It's finally here. A book that captures 21 years of Rogue, run-coaching philosophy in 450+ pages.

It's everything we know about helping people do things in this sport that they never thought possible.

It's about the X's and O's of running, but it's also about how to use running to unlock resilience and grit and mental fortitude that will translate to race day and then far beyond.

It's for the front and back of the pack and everyone in between - truly. If you put one foot in front of the other at any "degree of fast," then this is for you.

It's your blueprint to take ownership of your running and propel you to the next level. We hope you read it and then come back to specific chapters again and again.

It's grounded in the absolute fundamentals, nothing flashy, and backed by science and tested on thousands of athletes over the last 21 years.

It's dedicated to every single one of you who has ever trusted us with your goals, whether as a Rogue member or as a podcast listener. In the words of Coach Chris, "If running is my passion project, then this is a love letter to it for you."

So much gratitude to Dr Jafar Abunasser, THE Allison Macsas Steger, & Coach James Dodds for making it a reality. Links below if you'd like to purchase a copy.

a. Hardcover: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=duRtYl7Frjuhhph8KZ7fjriq7BusNLYAk4XXhBTGYGg
 
b. Paperback: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=6egsNzSKdLR1IJkO1yPcuO3BaV31zmBbKBsxmwkqejS

We are getting close to fall races with many 2-8 weeks away, from Berlin to NYC.

It's time to hone in on your final bits of training WITHOUT overdoing it. 

These tips will help you make sure your training is just right, while also getting your mind right for the big day.

It's time to get your game face on!

In this episode, Ben from Michigan joins the show to discuss his aspirations to auto-qualify for Chicago. That implies a time of 2:55 for his age group, while his current PR is 3:03 from last fall.

We hear about Ben's journey to this point, and then I coach him up on taking the next step to qualify for Chicago. In addition and of course, we talk about tips for his longer term trajectory as well. As with all of these coaching conversations, there is something in here for everyone. Enjoy!

People ask me about carb-loading all the time and if they should do it before a long run. Well in this episode, I answer that question and talk about what to do before and after your long runs and quality workouts in order to execute them at your best. Fueling. Hydration. Sleep. Movement. Mental Game. Those are the key components to optimize your pre-gaming and post-gaming. Listen in because you might be suprised at my answer on carb-loading!

In this episode, I teach the why, the what, and the how of a very important training principle... the power of progression. From warm-ups to easy runs to workouts and races, your goal should be to start a little slower and finish faster at every opportunity.

Learning to execute your runs in this way will teach you how to enjoy your best workouts and ultimately to race your fastest. It is easier said than done, however, so I break down all of my tips on the topic in this episode. Listen, learn, and then go practice it yourself.

In this episode, I share the audio from an Instagram Live with my last guest Nicole Winter (@nicolemruns). She asks me questions from her audience on the fundamentals of running. 

We pretty much cover it all including breathing and running, form and cadence, building speed over time, managing recovery, how to think about chasing the BQ, training for a trail marathon, predicting your marathon time, whether or not to time-cap your long runs, and more.

Thank you to Nicole for having me and to her audience for the amazing questions.

In this episode, I welcome Rogue athlete Nicole (Rauch) Winter to the show. I coached Nicole to her first marathon in January, and now she has dreams to chase a Boston qualifier next year. 

In our conversation, we start from the beginning, discussing her background in sport and how she got into running in the first place. She describes the joy she experienced on her first run and how running is still an important outlet for her balance and mental health.

As her running journey progressed, her mom encouraged her to try races, starting with a 5K and 10K before bumping up in distance to the marathon. Her first marathon training block did not goes as planned, however, and she was forced due to a knee issue to drop down to the half. 

Ultimately, she found her way to Austin and eventually to Rogue where I helped her train for her first marathon in Houston in January of this year. We talk about her training for Houston and then all of the vibes of the race itself including the many things she learned along the way. Then, we discuss what's next and how she plans to chase her new goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Nicole's story is relatable to so many, and you will learn tidbits about training throughout. Enjoy the episode and then go follow her journey at @nicolemwinter_ and @nicolemruns!

Thank you to a listener suggestion (and questions), this episode is dedicated to those that get a late start in running. 

Regardless of when you start, you are worthy of big goals in this sport. In this episode, I talk about when to start, how to think about goal setting and potential, improving running form at a later age, and practical tips for getting started as a late-bloomer. 

It's never too late to become a runner, and I hope this episode might just give you that final nudge.

To take advantage of the offer in this episode, go to takecareof.com and use the code rogue50 for 50% off on your first order.

Training for fall marathons and half marathon is upon us with the focus for many now shifted to goals in September, October, and November.

That means closing the chapter on your last cycle of work and starting a new one. 

In this episode, I give you 10 tips for making sure you kick off your new training cycle the right way. Here's to more goal smashing ahead!

Disclaimer: This episode contains the story of one man's journey to face challenges with addiction and mental health (anxiety and depression). The discussion may be triggering for some, so please proceed with caution. In addition, Michael and I are NOT trained professionals so if you are struggling with one of these challenges, then we encourage you to seek professional help.

May is Mental Health Awareness month, and I am honored to share the story of Rogue athlete Michael Wilt in this episode.

Michael has struggled with anxiety, depression, and addiction since his college years. His alcohol addiction pushed him close to death in June of 2014, which was the wake-up call he needed to finally turn his life around and get the help he needed.

During his recovery journey, Michael discovered running as an outlet, and he completed his first marathon in Austin in 2016 in 4:47. From there, he has improved his marathon time by nearly 2 hours, running 2:48 in Houston earlier this year.

In this conversation, we dig deep on his parallel mental health and running journeys to find inspiration that will touch us all. Thank you to Michael for his willingness to open up and share!

To redeem the offer in today's episode go to takecareof.com and use the code rogue50 for 50% off on your first order. 

And yet, consistency can be so hard with all of the constraints we have in our daily lives including work, kids, and important relationships. In this episode, I talk about the importance of consistency, how I like to think about framing the trade-offs around consistency (hint: it's about priorities and not excuses), and then 10 ways to help you improve your consistency. We can all get better and be more consistent, and I hope this episode will help you do so.

In this episode, I get back to my growing series on the feelings of running. In this one, I talk about passion and apathy. What does it look like when we experience each one in this sport? And how do you overcome and/or channel each?

If you have ever had a moment when you couldn't get out the door for your run or when you were ready to quit a race, then this episode is for you.

Marathon Monday is back after a 3-year hiatus, and it's the 50th anniversary of women being officially allowed to enter the race.

In this episode, I give you one of my favorite Boston stories to commemorate the year that Bobbi Gibb became the first woman to run Boston as a bandit in 1966. 

I also break today the elite fields on both sides and give you my predictions for the podiums as well as the top Americans.

Then, I give my recommended Boston race plan for those toeing the line on Monday, as well as some crazy stats about the difficulty of running a negative split on this iconic course.

If you aren't running on Monday, then you should definitely be watching. I will be in Boston to cheer and coach myself, and I hope to see some of you there!

In this episode, I cover a smorgasbord of topics and listener questions that all essentially point to how you should manage your training from the 99% to the 1%'s.

Along the way, I answer two listener questions about training for a road 50K and managing weekly mileage, while also giving 3 tips on prep for the Boston Marathon with 7 weeks to go.

Don't get lost in the 1% if your 99% isn't on track!

In this one, I give you 11 running hacks to improve your running journey that cover the gambit from eliminating shoe funk and avoiding chafing to better recovery and route finding and more. Hack #1 is worth the price of admission alone!

Super shoes have revolutioned racing times in the last several years... there is no denying it. They can help you run a marathon anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes faster without any change in your fitness. Now that they are more ubiquitously available, each of us must ask ourselves... should I get a pair, and more importantly, how should it impact my training and racing?

In this episode, I try to answer the big super shoe questions such as:

- Should I get a pair?

- If so, how should I choose the right one for me?

- How should I break them in?

- When should I wear them in training?

- How do they affect recovery?

- How should they affect my race pace and frequency of racing?

I try to answer all of these questions and more in this episode.

To take advantage of 20% off at InsideTrack, go to: insidetracker.com/runningrogue.

In this episode, I talk about coach-athlete relationships and how to optimize yours. Whether you have an in-person coach, a virtual coach, or are following the schedule provided by a coach you don't know, I give you 3 pillars to optimize this relationship to best reach your potential from it.

Those pillars are: trust, communication, and ownership. I drill into all three and give you tips to think about for each.

If you don't have a coach, then I highly encourage you to get one. You can go back to episode 139 for tips on how to choose a coach.

To redeem the offer from InsideTracker go to www.insidetracker.com/runningrogue for 20% off their entire store.

A listener slid into my instagram DMs (@roguechris) and asked me about my 5K/10K training for this spring. So, I decided to invite on my coach - Coach Cathy Casey - to discuss our approach for this spring block of work.

Cathy coaches one of our Team Rogue groups in Austin, TX. She came to Rogue after spending 18 years in collegiate track and field where she eventually became head coach of the women's track and field program at Southern Methodist University (SMU). She is also an Ironman triathlete herself.

In this episode, we talk with Cathy about how she structured this training block, key workouts, prep races, and racing strategy for those two distances. If you want to get fast, this is the episode for you!

To take advantage of the 20% off offer in this program go to www.insidetracker.com/runningrogue.

The tempo workout is perhaps the single most important workout you will do as an endurance athlete, especially for those racing half marathons and marathons. It's the cornerstone of building aerobic strength (aka endurance). And yet, there is some confusion about what the word means and how to apply it in your training.

In this episode, I break it all down and give you the how-to guide for the tempo workout from the purpose of this work to the types of workouts you can do, including timing and how to execute them.

To execute the offer from this episode, go to insidetracker.com/runningrogue for 20% off.

The tempo workout is perhaps the single most important workout you will do as an endurance athlete, especially for those racing half marathons and marathons. It's the cornerstone of building aerobic strength (aka endurance). And yet, there is some confusion about what the word means and how to apply it in your training.

In this episode, I break it all down and give you the how-to guide for the tempo workout from the purpose of this work to the types of workouts you can do, including timing and how to execute them.

To execute the offer from this episode, go to insidetracker.com/runningrogue for 20% off.

To quote Brene Brown, "choose the great adventure of being brave and afraid at the exact same time." For us, running is that adventure, and this episode is my ode to just that. 

In follow-up to episodes 258 and 259, I continue my conversation on the feelings and emotions of running, this time by talking about fear and courage. What are the fears we face when setting big goals and chasing finish lines? And, how do we show courage in this sport? 

For each, I talk about examples of what it like in my experience as an athlete and coach. Then, I talk about how to face fear and how to channel your courage with others to do even more. 

To take advantage of the offer in the episode, go to insidetracker.com/runningrogue for 20% off.

Running technology and wearables have come so far since the days of the simple, Timex Ironman watches that could store 10 laps. Now, we have GPS watches, HR monitors, and other wearables that can track our biometrics 24/7. 

Are we better off for it? I think so, yes, but only if we are careful in how we use these tools. In this episode, I give you five "dos" and five "don'ts" for how to use these tools. They should support you in pursuit of your goals instead of becoming counter-productive or destructive instead. The tail should never wag the dog.

It's been a while since I've broken down the course for the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, and I haven't done so since the course changed in 2018. Well, the race is coming up on February 20th so I give you the audio from an Instagram Live session I did on the @roguerunning page doing just that.

My themes for this year are courage and precision, and for those racing, I encourage you to bring those characteristics to bear on race day. Then, I break the half marathon course down into 4 sections and the marathon course down into 6 sections, talking about approach and pacing recommendations for each.

If you are racing Austin, best of luck to you. And if you aren't racing Austin, then I believe there are still lessons in this episode for any rolling course.

To take advantage of the InsideTracker offer in the episode, then go to insidetracker.com/runningrogue for 25% off their entire store.

Hey everyone... we are back with another listener question episode. This one covers great questions on burnout/lingering fatigue, weight/BMI, running tangents, creatine, ketones, recovery and more! Thanks for all of the great questions! You can always email questions to me at chris@roguerunning.com.

Downhill courses like Boston or the Revel races require unique preparation in order to perform your best. In this episode, I give you 6 things to consider when prepping for a downhill or rolling course. Prepare your mind, and prepare your body to run fast and let gravity do its thing!

To take advantage of my offer with InsideTracker for 25% off, go to www.insidetracker.com/runningrogue.

In last week's episode, I talked about the medium long run (MLR) as fundamental to my process goals in 2022. In this week's episode, I talk about why the medium long run is so important and how to execute it most effectively in terms of timing, distance, and pace. Plus, I cover a listener question on what to do if you have to make adjustments or if something gets in the way of the MLR. Do you shorten, move it, or skip it altogether?

In addition in the intro, I give a quick reaction on the American Record results in Houston and tell you about my new podcast partner.

For 25% off from InsideTracker, go to:

www.insidetracker.com/runningrogue

Happy New Year in 2022! In this episode, I take you behind-the-scenes on my running journey as I chase a big goal of my own. I talk about the process goals I've set for 2022 and how you might apply those concepts for your own running journey.

If you focus on the process and the inputs, then the outcome will take care of itself. Here's to goal-smashing in 2022!

For the offer in this episode, go to takecareof.com and use code rogue50 for 50% off on your first order.

Continuing on the theme of last week's episode, this is my final episode of 2021. This week, I talk about the anxiety and peace of running and how to recognize and channel each into something productive. The anxiety of running is something that is normal with the primary question being: how can you channel it? As for peace, that feeling might be more rare so be sure to linger on it and learn from it when it comes. Either way, it's a privilege that running makes us all feel. 

As your host, I feel thankful for all of you for listening and engaging with me in 2021. I will resume episodes during the week of January 10th. Happy holidays everyone!

I am excited to be back to you after a mini hiatus around the Thanksgiving holiday. This episode is inspired by Taylor Swift of all people and her documentary, "Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions" (which you can find on Disney+).

You will have to listen perhaps to understand, but she inspired me to talk in more depth about the emotions and feelings that we feel in running and how to deal with and process them. In this episode, I dig in on two of them - pain and triumph. For each, I talk about the types of feelings you might have in each category, and then I give some tips on how to process those feelings/emotions.

The magic of this discussion is that I believe all can relate, regardless of pace, so please let me know what you think.

In this episode, I answer a listener question: how would you define "junk miles?" Do they exist and if so under what conditions?

I don't love the term "junk miles" so I give you an alternative term and two scenarios under which your miles would be considered "junk."

In addition, I give my thoughts on the NYC Marathon and try to put Shalane's Project Eclipse in context. 

I often get questions about my coaching philosophy. Well, I first wrote it down and codified it in 2016, and now I am sharing it here in summary so that you can have it too. This episode represents the 12 key principles from training and racing that will help you achieve your long term potential. Are you ready to buy-in to the Running Rogue way?

In summary, the core principles are...

Training:

1. Do the work. Be consistent. No excuses.

2. Miles matter.

3. Go slow to go fast.

4. Respect the purpose of each day and each training phase.

5. Recovery is as important as the running itself.

6. Find strength and accountability in team (how ever you define it)

Racing:

1. Trust in your training on race day.

2. Execute the plan no matter what.

3. Race without fear of failure.

4. Start slow, finish strong.

5. Leave it all on the course.

6. Do it for you and for your team.

In episode 120 in April 2019, I chatted with Molly about her aspiration to qualify for Boston and her heartbreaking near-miss in April 2018 at Mt. Charleston. In that race, she collapsed at mile 26.0 in the finishing straight and ended up in an ambulance, even though she was on track to comfortably BQ.

Fast forward to October 2021 a couple of marathons and a pandemic later, Molly earned her Boston qualifier at the St. George Marathon. She did it with several ups and downs along the way, taking lessons forward from each failure. The journey wasn't easy or short, but she did it. I find her story inspiring and very relatable for many on similar journeys. Whether you are chasing Boston or not, you can learn from Molly's relentless pursuit of and eventual completion of this goal. Congrats Molly!

October 10th and 11th brought an epic return to marathon racing in the US via the Chicago and Boston Marathons. The conditions were tough for many, but the energy and magic were amazing anyway.

I was in Boston to run and experience one part of that myself. In this episode, I break down my post-marathon musings that might be helpful in you processing your races too.

With fall races on the horizon again (or already done), you will soon be faced with the question: how do I continue to improve in my next training cycle? In this episode, I talk about 4 over-arching principles and 7 things to consider for finding improvement within your next cycle. For example, should you increase volume or intensity? Or should you add strength or focus on recovery? 

I will answer these questions and more and also help you hone in on the incremental improvements needed to reach your long term potential.

I know. I know. Some of you will think I am a social media curmudgeon for this episode, but I don't think so. I actually love what social media has done to grow and expand and educate the running community. It's actually quite amazing and powerful, and the impact in a positive way is far reaching.

That said, there is some bad info out there as well as a tendency for our perception of the fundamentals to be warped by what we see there. In this episode, I give you 9 "messages" from social that I believe to be misleading, many that will prevent you from reaching your potential. Avoid the pitfalls you see there so that you can take/absorb the good without letting the "bad" influence you in an unproductive way. 

Congrats to everyone who ran in the Berlin Marathon this past weekend. It is so amazing to see major marathons happening again after such a long break!

With that as inspiration, I put together this episode with final tips for the London, Chicago, and Boston Marathons including general tips for all three races and individual tips for each one. I talk about course logistics, course strategy, and weather considerations for all three. If you are racing one of these, then this is a must-listen!

The long run might be the most important run in any half marathon or marathon training block. However if you want to get the most from your training cycle, you should be doing workouts within a few of these long runs to practice race pace, learn to run fast under fatigue, and build resilience to finish strong on race day.

In this episode, I give you the do's and don'ts for building and executing these workouts and then talk about specific examples for you to try yourself. Every elite athlete is doing workouts like these, and I believe you are worthy and able to do them as well.

We have produced at least 7 episodes for this podcast on race planning for various courses throughout the country from flat like Houston or Chicago to hilly like NYC, Boston, or Austin. Those episodes have been very prescriptive and may or may not be applicable to the course you might face soon.

In this episode, I give you 8 steps for building and executing your own marathon race plan in order to give you the best chance for success on race day. Listen, learn and then apply to your next goal race so that you can start smart and finish strong!

Other race planning episodes include episodes 5 (general marathon), 8 (Austin), 14 (Boston), 46 (general all distances), 56 (Houston/3M/Austin), 98 (NYC), and 101 (CIM). Episode 150 talks about mental tips for race day.

So you want to do a half marathon before your marathon? Or a 10K before your half marathon? Great, but let's talk about it...

In this episode, I give you all the things to consider when doing a prep race including how to define and choose your goals for it, how to execute it whether you are racing all out or not, and of course, how to make sure it becomes an additive piece to the overall path to your "A" race. It's exciting that races are back again, just make sure you get the most out of every opportunity to toe the line!

Training paces and race paces are correlated, but they do represent separate and distinct decisions on the path to your goal. In this episode, I talk about 6 factors to consider when choosing your race pace - purpose, experience, race history, training results, risk tolerance, and of course, the conditions on the day. 

Consider these factors, and then once you lock in a target, develop a race plan around it, put the blinders on, and go for it!

Here is the link to the AIU decision on Shelby Houlihan:

https://www.athleticsintegrity.org/downloads/pdfs/disciplinary-process/en/7977-Award-Reasoned-FINAL.pdf

In episode #240, I talked about the importance of slowing down in order to achieve your full potential. Unfortunately, that is so much easier said than done for many athletes. In fact, I think this is the single hardest concept for any runner to embrace fully in their training. As a result, countless runners are hitting plateaus or are chronically injured.

In this episode, I give you 6 things to do in order to internalize and execute on this core training principle. I promise it is simple, but that doesn't make it easy!

This topic might be the single biggest topic for questions that I get as a coach. What paces should I train at? How do these paces change with weather? What if I can't hit them? How should my training paces inform my race pace? What does this race result mean for my training paces? And I could go on...

These are all good and valid questions, but many of them are underpinned by common misunderstandings about how training paces work. In this episode, I try to bust some of those myths while laying out 9 truths about training paces and how you should use them.

Who else is going through Olympics withdrawal like me?!? I'm happy to have more sleep but definitely miss the inspiration of the Games. In this episode, I talk about 5 inspiring stories and athletes from the Olympic Games and how we can apply those lessons in our own training. Yes, we can learn from the best athletes on the planet. And yes, they are more like the rest of us than we think!

To finish my impromptu series on the phases of training, here is an episode on the taper phase of training (aka peaking mode). These are the final weeks of work where you reduce volume in order to get the body fresh and the mind sharp for race day. In the episode, I talk about what that means including how to reduce your mileage, what types of workouts to do, and of course, how to make sure you mental toolkit is locked and loaded for the big day. 

Listen once now and then again in Sept, October, or November in your final weeks of training for that fall race!

Last week, we talked about the aerobic strength phase of training with a focus on building endurance through primarily effort-based work. In this episode, we take the next step into the race-specific phase of training and talk about the goals, guiding principles, and workouts you might execute in the final phase of work before the taper. This is the phase where it is time to get specific with your paces, goals, and workouts so that you are properly peaked for race day. You want to step right up to the edge but without going over it. That is easier said than done, but this episode will help you find that fine line. 

To redeem the offer in this episode, go to manscaped.com and use code 20ROGUE for 20% off and free shipping.

In this episode, I have the privilege to talk to a listener who is 75 years old and just starting her running journey. She is 9 weeks into it and only beginning to think about the possibilities. She has a 5K on the docket in the spring but is also dreaming about a half marathon or more. How will I advise her to build and how might that look different because of her age?

You might be surprised by my answers. I couldn't be more inspired by Deborah as she is proof that it's never too late to start and certainly never too late to dream big!

As discussed in my recent episode on periodization, training should begin with a base or priming phase and then proceed to the aerobic strength phase of work. In this episode, I focus on the aerobic strength phase of work in training, including what it means and how to get the most from it. To start, we define aerobic strength and then talk about the guiding principles of this phase. Finally, we talk about the goals of the work during this phase and specifically how to accomplish them with workout examples. 

This phase is perhaps the most important in your training cycle so do make sure you are optimizing it!

To redeem the offer in the episode, go to manscaped.com and use the code 20ROGUE for 20% off and free shipping.

I often get the question: where does cross training fit into my run training? 

The answer to that question is more nuanced than you might think. In this episode, I define cross-training for you and then talk about for whom and how it might fit into your overall running routine. Spoiler alert: it may not be for everyone and that's ok.

To use the offer code mentioned in the episode, go to takecareof.com and use the code rogue50 for 50% off on your first order.

In one of the most counter-intuitive concepts in sports, you can only optimize your potential as a runner by slowing down. Yes, I said it. You have to go slow in training in order to go fast on race day. In this episode, I present 5 different ways that you need to slow down in training in order to get and smash your long term goals. If you can set your ego aside and embrace these concepts, then you will find breakthroughs in your running for many years to come.