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How to Become Superhuman: Interview with Fitness and Nutrition Expert Ben Greenfield

By on January 31, 2013 in Interview, Nutrition, Podcasts

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Ben Greenfield is a fitness and nutrition expert who competes at the Ironman and Half Ironman World Championships.

What does it mean to become superhuman?
Everyone is born with a certain number of genetic triggers. Your diet can unlock or keep locked those triggers that have the power to activate your genetic potential. Becoming superhuman means to become the strongest version of yourself possible.

Here are the questions we asked Ben:

  1. You have a live event coming up called Superhuman Coach, can you tell us what it means to become superhuman?
  2. Can you give us some examples of superhuman food?
  3. What do you think about eating for one’s blood type? Will it help with weight loss?
  4. Overtraining: how do we prevent it? And if we see we’re starting to over-train, what can we do without losing too much during marathon training?
  5. How do endurance athletes handle the GI distress issue?
  6. Why does cramping happen and how can we prevent it?
  7. What should I be looking for in a probiotic supplement in terms of specific bacterial strains and what sort of culture counts would be considered sufficient or adequate?

Also Mentioned in This Episode

Yaktrax pro for running in the snow!

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Interview with Elite Runner Camille Herron

By on January 18, 2013 in Elite Runner, Interview, Podcasts

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Camille Herron is an elite marathoner from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She has taken first place at 7 marathons –most recently the Rt. 66 Marathon in Tulsa.

Her marathon PR is 2:37!

She made it to the US Olympic Marathon trials in 2008 and 2012.

She also holds the Guinness record for the fastest female runner wearing a superhero costume. Dressed from head to toe as spider woman she finished in 2:48:51.

We had the chance to talk with Camille via Skype and ask her what life is like as a professional runner.

Here is what we discovered Continue Reading →

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Maximizing Your Running Goals in 2013

By on January 2, 2013 in Motivation, Podcasts

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Get Fit in 2013In this episode we talk about setting and maximizing your running goals in 2013. And for this episode’s quick tip we recommend a running app with live tracking and voice feedback.

When I look back on 2012 I have to say that it was a good year. However, from the perspective of achieving my running goals it was a mixed bag.

I came close to qualifying for Boston two times. The first time I missed my goal by 1 min, 47 seconds. The second time I missed the goal by 41 seconds. It was exciting to come so close, yet disappointing to be so far away.

At the beginning of December we went through a hard time. I was 18 weeks pregnant and had a sudden miscarriage because the baby had a genetic disorder. I was hospitalized after losing a lot of blood and going into shock. Since then we have done our share of grieving the loss of our baby and I’ve also had some physical challenges to cope with. I was left very anemic which has affected my energy levels and strength. For the first week I would get fatigued walking across a room and was plagued with dizziness. I currently can only run a half mile without getting very short of breath and fatigued. I’m definitely not going into the New Year where I want to be physically.

I share this experience because I know that many of you are struggling physically and emotionally. We want to provide some realistic encouragement to you as you go into 2013.

So here are a few suggestions of ways to maximize your running and fitness goals in 2013. Continue Reading →

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Race Recap: Screaming Pumpkin Marathon

By on November 17, 2012 in Podcasts, Race Recap

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Trevor and I ran the Screaming Pumpkin Marathon in Peoria, Illinois, on Oct. 26th. This was certainly a race to remember.

The SPM is a prediction marathon and the goal is to finish as close to midnight as possible.

Your starting time depends on your projected finishing time. No GPS devices or watches are allowed on the course and cell phones are for emergency use only.

Here is my race recap . . . Continue Reading →

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Interview with Marshall Ulrich

By on October 31, 2012 in Interview, Podcasts, Ultramarathon

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Marshall Ulrich is a legendary endurance athlete. He has finished 124 ultra marathons, crossed Death Valley on foot 24 times, climbed to the summit of Everest, and taken on many other insane challenges.

At age 57 he ran across the United States -3,063 miles in 52 days. He is author of the book, Running on Empty – an ultramarathoner’s story of love, loss, and a record-setting run across America.

You can see him run across the USA in the video below Continue Reading →

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Strength Training for Runners [Part 2]

By on October 24, 2012 in Cross-Training


Strength training can stabilize your muscles, joints, and bones; decrease injuries; increase endurance; burn more calories; and give you more speed!

Here is a quick look at what muscles are used and what muscles are neglected in the running motion.

I want you to better understand which muscles to focus on during your cross-training sessions. Continue Reading →

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Strength Training for Runners

By on October 19, 2012 in Cross-Training, Podcasts

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As a runner your primary form of exercise is probably running. That seems like a no-brainer, right?

But you may not be in the best possible shape because you’re neglecting other areas of your body. Maybe you’re struggling with injury and wondering how to get healthy and strong again.

In the book The Lore of Running Dr. Tim Noakes says that while running strengthens key muscles it can also cause a lack of flexibility in these same muscles. In the process the opposing muscles may become relatively underused and weaken. This can cause muscles imbalances which hamper your performance and even lead to injury.

I firmly believe that strength training will make you a more resilient runner. Here are six good reasons. Continue Reading →

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How to Run a 100 Mile Ultramarathon – Interview with Eric Strand

By on September 28, 2012 in Interview, Podcasts, Ultramarathon

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Eric Strand is a lean running machine. He has completed 35 marathons (including 5 Boston finishes). He ran the grueling Leadville Trail 100 Ultramarathon in 29:13:46. While training for this event he was able to raise over $14,000 for the Life and Hope Fund which helps cancer patients.

In this episode we talk with Eric about what it takes to run 100 miles in less than 30 hours. This interview uncovers the nuts and bolts of ultra endurance running. Trevor and I ask Eric about his training, pacing, fueling, support crew, and gear.

Best of all, we look at the mindset necessary for ultra-running. Even if you never plan on running 100 continuous miles this lesson in mental toughness will be beneficial for your running journey.

Click to see Eric’s video Continue Reading →

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Interview with Ultramarathon Man Dean Karnazes

By on September 14, 2012 in Interview, Podcasts, Ultramarathon

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Dean Karnazes has been named by Time Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in the World.”

I first heard of Dean Karnazes when a non-running family member gave me a copy of his book Ultra-Marathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner. They had read the book with great delight and knew that that I would enjoy it too. Dean has managed to impact the lives of runners and non-runners alike in the last twenty years as he takes on feats that most of us can’t even imagine.

In this episode we talk with Dean about his latest book Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss

He gives some great advice for runners of all levels. Here is an excerpt of our conversation . . . Continue Reading →

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Questions New Runners Ask

By on August 31, 2012 in Beginner, Podcasts

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I recently did a guest interview on two different podcasts – Runner Girls and The Dr. Rob Show.

I had a chance to answer questions from new runners taking on the half marathon distance for the first time.

We talked about how to determine if you’re ready for the marathon, preventing injuries, carbohydrate loading, running surfaces, shoes, pedometers, nutrition, motivation, tapering, training plans, and overcoming doubts and fears.

Here is a sample of some of the questions these new runners asked me. Continue Reading →

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Get to Know the Olympic Marathon Champions

By on August 20, 2012 in Podcasts

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The 2012 London Olympic Games came to a conclusion on August 12th.

In this blog post and episode we’d like to dig a little deeper into the men’s and women’s marathon. The course featured a 2.2 mile stretch along with three turns around an eight mile loop. All in all the course featured ninety turns and some uneven cobblestones. Continue Reading →

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