The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-351 – RunGum
(Audio: link)
[audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4351.mp3]
Link epi4351.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. How’s your October going? This is Chris, your host. Welcome to episode 451 of the RunRunLive podcast. Today we’re going to chat with Nick Symmonds Olympian, 800m champion and CEO of RunGum. I usually shy away from talking about products but Nick seemed like a fairly interesting dude and I like to support entrepreneurs, especially in our space.
Reading Nick’s bio he seems a bit of a high-energy renegade type. A world class 800M racer with a rich social life – supposedly he dated Paris Hilton but I didn’t have the guts to go there. Perhaps he’s the Toulouse-Lautrec of middle distance running? I tried to tease him out on his start-up story but he mostly sticks to the script.
It’s something we are seeing more of. Accomplished runners in 2016 don’t have to fade into obscurity or open a shoe store. The new playbook in to use that 15 minutes to launch something. A cookbook, a clothing line or a supplement.
I haven’t tried the RunGum, but I suppose it’s as good a way as any to get caffeine into your system. I’m a bit leery of supplements in general, but I tend to play a long game when it comes to my health and fitness and I’m not looking for shortcuts. If he gets a hit with RunGum it will be from treating it as a fashion accessory not as a supplement. It could go viral on him if he can get a Kardashian to spit some out at the Oscars or something.
In section one I’m going to read an abstract from an NIH article on supplements because they said it better than I could. In section two I’ll talk about the interesting nature of social media algorithms.
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It’s been 2 weeks since the Portland marathon and I have only run once. I’ve been doing a lot of strength workouts and yoga. My right hip is a little tight and I don’t want to push it. I’m on a strict beer, chips and cake diet that is working wonders at reversing the ill effects of eating clean for 90 days!
I plead my case with the Portland marathon and they credited me 4 minutes off my finishing time for running that extra ½ mile. Honestly, the only reason I pushed so hard was I knew I was close. I’m not sure we can make a linear assumption on that pace! But, officially it’s now in the books as a 3:34:54. That puts me just over 5 minutes under my BQ for 2018.
Thank you for all the great feedback on that episode. It seems to have resonated with many of you.
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Thank you for my new members over at the member feed. My guy in Nigeria couldn’t figure out the members only podcast feed so I got another guy somewhere else to take a swing at it. Because I’m patient. I will have the separate feed up so you can get it in your favorite podcast app. This week I’m recording some another couple book reviews for members only. If you want to join up go to the website and follow directions.
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I also volunteered at two local races last weekend. In the morning I worked the BayState Marathon water stop. In the afternoon I worked the Groton Town Forest Trail Races. Both had excellent days.
In general the weather has been great for most of the marathons this fall. That’s going to put time pressure on all you people looking to qualify for Boston in 2018. You’d better get chewing some RunGum because you may need 4-5 minutes under your qualification standard!
It’s funny. It’s just like the 4 minute mile story. No one thought it was possible until Bannister did it. Now they run sub-4 in high school! You lower that Boston standard and people are going to figure out how to do it.
That’s the one of the great things about challenges. The bigger the challenge the more likely we are to rise to it, the more likely we are to have our finest hour!
On with the show!
Section one –
NIH Article on Supplements – https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/aug2013/feature1
Voices of reason – the conversation
Nick Symmonds
THE RUN GUM & COMPANY STORY
PEOPLE MATTER. PERFORMANCE MATTERS
In the fall of 2002, Run Gum co-founder Nick Symmonds began his studies at Willamette University in the field of biochemistry. When Nick wasn’t in class or the lab, he was running miles as part of the cross country and track and field teams. It was on the track that Nick met Run Gum’s other co-founder, Coach Sam Lapray and a dynamic partnership was formed.
This partnership would go on to win 7 Division III NCAA Titles, 6 USATF Outdoor National Titles, and make two Olympic teams (Beijing 2008, London 2012). Always searching for the extra tenth of a second that could separate winning from losing, they experimented with non-banned performance-enhancing stimulants. Pulling from Nick’s biochemistry background and experience in training and competition, they knew what chemicals the human body needed to perform optimally. Among these was the world’s most consumed stimulant, CAFFEINE.
Nick and Sam found that the current methods of delivering these important stimulants to the body often required drinking large quantities of liquid in the form of coffee or energy drinks. To achieve optimal performance, they needed to eliminate the water, acid and slow absorption. They wanted a product that could perform as well and as fast as Nick.
It was on the track during one of their many training sessions together that the idea came to them. GUM. Utilizing chewing gum as the delivery vehicle for stimulants to the human body allowed for faster uptake through sublingual absorption. Furthermore, this lightweight, zero calorie option would allow an athlete to run free without the unwanted liquids around in their stomachs. Truly, the smarter caffeine kick had been found.
They launched Run Gum because they truly believe that people matter and their performance matters, both in sport and in life. They hope they can show this with the products they create, the inspiration they provide and the support to athletes of all levels.
Section two
Social Media algorithms – https://runrunlive.com/facebook-vs-free-will
Outro
Well my friends you have chomped your caffeine laced gum through the end of episode 4-351 of the RunRunLive Podcast. Feeling a bit jittery?
I have some good news. I mentioned I was upgrading my home computers, right? I found a backup of my zombie novel that I thought I had lost in a hard disk crash 2 years ago. I have a feeling you folks on the members feed may be getting some zombies….
I’ve got no big plans other than continue to lose fitness. If my hip feels better I may try to lay on some speed for my Thanksgiving 5K. But I’m not pushing it. I have to think about what my next big thing is.
Speaking of big things, did your see the Guinness record for the USA cross country run is going to fall this week? Probably by the time you hear this. I was trading emails with Frank Gianinno who has held the record since 1980. He did it in 46 days and 8 hours and 36 minutes.
As we speak Pete Kostelnick should be pulling into NYC with an average of 72 miles a day to set a new record. Frank is going to be down there to greet Pete this week. I’m going to chat with Frank later in the week if we can swing it.
You know what’s special about Pete? Nothing much. He started running to lose weight. His first goal was to complete a marathon. He caught the bug and ran Boston in 2009 and 2010. Then he caught the ultra-bug and went on the set a new record at the Badwater 135. Now he’s going to break the record for running 3,000 plus miles across the country that has stood for 36 years.
Just because He decided to lose some weight and run a marathon.
Humans are amazing. There are miracles hidden in each of us. We just have to find them.
And 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/