The Running Public

Brakken recorded an episode on Rich Ryan’s RMR Podcast this week (go check it out!) and it prompted him to ask Kirk some questions about how his coaching started and evolved over time.

DJ joined us 300 episodes ago after winning World’s Toughest Mudder. Fast forward 3 years and he just crossed the finish line of the Cocodona 250 in third place. From OCR athlete to big time Ultra runner, he has embodied the idea of staying the course.

With the rise of hormone therapy and anti-aging medical practices, how should amateur athletes be thinking about drug use?

Fresh off his win at the Superior Trail 50k, Kirk gives us his recap, takeaways, and learnings from the race.

It’s race week! Time to break down gear choice, fueling strategy, and pacing plan. Plus a few bonus listener questions thrown in there!

Lizzie May has transformed her fitness and performance over recent years and now helps others do the same. Lizzie shares her learnings through personal experience & we also collab on a mini Hyrox Q & A! Topics covered:  - What works (and doesn't) for physical transformation  - Hyrox training and the lessons learned along the way  - Going from a beginner herself to a coach in the Hyrox space.  - Fueling in relation to performance  - Listener submitted Hyrox Q & A

How useful is RPE for runners? Heat Training for hot races Hyrox training vs Ultra training Super shoes for downhill work? Running robots

Should you let your HR spike during trail ultras or should you double down on a set HR limit? The boys can’t agree on this one!

Natalie is the ultimate Beginner Runner. She found running as a way to cope with her anxiety and is currently training towards her first half marathon. Along the way, her personality and outlook on running and life have been captivating for others to witness.

National and World Records are being set left and right and we just witnessed the fastest marathon in history. What is happening?!?

We first spoke to Hans in January 2024, days after his Ultra debut. Two years later, he’s arguably the fastest rising star in the sport. He recently won the JFK 50, won the Black Canyon 100k and signed a multi year deal with Hoka.

Dr Patrick Bottenfield stops by to discuss when it’s time to address an overuse injury as well as his top lower body strengthening movements for runners.

What exactly is considered “high carb fueling”? How much water do you need? Should you use liquid or solid calories? Where and how do you even begin to formulate a fueling plan for long races?

The boys are reunited so it’s time to catch up with some training talk!

Brakken is on vacation so Kirk is doing what he loves most: cleaning out the listener questions from his inbox!

A Coast Guard veteran, medic, and hybrid athlete, Jake is running 10 miles per day for the next 50 days while raising funds for mental health.

We send Brakken off on his trip to Poland with a light hearted episode: answering questions from a random generator but doing so with a running twist.

While we’re not always big fans of Race Simulator or Race Predictor workouts, we are definitely big fans of Race Prep workouts. Here’s how and when to implement this type of session!

We are celebrating our 600th episode the best way we know: doing a Q&A, taking way too long with each answer and thus failing to get through the entire queue!

These aren’t workouts you could build your entire training around. These are the workouts that round out your mental and physical fitness.

Today we discuss the best and worst race choices we’ve ever made when it comes to fuel, shoes, gear, and mid-race decisions

Today is a good ole fashioned training chat! We cover what we’re doing in our own training, some trends with the athletes we work with, some race updates, and plenty of miscellaneous rabbit holes.

A professional driver for Lexus, Aaron joins us to talk fitness, training, mental toughness, and doing whatever it takes to pursue your goal.

Zach recently won the Phoenix Hyrox Open division, running an impressive 56:39. And he did it weighing in at 110 lbs. In a sport where frame, mass, and long levers truly matter, how has he been able to achieve this level of success?

Take2Trail is built by and for runners who believe gear should keep moving long after we’re done with it. They give your like-new and gently used trail running gear a chance to see another mile. No flaky buyers. No sketchy meetups. Just a smarter, smoother way to keep quality gear in circulation — and out of the landfill. Used doesn't mean useless.

We are joined by Sam Konowitch, a software engineer contracting for Space Force, to learn every single detail we could ever need to know about fully utilizing the capabilities of our GPS watches. From extending battery life to maximizing route accuracy in every location imaginable, this is the episode to nerd out on all things run tracking!

We fully intended to just rapid fire the remaining questions and then hit our real topic. An hour later we were still deep diving into the Q&A topics!

We pick up with your remaining questions from last week! Highlights include Heat Training, Hamstring Strengthening, Super Shoes for “Slow” Runners, and Compromised Running.

When COVID effectively ended his music career, Cody reinvented himself as a an endurance athlete. From running across the Atacama Desert to setting an FKT on the Bruce Trail in the wilderness of Canada, he’s been searching for his limit and hasn’t found it yet.

You’ve sent some great questions this month! Highlights include: What’s holding you back, efficiency or engine?  What supplements should you be trying? Uphill efficiency vs flat speed efficiency. What should you do if your HR is too high even when jogging slow?

Jared Francisca PT, DPT, joins us to talk specific processes for rehabbing common running related soft tissue injuries (tendinitis, tendinopathy, strains, tears).

Kirk takes one side and Brakken takes the other while they debate the overall importance of Strength Training for a distance runner.

With both boys scheduled to toe the same start line in May, this marks their first time racing each other since 2021! Today they break down their lifetime head to head match ups and predict how this one will go.

Kirk takes one side and Brakken takes the other while they debate the overall importance of Long Runs in a training plan.

Exactly one hundred episodes ago, we spoke with Betsy about her plan to ran across the US despite living with MS. Here we are, one year later, to discuss her experience!

Both Brakken and Kirk entered the lottery and this week they both found out they got in! With sixteen weeks until race day, what is their plan for being ready to attack 31 miles of technical, hilly terrain??

Our take on orthotics. One shoe to “do it all”. Should we worry about kids’ running form? If we had to add in one extra hour of non-aerobic training per day, what would it be? How long to adjust to carbon plated shoes. How cold is too cold to run? And more!

Training for the Olympic Marathon Trials on top of full time med school means that Felicia has to be hyper efficient with her training and her daily schedule. We discuss her daily practices, tips, and recommendations for living a more efficient life.

Last month, double amputee Ryan Kules set three Guinness World Records for adaptive rowing: fastest marathon, fastest ultramarathon, and longest distance in one hour.

With both of us having an “Ultra Focus” this off season, but starting with totally different fitness levels, this is what it will look like from a training perspective.

We close out our podcast year the best way we know how: Q&A sesh!

When we look back a year from now, these are the race results and training blocks that will make us happy men in 2026!

A few episodes ago, we mentioned how the Hoka Speedgoat and Clifton just aren’t working for us like they used to and so many of you reached out to confirm your same experience. So, today we’re giving you eighteen alternative shoe options to consider!

We, but mostly Brakken, talk about our year of training, racing, and also what next year might look like!

We pick three shoes, three training locations, and three pieces of gear/clothing for each major race type: 5k/10k, Half Marathon/Marathon, and Ultramarathons.

The training, the current Pro scene, the race itself, and what Ultramarathon fitness allows you to do makes these the best race distances!

Mary Martin is the race director of the Standhope Ultra Challenge in Idaho: a race built for women, parents, and the next generation of mountain athletes.

The training, the current Pro scene, the race itself, and what HM / Marathon fitness allows you to do makes these the best race distances!

The training, the current Pro scene, the race itself, and what 5k / 10k fitness allows you to do makes these the best race distances!

Former NCAA D1 swimmer, current NYU med student, and recent Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifier off less than 50 miles per week!