Some Work, All Play

This episode was a total joy talking about food, brains, and training! The main discussion was on a term sent in by a listener: "food doping." Endurance sports are being revolutionized by a focus on high fueling levels during activity. Some cyclists consume up to 600 calories per hour in hard races! In the process, performances and fatigue resistance are accelerating at rates that haven't been seen since previous eras defined by PEDs and cheating. Is mid-activity fueling the secret to unlocking your potential in a healthy and sustainable way? We talk about the science and practice from the cutting edge of endurance performance. Your slurps will set you free! We also geeked out on a survey of coaches discussing individual response rates in research, and how mental health is often viewed as a confounding variable. In the survey, coaches thought that actual physical training was 5th in the list of most important elements in determining adaptation. Meanwhile, research rarely focuses on all of the non-physical variables that go into individual responses! We discuss the offset, teeing up some exciting opportunities for athletes and coaches. And that was just the start! Other topics: big training blocks, coaching science, gut training, sports stories, masculinity and gender, toenails, and hot takes. Our new gear is available for orders this week if you join our Patreon! We love you all! HUZZAH! Support the podcast: patreon.com/swap Try Athletic Greens: drinkAG1.com/swap Buy Janji's amazing gear: https://janji.com/ (code "SWAP") Precision Hydration discount link: https://visit.pfandh.com/swap

We brought full hearts and clear nasal passages to this awesome episode! The main training topic was on the gargantuan Strava files of athletes preparing for the UTMB races. We zoom out to talk about multi-year growth, a study on speed and ultra performance, and the balance between long-term health and short-term performance. Health and ultra performance can go together like ketchup and everything! We also talked about how we apply the principles of double threshold workouts using uphill treadmills and cross training. Yes-way to Norway! And this episode was jam-packed with some of our favorite discussions! Topics: our all-time favorite study on aging and performance, Olympic Trials thoughts after the announcement of a noon start time in Orlando, the Kauai 50 Miler and the inspiring boss Ryan Miller, a tutorial from Megan on the side-pee, a study on timing strength training for optimal adaptations, and hot takes. Our new gear is available for orders this week if you join our Patreon! We love you all! HUZZAH! Support the podcast: patreon.com/swap Try Athletic Greens: drinkAG1.com/swap Precision Hydration discount link: https://visit.pfandh.com/swap

The theme of this episode: we are all powerful dump trucks! The main training discussion was on a new study looking at how strength work may help (or hurt) mitochondria adaptations. This study had wildly unexpected results, just like we like them! We also talked about our experience with sweat testing and some of the research on hyperhydration. We expect the science of hydration (personalized based on genetics) to be a frontier of performance and health in the future. And the future is tasty. Plus we had so much joy talking about a whole host of topics! Roadmap: Courtney Dauwalter's plan to race UTMB after setting course records at the Western States 100 and Hardrock 100, Megan's breakthroughs in side-short pee science (Nobel Prize?), our theories for why times for longer distances are progressing more than the 800 meters on the track, a study on morning versus afternoon training, some of our favorite storylines from the Tour de France Femmes, listener questions on dealing with injuries and RED-S concerns, 2 incredible listener corner emails, and hot takes. Fact: chocolate melts in your mouth, thus it is liquid fueling. Peanut butter cups are truly nature's performance fuel! For a weekly bonus episode (and bi-weekly newsletter), make sure you're subscribed to our Patreon. We love you all! WOOHOO! Support the podcast: patreon.com/swap Try Athletic Greens: drinkAG1.com/swap

We came into this episode with so much excitement to talk about some of our favorite topics! This week's main discussion was on a new study examining the cellular-level effects of chronic stress. We zoom out from the biology of stress to talk about what it may mean for training. If you play your cards right, maybe rest days will make you live forever! We also had a joyous time talking about the future of artificial intelligence and athletics, through the lens of coaching, before zooming out to everything. This is an area where we aren't experts, but we have some OPINIONS. Long story short: we think that AI is going to transform most fields, including our work. Even as we strive to understand what the future might look like, we think it's a hopeful message to embrace what makes you human! And that was just the start of the fun topics! Here's just a smattering of what we talked about: reflections from the aquarium, filter water bottles for hydration, the best ankle tape, a study on social media and performance, a new 8k record with a big asterisk, Taylor Swift's fatigue resistance, the restaurant that will change your life, final reflections from the Tour de France, what it means to "love" running (or anything), sweat rates, and Hot Takes. There are apparently people out there who listen to classical music for their workouts. We disagree with that approach, and suggest classic Ludacris and Blink-182. For a weekly bonus episode (and bi-weekly newsletter), make sure you're subscribed to our Patreon. We love you all! WOOHOO! Support the podcast: patreon.com/swap Try Athletic Greens: drinkAG1.com/swap

We brought hearts full of love and legs full of toxic waste to this episode! Our main discussion was a big breakdown of science-driven lessons that we try to put into practice with racing. Megan is BACK, winning and crashing the overall podium at a tough mountain 25k! We talk about the science of pre-race carb intake, and how we screwed it up. Pro tip: make sure your pasta is not made of beans. Other topics: pre-cooling and performance, hiking v. running, altitude considerations, ankle taping, using rest opportunities, and liquid fueling. The most fun we had though was talking about Courtney Dauwalter making history at the Hardrock 100! Three weeks ago, she demolished the record at the Western States 100, only to back it up with another record at Hardrock. How is that possible? We speculate on the physiology behind the best ultra athlete in human history, and what we can all learn from the GOAT. Ice cream is necessary, but it's not sufficient. And we talked about so many other fun things! Topics: blood volume and performance, what that means for hydration and altitude, the murky science of fatigue resistance, more science from the Tour de France, a wild story about Strava being used in war, Hot Takes, and the most life-affirming listener corner. For a weekly bonus episode (and bi-weekly newsletter), make sure you're subscribed to our Patreon. We love you all! WOOHOO! Support the podcast: patreon.com/swap Try Athletic Greens: drinkAG1.com/swap

This episode was one of our favorites ever! The main discussion was on stories from the US Track Championships, and lessons that can apply to all athletes. Even if you don't follow track, we think you'll come away from this discussion ready to shoot the scariest shots. Believe! We also talked about some of the science of the Tour de France, where training and fueling theories are put to the test at the limits of human performance. We can learn a lot at the edge. And at this edge, one thing we learn: eat all the carbs. Carbs make champions, it's science! And we had tons of other fun discussions! Topics: iron levels, altitude acclimation, a debate about junk miles, running uphill, focused speed development, a wild new study on evolution (and how that might apply to athletics), a study on fatigue resistance in women, body image, and hot takes. All of our bodies, like all of our takes, are very, VERY HOTTT. For a weekly bonus episode (and bi-weekly newsletter), make sure you're subscribed to our Patreon. We love you all! WOOHOO! Support the podcast: patreon.com/swap Try Athletic Greens: drinkAG1.com/swap

We put on our party super-shoes on for this joyful episode! The main discussion was on a new study on the evolution of world-class endurance training. We dig into researcher predictions before providing a bunch of predictions of our own. How will new tools and wearables change the game? What about artificial intelligence? Can AI do what we do as coaches? It probably can. As soon as AI learns to give affirmations of love and belief, we are screwed. The future is going to be so full of excitement, and we can't wait to share our thoughts with you! Other topics: the benefits of dreaming while you're awake, our big dreams, supersized mid-run fueling strategies for adaptation and performance, Western States follow-ups, the power of working together in races, thoughts on how to use supershoes, running with poles, body acceptance, and hot takes. During hot takes, we may have lost some friends in Florida. Just kidding! We don't have friends in Florida because they were all eaten by pythons. For a weekly bonus episode (and bi-weekly newsletter), make sure you're subscribed to our Patreon. We love you all! WOOHOO! Support the podcast: patreon.com/swap Try Athletic Greens: drinkAG1.com/swap

WOW, we just witnessed a Western States 100 that may change how ultras are run forever! We recorded this episode right after spending all day and night coaching and cheering at the race, so our voices are wavering, but our excitement is UNSTOPPABLE. We couldn't wait to tell you everything about the event, focusing on stories and lessons that will be helpful even if you don't race ultras. The big story was Courtney Dauwalter's legendary course record performance, taking 75 minutes off the previous best. We discuss whether it was the best performance in endurance history (yes), and whether we will ever doubt Courtney in the future (no). She gave a tailwind to the entire women's field, in a group of performances that we think may change how ultras are run in the future. The edge may be farther away than we think, and that has some incredibly exciting implications for what we know about human endurance! And that was just part of the joy of the day! Other topics: fueling lessons, pacing, endurance science, coaching at the race, training takeaways, tradeoffs between the brain and the body, lots of studies, and so much more. This race was a small step for a Courtney, but one giant leap for Courtneykind! For a weekly bonus episode (and bi-weekly newsletter), make sure you're subscribed to our Patreon. We love you all! WOOHOO! Support the podcast: patreon.com/swap Try Athletic Greens: drinkAG1.com/swap

We had a party on this episode with so many fun topics! Training discussions were mixed in throughout, like chocolate chips in a BIG cookie. That included how to mix intensity-controlled intervals with harder VO2 work, uphill running form (lean forward!), the importance of threshold and critical speed in all events, and what happens when your private parts go lactic. Things got a bit wild! But our favorite segments involved the Western States 100 and Broken Arrow Skyraces! The Western States breakdown started with a podcast-exclusive statistics analysis of the best performances ever. The data took us through an adventure into advanced statistics in other sports, how they change those games, and how stats could change running. We finished with stories and predictions! We think the course record is going down, and we'll tell you why. Plus, we had fun recapping lessons from Broken Arrow that could apply to all athletes. And there was so much more joy! Other topics: Megan's PhD graduation, humor as a defense mechanism, the head versus the heart in running and life, improving climbing, and an important new study on low energy availability. Just wait until you hear about these study findings. Keep that fire burning sooooo hot! For a weekly bonus episode (and bi-weekly newsletter), make sure you're subscribed to our Patreon. We love you all! WOOHOO! Support the podcast: patreon.com/swap Try Athletic Greens: drinkAG1.com/swap

We brought a heaping helping of excitement to this episode to celebrate the most wonderful time of the running year! The main discussion was on the 2023 World Championships for trail and ultra-running. We break down the storylines, including an analysis of race tactics and training for WORLD CHAMPION Grayson Murphy. The courses were absolutely wild, and there are lessons for all athletes. Some of those lessons are about training and racing, and some are about not trying to cool yourself off with bottled sparkling water. Though it does sound quite refreshing! The main training topic was on training for shorter events, and how those principles apply to optimizing potential at every distance from the mile to 100 miles. The fastest runners in the world use intensity-controlled principles even when they are racing very short distances. We zoom out from examples on the track to talk about how the same principles are at play in longer distances. Physiology is SO COOL! Except GI tract physiology. It knows what it did. And that was just the start of the fun! Other topics: getting hyped for the Western States 100, an incredible story about coaching and love, how to improve uphill running, whether intervals should be steep, the tradeoff between aerobic and mechanical adaptations, 9 hot takes from listeners, 3 world records from the track, track super-spikes, and a listener corner about shooting your shot. You'll never guess what a listener said about squirrels in the Hot Takes segment. We love our listeners and their weird takes! For a weekly bonus episode (and bi-weekly newsletter), make sure you're subscribed to our Patreon. We love you all! WOOHOO! Support the podcast: patreon.com/swap Precision Nutrition 15% discount: https://visit.pfandh.com/SWAP Try Athletic Greens: athleticgreens.com/swap