash.  Then on to The US OCR Championships and once again Hunter succeeded over a highly competitive field to win both the short and long course events. This episode serves as a brief review of how these events went down straight out of the mouth of the newly crowned champion.

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.  Her interest in injury mechanics extends to the development of interventions to alter these mechanics through gait retraining.  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?

Heather Gollnick grew up being active in gymnastics, competing in college before getting into . Heather turned professional in 2002 with a focus on the Ironman distances.  She won over 200 multisport events, and is a 5X Pro Ironman Champion.  Heather participated in her first Spartan Race in January 2016 in California and found her new competition thereafter.  In 2017, she has made the Spartan Pro Team and owned the Master’s Podium missing 1st only once this year. Shan Kahn and Richard Diaz caught up with her to learn more about her, her coaching style and her passion for her newly adopted sport of Spartan Racing.

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!