If you read the last post I published, then you probably got an insight to how my thought process has been working since Ironman Louisville last August.  The underlying question I have been asking myself is how can I use my skills, knowledge, desires and talents to “Do More”.

More than just a race, more than just a training schedule, more than a competition among friends and rivals.  Honestly, it hasn’t been a very productive mental exercise because during that time I have not thought of something that:

a – excited me
b – was a way to motivate others
c – had an outcome that served others

My initial thought was to do something like the EndureChallenge that I did in 2008, but to use the event to raise money for charity.  Upon further thought I realized that I’ve grown a little weary of these types of fundraisers and they already exist in many different ways:  “I’m doing an Ironman, donate to my charity”, “I’m doing a marathon, donate to my charity”, “I’m running across the country, donate to this charity”, etc.

These charity fundraisers are a great way to motivate people to raise money for great causes.  It is just a matter of the fact that this idea has been done millions of times, therefore I wasn’t sure I could do it any better.  I was also uncomfortable with the idea that the only “event” would be some endurance challenge that I took on.  So that left me with no ideas to pursue.

Side note:  If you want to see two groups that are doing great things raising money with their running, cycling and triathlon activities – I suggest you look at:  Team in Training and Team World Vision

Genesis of my Idea:

Last Sunday after I got to my phone I had a lot of messages waiting for me.  People were posting on my facebook page hoping I was ok, emails were in my inbox wondering what happened and text messages were there asking me to call or text when I was able.  It made me realize that there’s a pretty good community built up around our blog, podcast, twitter and facebook friends.  While some of those within the community are active, not all exercise.

Idea 1 – You need to get people that you know, but don’t exercise to do something (anything).  Why not challenge them to run or walk at least one 5k (3.1 miles) within the next year.

Most people can walk 3.1 miles so that didn’t seem like it would be asking too much, but why would someone care enough to become active, register for a 5k and then go do it?  We need to make completing the 5k count for something.

Idea 2 – For every 5k our facebook friends and fans complete within the next year, I will take a full week (7 days) and try to ride that many miles on my bike, starting in Kentucky heading west (or maybe driving that many miles west and trying to make it back to Kentucky)?

Right now I have 436 friends on facebook and Endurance Base Camp has 94 fans for a total of 530 people in the “community”.  There is overlap of course, but that’s an estimate.  Therefore if every single friend and fan did just one 5k I would try and ride 530 miles for the week.  Sounds reasonable and achievable.  (Now if everyone does two 5k’s we are asking for some problems).

I liked the idea, but it still kind of gave me the “who cares” feeling.  It would get some people out the door and walking, jogging and running, which I like – but I also wanted it to serve others too.

Idea 3 – Find companies and businesses that would be willing to sponsor or donate $1 for every mile I’m able to cover in that 7 day period.  100% of the donations will go to charity*

Bingo!  It covers everything that my current life mission statement is about.  I can motivate some people to get active, I get to do something a little silly and active myself and it helps to serve others.

Why would a business be willing to donate $1 per mile?  Essentially, for them it would be a decent marketing opportunity.  Their participation would break down to $1 per every 5k that is run within the year.  In marketing dollars, that is a pretty low cost when you consider price per active participant.

The other aspect is that the business’ exposure to sponsorship cost is pretty low because I will only be able to ride so many miles in 7 days and that is dependent upon people’s participation for the one year period prior to that 7 days.

Feedback!

This is only an idea at this stage.  I would love some feedback from those of you within our current circle of internet friends.  Does the this sound like something that is:

a – possible
b – motivating enough to participate
c – worth participating

* Choice of Charity:  I haven’t had the time to review and select a charity at this point.  But I would love to consider a charity that helps provide clean drinking water in areas of the world that don’t have access to it.  As an endurance athlete, I understand the value that proper hydration has to health and performance.  Sunday made me appreciate that even more.  Sadly, clean water is not something all communities have access to; therefore I’d like to the support to go in that direction.

* A second option that I’m passionate about would be to see funds to go support diabetes research and education.

A food diary or food log is a tool that I encourage many of my clients to use. Whether the client’s goal is weight loss, maintenance, or simply for nutritional guidance, a log can be very informative and influential on behavior. I often use a food log in times when I feel my nutrition is getting off base. It helps me to review my habits and choices over a few day period and I can decide if I need to make changes. Sometimes simply writing down what I have eaten early in the day alters my decisions towards different foods in the evening or the following day.

While a written journal is a great way to keep track of your food, I have found another source that makes everything so much easier. The app, Lose It for the iPhone and iPod touch is a free app that makes it incredibly simple to keep track of your food. To begin, you fill out a few basic questions about age, height, weight, etc. You can enter weight loss goals and based on your goals and measurements the program calculates your daily caloric budget.

Food is entered in 4 categories, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. When you go to add foods and enter in the name of the food it searches the program database. Sometimes I cannot find the food I am looking for, but for the majority I can find exactly what I am looking for, brand name and everything. There are even restaurant dishes in the database also. If I cannot find a food I am looking for there is an option to “create food” and you can enter the nutritional info. Once you have entered a food into your log it is saved under “my foods”. This is nice because you don’t have to search for it again. As you are adding the food you can select the serving size or amount. This is the only option that I am not crazy about. Many digital food logs will have a number selection and also a serving option, for example, cups, ounces, serving, etc. Lose it only has one option in regards to serving “type”. So when I enter raisins it only has an “each” option, and I cannot enter in cups or ounces. It’s not that inconvenient, but it is one thing I would change about the app.

Exercise can also be entered in the log and the estimated calories you burn during your workout is added to your daily budget. This is great especially for people trying to lose weight or maintain weight. Sometimes it is difficult to calculate calorie intake vs. calorie expenditure, but this estimates it for you. There is also a large database for exercise as well.

When I choose to do a food diary I usually only do it for 3-4 days to review my diet. However, the Lose It app is so easy to navigate, I have been using it for over 2 weeks. The program also calculates daily and weekly nutrient info and averages. Looking at this data, I have found that I am probably eating too little protein and too many carbohydrates. I am working on adjusting my diet because of it. The nutrient summaries are nice, but really only include fats, cholesterol, sodium, carbs, fiber, and protein. I would like it if it also had a vitamin and mineral summary as well. It is a free app, though I suppose I can’t have it all!

I have heard great reviews for some other apps for the iPhone, such as livestrong.com calorie tracker ($2.99), and the daily burn (free). From what I have heard they are worth a test run.

Photo by Rodderz

There was a really great post put up by Coach Jay Johnson.  It includes a video of Dan Pfaff discussing topics around stretching, fascia, movement, etc.

Here’s a direct link to the Dan Pfaff video:  Dan Pfaff on youtube, 1/2010

Here’s a link to the Coach Jay Johnson post: Dan Pfaff

The fascial information is stuff that I’m learning so much about right now, I am really excited to continue learning about some of this research and the way it impacts application of strength and conditioning principles for endurance athletes.

Movement dysfunction is so prevalent in triathlon, correcting biomechanics on the run or movement and function in general is often an afterthought until injury occurs.  Hopefully it’s something I can continue to educate people on.

And … I promise to continue educating myself on the newest information.

Listen to the podcast here , or go to itunes and search the itunes store for Endurance Base Camp

Show #10

We discuss the benefits of using a run walk strategy while doing your run training, along with using it when you race.  The topics of:  why run walk is a stigma, who should run walk and what exactly a run/walk strategy is are also discussed.

You can find the blog post we put up as a follow up to our run/walk clinic at John’s Run/Walk Shop by going here:

The Run Walk to Better Training and Racing Discussion

Interview:  I have an interview with Jill Kearns about her background in running, her training leading up to her Boston Qualifying run at Chicago in 2008, and how she used run/walk in her own training program and progress.

It has been a week since I gave my clinic at John’s Run Walk Shop on using a run:walk strategy to train and race better.  I have been getting some feedback from a few of those runners after they went out and tried to do a run using the strategy.

Let’s keep the discussion going here! Place comments on the blog post or email me with your questions at garyditsch at gmail dot com.

From the people that attended the clinic, I have to say the feedback has been really positive.  Maybe it is due to the fact that they understand how to use the strategy appropriately and effectively, or – maybe it is because they want to believe it will work (placebo)?  I’ve had 2 fairly new runners mention that they had runs over a familiar course faster than they had ever completed that course before.

I have also got some negative feedback, but that came from a person that wasn’t at the clinic.  I’m hopeful that we can continue to work together and use the previous experience as a lesson in the application of the method.

Here are two key things I would like to point out:
1. There is a way to walk when you take your break and it isn’t using your normal mall walking form
2. There are ways to come out of your walk break that will help you get back into your run more readily

Key points review:

Who is run / walk for?  Everyone in training.  In racing it depends upon the athlete, but the majority of runners I work with benefit from this strategy.  100% of the 1/2 and full marathon runners I coach benefit using it.  In triathlon, it depends on the athlete and the length of the triathlon.  Again, 100% of the athletes I coach for 1/2 Iron and Iron distance races benefit significantly using this approach.

What does run / walk strategy mean?  Simply a strategy used in a PROACTIVE way that uses walking during training or race that enables a runner to better achieve their goal.

Could be:  9min run / 1min walk, 15min run / 30sec walk, 2min run / 3min walk, etc.  – It depends upon athlete, goals and race distance.

Run / Walk in Training:

“The goal of a workout is not to avoid walking.  The goals are to feel better, get in better shape, reduce tension, lose weight, train for an upcoming race and so on.  Take your pick.  They’re all worthwhile goals.”

Amby Burfoot – The Run/Walk Plan, runnersworld.com article, 8/2001

Benefit 1 – you recover better and quicker
Benefit 2 – quality of your long runs improve (you can actually run at end of long run)
Benefit 3 – quality of shorter runs improve (you can achieve interval and tempo run goals)
Benefit 4 – you can increase the amount of running you are doing more quickly

Run / Walk in Races:

Benefit 1 – If forces people to slow down and think about proper pacing when a race is full of anxiety and tension.  I like to see if a runner has ever negative split a race, if they have not then I require run/walk methods (negative split means they ran second half of race faster than first half)

Benefit 2 – Allows athlete to better manage race fatigue.  The decline in run pace is less than if they were not using strategy.

Benefit 3 – A runner can better hydrate and fuel themselves during the race.  Walking aid stations is a superior race strategy and something we consider when creating a race plan.

Benefit 4 – The psychology of feeling strong and being strong at the end of the race is more motivating than “trying to hold it together”.  Passing people versus getting passed is a significant change in mental outlook for many runners.

Added Resources from Endurance Base Camp:

- Things I learned by running two marathons in 8 days
- 2008 Flying Pig Marathon Podcast – recorded while run/walking every aid station during race
- Walking my way to faster races

Outside Resources:

- Bobby McGee interview on IMTalk Podcast (episode 170 scroll down)
- Bobby McGee’s website
- Bobby’s Run/Walk Protocol at Endurance Corner

I would love to hear your feedback and continue the discussion!

[note] I wrote this post on January 29, 2010.  (Published today 3/3/10) After a couple readings decided to not publish it because I wasn’t sure where it fit as it was mostly a reflection on my Ironman experiences from 2006 to 2009, the value they added to my life and just thoughts going through my head at the time.  After the Mardi Gras Rock N Roll Marathon this past weekend, it was refreshing to go back and read these words.  I thought I’d share prior to posting my race report. [end note]

It has been some time since I have written blog posts that deal with topics outside of strength training, triathlon training and marathon running.  But after my last blog post titled, “Balance, Simplicity and Priority: Life Lessons from Tiger and Urban” I can see that maybe some of these thoughts are worth sharing.  It seems that I started a firestorm of self analysis within some people based upon the feedback I’ve received through email, facebook and twitter.

That is a good thing in my opinon.

I often look around at those I’m familiar with, along with taking a step back to review my own decision making process and notice there is little self analysis done when making decisions.  What I see happening is an analysis of what others may think about the result of those decisions.  This results in a lot of decisions being made based upon what we perceive others think, rather than filtering it through our own value system or philosophy of living.

When this system of decision making breaks down is when your philosophy of living is different than the  decisions made based on outside influences.  In psychological terms, you begin to create a lot of cognitive dissonance.  What you believe your core identity to be, lies in contrast to the decisions you are making and the reality you are creating for yourself by those decisions.

This is why I believe it is essential that individuals spend the time to understand themselves and have a solid grasp of what they consider their philosophy of living.  This is not some crazy idea.  And it is not even close to being a new way of looking at the decision making process.  It was probably in 1998 or 1999 that my step-father gave me a “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” book written by Stephen Covey.  Then he gave me the Franklin Covey planners and all the items to help me better live with purpose.  The planner was always a decent tool, but the process of sitting down and creating a mission statement upon which I’d live was interesting.

I don’t think there is any coincidence in the fact that in 1999, I sat down and wrote down that I would run a 10k, a marathon and qualify for the Boston Marathon.  At that point, I had only run a 5k which, was a race I had done as a 8 or 9 year old as a way to be like my cousins Mark and Andy, and a little bit of cross country in high school to be fit enough for basketball season.  I really had no idea what it would take to run a marathon, nor did I understand what it would take to qualify for Boston.

Running was only part of the plan I created that day.  I spent a lot of time thinking about what where the other steps I wanted to take in order to create a life of meaning.  Faith, Family, Friends, Education, Profession, Financial and Athletic.  Those are areas of my life that I still put most of my planning efforts.

You know what has happened over the last decade?  Most of the items on that list have happened.  Of course some of the items on the list have been altered or removed because they just didn’t seem to fit as time went along.  For example, I thought one thing that I wanted to accomplish was to generate a net worth of one million dollars by the time I was 35 years old, until one roommate who saw my list asked – why and what for?  I didn’t have an answer, especially not an answer that made me feel good about dedicating so much time and energy towards that outcome.  I wish that when I was asked that question I would have generated a response like:

“I could help feed 100’s of children” or “I would be able to provide an education for students who wouldn’t have an opportunity”  — something that would have fit within what I perceived to be my underlying life philosophy.  But in reality the only answer I could come up with is that by accumulating a larger net worth I would appear more successful, feel bigger and have the admiration of those who hadn’t done that.

Another major goal of mine has always centered around education.  It is also a goal that I’ve struggled with in terms of how it relates to my “legacy”.  It wasn’t too long after I decided to pursue a graduate education that I started to question my motives and how it all fit together with my way of living.  I remember questioning the idea enough to ask my pastor for some guidance.  I feel fortunate to have had someone that was down-to-earth, open and honest enough to give me courage in those decisions.  But after spending a period of time getting my masters, I realized that my ultimate goal (getting my Ph.D) was likely only going to serve my ego and not propel me to serve others as I had thought it might.  It is funny how these things come around from time to time, just this year I found myself spending tons of time thinking about doing a docorate in biomechanics.  There are times were I see that it fits into larger things I want to see happen and times when I don’t see it doing anything other than building my (already big enough) ego.

Where does Triathlon and Running fit into this way of living?

When I sat down and wrote out my goals just over a decade ago, the “purpose” that I came up with for wanting to qualify for the Boston Marathon was :

to inspire others to live in a way that enables them to feel healthier, achieve a greater sense of wellness and understand better self satisfaction

That’s not an exact quote, but it’s pretty close.  The idea was that if I could somehow get my crap together enough to run a marathon, then there would be a pretty amazing story or template to share with others.  What I found out was that I really needed a way to help inspire myself too, and running had always been an answer and escape in the past.

The great thing that I’ve found by spending the 11 years of my life dedicated to endurance sports is that I’ve felt like I have been able to inspire others.  Whether through my emails that I began sending to friends in the beginning, to my early website and now through our coaching.

What do you want to Stand For?

I was recently introduced (through an email exchange) to a guy by the name Filip Matous.  It was for something very unrelated to this topic, but I then saw a site he runs called Standstrong.tv – The concept of the site is to ask one simple question to guests and video their answer:

“When it’s all said and done, what is the main thing you want your life to be remembered for?”

It’s a very easy way to get at someone’s personal philosophy. Their answer to that question will mold their decision making process, because if you are not seeking out to live into that answer daily, then it surely isn’t going to be what you are remembered for once you are no longer around to add your input to the discussion.

I find it very interesting to see some of the answers he has received as he asks guys like Stephen Covery and Gary Vaynerchuk that very question.

This is where I get back to my own answer, my own decision making process and my own reason for running and doing triathlon. I hope that when it’s all said and done for me, they don’t say : He was a good runner, He was a fine triathlete or He had an amazing level of endurance and fitness. Please, don’t let it be all about that.

Hopefully there will be things said like: “He instilled so much hope in myself” and “He always cared so much and had always had faith in what I could achieve” or “He loved me so damn much it was annoying”

“Faith” – “Hope” – “Love” … I pray daily that those are things that I stand for.

Photo taken by Greg Timm

There are many episodes of the Today Show, mid afternoon talk shows and self help gurus that will tell you that you need to be more “Balanced”.  It is a concept that Americans are determined to figure out and get right.  The reason that we are so dedicated to the idea of being balanced is because we are told that when we find that perfect level of balance then we can have,

Promises of a Balanced Life:

- more peace
- more happiness
- better relationships
- better time management
- higher productivity
- more success
- more money
- etc.

Essentially, we are being sold on the idea that we can be successful in many different areas of life: family, professional, career, athletically, socially, relationships and spiritually.  What we want to believe is that we can have the American Dream without having to sacrifice to obtain it.

I have to admit that I used to believe in the concept of balance and success, but I don’t think it is true any longer.  What I have realized is that being successful in any one area will require that you sacrifice in another area; therefore you are left with the decisions of priority.

Two recent examples:

Who was the greatest athlete from 2000 through 2009?  Tiger Woods (here’s a little ESPN article about it.)  It’s interesting to hear people respond to a discussion about Tiger today.  A few weeks ago when his family life and very public affairs were coming out I heard a lot of individuals say how disappointed they were with his behavior.  Their response seemed to be focused on his marital failures.  Then yesterday as I was driving to the gym, I heard a local golf show talk about how they wanted him to just start golfing and put the whole mess behind him.

The story is old and overly debated at this point, so this is not an attempt to give my opinion on the subject.  I merely want to take a look at the extremes:  Most successful athlete of the decade, but highly deficient as a father and husband.

What college football program has been the most successful program over the last 5 years?  The Florida Gators.  The leader of the program for that duration has been Urban Meyer, an intensely competitive and dedicated coach.  So what has been the trade-off?  His health.  Here’s a link to an SI.com story discussing Meyer’s heart conditions.

What’s my point:

I’m not making judgments about the decisions that Tiger or Meyer have made in the past that lead to this point, I am merely suggesting that they made sacrifices along the way.  To be the best athlete in the world, Tiger made a decision to spend energy, time, ego and emotion on golf that he could have used to create a better situation with his wife and children.

To lead the most dominate college football program over the past five years, Meyer made the decision to spend his time, energy and passion on reviewing game film and player development and left his own health to bare the sacrifice.

The point here is that there is sacrifice to be successful.  And we all get the opportunity to decide what we will choose and how much success we want to have.

There are very, very few individuals that get to be successful at everything they do and get to be successful in multiple areas at the same time.  In fact, right now I can’t think of anyone that fits that description.

There are a lot of people I admire in the endurance sport world.  I have clients that amaze me with their ability to get workouts in, have high level jobs and also get to attend family functions.  There are those guys and gals out there, but I also know that there are decisions every week that are made regarding priority.  They must decide if getting a workout in means more than going to a child’s dance recital, they must make the decision on whether showing up to work fried from a weekend of training is possible.

It’s a constant process of decisions and analysis.

Without balance, know what you value:

If there is not a situation of perfect balance that allows one to be successful in all areas of their life, then I find it absolutely essential that a person be honest with themselves and those around them regarding what they plan to prioritize.

I recently read GaryVee’s book “Crush It” and was intrigued when he discussed his list of priorities.  It was a simple list, in a simple order:

1. Love your family
2. Work super hard
3. Live (and work) your Passion

The thing that I love about this list is that it simple and to the point.  It doesn’t complicate things by giving if/then scenario’s or by developing matrix boxes to take in various situations.  It is a fairly simple statement of priority – now the challenge is to live into it.

If this was someone’s list (other than GaryVee’s) then when faced with decisions about family or work, it becomes obvious that family is first.  If there is a question between work and social obligation, work is a priority.

The issue that I see many people have is that they want to have it all.  They want to fulfill their different desires, but don’t want to feel guilty about short changing other areas that they feel should be valued.

Where this applies to Triathlon and Running:

As you sit there and think about your upcoming season, I would like to challenge you to honestly answer these questions:

1. What do I value most?
2. How do I prioritize those things that I value?
3. How does my training and endurance goals fit into these lists?
4. If racing is a high priority for my season, do I have a support structure at home and work?
5. Does my support structure understand how much I value racing?
6. How can I communicate my desires with my family, friends and co-workers?

What I tend to see this early in a calendar year from people is a long list of events, with one simple statement: “I want to do these races!”

As a coach it is exciting to see ambition and passion.  It is fun to see the excitement of the new year and the enjoyment that someone takes in being active.  But I also know that there’s a level of honesty that needs to take place.  It has been a big learning process for me over the past 10 years.  I remember writing some of the first running programs for people who wanted help.  I wanted to be the cheerleader, the encourager, the one that told everyone that anything is possible.

In reality, I still believe that to be the truth.  But I’ve also learned that when dealing with age-group athletes, there needs to be an assessment beyond the physical capabilities.  The ability to test someone’s vVo2, lactate threshold pace or lactate threshold power is wonderful, but how does that also relate to their ability to be at home by 6pm in order to sit down and eat with the family?

As I have grown in my understanding of these various dynamics, I have also developed the ability to say “No”.  It is hard to tell an athlete that is passionate about triathlon that training for an Ironman will take some sacrifice.  It is harder to suggest to an athlete that they are would be better served waiting to do a Half Ironman or Ironman at some point in time when they have a more stable support network and training can be a little higher priority.

But it’s essential that we be honest about expectations and priorities.  First of all, be honest with yourself.  Then be honest with your communication to your support structure: family, training partners, coach, etc.

Make things simple:

The last little piece of the puzzle that I find helpful, is creating simplicity.  Once you have realized that to be successful you can’t do “everything” and you have established a complete understanding of your priorities, the next step is to take a bunch of crap out of your life if it doesn’t fit.

Here are two examples that I have from my 2009 season, once I started training specifically for Ironman Louisville:

1.  Cut the T.V.  It was a big mental leap at first, but after the BCS National Championship game in 2009, I loaded up the digital cable box and turned it in.  It was more of a statement of commitment than it was an act of discipline because with Hulu, Netflix and all the other ways to watch television, I knew there would still be plenty of opportunity.  But, it did allow us to immediately end late night station browsing.

2. Social parties and gatherings.  This one was a request I had to make to Nikki as part of my support structure.  The common situation we have at our house is that 98% of the time I would rather come home after work or training and lay down to rest, sleep or watch a movie.  Nikki loves to get together with friends for coffee, chatting, dinner out, talking about running, setting up birthday parties, putting together clothing shows, doing a pot-luck – well you get the point.  If it was up to her, we would never be home except to sleep.

At the beginning of 2009, I asked her to make a promise to keep me as uncommitted to social outings as she could.  If you ask her, I got out of a lot of social commitments for the year.  I would agree that I was able to escape more than 50% of the events, but the 40% I made it to was still 25% too much.  Just a difference in personality and needs, I guess.

The key to simplifying is just aligning your priorities you’ve established with your task orientation.  When you can make that happen, you are getting done the things that will make you successful.

Final Thoughts:
2010 is an interesting year because it allows me to look back over the past decade and ask myself,

“Have I made the choices needed to be successful in the areas of my life that I feel are a priority?”

It seems like it wasn’t very long ago that I sat down on January 1, 1999 and wrote down “run a marathon” as one of my goals.  And it doesn’t feel like it was 4.5 years ago that Nikki and I made the commitment to live our lives together.
I anticipate 2010 to be a very positive year.  I also know that there’s work to be done on my part (and on Nikki’s) to understand more completely what we value and how we prioritize, what sacrifices we intend to make and how to simplify in order to clear the non-essential.

If you want to follow along our Journey of Endurance this year, we welcome you.  I plan on writing more on the subject and how we’re making it happen.

To subscribe to our blogs and website, just go to http://feeds2.feedburner.com/EnduranceBaseCamp

Photo by Christmaswithak

Looking at our feedburner updates, it appears that there might be some individuals that may want to update your rss feed subscriptions.

Back in the day we used to have only these:

http://feeds2.feedburner.com/garysfitnessblog –> for gary’s personal blog

http://feeds.feedburner.com/NikkisBlog –> for nikki’s personal blog

But now we have a RSS feed that brings everything together, plus more: podcast, articles, etc.  That feed is located off on the left side of the webpage, but here is the feed details:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/EnduranceBaseCamp

The only other feed that we currently have available, in case you don’t want everything (which I’m not sure why you wouldn’t) is the direct feed for our podcasts.  Here is that feed:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/EnduranceBaseCampPodcast

Hope that information will help people streamline their interaction with our site and content.  As always thanks for reading, commenting and participating in this journey of Endurance!

Listen to the podcast by clicking here or Go to Itunes Store and search podcasts for Endurance Base Camp

Show #9

Focus: After a significant break we are finally back!  This episode includes a quick look at what we are currently up to and where some of our next races will be, then I discuss two mistakes that I’m seeing people make as they start to prepare for their upcoming spring races.

Two Mistakes:

1.  Doing every run at the same pace/effort
2.  Going long prior to being strong enough to handle the training

There will be a lot of discussion on why I think these are mistakes and why they need to be corrected.

Links mentioned:

Mike Young’s twitter page
Science Daily : Train less and be faster