The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast
(Audio: link)
[audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4343.mp3]Link epi4342.mp3
MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks – http://www.marathonbq.com/qualify-for-the-boston-marathon-in-14-weeks/
Hello my friends and welcome to episode 4-342 of the RunRunLive Podcast.
Today we talk with author Matt Fitzgerald, mostly about his new book “How bad do you want it?” You may know Matt’s name from Runner’s World, Competitor and Men’s Fitness among other publications. His 2014 book “80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster By Training Slower” made a big splash.
Matt and I geek out about the mental aspects of racing to your limits, both physical and psychological.
In section one I’m going to report on my lessons learned from the Boston marathon this year. (I must be a slow learner because I keep having to learn some lessons over and over!)
In Section two I’m going to give you my takeaways from a book I read on conversation tactics.
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Well my friends we’ve made it to the summer solstice. That time that is the official, astronomical beginning of summer. The longest day up here in the northern hemisphere where the earth wobbles precariously, catches itself and begins the long, drunken careen back to winter. If you’re in the southern hemisphere you can just switch all the words with their opposites.
For all the pagan sun worshippers out there you need to build some stone circles and do a little dance. Maybe sacrifice something – like a six pack of lager.
If you don’t believe the earth is round, well there’s no hope for you.
If you want to have some fun ask random people basic astronomy questions, like “Does the earth orbit the sun or does the sun orbit the earth?” Or “Name the planets?” Then sit back and be surprised with the answers.
It is getting warm up in my neck of the woods. The deer flies are out. I’m adjusting to it as always. For everything there is a season – Turn, Turn, Turn. Mostly I’m just trying to get all my runs in and trying to keep all the balls in the air.
I’m doing a lot of trail running and some mountain biking. It’s all good.
Friday I hit the ski area next to my house and did some reps on my bike up the tubing hill. It’s just about right for me to get to max effort at the top without blowing up or falling over.
Sunday I did 2 hours in the trails before going to have a father’s Day lunch with my Mom and brother.
I don’t mind running in the heat as long as I’m acclimated and kitted out for it.
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I was down in Atlanta last week all week. It was a series of all-hands type meetings where the whole company comes in. I was on stage for some of it. It’s a tiring week. There’s the travel, the preparation, getting up to get my workouts in, being engaged all day and then socializing at night.
I did manage to get enough sleep to execute. I did manage to get some sort of workouts in in the morning. It was super-hot in Atlanta. High 90’s with humidity. Even in the morning I was soaked from running outside. I told them the only thing keeping me from bursting into flames was the humidity.
We were down near Georgia Tech this time so I got to explore the tech campus on one run – which was fun. I also got to go to a Braves game one night.
Mat and I are going to talk a lot about mental training today in the interview. Your mental engagement in the training and racing is as important as the physical engagement. You can’t be successful unless you have both.
It’s that perfect combination of mental engagement and physical capabilities that makes you successful. I think you can draw a parallel to your career. If you hate what you’re doing and are not mentally engaged it doesn’t matter how good you are at it, you will still struggle. The inverse is true as well. If you are mentally engaged but don’t know what you’re doing it won’t work either.
One of the telltale signs that you aren’t mentally engaged in what you’re doing is whether the doing of it saps your energy or energizes you. If you are fully, mentally bought in to a job you will have inexhaustible energy to pour into it. Doing the work will give you energy.
If you’re in a position where doing the work exhausts you while you are doing the work then either the work or the people you’re working with are not for you. There is a disconnect there. Pay attention and see which way your energy meter runs when you’re doing the work.
When I was jogging around the Tech campus I was listening to DirtDawg talk about the difference between a job, a career and a calling. One of those differences is in the way your energy flows.
On with the show.
Section one –
Lessons Learned from the Boston Marathon – https://runrunlive.com/what-did-i-learn-from-boston-this-year
Voices of reason – the conversation
Matt Fitzgerald
“The mind is the athlete.”
—Bryce Courtenay
Matt Fitzgerald is an acclaimed endurance sports writer and authority. His many previous books include the best-selling Racing Weight; RUN: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel; Brain Training for Runners; and Diet Cults. His book Iron War was long-listed for the 2012 William Hill Sports Book of the Year. Matt is a regular contributor to Men’s Fitness, Men’s Health, Outside, Runner’s World, Bicycling, Running Times, Women’s Running, and other sports and fitness publications. He lives and trains in California
Matt Fitzgerald is an award-winning endurance sports journalist and bestselling author of more than 20 books on running, triathlon, fitness, nutrition, and weight loss, including How Bad Do You Want It? and 80/20 Running. He contributes regularly to magazines and websites such as Women’s Running and competitor.com. An experienced running and triathlon coach and certified sports nutritionist, Matt serves as a Training Intelligence Specialist for PEAR Sports and as a coach for Team Iron Cowboy.
mattfitzgerald.org
teamironcowboy.com
pearsports.com
racingweight.com
Section two
Conversation Tactics – https://runrunlive.com/conversation-tactics
Outro
Well my friends you were able to stay mentally strong, and I know it was hard, to the end of Episode 4-342 of the RunRunLive Podcast. Happy 9-year anniversary! Happy Father’s Day.
Does everyone have their summer plans? 4th of July in the States is on a Monday this week. I don’t have any plans. I guess I’ll have to venture down and see if my Cape house is still standing. Maybe I’ll recreate Thoreau’s walk up the outer Cape to Provincetown? That might be epic.
We’re coming into that time where the Europeans take the whole summer off. Work tends to slow down as people head out to vacation.
I’ll keep it short today because I don’t have a lot to say.
Please consider becoming a member – It’s how I justify the time and money it takes to pull off this podcast. Also if you are looking at a Fall race you might want to check out my book MarathonBQ. If you want to get faster, or want to try some speedwork, this is the book where I lay out my speedwork secrets that I used to take 40 minutes off my marathon time and qualify for Boston. It’s on Amazon Kindle and also in Audio on Audible. Links in the show notes and on my website.
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Coming into last week’s trip to Atlanta I had a couple amusing challenges.
I was out trail running with Ryan, caught a toe and did the classic tuck and roll to keep from face planting. But when I stopped rolling I was right in the middle of a giant poison ivy patch. I’m super allergic to poison ivy. It was a hot day. We were miles from the trail head. I had to get on a plane later in the day.
When we were coming back we passed a garage where I guy was hosing out school buses with a high-pressure water hose. So, we went over and got him to hose me down. It was very refreshing! I scrubbed off as well as I could when I got home before heading for the airport.
Then I’m sitting in the airport and a crown comes loose on one of my molars.
So here I am, getting ready to go to Atlanta to be on stage and engaged. I’m losing a tooth and there’s a good chance I’m going to swell up into a giant, puss-y rash in front of the whole company!
Thankfully the bus wash and quick shower were able to mitigate an uncontrolled dermatological explosion. I got a couple itchy bits but nothing compared to what could have been. Dodged a bullet there. My tooth stayed put until Wednesday when I found it in a piece of pizza at lunch, but it didn’t hurt and I was able to get it patched up when I got back.
See? Things never turn out as bad as we imagine they will!
I’ll see you out there.
MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks – http://www.marathonbq.com/qualify-for-the-boston-marathon-in-14-weeks/