Science of Running

Everyone is talking about zone 2! What is it, what do we get wrong, and how do we utilize it correctly. On this episode we dive deep into the science to understand aerobic training practices. Ste...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2024/04/240-the-science-of-zone-2-why-its-misunderstood-and-how-to-apply-it-successful-in-your-training.html

It’s time to talk about injuries, those dreaded things that pop up that derail a season. How do we prevent them, bounce back from them, and much more. Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar Program ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2024/04/239-the-science-of-overuse-injuries-and-rehabilitation-for-distance-runners.html

What do you do when it all goes wrong during a workout? You call an audible! In this episode, we walk you through how and when to adjust a bad workout. Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar Program T...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2024/04/238-when-workouts-dont-work-the-art-of-the-audible.html

Is it every worthwhile to dig yourself a hole? It turns out the answer is likely yes! In this episode we go through Jerry Schumacher’s medium dig cycle, Canova’s special block training, and m...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2024/03/237-medium-dig-cycle-when-and-why-to-purposefully-dig-a-hole-in-training.html

Training is about adaptation. We have to apply the right stimulus that is just strong enough, without overwhelming us. It’s about embarrassing the body. In this episode, we discuss where the li...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2024/03/236-hard-work-vs-overtraining-finding-the-sweet-spot-for-optimal-adaptation.html

How do we get in the zone to perform at our best? This week we tackle the psychology of performance. Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar Program The Scholar Program is our one-stop-shop for all thi...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2024/02/235-the-science-of-flow-states-how-to-turn-it-on-and-recapture-it-when-its-gone.html

In this episode we dive deep into the literature on soviet training. Yes, there was lots of drugs, but is there anything to learn? We go through circuits, strength training, periodization, and mo...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2024/02/234-the-science-of-soviet-training-methods-a-look-back-at-the-history-of-getting-in-shape.html

What separates the best from the rest? In this episode, we go into the characteristics of a champion, and how to cultivate them in anybody. Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar Program The Scholar P...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2024/02/233-traits-of-a-champion-why-some-are-better-than-rest.html

Are you and your athletes on the same page in how you define success? Have you ever walked up to an athlete after a race, expecting them to be happy, but they are dejected? You were on different ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2024/01/232-defining-the-win-how-to-stay-on-track-have-success-and-have-fun-doing-it.html

Decades ago, Abraham Maslow outlined a hierarchy of needs. We take this idea and translate it into athletic performance. What are the foundational level, how do we provide security for the athlet...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2024/01/231-the-athletes-hierarchy-of-needs-getting-the-basics-down-first.html

How has the role of the coach changed? Do we need to take a different approach with this generation? We answer these questions and more in this weeks podcast! Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar Pr...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2024/01/230-coaching-the-modern-athlete-the-role-of-a-coach.html

Are you a transactional or transformational coach? Society pushes us towards transactional. In this episode, we outline why that’s the case and what we can do about it. Steve & Jon Check out th...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2024/01/229-modern-coaching-ways-to-promote-transformation-in-a-transactional-environment.html

A lot of focus is on the workout for good reasons, but in this episode we look at how what you do before and after the workout impacts the quality during and adaptations from the workout. Steve &...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/12/228-before-and-after-the-key-to-maximizing-your-workouts.html

A coach plays many roles— manager, teacher, mentor, guide. In this episode, we dive into how coaching has changed in the modern era and how to best serve your athletes in the roles you play. St...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/12/227-peeling-back-the-layers-of-modern-coaching-manager-mentor-teacher.html

HIIT! High intensity interval training…what is it, what is it good for, what don’t we understand? In this episode, we demystify HIIT from a scientific and coaching perspective. We provide act...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/11/226-the-science-of-middle-distance-training-understanding-hiit.html

This week, we take on the old Bowerman quote, to understand while we obsess over the workouts, what matters most is the people on board. Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar Program The Scholar Prog...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/11/episode-225-the-magic-is-in-the-man-woman-not-the-miles.html

Pre-race anxiety is something we all face. How do we deal with it? In this episode, we go through the psychology of anxiety and tips and tools for helping athletes deal with it. Steve & Jon Check...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/10/episode-224-anxiety-creep-how-to-fight-back-take-ownership-and-thrive-in-training-and-on-race-day.html

Motivation. We all talk about it’s importance, but how do you develop it within yourself and athletes? In this episode, we break down the science of drive and buy-in. Steve & Jon Check out the ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/10/episode-223-the-science-of-drive-how-to-get-better-and-become-the-best.html

Consistency over the long haul. Stacking week after week, month after month of good work. Being prepared instead of being ready. Flipping the switch to compete, instead of being hypercompetitive....

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/10/episode-222-what-greatness-really-looks-like-the-characteristics-that-drive-elite-performance.html

Today, we talk about the many kinds of competition, and how we need to stop seeing every meet as the be all end all. Stop using regular season meets as validation. Instead, see them as developmen...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/10/episode-221-peak-when-it-counts-developing-mental-toughness.html

In this episode, we dive into how to manage and adjust workouts for both physiological and psychological gain. Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar Program The Scholar Program is our one-stop-shop f...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/10/episode-220-becoming-a-great-coach-the-art-of-managing-workouts.html

In this episode, we welcome friend of the show Brad Stulberg to talk about how runners can handle change and uncertainty. What do we do when the injury bug hits and it feels like our season is lo...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/09/219-managing-change-and-uncertainty-injuries-going-from-hs-to-college-retirement-and-so-much-more.html

In this episode, we dive into glycogen depletion and how it impacts recovery and adaptation. We go over the timing of glycogen restoration (hint: it’s a lot longer than you think), and nutritio...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/09/episode-218-managing-fatigue-understanding-glycogen-depletion-2.html

We often mistake being serious with being dedicated. That’s often not the case. We are most dedicated when we were having fun and experiencing joy. We often create teams and cultures devoid of ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/09/episode-217-dedicated-vs-serious-difference-between-real-and-fake-excellence.html

Performance in running is full of ups and downs and ebbs and flows. In his new book, Master of Change, my best friend and collaborative partner Brad Stulberg details essential principles and pr...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/09/becoming-a-rugged-and-flexible-runner-to-improve-your-performance.html

In this episode, we dive into creating cultures and leadership style. Are you an ego coach, who only cares about winning at all costs, or are you a coach who wants to develop people holistically?...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/08/episode-216-winning-culture-building-it-keeping-it-maintaining-it.html

In this episode, we take a deep dive into workout stimulus, recovery, and adaptation! Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar Program The Scholar Program is our one-stop-shop for all things coaches edu...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/08/episode-215-the-difference-between-direction-and-magnitude-of-training-adaptation.html

We’ve all been there, stuck in the injury cycle, unable to get healthy. In this episode, Jon and Steve break down what the injury cycle is and how to get out of it. Steve & Jon Check out the Sc...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/08/episode-214-the-science-of-the-injury-cycle.html

In this episode, we take a look at cross-country training. How do we dig ourselves out a hole, what pitfalls to avoid, how to peak at the right time, and much more! Steve & Jon Check out the Scho...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/07/episode-213-cross-country-workout-and-trouble-shooting-guide.html

It’s time to learn all about wickets. How do you utilize wickets to improve your running form and biomechanics? We’ve got you covered. Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar Program The Scholar Pr...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/07/episode-212-wickets-for-runners.html

Mile repeats. The 20 minute tempo. Hill repeats. 400m repeats. Cruise Intervals. In this episode, we take on some of the traditional workouts for distance running, and re-imagine them as flux tra...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/07/episode-211-traditional-workouts-reimagined-as-flux-training.html

Looking to level up your cross-country training? Want to add a different mix of workouts to enhance adaptation? In this week’s episode, we discuss flux training for cross-country. Steve & Jon C...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/07/episode-210-adapting-flux-training-for-cross-country.html

How do we stay fresh in coaching and running? Both from motivation standpoint, but also from a training and innovation standpoint. It’s easy to get stuck. To feel like you know the way, and to ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/06/episode-209-getting-started-and-staying-fresh-a-guide-for-brand-new-and-seasoned-coaches.html

It’s time to talk about the outliers. We cover the craziest workouts, the most mind blowing bounce backs, and much more of athletes who are just freaks of nature. This isn’t just a highlight ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/06/episode-208-freaks-of-nature-the-best-are-different.html

In this episode, we discuss recovery, priming, potentiation and other things that we can do to enhance our performance in both the short and long run. This one goes into preparing to race at our ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/05/episode-207-instant-offense-things-you-can-do-today-to-be-better-tomorrow.html

We’ve all been there. A tough race or competition that didn’t go well. How do you bounce back from failure? In this episode we provide the science and tools to get back on track after a rough...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/05/episode-206-resiliency-bounce-back-after-you-bomb.html

We can either train ourselves or athletes to take appropriate risks or to shy away. In this episode, we talk about how to move towards discomfort and challenge. Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/05/episode-205-risk-tolerance-what-is-it-and-how-to-build-it.html

Should we follow the 80/20 training model, or go all-in on the threshold model? In this episode we break down the different training models, explaining when to use them, and when to put them on t...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/04/episode-204-polarized-training-vs-moderate-intensity-training-when-where-and-why-for-each.html

What actually works in training runners? There’s so much nonsense out there. Jon and Steve cut through the BS, and get at what works and what doesn’t when it comes to coaching runners. Steve ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/04/episode-203-do-what-works-and-dont-do-what-doesnt.html

Mihaly Igloi is one of the most underrated coaches in history. In this episode, we dive into his coaching genius, and how modern science has validated many of his ideas. If you are interested in ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/04/episode-202-genius-revealed-igloi-the-master-coach-you-know-nothing-about.html

Are you setting a performance or mastery-based culture? In this episode, we talk about setting standards versus boundaries, and the dangers of going too far toward an outcome-obsessed team? Steve...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/03/episode-201-establishing-culture-and-setting-boundaries.html

Do you try out workouts before you give them to athletes? In this episode, we talk about the importance of experimenting on yourself as a coach. It’s not about the speed of the workout, but tha...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/03/episode-200-experimenting-on-ourselves-as-coaches.html

Often in coaching, we obsess over the physiological and the physical. We go over and over the workouts. In this episode, we go in the other direction, talking about holistic improvement as a pers...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/03/episode-199-winning-the-self-improvement-game.html

Coaching is the people business! We have to help individuals see their capabilities and put them on the journey towards achieving their potential. But, people are complex. Sometimes we don’t al...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/02/episode-198-mastering-the-art-of-people-how-to-successfully-navigate-working-with-different-personality-types.html

How do we improve the finishing kick? In this week’s episode, we give you a framework for developing your athlete’s kicks, along with specific workouts designed to help out. We cover everythi...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/02/episode-197-the-finishing-kick-how-to-develop-it.html

What do you do when you take over a program that’s in need of help? In this weeks episode, Jon and Steve go over how to change the culture, what to focus on, how to get people to join the team,...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/02/episode-196-starting-from-scratch-how-to-grow-a-successful-program-from-the-ground-up.html

What is speed endurance? In this weeks episode, Jon and Steve go over this vital but often misunderstood ingredient to your training. Steve & Jon Visit our Sponsor The Scholar Program is our one-...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/02/episode-195-the-art-and-science-of-speed-endurance-workouts.html

Arthur Lydiard once said, ‘There are champions everywhere.’ And for good reason, his most famous pupils were local athletes. In this episode, we explore how to give your athletes a chance to ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/01/episode-194-champions-in-the-making-winners-are-everywhere-they-just-need-coaching.html

This week we break down a classification for training, from general to specific. What is general training? How does it set the foundation for training? How does each level of training connect to ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/01/episode-193-general-vs-specific-training.html

Vo2max work! 800s at 3k pace, 1ks at 5k down to 2-mile pace. We all know the workouts. We include them all of the time. In some training programs, especially for high-school, they are the bread a...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/01/episode-192-you-dont-need-as-much-vo2max-work-as-you-think.html

What do you suck at as a coach? In this episode, we go over identifying your weaknesses and shoring them up to allow you to become the best coach that you can be. Steve & Jon Visit our Sponsor Th...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2023/01/episode-191-strengthening-your-coaching-weakness.html

Have you ever done a workout where you went to the absolute well? That’s a ‘see God’ workout. Going until there is nothing left. An exploration of what you are capable of. These workouts ar...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/11/190-see-god-workouts-reckless-or-indispensable.html

Norway has had a lot of endurance success lately. From the Ingebrigtsen’s to triathletes winning major events, the small country of Norway has taken the endurance world by storm. We break down ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/11/episode-189-the-norwegian-model-of-lactate-threshold-training.html

Jon and Steve take on popular ideas that have stuck around but need some updating. From energy system domination to various forms of training, we take you down a rabbit hole of what needs to be u...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/11/188-updating-outdated-coaching-ideas.html

In Nassim Taleb’s book Antifragile, he introduces the concept of the barbell strategy. At one end of the barbell, you’ve got low-risk low-reward, don’t he other end high risk, high reward. ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/10/episode-187-the-power-of-the-barbell-strategy-why-protecting-against-the-downside-will-protect-the-upside.html

“Lactic Acid” is horribly misunderstood. It’s been cast as a demon for far too long. It’s time to set the record straight. In this episode, Steve and Jon break down new research that show...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/10/episode-186-the-new-laws-of-lactate-dynamics-and-its-implications-for-training.html

We all know about the big things you have to worry about for marathon training: the long run, the mileage, the longer tempo runs, but what are the small things that make a difference? In this epi...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/10/episode-185-marathon-training-surveying-the-little-things-that-can-add-up-to-big-results.html

An exclusive interview with NAU coach Mike Smith! This is part 1 of a 3 part series. Part 2 and 3 are exclusive to our running scholar program. If you’d like to listen to them (and get access t...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/09/bonus-episode-the-mike-smith-tapes-part-1.html

Does your belief in your fitness feel like a ping pong ball, bouncing back and forth wildly, dependent on whether your latest workout went well or not? In this episode we cover the fallacy of equ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/09/episode-184-fitness-measurement-fallacy.html

What’s it take to become a great coach? In this episode, we breakdown three essential skills for great coaching:1. Thinking and Observing 2. Problem Solving 3. Collaboration If you haven’t ye...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/09/episode-183-the-secrets-to-becoming-a-great-coach.html

In this episode, we reflect on what we’ve learned over nearly two decades of coaching. What did we think was important but quickly realized wasn’t? What actually matters in preparing athletes...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/09/episode-182-what-we-learned.html

What’s new in training? Not much! But, alternations, flux training, lactate dynamics, natural fartleks…or whatever you call it is underutilized in modern training. In this episode, we break d...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/08/episode-181-flux-training-the-magic-bullet-workout.html

Training is about balancing opposing demands: speed and endurance. What happens when you mess up the balance? It’s often a disaster. In this episode, Jon and Steve go through how to find the ba...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/08/episode-180-avoiding-training-dead-ends-methods-to-restoring-the-winning-balance.html

We often get lost in the details. Arguing over the final 1%, whether we should run at lactate threshold or critical velocity? Whether 200s or 300s are best for milers? In this episode we outline ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/08/episode-178-the-10-timeless-guiding-principles-of-distance-running-training.html

Every sport has the items that many of us seem to believe, that are ingrained in the history of the sport, that have no foundation or backing. In this episode, we explore those half-truths. We’...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/08/episode-178-running-half-truths-advice-to-be-ignored.html

Athletes stress out…a lot! And once you are in stressed mode, it’s hard to get out of it. You can’t sleep hours after competing because your mind is still racing and your body is still buzz...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/07/episode-177-sympathetic-overdrive-how-to-get-out-of-stressing-out.html

Welcome to this special bonus issue. Steve does his best revisionist history impression, telling you the story of Paul Bear Bryant’s famous Junction Boys football camp, while discussing the ori...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/07/bonus-sink-or-swim-survive-or-thrive.html

Individualizing training is easy at the professional level. You’ve got a handful of athletes, all very good, and can adjust as needed. In larger settings, it’s much more difficult. The athlet...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/07/episode-176-individualizing-training-in-larger-settings.html

Let me tell you about one of the hardest physical things I’ve done in the past few years.  A time when I ran my slowest ever, but one I was most proud of.  A time I looked, and felt, like abs...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/07/going-to-exhaustion-even-when-you-arent-prepared.html

Racing is a skill. How do we get comfortable in a pack? Running from the front, or perhaps stuck in the back? How do you deal with the rising tension of a tactical race? Steve and Jon discuss all...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/07/episode-175-fast-losers-racing-vs-time-trialing.html

“We believe that being elite is not about how talented you are. It is about how tough you are,” wrote Urban Meyer in his 2015 book Above the Line. Toughness has long been held as a fundamenta...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/06/how-to-build-tough-teams.html

At the 1960 Olympic games, a 60-something-year-old man, rail thin, with a full head of white hair, took to the practice track adjacent to the main Olympic stadium and commenced to run as hard as ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/06/care-and-support-the-secret-to-great-performance.html

We often hold up elite performers as some sort of superhuman. Impervious to the doubts and insecurities that the rest of us face. We call them tough, gritty, resilient, clutch, to show that they ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/06/the-desire-to-quit-is-normal-heres-what-we-do-about-it.html

How do you handle pain, fatigue, and discomfort? Do you look for a hole to step into or do you work your way through? In this episode, we discuss Steve’s new book Do Hard Things: Why We Get Res...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/06/episode-174-how-to-do-hard-things.html

What game are you playing? We all may think we are all running the same race. A 1,500m race in high school is the same as in college, and the same as in the pro’s. That’s incorrect. In this w...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/06/episode-173-the-difference-between-extraordinary-and-mediocre.html

One piece of advice I always give coaches is: Always have somewhere to go. The younger your athletes, the more important this is. We should leave room to develop and grow. In this episode, we tak...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/06/episode-172-the-importance-of-leaving-room-to-grow.html

“He’s a headcase!” We’ve all heard it as coaches. Maybe we’ve even said it. In this episode, Jon and Steve discuss why this is the wrong approach to take. It’s a self-limiting mindset...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/05/episode-171-the-headcase-phenomenon-stop-blaming-athletes-for-poor-performance.html

We are all an experiment of 1! We often talk about individualization in coaching. In this episode, we talk about the contrast between applying your training program to a group, versus adapting yo...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/05/episode-170-everyone-is-an-outlier.html

If running is going bad do you feel crushed? In this episode, we discuss the importance of letting go, of diversifying your sense of identity, in order to free you up to perform. Steve & Jon Visi...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/05/episode-169-developing-performance-flexibility-how-to-prepare-adaptive-athletes-to-deliver-when-it-counts.html

How does your viewpoint impact your coaching? In this episode, we discuss how sometimes we get comfortable employing the same style of training, and it makes it where we aren’t open to consider...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/05/episode-168-the-dunning-krueger-effect-on-steroids-how-a-narrow-world-view-holds-you-and-your-athletes-back.html

Often, in racing we play it safe. We don’t take the risk. We focus on times instead of competing. In this episode, we talk about how to be brave in racing. How do we train athletes to take appr...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/04/episode-167-whats-worth-doing-even-if-you-fail-how-to-be-brave-take-risks-stretch-your-comfort-zone-and-avoid-manufacturing-certainty.html

In this episode, we take on an important but difficult topic: the differences between coaching men and women. In this episode, we cover differences in biology and psychology, and how that impacts...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/04/episode-166-everything-we-got-wrong-coaching-women-and-a-few-things-we-got-right.html

Training is messy. Progress is not linear. In this episode, we get real. We talk about the messiness of training. How do we handle setbacks, what do we do when things go wrong, and when a workout...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/04/episode-165-the-rocky-road-to-the-top-embrace-the-mess-of-training.html

In the 1960’s Percy Cerutty made the claim that 1/3 of your training should be non-running. Does this hold up or not as a useful heuristic? In this episode, we examine the training aspects outs...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/03/episode-164-how-much-of-your-training-should-not-be-running.html

What workouts give you the biggest bang for your buck? In this episode, we go through the best workouts for the mid-distance, track distance, and long distance races. What workout has the biggest...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/03/episode-163-biggest-bang-for-your-buck-training-and-workouts-that-build-you-up-without-breaking-you-down.html

How do you know what’s right? Do you buy into a particular program or coaching style, neglecting anything that runs counter? Or do you get lost in the complexity of training? In this episode, w...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/03/episode-162-dumbification-immunization-how-to-not-be-a-dumb-coach-why-its-important.html

Too often in coaching, we get stuck. We tie ourselves to one training method, one training system. We approach things from an energy systems model, neglecting the biomechanical, neuromuscular, or...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/02/episode-161-how-to-become-a-nuanced-thinker-and-level-up-your-coaching.html

What do you do when an athlete is headed in the wrong direction, when their performance doesn’t match up with their training? You give them a down week. This oft-neglected component to training...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/02/episode-160-the-down-the-missing-ingredient-to-your-training.html

How do we desing workouts? Designing workouts is something we all have to do, but there’s a science to it. In this episode, we go through how manipulating rest, interval length, speed, and more...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/02/episode-159-the-art-and-science-of-workout-design.html

In this episode, we look at some of our cognitive biases that can help or hurt our performance. From optimism bias to our illusion of control, how does our psychology impact our performance. That...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/01/episode-158-positive-illusions-how-they-can-hurt-or-help-performance.html

What do you do when it all goes wrong? When an athlete is struggling, overtrained, or just not feeling good anymore? In this episode, we provide strategies for how to get athletes back on track f...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/01/episode-157-the-floundering-athlete-ways-to-reengage-them-and-reinvigorate-their-performance.html

In this episode, we take on the importance and value of measurement. Should you wear a GPS watch, measure HRV, heart rate, power, or lactate? We break down the balance you need to have between me...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2022/01/episode-156-does-what-youre-measuring-actually-matter.html

How do we get the most out of our athletes? How do we help them get as close to their potential as possible? In this podcast, we talk about striving for excellence and giving people the freedom t...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/12/episode-155-getting-the-most-out-of-people-how-to-inspire-encourage-and-sustain-excellence.html

Coaching is about balancing contrasting forces, the coach who relies on intuition and feel with the part of you who relies on objective data and science. The best coaches in history, from Lyrdiar...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/12/episode-154-the-ultimate-coach-a-little-bit-rebel-a-little-bit-scientist.html

Athlete + Event = Training Model. We don’t train for events, we coach athletes, with their unique abilities, to be able to take on an event. In this episode we dive into how to classify differe...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/12/episode-153-athlete-profiling-accelerant-to-performance-development.html

We tend to simplify training into either hard workouts or easy days. In this episode, we bring you the nuance of training. Instead of hard and easy, we like to classify training as either buildin...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/11/episode-152-the-science-of-training-loads-developmental-retentive-restorative.html

You can have the perfect training plan, but it won’t work unless you have buy-in. In this episode, we break down the keys to getting trust, buy-in and belief with your athletes. Steve & Jon Vis...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/11/episode-149-belief-building-the-x-factor-to-success.html

Famed high school coach Joe Newton used to have his team run for 45 minutes, take a 5min break, run for 30 minutes, another 5-minute break, and finally run for 15 more minutes. Ninety minutes of ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/11/episode-151-innovative-training-methods-that-can-take-your-preparation-to-the-next-level.html

What does it take to perform on race day? The physical components are the easy part. But setting someone up to have the right expectations, the correct mindset, to be able to choose to the diffic...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/11/episode-150-peak-performance-checklist-everything-you-need-to-be-ready-for-the-big-day.html

The long run is a staple of the runner’s diet. In this episode, we explore how the long run became a weekly staple and whether that still holds true. We dive into the function and physiology of...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/10/episode-148-phasing-out-the-long-run-how-when-why.html

Training is messy. You are dealing with human beings. In this episode we dive into adaptability, aiming for mastery, and giving your athletes autonomy to grow and develop. How do we manage the me...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/10/episode-147-the-science-of-training-management-managing-the-messiness-of-the-training-process-compared-to-the-neatness-of-training-plan.html

Leibig’s Law of the Minimum states that “growth is dictated not by total resources available, but by the scarcest resource.” In this episode we discuss how to identity your limiting factor ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/10/episode-146-law-of-the-minimum-a-better-way-to-think-about-training.html

How many times have you had an athlete who has fantastic workouts, yet when it comes to race day, it’s like a different runner shows up? In this episode, Jon and Steve dive into what is going o...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/09/episode-145-amazing-workouts-awful-races.html

How do you handle failure? Do you freak out, let your anger get the best of you, or wallow in despair? Failure is a normal and expected part of racing. In fact, we ‘fail’ far more often than ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/09/episode-143.html

People think that when it comes to running faster or performing better, it’s about the workouts. How far did you run; how much did you lift? Did you run 400m repeats or 800m repeats? Did you ta...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/09/the-foundation-of-performance.html

How do you survive heat and humidity? In this week’s episode, we delve into the science and practice of training in hot and humid conditions. From heat acclimatization and strategies to mitigat...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/09/episode-143-training-and-racing-in-heat-and-humidity.html

In this episode, we welcome coach Danny Mackey to the show to discuss the training and preparation of Olympic Bronze medalist Josh Kerr. We dive into everything that went into preparing Josh for ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/08/episode-142-coaching-an-olympic-medalist-a-conversation-with-coach-danny-mackey.html

Warming up should be simple. Go jog around for a bit, do some drills and strides and you’re ready to go. In this episode we break down the science of two staples of running that are often after...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/08/episode-141-the-science-of-warm-ups-and-cool-downs.html

We are taking a trip back into the time machine. It’s time to look back at training and coaching that we used to do, that we now look back upon and ask “what in the world were we thinking?”...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/08/episode-140-the-power-of-reflection-looking-back-at-dumb-stuff-we-used-to-do.html

Following Kipchoge’s Olympic marathon win I tweeted that I thought Kipchoge could now stake a claim to the best in any sport. Am I delusional? Right, wrong. biased by my love of running? Likely...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/08/a-case-for-eliud-kipchoge-as-the-goat-in-any-sport.html

In this week’s episode we dive into how our striving to get better, to perfect every single thing may actually be holding us back. We dive into the disease of overplanning, what occurs when we ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/07/episode-139-why-a-perfectionist-mindset-is-holding-you-and-your-athletes-back.html

How do you get prepared for the big meet? It’s not only about physical preparedness, but also your mental and decision making framework. In this episode, we cover everything from understanding ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/07/episode-138-big-meet-readiness-preparing-to-perform.html

We’ve all been there before. The bear jumps on our back in the final 200 meters. Our legs turn to lead and cease to function. What’s going on when the bear jumps on our back? In this episode ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/06/episode-137-fatigue-and-the-bear-jumping-on-your-back.html

Hitting the wall is a dreaded experience in the marathon. Your body runs out of energy and you feel like you are fighting your muscles every step. But what’s really going on? We don’t actuall...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/06/episode-136-hitting-the-wall-navigating-fatigue-in-longer-races.html

What do we do when it’s all going wrong? When an athlete seems to be headed in the wrong direction? In this weeks podcast we dive into how to get performance back on track. Do we take a week of...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/06/episode-135-performance-turnaround-how-to-get-your-racing-back-on-track.html

In our early days or running, improvement comes easy! A little bit of training and our performance improves. We get fooled into thinking work and improvement are directly correlated. This is grea...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/05/episode-134-improving-is-really-hard.html

It’s time for a state of the sport check-in. In this episode, Jon and Steve take on the sleeping giant that is the sport of track and field. We discuss how to improve it, what we are missing, a...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/05/episode-133-track-and-field-a-multibillion-dollar-sleeping-giant.html

As coaches, we obsess over the X’s and O’s. Did we get the training just right? But often it’s the mental side of the sport that makes much of the difference. In this episode we dive into w...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/04/episode-132-the-coaches-guide-to-sports-psychology.html

In this episode we dive into the bread and butter of coaching runners, designing and implementing workouts. Jon and Steve discuss their favourite marathon, middle-distance, and 5k-10k workouts. W...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/04/episode-131-workouts-workouts-workouts-what-how-and-why.html

Coaching is easy when everything is going smoothly. But how do we know when to pull the plug on an athletes workout or season? What do we do when an athlete is struggling in a workout? Do we give...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/03/episode-130-when-is-it-time-to-pull-the-plug.html

How do you get ready to race after a long layoff? This might be something that you may be facing do to COVID or coming back from injury. In this episode we dive into how to get back into the groo...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/02/episode-129-getting-race-ready-preparing-to-perform-after-a-layoff.html

What’s effective training? What workouts are the best for improving endurance, speed, fatigued resistance? In this episode, we dive into how to determined what effective training is, and how we...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/02/episode-128-key-markers-of-highly-effective-training.html

Everyone is different. We all recover at different rates for different workouts. In this episode, we explore why some athletes need work work, why others need more recovery, and how to identify a...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/01/episode-127-training-stimulus-threshold-and-recoverability-the-reason-why-you-arent-running-as-fast-as-you-can.html

Strength training can occur anywhere. It’s not dependent on the weight room. In this episode we explore ways to develop strength and power outside of the weight room. From utilizing sprints and...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2021/01/episode-126-strength-training-outside-of-the-weigh-room.html

You’re at the track, watching a workout, when all of the sudden it starts to go south. Athletes are missing their splits, first by a few seconds, then by more and more. Do you pull the plug? In...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/12/episode-125-making-adjustments-to-training.html

Should you follow the 10% rule for increasing mileage? Are you destined to be injured if you increase mileage too quickly? In this podcast we tackle all of the questions around mileage. How much,...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/12/episode-124-increasing-mileage-when-why-and-how.html

The title says it all: we need coaches! Why? Coaches are there to not only motivate but to provide perspective. Whether you coach at the high school, college, or professional level, coaches spend...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/12/episode-123-why-coaches-matter-now-more-than-ever.html

When it comes to exercise, we often get extremely complicated. For strength training, we get lost in the exercise type, the sets and reps, and the speed of the bar. In running, we look at differe...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/11/4-ways-to-run-faster-by-listening-to-your-breathing.html

Periodization sounds complex, but it’s really just how we plan and organize our training. Do you build a big base and then go short and fast with speedwork? Or employ a blended or mixed system?...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/11/episode-122-periodization-in-the-good-times-and-bad.html

Hard days hard, easy days easy. How much validity does that saying have? How hard should our hard workouts be? Should we jog slowly on recovery days or make them steady? In this episode, we dive ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/09/episode-121-youre-not-working-hard-enough-and-youre-not-recovering-deep-enough.html

What do you think of when you hear the world adrenaline? Some of you might think of an adrenaline junkie, someone who needs to skydive out of planes to feel alive. Something that feels good to so...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/09/your-adrenaline-capacity-a-fuel-boost.html

What’s it mean to be fit? What about to perform? Is there a meaningful difference? In this episode, Steve and Jon explore the continuum from fitness to performance. As we make our way from fitn...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/09/episode-120-peak-fitness-vs-peak-performance.html

How hard do we need to go in a workout? Do we need to push the bounds of fatigue, get our athletes to experience a new level of discomfort, ‘shock’ the system with a new stimulus? It’s a qu...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/09/frequency-matters-more-than-intensity-for-workouts-happiness.html

What’s it mean to improve the lactate threshold? What about lactate buffering capacity? In this episode, John and Steve take you down the rabbit hole of workouts designed to improve every part ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/08/episode-119-upgrading-lactate-dynamics-a-key-to-running-faster-longer.html

VO2max Lactate Threshold Maximum Lactate Steady State Critical Velocity/Power What’s the point of the above? You may answer that they explain a physiological phenomenon. VO2max is when oxygen c...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/08/vo2max-lt-critical-velocity-they-are-much-more-messy-than-we-think.html

The Physical and Psychological- Impact on Limits of Performance When I was beginning my college journey in the world of exercise physiology, VO2max was king. Stick someone on a treadmill, ramp up...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/08/how-perceived-control-impacts-the-physiological-limits-of-performance.html

The NCAA and college sports are in disarray. Facing a mass pandemic, postponement and cancelation of fall sports, and a growing understanding by the athletes the leverage that they have. With man...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/08/episode-118-the-future-of-college-sports-and-the-ncaa.html

The Middle Distance Events. That combination of speed and endurance makes them one of the most enjoyable but also challenging events to train for or coach. In this episode, we dive deep into the ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/08/episode-117-development-part-2-middle-distance-training.html

She started in the back, where she expected to be, but something changed halfway through the race. She was moving up, and gradually passing one runner after another, keeping a steady rhythm as ot...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/07/improving-our-relationship-with-failure.html

It’s time for a deep dive into training. This week begins a multi-part series on the development of an athlete. We start with the intake process and deciding where to go with the athlete, and m...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/07/episode-116-endurance-development-part-1.html

Fartleks, the wonderful invention of Gusta Holmer in the 1930’s, is something we are all familiar with. Run hard for a minute, jog for a minute, repeat twenty times. But in today’s world wher...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/07/episode-115-fartleks-alternations-and-the-lost-workout-style.html

            Since Bill Bowerman popularized the idea of alternating days in which we do a hard workout and follow it up with a recovery day of, runners have fallen in love with the bac...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/07/the-in-between-zone-training-isnt-just-hard-easy.html

Do the fastest athletes always win? The ones who come in with the best seed time. The athlete who threw down that fast mile at Mt. Sac or a blazing 5k at Stanford? If not, how come? In episode 11...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/07/episode-114-do-fast-times-transfer-to-being-competitive.html

“He’s really fit! They’re going to run really well!” How many times have you heard a coach excitedly proclaim that, only to see their athlete perform poorly? It happens to all of us. We�...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/06/episode-113-being-fit-doesnt-mean-running-fast.html

As a writer, it’s easy to get lost in the details. To zoom in so far that your entire focus centers around finding the perfect word or phrase. You pull out the thesaurus, anguish over the arran...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/06/dont-let-a-focus-on-individual-workouts-distract-you-from-the-big-picture.html

One of my pet peeves when discussing endurance work is the concept of losing speed. In the middle distance world, this concept of losing speed is widespread. Go to any coaching conference, hang a...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/06/episode-112-the-myth-of-losing-speed.html

Highly motivated athletes are the best to coach. You don’t have to worry if they got their run or workout in, they are always eager to train, perform, and do what’s necessary to get better. B...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/06/episode-111-top-mistakes-highly-motivated-athletes-make-and-why.html

Should we start with speed first or endurance? Do you start with a large base of easy running before layering on the speed work, or do we start with running fast before extending it? Those are th...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/06/episode-110-endurance-speed-or-speed-endurance-which-approach-should-we-take.html

When I was competing in high school, my teammates knew the drill; always have a trash can nearby. It didn’t matter whether it was a small race or a hard workout; chances were I was going to thr...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/06/how-difficult-should-your-hard-workouts-be-2.html

Are you serious, committed, willing to put in all the work? If so, you’re a coaches dream. But your commitment can hold you back if it comes from the wrong place. In episode 109, we discuss the...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/06/episode-109-the-fine-line-between-serious-and-obsessive.html

We’re at a very difficult point in our country. Where division is at it’s highest, where people of different political parties instantly judge and don’t interact. Where individuals are oppr...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/05/the-sport-of-track-gives-me-hope-for-society.html

We all know the clutch athlete when we see them. The Michael Jordan’s of the world who seemingly will their team to victory. The quarterback who comes through time and time again, engineering w...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/05/being-clutch-isnt-magic-its-a-trainable-skill.html

In episode 108, we dive into what it takes to become a championship level athlete, whether that championship is at the high school state meet, the NCAA championships, or a national or internation...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/05/episode-108-secrets-revealed-developing-championship-runners.html

Rule #1: The boring stuff is your foundation We have a temptation to want to skip to the ‘cool, sexy’ stuff. It’s boring to do endless easy runs or to spend hours working on the starting po...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/05/the-5-rules-of-training.html

In episode 107, we dive into what the sport will look like when we emerge from our current pandemic, and how it will have to change. We dive into a slew of topics, aimed at re-imagining our sport...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/04/episode-107-a-track-and-field-new-world-order-make-track-great-again.html

In episode 106, we bring on author Ben Cohen to have a discussion on streaks, the role of science and expertise in decision making, and our propensity to see patterns where they may not exist. Hi...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/04/episode-106-the-hot-hand-and-the-science-of-streaks-a-discussion-with-ben-cohen.html

Normally running is an achievement-focused sport. We’re trying to win races and run PR’s. We’re not going to have any achievement opportunities for the foreseeable future. How do we frame r...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/03/episode-105-clarity-is-power-coaching-training-and-achieving-during-difficult-times.html

I’d like you to do an experiment. Go back two, three, or four weeks in your Facebook and twitter timeline. What were you saying and believing about the coronavirus? Did you downplay it? Compari...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/03/crisis-a-time-to-update-our-thinking.html

Adversity, challenge, tough times; all experiences that we proclaim sport teaches us how to manage. Well, now is the time to put that experience into action. While we’re talking specifically ab...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/03/episode-104-what-to-do-during-adverse-and-challenging-times-a-runners-guide-to-covid-19.html

In episode 103, we explore why training knowledge seems to come from the top down. We take our training cues from the top and then water down the training for our college, high school, and recrea...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/02/episode-103-why-you-shouldnt-train-like-a-pro-unless-youre-a-pro.html

Why power posing works A motto I try to live by is: “Look the other way.” Whenever everyone reaches consensus or heads off in one direction, I remind myself to take a peek over my shoulder an...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/01/why-power-posing-works-exploring-social-psychology.html

In episode 102 of the On Coaching Podcast we take on the never-ending argument over volume versus intensity of training. We go back into the history books to look at the poster children of high v...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2020/01/episode-102-high-volume-and-high-speed-training.html

In episode 101 of the On Coaching Podcast we bring on special guest Tony Holler. Tony is a succesful high-school sprint coach who’s teams have won three state titles. He is known for his “Fee...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/12/episode-101-interview-with-tony-holler.html

Team A: Renowned for its level of detail. They tested everything. What massage gel to use, what warm-up outfit, the type of mattress and pillow the athlete slept on. They obsessed over the minuti...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/11/what-british-cycling-actually-teaches-us-about-performance-and-innovation.html

In episode 100 of the On Coaching Podcast we bring on special guest Alan Bishop. Alan is the strength and conditioning coach for the University of Houston men’s basketball program. In this wide...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/11/episode-100-strength-conditioning-with-alan-bishop.html

Is it all about the shoes? In this episode, we look at how recent shoe technology has changed the marathon. Is it all hype or is their substance to it? We dive into the research on the performanc...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/10/episode-99-is-it-all-about-the-shoes.html

Lydiard, Daniels, Maffetone, Canova, Pfaff, Tellez. In the world of running, we tend to throw out names of well-known coaches and say that we train utilizing their method. Their model of training...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/10/episode-98-models-of-training-that-make-you-fast.html

It’s time for a throwback episode. When we started this podcast it was about two coaches having a conversation. Join us for a discussion on all things performance as we talk about what we are s...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/09/episode-97-fatigue-speedwork-racing-and-more.html

My new book The Passion Paradox is on sale for only $7 (61% off!!) on Amazon today. If you haven’t yet, consider giving it a read! Overtraining is one of those nebulous catch-all terms that coa...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/08/feeling-fatigued-3-strategies-to-combat-overtraining.html

How do you think? It seems like a silly question to ask. After all, thinking is something we take for granted. It occurs naturally if we simply pause for a moment and let our mind go to work. Wha...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/07/coaches-make-time-to-think.html

            Since Bill Bowerman popularized the idea of alternating days in which we do a hard workout and follow it up with a recovery day of, runners have fallen in love with the bac...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/07/not-hard-not-easy-the-in-between-training-day.html

This episode of the On Coaching podcast is my favorite type. A rant on hot topics in the coaching and sports world. Our goal is to give you the truth, the behind the scenes answers without any fl...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/07/episode-96-a-real-talk-rant-on-scholarships-formulaic-coaching-and-core-values.html

  20 x 400 meters. Working from 61 all the way down to 50.1.  That’s 50.1 for his 20th 400m, and he went through the first 200m in 23 high. This mind-blowing workout comes from the log of Ala...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/06/after-a-breakthrough-you-should-back-off-not-press-forward.html

Injuries are the bane of any coach or athlete. They derail our seasons and sometimes our careers. In theory, injuries are relatively easy to deal with. Rest, recover, take time off. But in realit...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/06/episode-95-playing-hurt-understanding-the-nuance-of-injury.html

In June 2003, I ran the fastest mile by any high school runner in the country. Four minutes and one second. A hair shy of one of the most important barriers in sport. Awards and accolades soon fo...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/06/the-real-struggle-for-athletes-moving-on-from-their-sport.html

Peaking! Do we drop the volume and intensity a bit and hope that our performance skyrockets? Or do we perform an exacting sequence of workouts designed to get you ready for race day? There are a ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/05/episode-94-is-peaking-a-myth.html

            After grinding through those gut-wrenching 400-meter repeats or exhausting yourself in your most recent 10k race, there’s always that one thing left that we have to do be...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/05/the-cool-down-whats-the-point.html

            Writers of fiction are often separated into two categories: planners and pantsers. Planners take the time to prepare a deep outline, mapping out each ebb and flow of the pl...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/05/are-you-a-planner-or-intuitive-type-coach.html

Last week, a woman who is the poster athlete for perseverance and grit had her career and livelihood ripped away from her. She did nothing wrong. She did not use performance enhancing drugs like ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/05/all-of-your-questions-answered-on-the-caster-semenya-controversy.html

It’s time for a moment of reflection on the coaching profession. What are the things we are doing well? What can we improve on? What are some of the things we are doing now that we might look b...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/05/episode-93-the-biggest-mistakes-coaches-are-making-today.html

Overtraining is one of those nebulous catch-all terms that coaches and athletes fear like the plague. After all, with highly competitive and slightly obsessive compulsive runners the issue is not...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/04/overtraining-three-strategies-to-reset-your-body.html

The Stress of Life Pain is the name of the game when it comes to performing. We’re all used to dealing with a large amount of effort during our workouts and races. Generally we attribute this t...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/04/training-focus-to-improve-performance.html

How difficult should your hard workouts be?? When I was competing in high school, my teammates knew the drill; always have a trash can nearby. It didn’t matter whether it was a small race or a ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/04/how-difficult-should-your-hard-workouts-be.html

Note: Today is the last day to get exclusive running bonuses with the purchase of my new book, THE PASSION PARADOX! Check them out here. On this episode, we take on a very important topic, diggin...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/04/episode-92-how-to-crawl-out-of-the-burnout-hole.html

If you like my work, consider checking out my NEW book, The Passion Paradox! It just came out and is on sale for $13. I’d greatly appreciate it! The (Scientific) Origins of Stress     Stress...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/03/stress-and-adaptation-everything-you-need-to-know.html

Note: Today is the last day to get exclusive running bonuses with the purchase of my new book, THE PASSION PARADOX! Check them out here. On this weeks episode, we bring in a special guest, Mario ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/03/episode-91-airing-of-the-grievances-on-track-and-field-with-mario-fraoli.html

My new book, The Passion Paradox is on sale now!! Instead of spending paragraphs explaining why you should buy it, I want to show you why this book is so important to me. And if you resonate wi...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/03/separating-my-identity-from-running.html

A special episode of the On Coaching Podcast featuring NYT bestselling author David Epstein. In this wide-ranging conversation covering all things performance, we start off by discussing my new b...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/03/episode-90-david-epstein-on-all-things-performance-drive-passion-and-range.html

In this weeks On Coaching Podcast, we get into the details of burnout, both as a coach and an athlete. It’s easy to fall for the effort trap. Where we convince ourselves that out working others...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/03/episode-89-on-burnout-a-tangent-on-reading.html

We all know the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright. Two bicycle mechanics who conquered the seemingly impossible, flight. But how did two mechanics, without a college education, without financial...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/03/what-the-wright-brothers-can-teach-us-about-coaching.html

In this weeks On Coaching Podcast, we cover how social media influences performance. The ever-growing influence of social media and our online interactions change how our athletes (and our selfs!...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/02/episode-88-how-social-media-and-the-internet-influences-coaching-and-performance.html

In the endurance world, we’ve come to believe that there are certain intensities or paces that do more than others! If we run at these specific zones, we will improve, and if we run bit too fas...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/01/episode-87-there-are-no-magic-training-intensities.html

Think back to elementary school when you’d be assigned some big project. Maybe a diorama or the big science project. You’d walk in proud of the work that you achieved. Only to look over and s...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/01/stop-helicopter-coaching.html

When it comes to training, workouts seem like the be all end all. As coaches, we obsess over the details of each repeat, or when we should perform tempo runs or short intervals. Workouts are what...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/01/episode-86-workouts-dont-matter-as-much-as-you-think.html

Imagine you just started coaching a high school cross-country team of 20 athletes for the next season. This isn’t your first go round, so you feel confident that you can take your squad and get...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2019/01/how-do-you-judge-success.html

Every year, I take a look back at the books that have influenced my coaching, behavior, and thinking the most. Books are special because they allow you to take understanding to a deeper level. In...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/12/my-top-books-of-2018.html

Are you taking the time to get to where you want to be? In today’s instant gratification world, we want to be great NOW! Not in a couple years, but as soon as possible. As we strive for the top...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/12/episode-85-committing-to-your-own-development.html

I’m an introvert. I grew up eschewing high school and college parties for the sake of my 10 pm bedtime and the 15-mile run I had the next morning. At that point in my life, I would rather get s...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/12/understanding-interaction-the-time-i-learnd-how-to-coach-at-a-bar.html

What holds you back? What keeps you from performing to the best of your ability? That’s the topic of this weeks On Coaching Podcast with Magness & Marcus. We dive into identifying and then fixi...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/12/episode-84-finding-your-fatal-flaw-holding-you-back.html

I’d like to introduce a program that I’m now offering. An opportunity to join a small group of coaches looking to get better at what they do: coaching. A mentor is indispensable. They generou...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/11/introducing-the-scholar-membership-coaching-program.html

Breakthroughs. It’s what keeps many of us going. The knowledge (and hope) that a leap in performance is just around the corner. But what do performance breakthroughs look like? Are there signs ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/11/episode-83-breaking-through-the-reality-of-the-ups-and-downs-of-performance.html

When we venture down to our local track and prepare for our evening interval workout, we know what the workout is going to be down to how many intervals we are going to run, how fast, and how muc...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/11/uncertainty-why-you-need-to-add-it-to-your-workouts.html

In this weeks episode of On Coaching, we tackle how to define success (or failure) in workouts and races. Far too often we operate in a time or performance framework. We judge a workout based on ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/10/episode-82-how-do-you-define-success-in-workouts-and-races.html

When it comes to performing at just about any task, what holds us back isn’t our coach or teacher. It’s not our training and practice. It’s often ourselves. When we are in the middle of a p...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/10/what-holds-us-back-from-performing-to-our-capabilities-our-self.html

There’s a simple message that I learned from a grad school professor, Charlie Casserly, about coaching. Learn a lot but then simplify. People often use the old coaching adage of “keep it simp...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/10/the-simple-principle-of-training.html

I first came across Dave Hamilton’s work when presenting at a conference put on by the Seattle Sounders. At the time, he worked with USA field hockey, after serving a similar role with British ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/09/the-pre-race-moment-taking-advantage-of-where-psychology-and-biology-intersect.html

  Think back to a recent poor performance. What was the cause? Maybe you were sick, had poor sleep leading up to the race, overcooked the workouts leading up to the race, or simply ‘gave in’...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/09/the-blame-game-how-our-reaction-to-failure-influences-future-performance.html

Training is Simple: Are you Building, Maintaining, or Connecting? That car you have sitting in your garage is a complicated piece of machinery. If you aren’t a “car guy” you couldn’t even...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/08/the-simple-principle-of-training-build-maintain-connect.html

This weeks guest is elite runner Brian Barraza. Brian rose from a solid high school runner to the top of the ranks in the NCAA. In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss how Brian dealt with ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/08/episode-81-embracing-failure-with-brian-barraza.html

In this episode of the On Coaching Podcast we go back in time, to our high school coaching days. Both of us got our start coaching in the high school ranks and we take a look back at what we got ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/08/episode-80-high-school-coaching-how-we-would-do-it-differently.html

The Inner Game: Decision Making, Choking, Focus and Attention, Skill acquisition: All of that and more on this weeks episode of the On Coaching Podcast with Magness & Marcus. We have renowned spo...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/07/episode-79-mastering-the-mental-game-an-interview-with-len-zaichkowsky-and-dan-peterson.html

What does it take to be great? What about just good? When it comes to performance, we all start near the bottom. Being “okay” or average, but then we make jumps along the way. How far up the ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/07/episode-78-the-difference-between-good-and-great.html

  If you are a runner, you know the scene. You and your friends make it back to the parking lot, look down at your watch and it says 8.96 miles. Inevitably someone starts doing mini circles arou...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/07/the-east-african-vs-american-mindset-to-running-volume-or-quality.html

You can’t force Fitness!  In this weeks episode we talk about the trap of trying to force our way to racing fast. It’s a tempting trap to fall into. Train the athlete for how fast they want ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/07/episode-77-you-cant-force-improvement.html

    In my line of work, educating and coaching, I often get asked for advice by 18-25-year-olds on how they should tackle their next steps in life. In a question and answer session at St. Mary�...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/06/lessons-i-wish-i-knew-a-letter-to-my-18-year-old-self.html

In 1915, a young Harvard Physiologist named Walter Cannon described “the necessities of fighting or flight” in his now classic book, Bodily Changes in Pain, Hunger, Fear and Rage. With the tu...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/06/the-origins-of-stress-understanding-our-bodies-response.html

We have a special guest for this week’s episode, Daniel Herrera. Dan is a 3:56 miler who trains under Jon Marcus at High Performance West. In this episode, Dan talks all about transitions, in c...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/05/episode-76-transitions-ego-and-racing-with-356-miler-daniel-herrera.html

Introduction: Understanding how fatigue impacts performance during middle distance running events has traditionally been seen through a mechanistic lens (Coyle, 1994). Dating back to work by AV H...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/05/a-different-way-to-look-at-fatigue-an-ecological-psychology-framework.html

It’s all about recovery! On this episode we take on the topic of easy days. The oft neglected cousing to the more “important” hard workouts, easy days are essential for improving performanc...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/05/episode-75-the-easy-days-how-far-how-fast-how-much.html

“This workout is going to make a difference. Start with 100 meters, lengthen out the rep distance by 10 meters, increase the speed by…” was in full workout mode. A master of his craft, a ma...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/05/is-coaching-a-science-or-an-art.html

The running back takes the handoff and the hole that is supposed to be right in front of him isn’t there. He instantly darts to the right, squeezing between the tackles before shifting to the r...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/04/are-you-setting-up-practice-wrong-understanding-movement-and-action.html

Special Guest Alex Hutchinson has written the defining book on endurance and fatigue. His latest book Endure is a must read that blends storytelling and science to explain the intricacies of fati...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/04/on-coaching-74-alex-hutchinson-the-goal-isnt-to-go-faster-the-goal-is-to-feel-better-doing-it.html

In this special episode of the On Coaching Podcast, we dive into the lessons learned from the recent Boston Marathon. First, we take you through the race from a coaches point of view. What does p...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/04/on-coaching-73-keep-showing-up-lessons-from-the-boston-marathon.html

The puppet hiding behind the curtains, pulling the strings on what team wins in the NBA, is not the oft despised refs. It’s fatigue. With an 82-game season littered with back to back games and ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/04/fatigue-and-the-nba-playoff-how-players-raise-their-game-when-it-matters-most.html

When someone has “it” you know it when you see it. It’s hard to explain, and even more difficult to wrap your head around, but “it” often refers to the intangibles. The unmeasurable qua...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/04/on-coaching-72-the-intangibles-can-you-develop-the-it-factor.html

In this weeks episode, Jon and Steve go on a rant. How do we utilize science in coaching? Inspired by a twitter rant, we start off taking on the bioenergetic or metabolic view of coaching. As end...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/04/on-coaching-71-does-science-constrain-coaching.html

A silver medal at the world championships and a 30-year old athlete who makes theirfirst world team and then places in the top 8. In this episode of On Coaching we bring in friend and coach Dann...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/03/episode-70-the-anatomy-of-a-medal-an-interview-with-danny-mackey.html

Should we predict development? “Did you know the average age of medalist is 26 in running events, but in the throwing events it’s much older?” That’s how the conversation started, before ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/03/should-we-predict-development-and-performance.html

This weeks episode is all about the long run! How far should it be for each event? Should it be slow or fast? Should you include pickups, surges, intervals, or other ‘stuff’ in it or not? We ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/03/episode-69-the-long-run-how-far-how-fast-and-do-you-need-it.html

Sprinters are Inefficient: If you want to know what an inefficient runner looks like, watch a sprinter run at 5-minute mile pace. If you are used to watching the smoothness of a runner like Nick ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/03/running-mechanics-are-you-optimizing-for-efficiency-or-power.html

If you’ve been a reader of this blog or a listener to the podcast for a while, you know that my passion lies in coaching and running. This blog began as a way to explore coaching at a deeper le...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/02/thescholarprogram.html

Lactate, Anaerobic, Aerobic Threshold? What do any of them mean and are they useful training zones? In this episode Jon and Steve break down what in the world threshold actually means for coaches...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/02/episode-68-threshold-training-good-or-bad-and-what-in-the-world-is-it.html

Why Fatigue is our best feedback I was casually walking past the track, and as seems to happen, I can’t help but notice whoever is running around it. Some days it’s an older gentleman jogging...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/02/signatures-of-fatigue-why-fatigue-is-your-best-feedback.html

  This week, we are all about winning! When it comes to racing, there are two kinds of racers: The active participants and the passive ones. 75% of the people in any track meet are simply role p...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/02/winning.html

We’re in the age of gurus and experts. Create a platform large enough and you have a built-in calling card that screams listen to me, I know what I’m talking about. Not only are we inundated ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/02/the-rise-of-the-experts-of-everything-a-deep-dive-or-superficial-learning.html

This week, we welcome a very special guest and good friend, Alan Webb. As many of you know, Alan is the fastest American miler to ever walk the planet. He’s run the fastest mile in the 21st cen...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/02/episode-66-interview-with-alan-webb-how-he-trained-to-run-a-346-mile.html

This week, we have a special guest, Lauren Fleshman. Lauren is a modern day polymath, excelling as a runner, activists, entrepreneurs, business owner, and of course, a coach. In this episode, we ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/01/episode-65-interview-with-lauren-fleshman-on-coaching.html

Self-Improvement Science in the Real World Our ultimate goal for each of these newsletters is to leave you with a better understanding of a performance practice that can help you in your daily li...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/01/setting-your-mind.html

This weeks episode is all about recovery! No, not ice baths, protein, compression boots, and all of that nonsense, but on how much recovery time should you take during workouts? Should I take thr...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/01/episode-64-recovery-during-workouts.html

The best shape of my running career was not when I ran my mile, 3k, 5k, 10k, or even half marathon PR. Instead, it was at a time when the best race I could muster was a 3:51.4 1,500m, or 8 second...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/01/how-a-need-to-prove-yourself-in-practice-can-ruin-race-day-performance.html

What’s the correct way to run? How do you improve form? How should distance runners sprint? These questions and more are the subject of this 10 minute long breakdown of two middle-distance runn...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/01/how-to-sprint-a-breakdown-of-the-biomechanics-of-running.html

Imagine something unexpected and negative just happened. Perhaps you performed poorly in an interview, blew up in a big athletic competition, lost a job, or worse yet, lost a loved one or suffere...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/01/the-secret-to-resilience-a-good-story.html

              It’s time to talk the 5k. We cover everything, from how to approach the training of it (Is it a speed or endurance event? What’s the best type of intervals to improve you...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/01/episode-63-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-5k.html

First off, I want to express my gratitude for all of you who have visited my site, read or listened to content I’ve put out, and just been a part of the exploration of performance. Without you,...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/12/most-popular-posts-of-2017.html

In this episode, Jon and I delve into our coaching blunders with middle distance athletes. What mistakes did we make early on and what have we learned from them? Topics covered in this episode in...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/12/episode-62-our-worst-coaching-blunders-in-coaching-middle-distance.html

The Question of the week is: What is your Coaching Philosophy? What is Coaching with Craft? Every week, we ask a group of coaches one question and give them 5-minutes to answer! Frombroad philoso...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/12/coaching-with-craft-5-what-is-your-coaching-philosophy.html

LTAD is one of those buzz phrases thrown around in the athletic world. The intention is noble and worthwhile: Put some deep thought into how an athlete progresses from youth to junior to national...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/12/long-term-athlete-development-a-case-study-of-a-915-hs-2-miler-becoming-a-sub-217-marathoner.html

Every year, I look back and wish I read more. Whether it’s books, research articles, or even interesting blogs, I wish I blocked out more time for reading. Why? Because as I begin my end of the...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/12/the-books-i-learned-from-the-most-in-2017.html

The Question of the week is: What are the most important areas of growth in your coaching currently? What is Coaching with Craft? Every week, we ask a group of coaches one question and give them ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/12/coaching-with-craft-4-how-are-you-getting-better-as-a-coach.html

As promised, we’ve brought back NAU coach Mike Smith to give us insight on how his team won the NCAA Cross-Country Championships. As he did in our previous episode, Mike delivers numerous pearl...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/11/episode-61-if-you-cant-be-great-be-good-coach-mike-smith-after-winning-a-national-championship.html

Interval training. Speed Work. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Whatever you call it, performing fast interval work is often associated with anaerobic training. Many coaches, athletes, an...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/11/a-misunderstanding-of-high-intensity-interval-training.html

In Episode 3 of Coaching with Craft, we explore the books that have influenced our coaching. Please take 15 minutes out of your day to see what books we have found most valuable! What books make ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/11/coaching-with-craft-what-books-have-influenced-our-coaching.html

“Don’t jog! Only High intensity interval training!” Outside of the distance running world, these phrases are often thrown around when it comes to development of endurance in team sports or ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/11/episode-60-dont-jog-myths-on-conditioning-for-team-sports.html

On a recent trip to Seattle, if you asked my hosts, Steve Fassino and Phoebe Wright, what the major topic of conversation was for the weekend, they’d likely answer cults. It started with two do...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/11/cult-or-culture-what-team-are-you-creating.html

What Role Do Mentors Play? Who are the people who influenced your development? The individuals who planted the seed, taught the lesson, or gave us the hard advice we needed. A mentor is an underv...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/10/coaching-with-craft-what-role-do-mentors-play.html

I’m thrilled to announce a new initiative called Coaching with Craft. We’ve brought together a group of professional coaches to answer one new question every week. We’ll explore topics rang...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/10/introducing-coaching-with-craft.html

This is a MUST listen episode. In this weeks On Coaching with Magness & Marcus, we bring in NAU coach Mike Smith to talk about team culture and training. In this wide ranging and deep episode, we...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/10/episode-59-culture-and-belonging-interview-with-nau-coach-mike-smith.html

If you work hard, you can achieve anything. These fine words are burned into our collective conscience. It’s part of our DNA, the American dream. We need to believe that hard work can triumph o...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/10/the-insecurity-of-hard-work.html

Welcome Back! In this episode of On Coaching with Magness & Marcus, it’s time to take on one of the important concepts in coaching: Change! How have we as coaches evolved in our thinking? Jon a...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/10/episode-58-what-coaching-methods-have-you-outgrown.html

Seldom do you get a peek under the hood of one of the best runner’s in history. But with the release of his training in the months leading up to his Berlin marathon victory, we get just that wi...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/09/an-analysis-of-eliud-kipchoges-training-before-his-berlin-marathon-victory.html

“How did it feel?”  It was an endless process. Run a 100-meter stride, walk back and hear this question repeated over and over. These weren’t the words of some uninformed coach or parent t...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/09/form-how-it-feels-is-more-important-than-how-it-looks.html

In this episode of On Coaching with Magness & Marcus, we delve into a concept Jon calls “The Discernment Spectrum,” which is: Smart—Intelligent—Sophisticated As we learn a subject or skil...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/09/episode-57-the-discernment-spectrum-smart-intelligent-or-sophisticated.html

This is normally a running site. For those who don’t know, I live in Houston, TX. It’s under water right now. That’s tragedy #1. I also found out that the running community lost one of its ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/08/flooding.html

In this episode of On Coaching, we discuss the amazing book Athletics: How to Become a Champion  by Percy Cerutty. Cerutty was the coach of Herb Elliott who was the 1960 Olympic 1,500m Champion ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/08/episode-56-how-to-become-a-champion.html

I’m not certified in anything. Not USATF, USATFCCA, NSCA, or any other acronym that means something to a select few people ingrained in their small enclave of workers. Wait, I take that back, I...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/08/coaches-education-gone-wrong-the-cycle-of-credential-inflation.html

In 2014, shortly after I put out my first book, , Ryan Banta reached out about his own massive writing project. He was partway through an undertaking where he wanted to create the resource for sp...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/08/the-sprinters-compendium.html

In this episode of On Coaching, Jon and I discuss the often skewed coach-athlete dynamic. Traditionally, coaches have been the information purveyors, the power holders, distribtuing knowledg in a...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/07/episode-55-the-two-way-street-of-coaching-why-learning-from-our-athletes-is-a-must.html

I’m fascinated by the inner workings of the mind and how we make decisions. As whether it’s in running or life, the decisions we make end up defining who we are and where we are going. I also...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/07/attention.html

On this weeks On Coaching Podcast with Magness & Marcus, we have a special treat for you. We’re bringing you a real conversation. When we were at the US championships, Jon and I sat down at a l...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/07/episode-54-a-real-coaching-conversation.html

Why do I do this? There are so many other sports I could do. Why couldn’t I be good at baseball? I’m about to be in a world of hurt – remind me again why I signed up for this? Okay, stop th...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/06/this-is-your-brain-on-racing.html

Training is all about balance. It may be a cliché statement, but when it comes to training for almost any event, ensuring that speed and endurance, stress and rest, or any number of factors has ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/06/the-balancing-act-developing-speed-and-endurance.html

“That felt miserable! That was so much harder than last time. And slower!” Selena remarked as she walked off the track disappointed in her performance. She’d run 15 seconds slower in the 3,...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/06/why-bad-races-hurt-the-worst.html

Venture down the self-help aisle of any bookstore and you’ll see it littered with titles about hacks, quick fixes, burning fat, and accessing mystic sounding theta brainwaves. We’re told that...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/06/the-problem-with-the-hack-culture.html

It’s finally here. The book I’ve been working on for the past two years is out and available to order! We’ve got a giveaway and a new social media contest in conjunction with the book, so ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/06/the-book-is-out-24hr-giveaway-and-social-media-contest.html

After a two-plus year journey, is almost here! I’m so excited to finally put in your hands. In anticipation of the launch in a few day, I’m giving away a lot of awesome items if you pre-order...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/05/peak-performance-book-giveaways-galore.html

Are you a collector of knowledge or a master of application? Take a look at your favorite coach. Chances are if you follow their twitter stream, you think “Man, they have it figured out,” as ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/05/episode-53-the-experience-vs-the-powerpoint-coaching-style.html

The story goes that Bannister crushed the 4 minute mile mark, and allowed runners to dream of the impossible. No longer held back by this psychological barrier, swarms of runners went under the b...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/05/the-roger-bannister-effect-the-myth-of-the-psychological-breakthrough.html

What did we learn from a Scientific standpoint? Kipchoge’s performance in the sub 2 hour marathon was amazing, far exceeding mine and many others expectations. While a lot has been said about t...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/05/the-2-hour-marathon-what-did-we-learn-from-a-scientific-standpoint.html

Before Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile barrier over 60 years ago, he had an earlier, somewhat bizarre, attempt. When the gun went off, Bannister rocketed off the line with Don MacMillan a...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/05/is-the-quest-for-a-sub-2-hour-marathon-good.html

Bad races are tough to witness as a coach, and even harder to experience as an athlete. The feelings of despair, hopelessness, and confusion are ever present. We do our best to put it behind, mov...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/05/the-reality-and-psychology-of-the-racing-slump.html

Should we be a generalist or a specialist? Do we coach to the individual or the average? Do we want to be a one-trick pony or a master of none? In this episode of On Coaching, we take on these bu...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/04/episode-52-specialization-generalization-and-individualization.html

Rules tend to be thought of as a negative. They are meant to restrict us, to keep us from performing acts that lie outside of the norm, and to keep us from danger or harm.  Show up to school at ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/04/why-rules-matter-even-if-we-hate-them.html

Big concepts get thrown around a lot these days; Marginal Gains, 10,000 hours, the 80/20 rule, the 1% rule. Everyone has their own phrase or concept for helping take performance to the next level...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/04/episode-51-on-coaching-marginal-gains-the-one-percent-rule-and-big-concepts.html

Are you coaching the person or are you coaching the work? In this episode of the On Coaching Podcast with Magness & Marcus, we delve into the difference between coaching people and the system of ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/03/episode-50-coaching-the-person-and-not-the-work.html

The race is over, the games done. You have a moment to collect your thoughts before you have a chance to make one instantaneous impression. Do you drop a word of wisdom, try to get in a quick cor...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/03/what-you-say-matters-how-the-post-race-debrief-influences-performance.html

“I’m going to be one of the first in line for this book.” Dave Epstein, Author of The Sports Gene, talking about Peak Performance. I’m thrilled to officially announce my next big book pro...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/03/introducing-the-new-book-peak-performance-elevate-your-game-avoid-burnout-and-thrive-with-the-new-science-of-success.html

It’s time to talk about the marathon! The mysterious race that causes more problems than all other races combined. In this episode, we discuss the intricacies of the marathon. How does training...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/02/episode-49-mastering-the-marathon.html

  One of the trickiest parts of coaching a team is individualizing within that group structure. We’re left with a balancing act, deciding how much to emphasize group training­–taking advant...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/02/training-together-individualizing-in-a-group-setting.html

Racing is a skill. It’s not something you get thrown into and hope to figure out, it’s a skill that needs evaluated, dissected, and improved upon. In this episode of the Magness & Marcus Podc...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/02/episode-48-mastering-the-art-of-racing.html

“I just don’t respond to that type of training.” Or if you are a science nerd among us, you might say, “I have the non-responder genes for aerobic (or anaerobic) exercise” It’s a conv...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/02/the-myth-of-the-non-responder.html

We’re back with the first Magness & Marcus Podcast on Coaching of 2017. In this episode, we have a long and frank discussion on interval workouts. What are they, what do they do, are there magi...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/01/episode-47-understanding-interval-training.html

Yesterday, news broke that several Oregon players had been admitted to the hospital due to an excessively strenuous workout that the new strength and condition coaches implemented. It consisted o...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/01/football-is-holding-back-the-strength-and-conditioning-profession-a-reaction-to-the-oregon-fiasco.html

Simple and Usable. These two words became the theme of the year. If an idea or concept is not simple enough to be usable, then what good does it do? Complexity may feel as though it has to be rig...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/01/my-rules-of-coaching-and-learning-for-2017.html

Since the vast majority of you all never get to hear me speak, I recorded one of my recent presentations so that we can spread the knowledge to more than the few hundred coaches who were there. I...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2017/01/the-fundamentals-of-training-video-series.html

We’ve lost our way. We’ve been bamboozled, tricked, fooled. We’ve been convinced that the final 1% is more important the beginning 99%. In our present world, gadgets, and hacks not only lea...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2016/12/forget-the-gadgets-and-hacks-nail-the-basics.html

For the end of 2016, Jon and I take a look forward. What is the state of track and field in the world and where do we go from here. We get things started by asking what each of our utopian track ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2016/12/episode-46-the-state-of-the-sport.html

Every year I post a list of the books I’ve learned the most from (for example 2014 list, 2013 list). Over time, my reading interests have shifted as I evolve as a coach. I’ve found myself bra...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2016/12/1990.html

What in the world does the term “High-Performance Coaching” mean? It’s a phrase that is thrown about in the sports world, so we brought on coach Vern Gambetta to discuss his views. As alway...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2016/12/episode-45-what-is-high-performance-coaching.html

“Never ask how it felt! You’re creating doubt!” the supposed master coach quipped. I had just asked an athlete how their last interval felt. I was young and I didn’t understand it then. P...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2016/12/how-do-you-feel-understanding-what-athlete-feedback-tells-us.html

One of my professors during grad school was fond of telling me that coaching was all about learning. In the science field, it was about understanding motor learning and how our brain’s process ...

https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2016/11/what-unlearning-and-re-learning-how-to-ride-a-bike-can-teach-us.html