The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-428 – Matt Fitzgerald – Training with the Pro’s
(Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4428.mp3]
Link epi4428.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 and welcome to episode 4-428 of the RunRunLive Podcast. So here we are in the apocalypse. How’s everyone doing? These are interesting times. That’s a trick of modern English. Whenever we don’t want to say ‘bad’ we say ‘interesting’ like somehow we are just observers in the soup?
Took me until today to get this show out. Not because I don’t have time. Not because I don’t have ideas and content. Not because I have technical issues. No, just lacked basic motivation over the last couple days. Been watching low quality TV, eating poorly, playing some my online zombie game…you know, super adult and productive!
It’s ok to take a day or two off but don’t let these doldrums turn into patterns or new habits. Now is a good time to start new habits. An excellent way to kick out of a malaise is to do a fixed program – like a 10-day meditation challenge or a 20-day plank challenge. Or a daily journaling challenge.
I’ve kicked off a couple new projects this week. First is I’m reading the Princess Bride into audio for 20-30 minutes every day and posting it on my web site. I figured if I could read to my kids when they were young, I can read to everyone’s kids. You can find the current nine reading sessions on my website under Story Time.
I also got asked by some folks to participate in a group story telling event for the Chicago Area Running Association. That’ll be a live Zoom meeting Wednesday night of this week.
My work is super busy. My training stepped back to just some easy runs and one crazy HIT workout this week. These HIT – High Intensity Training workouts are something you can do from your house. You can look them up online or just make them up. The basic form is a short sprint followed by some high-intensity exercises.
For example; go out your front door and sprint 100M out and back, then do 10 fast pushups, 10 fast crunches, 5 pullups then sprint again, 3 more exercises, sprint – you will be gasping like a fish out of water. Definitely a change in pace for me who’s been doing mostly easy trail runs.
The entire world is marching through my woods these days as well. I know they’re bored, but I feel a bit violated. Buddy and I cut those trails 20 years ago. Now I’m shoulder to shoulder with the hoi polloi in my happy place. I have to go out at dawn if I want some peace.
Today we have a great interview with old friend and running journalist Matt Fitzgerald who is publishing a new book this month called Running the Dream where he executes all of our adult fantasies and lives and trains as a professional with a professional team for a race. It’s a great read and gets my thumbs up.
In section I’ll give you a the results of a Q&A I did on Facebook which may or may not be useful. And is section two a follow-up apocalypse story from the same universe I created last episode. Having fun with this. Maybe this is the book I was looking for?
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Had a nice outing with Ollie on Friday night. Coach gave me a day off on Saturday and I was super sore from that HIT workout on Thursday so I figured I could go out late.
The day got away from me from the start. The dog woke up early, like 5:30 and after I let him out to pee, I laid down on the couch. Ollie climbed up on the back of the couch and fell asleep sort of sitting on me. Next thing I know it’s 7:30. Missed my 7:00 AM call.
Took Ollie for a walk and went to work on the back to back calls and deadlines feeling unmotivated. But, I dropped that 2-hour run on my calendar for 6:30 PM. I didn’t even come close to completing everything that was due or catching up. But, at 6:30 I grabbed my new headlamp and Ollie and headed into the woods.
Technically the sun set at 7:00. But, as a trail runner you start to understand the relationship between sunset, weather and having enough light to see. It was a clear and beautiful day. Without cloud cover you get another 30 minutes or so of residual light after the sun sets.
Ollie and I set out into the woods. The melt is on now and there’s plenty of mud to deal with. There’s a spot out on the trail about 3 miles out where we run along the edge of the pond. There’s the remnants of a cottage and a break in the bushes where their beach used to be. I set my sites on getting to this spot before the sun was totally gone to get a photo.
I’ve taken to stopping here and taking the same photo from the same place to mark the passing of the days and seasons. I stand on the same stone and frame the same tree and get the same photo. I wasn’t sure this one would come out. The sun had set 10-15 minutes before. But it came out beautifully.
I arrived right at that point when you have to switch the headlamp on. It’s a hauntingly beautiful shot. It’s a shot in the moment.
That peaceful glow of a setting sun. That slight ripple from the paddling of unseen ducks in the shadow. The water black and smooth. The tree starkly silhouetted against it all. That moment of peace and beauty was there whether or not the work got done. That beauty was there whether or not the apocalypse raged.
That beauty and peace is still there. I just wasn’t looking for it. What are you focused on? Your beauty and peace is still there. Everything else is just made up. Own your focus.
On with the show!
About Zero
ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action.
Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations)
http://support.zerocancer.org/goto/RunRunLive
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I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported. What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to. I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway. “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit. So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.
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The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported. We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles.
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Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com
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Section one – Ask me a question about running – https://runrunlive.com/ask-me-a-question-about-running
Voices of reason – the conversation
Matt Fitzgerald
Hi Chris,
Cover image attached. It’s a 3D conversion. I don’t seem to have a straight front cover image, but Jessica can supply that, along with the jacket copy.
Here’s a link to the book page on the publisher’s website (which, I’m just now seeing, does NOT have the correct jacket copy!)
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Running-the-Dream/Matt-Fitzgerald/9781643135144
Running the Dream | Book by Matt Fitzgerald | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster
Matt Fitzgerald is an acclaimed endurance sports and nutrition writer and certified sports nutritionist. His most recent book, Iron War, was long-listed for the 2012 William Hill Sports Book of the Year, and he is the author of the best-selling Racing Weight.Fitzgerald is a columnist on Competitor.com and Active.com, and has contributed to Bicycling, Men’s Health, Triathlete, Men’s Journal …
And here’s a link to my website (which does):
Let me know if you need anything else. Thanks!
Matt Fitzgerald
Author of Life Is a Marathon
Section two – After the Apocalypse #2 – https://runrunlive.com/the-dig
Outro
Well, my friends, another week, another episode and another opportunity. You have run like a pro through the end of yet another RunRunLive Podcast Episode 4-428 done and down.
Go get Matt’s book – I think you’ll like it.
By the way, shout out and thanks to Carlos the Jackal for doing the edit on this interview. My normal editor Dimitri from Moscow was on holiday. Hope he’s not on a cruise.
I’ve started a new hashtag – #longsongsfortheapocalypse – these are all those great 10 minute plus jams that I listen to in the background while I’m writing. You can find them on my facebook feed.
Well, I’m still training. My A race in June hasn’t gotten cancelled yet. I was going to cobble this race trip together with a Vancouver vacation with my wife – but she is making noises like there’s no way she’s getting on an airplane with me in June. I haven’t made my travel plans yet. Maybe this will become one of those in-and-out guerilla marathon tries that my races always seem to devolve into.
My friend running buddy Frank, yes the drummer for the Nays, is making noises like he might come. He was training for Vermont and that got pushed.
It’s going to be a full fall with all the races moving. It will be interesting. You’ll have twice as many races with the same number of runners. This may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for a lot of races. We’ll see some consolidation.
We’ll see that same consolidation and aggregation across industries. The small and fragile will get washed out and the big and strong will invest and get bigger. It’s the cycle of life, I guess. The thing is this type of forest clearing creates the next wave of growth. When businesses see a contraction like this it creates thousands of entrepreneurs for the next cycle.
Ollie is being Ollie. He’s a nut. He’s so strong. We’re working it out. He’s been good interacting with all the new people on the trails. He doesn’t attack them. He immediately defaults to submissive with other dogs. That’s good because I don’t’ think I have the upper body strength to run with him on leash all the time.
Sorry for getting this one out a little late. I appreciate you. I am quite thankful to have you in my life even if it’s a one-way relationship. I’ve had a couple good interactions these last couple weeks that let me know people are out on the other end and that helps, it really does, so thank you.
Let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Let me know if you want to collaborate on a project. Let me know if I’m traveling to your town and you want to grab a coffee. These things are all still there for us. The beauty is still there. The peace is still there.
Close your eyes now. Take a deep slow breath through your nose. Inhales kindness and empathy. Exhale through your mouth and give that kindness and empathy back to the universe. Do that a few times. Let yourself relax.
We’re going to be ok.
Whatever happens, we can handle it.
We’ll see you out there.
(Outro bumper)
Track #6 from Brian Scheff, the Rock Opera by The Nays, She’s a lonely girl, Frank told me last weekend when he, Brian and I were out on a social distance run that all these songs are available on iTunes. So go buy a couple, music will keep you sane in the apocalypse.
http://www.thenays.com/home.htm
MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks – http://www.marathonbq.com/qualify-for-the-boston-marathon-in-14-weeks/
https://runrunlive.com/my-books
Rachel -> http://www.nextlevelnutrition.fitness/contact-appointment/
Coach Jeff -> https://dailyfitbook.com/