4 laps.  1609 meters. 5,280 feet.  On the anniversary of Roger Bannister breaking the 4-minute barrier we take a deeper dive into the track event that has captured the distance runner's mind and spirit more than any other.  Our two-part series begins with an update on recent mile race results as the spring track season builds toward Tokyo, then we share book recommendations, coaching history, and training tips specific to the mile.  Next time we'll drill down on race day: warmup ideas, racing strategy, and how to run your personal best.

Check out the Downville Mile in Greenville on June 11!  This debut race is your opportunity to take advantage of a net downhill course for a lightning fast mile time:

https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/Greenville/DownvilleMile

Mile 84: The Mile, Part I | Training Tips & Reading Recommendations

It's time again to answer some of your burning training questions.  Friend and PT Phil Gregory is back to tackle your injury questions and we discuss our running shoes of the year, benefits of soft surface running, plantar fasciitis, speed development for distance runners, IT band issues, and Boston Marathon specific training ideas.  

Check out Due South Coffee Roasters @DueSouthCoffee and DueSouthCoffee.com.  Use the code SFPOD for 15% off your purchase at online checkout.

Mile 102: Your Training Questions, pt. 3

Happy New Year!  We're kicking off 2022 with a conversation about half marathon training.  We consider long run distance and intensity, quality workouts, training paces, course specifics, and more in this wide-ranging discussion.

Check out our coffee-roasting friends: @DueSouthCoffee

Mile 103: Half Marathon Training Principles

We open this week with a roundup of the Millrose Games, top milers, and our training week.  Then, at minute 22, we begin our conversation about the seemingly confusing topic of threshold training.  This discussion was so exhaustive that we had to break it into two episodes.  In part one we define blood lactate, lactate threshold, tempo running, and other key terms, share the most recent research on these topics, connect these efforts with race paces and other indicators, and clarify some common misconceptions about threshold training.  In part two we'll move from the what to the how and why.

Mile 106: Lactate Threshold and Tempo Training, pt. 1

Part 2 of our lactate threshold and tempo training episode picks up from last week and builds on the concepts and definitions we presented as the "what" of training at these intensities.  Now we add the "why" and "how" so that you can better employ lactate threshold and tempo training in your pursuit of running excellence.

Mile 107: Lactate Threshold and Tempo Training, pt. 2

Zach Barker joins us for a discussion about how Maurten's revolutionary sports fuel has transformed marathon nutrition, his quest for the Olympic Trials Marathon, and the upcoming Boston Marathon.  Maurten will be the official on-course nutrition at Boston this year, so Zach gives us a sneak peak at what you can expect on Patriot's Day!

Mile 112: Maurten's Zach Barker on Fueling, Training, and Boston

We open with our favorite moments from the recent World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, then dive into a listener question about how running slower can help us race faster.  And in our feature segment we pick the 5K sessions we would make the foundation of our training.

Mile 124: 5 Cornerstone 5K Workouts, Training Slow to Race Fast, & World Champs Recap

Chebet beats Kipchoge!  Kiptum runs 2:01!  Emma Bates leads through Heartbreak Hill!  Sifan Hassan has an epic comeback!  It's time to recap the marathon battles at Boston and London.

Plus, we're unveiling our upcoming historical retrospective series on the 1984 L.A. Olympic Marathons.  We're going deep on the athletes, the training, and the build-up races leading to the 40th anniversary of a seminal event in marathon history.

Mile 149: Introducing Our New Marathon Series // Reactions to Epic Boston & London Races

We went off course early for an important 80s pop culture discussion, but came full circle with advice on how to manage and train for in-race adversity -- like Phil's off-course adventure in his recent half marathon.  In between those topics we examined the 3 variables that dictate your training: duration, frequency, and intensity.  How do we manipulate these to best train? Which do we increase first and why?  How does each impact the others?  Find out in Mile 152.

Mile 152: Duration, Frequency, & Intensity // Managing and Preparing for Mid-Race Adversity

Welcome to Part Six of The Road to L.A. ’84, our multi-episode retrospective on the 40th anniversary of a seminal moment in a golden era of marathoning.  We’re telling the behind-the-scenes account of the athletes, the training, and the build-up races.  This week we rewind to the 1983 New York City Marathon — site of one of the most thrilling finishes ever seen in sports.  A race we’ve been so excited to relive with you.  40 years later, here’s the story of New York 1983...

Questions, comments, or show ideas?  Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com

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Mile 161: The Road To LA '84, pt. 6 -- New York '83

We're tackling your toughest training questions this week: our top Thanksgiving dishes, how to construct threshold sessions, what we've learned about training so far from the Road to L.A. '84 series, how to fight late race fatigue and cramping, and how to best use the Moneghetti Fartlek.  Plus we review exciting new shoes from adidas and New Balance!

Questions, comments, or show ideas? Email us: seondsflatpodcast@gmail.com

Enjoy the show?  We'd love your feedback in a 5 star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

columbusrunning.com

Mile 162: Listener Training Questions | adidas Supernova Rise | NB 1080 v13

CS Lewis once wrote, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”  Justin Melott personifies Lewis’s words as he quests after personal bests from the mile to 100 miles.  Justin is a deep thinker on running, a dear friend, and a Columbus Running Company manager.  Moreover, he’s an inspiration to those of us aspiring to new heights in our running long past the glory days of interscholastic athletics.   This past week he set a new 5K PR, and pacing his race was one of the high points of my time in running.  Afterward we sat down to bring you the story of that race and the running journey he continues each day.  I'm privileged to bring you Justin Mellott on Mile 163 of Seconds Flat...

Mile 163: Training, Dreaming, and Giving Thanks with Justin Mellott

Marathon season wrapped up with fireworks at Valencia, Fukuoka, and California International, and indoor season opened in spectacular, record-breaking fashion at Boston University.  We recap the action and discuss what these results mean for the sport in 2024.

Questions, comments, or show ideas?  Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com

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columbusrunning.com

Mile 164: The Most Exciting Race Weekend of 2023!

After 2 years removed from the marathon and a year battling serious injury, Columbus Running Company Elite athlete Sakiko Minigawa ran the California International Marathon last week chasing the Olympic Trials standard.  Despite the obstacles, and perhaps because of them, she raced to a new personal best of 2:35:52.  As Booker T. Washington wrote, “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.”  By that measure, Sakiko has reached the pinnacle of running success.  She joins us this week to share her experience of training, persevering, and ultimately excelling.

Questions, comments, or show ideas? Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com

Enjoy the show?  We'd love your feedback in a 5 star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

columbusrunning.com

Mile 165: Sakiko Minigawa on Her Return From Injury to a 2:35 OTQ Marathon

The Norwegian Model of double threshold, Parker Valby's cross training, Kelvin Kiptum's massive mileage and quality.  We're diving into each and unpacking what can be scaled and applied for better running in 2024.

Questions, comments, or show ideas?  Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com

Enjoy the show?  We'd love your feedback in a 5 star rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

columbusrunning.com

Mile 166: Analyzing the Top Training Trends of 2023

As a new year dawns, we're reflecting on what has worked and what's missing from our training.  To help you through the reflective process we've designed "ideal training weeks" for each other based on our 2024 target races.  These microcycles incorporate runs we enjoy, runs that have yielded success, and runs that might be a missing ingredient for greater success.

Mile 167: Ideal Training Weeks // Houston Highlights

It's time for one of our favorite events: The Olympic Team Trials Marathon.  We preview the course and make our predictions -- most assuredly our worst predictions yet.  Then, we review the race experience at the Austin 3M Half Marathon and close with Phil's shoe of the year for 2023 and the most anticipated shoes of 2024 for Travis.

Mile 168: Olympic Marathon Trials Preview // Austin 3M Half Race Review

This week we take you inside the world and national records that fell at an electrifying Millrose Games, analyze the new super shoes worn by top finishers at the U.S. Marathon Team Trials, and bid farewell to greats Kelvin Kiptum and Henry Rono.

Plus, if you'll be racing the Greenville Half Marathon on 2/24 we hope to see you there!  Join us pre-race for a warm up from the Center St. parking lot in TR, just south of Gateway Park.

Questions, comments, or show idea? Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com

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columbusrunning.com

Mile 169: Millrose Games | Super Shoes at the Marathon Trials | Legends Lost

New Balance Rebel v4 | Saucony Endorphin Speed v4 | Saucony Endorphin Pro v4 | ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris

With so many exciting new models dropping in March we spent time in 4 of the most anticipated shoes of the spring.  What's best for you?  Tune in to find out all the details about each.

Questions, comments, or show ideas?  Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com

Enjoy the show? We'd love your feedback in a 5 star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

columbusrunning.com

Mile 170: Spring Shoe Reviews!

Phil raced the 2024 Tobacco Road Half Marathon, and he's giving you insights on what to expect from the course, logistics, organization, competition, and more if you put this fun race on the American Tobacco Trail on your future race calendar.  Also, beginning at 21 minutes, we unpack the details of our warm up and cool down protocols, and debate the topic of long cool downs as a method for reaching mileage goals.

Dynamic drills mentioned in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_la6oN1hUx8

Questions, comments, or show ideas?  Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com

Enjoy the show?  We'd love your feedback in a 5 star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

columbusrunning.com

Mile 171: Tobacco Road Race Review | Warm Ups & Cool Downs

Coach Chris Lundstrom of Minnesota Distance Elite shepherded multiple athletes to the US Olympic Marathon Team Trials in Orlando this February.  Among his success stories: Annie Frisbee finished in the top 10 and Dakotah Lindwurm placed on the podium, earning a spot on our Olympic team for Paris.  Chris ran collegiately at Stanford and later competed in three Olympic trials marathons.  Also, he holds a PhD in Kinesiology.  Coach joins us this week for a conversation about Minnesota Distance Elite and a deep dive into marathon training. 

Mile 172: Marathon Training with Coach Chris Lundstrom of Minnesota Distance Elite

After a discussion about the London Marathon and the future of adidas racing shoes, we analyze using workouts with prescribed recovery paces.  What are they?  Why should we use them?  Why are they uncommon in many traditional training plans?  How do we best execute float segments?  What are example sessions?  We'll address all these questions are more!

Questions, comments, or show ideas?  Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com

Enjoy the show?  We'd love your feedback in a 5 star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

columbusrunning.com

Mile 173: Workouts with Float Recoveries

Stephanie Bruce's story reads like a love letter to running.  Through trials and triumphs, grief and growth, she has leaned into the sport and followed her own course.  She's a three-time U.S. champion and an invaluable voice on transparency and vulnerability while juggling her responsibilities of motherhood and her career.  Steph joins us this week to share her story and also to celebrate Mother's Day as she'll be the special guest at the Mom Day 5K on May 12.  After Steph, we hear from Race Director Meg Sexton with event details and the special cause the race supports.  

Mom Day 5K:  www.momday5k.run

Come celebrate our Ohio running and walking community on Saturday, May 11:  https://www.columbusrunning.com/springfest/

Questions, comments, or show ideas? Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com

Enjoy the show? We'd love your feedback in a 5 star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

columbusrunning.com

Mile 174: 3x U.S. Champ Steph Bruce & Meg Sexton

Mary Oliver asked, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”  As runners we feverishly answer that we plan to race fearlessly, testing the limits of human performance.  We challenge our aching muscles and foggy brains across distances so far as to be considered maniacal by the average, sane, non-endurance athlete.  We traverse trails, ford rivers, and climb precipices seeking the ethereal.  Meaning.  Beauty.  Clarity.  Peace.  But our running is rooted in the everyday.  The consistent practice of our beloved craft.  What so many guests of this podcast have told us is the foundation of success.  And in the day to day we share our one wild and precious life with the people who run next to us stride for stride and with the places where our two lower limbs miraculously keep striking the earth mile after mile.  I’m overjoyed to share with you the story of the place where I run more than any other place.  I hope in connecting with my sacred running space you’ll reconnect with the beauty and sanctity of where you run.

Mile 175: Where I Run -- An Ode to Slate Run & Our Sacred Spaces

From her humble start as a high school sprinter, Emily Richards rose to the top of NCAA mid-distance running with nine national championships and set the Division III record for 800 meters.  Now she's chasing Olympic dreams and is the first guest in our series chronicling the journeys of local stars on their way to the upcoming Eugene Olympic Trials.  But beyond her on track accomplishments, you'll appreciate Emily's enthusiasm, passion for her craft, and gratitude for her opportunities.  Running is something we get to do, not something we have to do.  It's a blessing and privilege.  Emily epitomizes that spirit.

Questions, comments, or show ideas?  Email us: secondsflatpodcast@gmail.com

Enjoy the show?  We'd love your feedback in a 5 star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

columbusrunning.com

Mile 176: NCAA D3 800m Record Holder Emily Richards

In the first edition of our multi-episode Fall Marathon & Half Marathon training series we explore the benefits of using tempo runs.  But what exactly is a tempo run? And how can you best execute it in training? We discuss those questions and more.

Resources referenced in this episode:

VO2 Max Pacing Chart -- http://www.ustfccca.org/assets/symposiums/2015/DISTANCE-Stanley-Symposium-2015.pdf

Tinman Running Calculator -- http://www.runfastcoach.com/calc2/

Steve Magness Blog -- http://www.scienceofrunning.com

Daniels, Jack.  Daniels' Running Formula, 3rd Edition.  Human Kinetics.  2013.

Mile 11: Marathon / Half Marathon Training Series #1 -- Tempo Runs

Tapering, Nutrition, Warmups, and more...We discuss the key elements of race planning for 13.1 and 26.2 miles in the fourth episode of our training series.  Listen for tips you can apply toward success in your upcoming race!

Mile 13.1: Fall Marathon / Half Marathon Training Series #4 -- Race Prep

Travis is back from the California International Marathon, and, after wrapping up recent race results, we get into a detailed CIM race report at the 17 minute mark.  What went well? What went wrong? What did training look like? And what were the highlights of the trip?  Tune in to find out!

Mile 20: Anatomy of a Marathon PR -- Lessons Learned at California International Marathon

This week we discuss incorporating fartlek running into your training plan for races from sprints to marathons.  We have detailed workouts for hills, alternations, timed fartleks and more!  But first we breakdown recent results from 2019's first big road race at Houston, Travis shares highlights from his racing trip to Austin, and we preview some exciting competition at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.

Mile 24: Fartlek Training: Mastering the Art of Speed Play / Race Season is Back!

You've been clamoring for our most up-to-date thoughts on long run training, so we brought in David Roche, one of the most accomplished endurance coaches in the sport, for a wide-ranging conversation.  David covers planning, fueling, injections of quality segments within the long run, and more.  He will leave you feeling prepared, enthusiastic, optimistic, and ready to challenge your preconceived notions of your limits!  For more from David check out the Some Work All Play podcast and his book The Happy Runner.

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