Some Work, All Play

The best moment of our lives happened last week. It's not the baby. It's a social media mention from the GOAT Kilian Jornet. And we brought that celebration energy to this awesome episode! The main study was on the types of training that leads to faster marathon times, looking at 150,000 datapoints. With findings that overlap with other studies, we can start to outline the most direct way to make running faster (and more fun). The remainder of the episode was in our classic "No Secrets" Q+A style! Topics: what makes David think that he can compete for the win at Western States, our initial review of the Wahoo Run Treadmill, whether high carb fueling is for everyone (hint: yes, mostly), whether VERY high carb approaches might be the next frontier (hint: we hope not), improving Zone 2, heart rate zones in cross training, incorporating cross training for the first time, structuring recovery intervals on strides, our thoughts on SWAP Media expansion, the beer 2-mile record, and a beautiful Listener Corner message. We're calling this the "You Brought It On Yourself" episode. Listen for a hilariously honest call-out near the end. We love you all! HUZZAH! Always bringing it on ourselves, -Megan and David Click "Claim Reward" for $80 at The Feed here: thefeed.com/swap Join Freetrail: https://freetrail.com/pro/ Buy Janji's amazing gear: https://janji.com/ (code "SWAP") Purchase SWAP hats here: https://swaprunning.com/swap-hats For weekly bonus podcasts, articles, and videos (plus hat purchases): patreon.com/swap

We got some very surprising news before recording this celebration episode! This one has it all: complicated training questions, predictions for the future, and a stunning twist to start the episode (and we were in for a lot more stunning twists after we recorded).  The questions from podcast listeners were on tons of amazing topics: heart rate drift tests to estimate zone 2, how to pace ultras, why we think 2025 will be the year of a hydration emphasis in endurance performance, the sponsorship landscape, returning to training after layoffs, supershoes, protein intake, strides v. workouts, our thoughts about daily nutrition outside of athletics, running form analysis, progressive overload across training cycles, and our big goals for next year. Our new baby’s name is Ollie Hope Roche, after Megan’s favorite poet, Mary Oliver (and the high point of the Leadville 100, Hope Pass). Remember, Ollie, what your namesake wrote: “Only if there are angels in your head will you ever, possibly, see one.” We love you all! HUZZAH! -Megan, David, Leo, and Ollie Click "Claim Reward" for $80 at The Feed here: thefeed.com/swap Buy Janji's amazing gear: https://janji.com/ (code "SWAP") Purchase SWAP hats here: https://swaprunning.com/swap-hats For weekly bonus podcasts, articles, and videos (plus hat purchases): patreon.com/swap

We celebrated a wild year with a "No Secrets" Q+A episode! This one is full of fascinating topics, mixing science, theory, and hot takes into the perfect holiday stew. The questions all came from podcast listeners on the following topics: how to think about gut training, Zone 2 heart rate and how terrible some online calculators are for athletes of all levels, our favorite speed workouts to gauge progress over time, incorporating cross training into long-term growth, specific guidelines for cross training like cadence and effort, adapting and performing at altitude, consistency during the holidays and why it's ok to take downtime, supershoes and ankle stability, how we think about running cadence and form, Kilian's tempo-after-intervals workout, and our current thinking on the 2025 Western States 100. It's such a gift to record this podcast each week. Thank you all for everything, and happy holidays! You are the most special goats to us. Always thinking of Kilian, -David and Megan Click "Claim Reward" for $80 at The Feed here: thefeed.com/swap Buy Janji's amazing gear: https://janji.com/ (code "SWAP") Purchase SWAP hats here: https://swaprunning.com/swap-hats For weekly bonus podcasts, articles, and videos (plus hat purchases): patreon.com/swap

We bowed down to the power of hot mugwort before this amazing episode! The main topic was on a study that may be the long-lost "missing link" in our training theory. It took 12 elite endurance runners and had them do sprints of 100 meters and 400 meters, along with a VO2 max test. Their findings (and one striking non-finding) may connect studies on speed interventions with real-world implications. We also answered listener questions in the "no secrets" style! The most hairy question was on a topic that people don't talk about too much in public: supplements. We say what we take and why we take it, with a million disclaimers because we're cool like that. And this one was full of the best topics! Other topics: takeaways from Strava's Year in Sport, why an experience this week may influence how we think about training theory, the cost of the Western States 100, year-end voting, how fueling and hydration are letting people race more, AI use cases for athletes, our thoughts on cold plunges, a framework for mental toughness, nose strips in poker, the evolution of shoes, and Listener Corner. In the episode, we talk about a video we saw where champion triathlete Lionel Sanders had his treadmill directly in front of a photo of one of his competitors celebrating a victory. We're inspired. So if you hear some extra motivation in our voices, it's probably because we put a photo of the Smartless guys in front of the mic in our bedroom. We love you all! HUZZAH! Follow Huzzah for science insights: https://www.instagram.com/thehuzzahhub/ Click "Claim Reward" for $80 at The Feed here: thefeed.com/swap Buy Janji's amazing gear: https://janji.com/ (code "SWAP") Purchase SWAP hats here: https://swaprunning.com/swap-hats For weekly bonus podcasts, articles, and videos (plus hat purchases): patreon.com/swap