The Natural Running Network Live

The NBC Spartan Race Series is just starting to heat up, there are the familiar faces and some not so familiar. Nicole Mericle has yet to become a household name in the sport but many believe that is subject to change. Her background as a collegiate Track and Field Steeple Chaser has provided her with the running pedigree to pose a threat to the pro field and thus far she’s had some pretty impressive outings given she’s only raced a little less than a dozen times in her career to date. I asked Nicole to be a featured guest so we can discuss her strategy, strengths and weaknesses leading into the Monterey NBC Spartan Super and she was open to sharing.  Give a listen!

It’s hard to keep a handle on Hunter McIntyre. He’s either one of the fiercest competitors in Obstacle Racing, reigning champion on The Broken Skull Challenge or gone missing. Yep, I coach him and sometimes that’s not easy! I thought it would be fun to bring him back and have him share his thoughts on future competition, who he feels is a threat, his feelings on the women’s pro field and his plans for the upcoming NBC Series Spartan Monterey Super.

As a runner, there is nothing worse than a nagging running related injury that just does not want to heal. Plantar Fasciitis is one of these injuries that left unchecked can easily ruin an entire race season. Listen as Dr. Brian Abelson, author of “Release Your Body- Resolving Plantar Fasciitis” and Richard Diaz discuss this injury, how to self-diagnose and self-treat this problem. You will also learn what the reasons the problem arises are and what type of exercises are best suited to defend against re-occurrence. If you have ever felt that nagging pulling sensation at the base of your heel as you are training for your next Marathon, Triathlon or OCR you owe to yourself to tune into this episode!

In this episode Richard Diaz and his featured guest Elijah Markstrom of The Obstacle Order discuss a variety of topics that can get foggy in respect to running performance, be it in an Obstacle Race or any endurance running event. Topics such as how to effectively assemble intervals, how heart rate plays into these sessions and finally an analysis of superb running mechanics as illustrated by Galen Rupp the American record holder for both the 5 and 10k events. https://indd.adobe.com/view/36b1d72a-4580-430c-b6cd-f19cec22ef78

I decided to bring this show out of the archive because it really is destined to be a historical record of an interview with one of the greatest American runners of our time. 3 time Olympian and 2 time World Cross Country ChampionCraig Virgin. This is what I would like to refer to as “Old School”, the way training and racing was before the advent of the running shoe industry. Craig held the American 10k record for over 22 years until Meb Keflezighi finally broke it in 2001. Craig Virgin shares insights on training now vs. back in the day, running shoes, running form and his hopes dashed due to the boycott of the 1980 Olympics. If you’ve not heard this episode you really need to give it listen!

Stefanie Bishop literally came out of nowhere to clinch the win at The World’s Toughest Mudder in 2016. Few people knew who she was but in quick time, all learned she was a force to reckon with. Putting in 85 miles with time to walk a lap which could easily have resulted in 90 miles, she handily disassembled the field of competitors. An adventure racer at heart, Steff is one tough mudder when it comes to any event that takes you up to and beyond 24 hours. Richard Diaz caught up with her at the Toughest Mudder season opener in LA and in this interview Steff shares her story.

It’s time to dump your old bike shorts and running singlets if you plan to be competitive in Spartan Race, Tough Mudder or any other Obstacle Course Race. Up until now, what you raced in on your glorious day was a makeshift after thought. Join as we take a look at Human Octane OCR Apparel, a new startup company run by an aspiring OCR athlete just like you, who understands the demands these races pose and has developed a line of racing apparel designed exclusively for the sport.  If you like what you hear, stay tuned until the end of the show because there is an opportunity to gain some free kit and entry into a dhp OCR Run Clinic but you’ll need the details to qualify. www.HumanOctane.com   www.naturalrunningnetwork.com

OCR athletes have an insatiable thirst for information on training and racing. We’ve found that many of our listeners appreciate it when we filed questions. This episode does exactly that. We have chosen from a long list of questions presented to us, many we were unable to get to in the time we had. This episode features a handful of those questions and our opinions relative to the topics presented.

This episode aired a few months ago but I have had a lot of requests to bring it back. Yes, its in the archive, Its funny how it takes a few times around to get people to absorb the information. So, here it is again, a redo of my explanation of how to turn lactate production into a friend vs. foe.  Those that may have more specific questions on the topic are welcome to message me on FaceBook and I’ll do what I can to field those questions in a future episode. Obstacle Course Racing, Spartan Races, Tough Mudder Races and the like cause athletes to dig deep, sometimes too deep and energy demand can dampen your performance. In this episode I explain what you should be doing in your training to combat the insidious overload of lactic acid.

Most athletes that compete in obstacle races no full well what they’ll get from participating… muddy, beat down and a great sense of accomplishment. They can’t get enough! Investing in the education and training to make athletes stronger runners, have the ability to put in more work injury free, is a hard sell. We believe it’s because most people simply don’t know what to expect. It’s hard to compare the bang for their buck until… they have experienced the benefits first hand as so many other athletes have. This episode features Chris Schapman an elite OCR athlete who understands the value and asked that we do this Q&A in hopes that those who are curious can hopefully see the forest for the trees and wrap their heads around what exactly they can expect. If you are one of those people who are just not sold, this episode is for you! #spartan racing #worldstoughestmudder #diazhumanperformance

You’ve heard it said: “You are what you eat”, I would suggest more to the point, “your race results reflect how you eat”.  The sport of obstacle racing is growing like a weed. Unfortunately good training advice for the sport is spotty at best. It will take time for us geeks to figure out how best to prepare a champion for this ever changing sport. Suffice to say; how you feed plays an important role in your success.  I’ve invited Josh Stryde (Nutritionist/ Faye Stennings confidant/boyfriend) on to discuss his newly released book: Nutrition for the OCR Athlete, aptly put. Josh has put together a very well organized approach to feeding for those who compete in Spartan Racing, Tough Mudder etc., he also includes an overview of Austin Azar’s feeding strategy that gained him 100 miles in The World’s Toughest Mudder in 2016. Be sure to listen to this one if you plan to race this season. www.naturalrunningnetwork.com

“I want to win everything this year”, so says Faye Stenning. Few would argue that this is not a reasonable goal for Faye. Only to be bested by another Canadian in Lindsey Webster-Atkins who I am sure is working hard to keep this from becoming a reality. Listen as Richard Diaz draws out some predictions of the 2017 Spartan Race Season. Learn about her training philosophy, thoughts on volume, running career and plans on becoming the World Champion of Obstacle Course Racing.

Anyone who follows the sport knows that when Hunter McIntyre toes the line in an Obstacle Course Race he is a threat and heavy favorite, regardless who else is in the field. Hunter has been away, taking a much needed break from training and racing and today was his first day back to training. We began with some very important preseason diagnostics and he’s with us to discuss his time off, what we learned today and a bit about his success as reigning champ of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Ranch competition.

Joe Gray is the undeniable king of the mountain. He won the World Mountain Running Championships in 2016.  He won the Pikes Peak Ascent in a time of 2:05, the fastest climb since 1995. He is the record holder for The Mount Washington Road Race and an eleven-time national champion and first ever national champion at the 30k trail distance. What’s even better; is that Joe has agreed to share some of the details to his winning formula. How he feedsHow he feels about supplemental strength trainingWeekly mileageTreadmills and much more… Visit Joe at: https://m.facebook.com/journeyofjoegeezi/

The idea of “Natural Running” conjures up the thought of Tarahumara Indians traipsing effortlessly through the Copper Canyons of Mexico. The Idea of running barefoot came and went as quickly as any trendy fashion. Few were willing or able to adopt the ability to run unshod, those that have tended to be miraculously free of injuries that most runners face. The Why, When and How to employ barefoot running. Richard Diaz and guest OCR athlete Benjamin Pina reveal training tips that are highly effective in correcting many of the flaws that lead to injury in a “Natural” approach to training.

We thought that for THE NEW YEAR we would open up the phone lines and take calls from YOU! For one hour LIVE! We will, take your calls, we want to know what your plans are for the new racing season, be it trail racing, Spartan Racing etc., it’s an unvarnished opportunity to share with the listening audience, what you’ve learned from last year’s experiences, what you plan to do differently or whatever else is on your mind. Share your goals and how you plan to achieve them. What mistakes did you make that you hope to correct? What if any Lifestyle resolutions have you made? OCR Running Coach and Clinician Richard Diaz and his wing man OCR Pro Miguel Medina go live at 12:00 noon pacific standard time.   If you are a fan of the show or “first time callers” we want to hear from you!  www.naturalrunningnetwork.com

We talk often on various topics related to obstacle course racing and training, how to develop greater performance no matter the sport, Spartan Racing, Tough Mudder or Marathon Running. In this episode Coach Diaz and wing man Miguel Medina discuss key elements in training to perform optimally. If you want to win races or establish a personal Best in 2017, you really need to listen to this episode. Learn effective heart rate training techniques. Learn how to maximize energy availability during races.  www.naturalrunningnetwork.com   #diazhumanperformance

Matt Fitzgerald is back, after an amazing world tour, studying the eating habits of some of the greatest elite athletes from a variety of ENDURANCE SPORTS. What were revealed are the common feeding practices these athletes shared. What you will learn may surprise you. From world class Marathon Runners to Professional Cyclists, they all know that success is greatly dependent on what they eat. What you will also learn is the disconnect between elite performance vs. those of recreational athletes is in large part the fault of following trendy diets vs. sound nutrition.  If you struggle with performance and are confused about your eating habits, this is a great episode for you! #diazhumanperformance #naturalrunningcoach #naturalrunningnetwork 

Once again we requested questions from inquiring athletes and got rave responses to do so. The obstacle course racing community is eager to learn what it takes to perform optimally and the had a lot of questions, so many that we could not cover them all in this one episode  Questions like: How often should I strength train vs. Run?How can you tell which  event distance is best for your genetic make up?How accurate is the VO2max score my watch reveals?How do I adjust my nutrition relative to the type of distances I race?How should I adjust my running style when going up or down hills? This is the time of year when the races tend to fall off and the athletes should be in rebuild and regeneration mode for the coming 2017 Spartan Race season. Tune in to hear what Richard Diaz had to say in response to these burning questions and be sure to tune into future episodes to learn more.

Many of the elite athletes in the sport of OCR work hard to draw attention to themselves to earn sponsorships and fan base. Mark Jones will have none of it, he just loves to challenge himself; the bigger the challenge the better. An Elite OCR and Endurance athlete, winner of the Death Race and team member of the infamous Wolf Pack, winners of the 2014 World’s Toughest Mudder speaks with us. I asked Mark to be a guest to discuss the things that drive him and to speak on the future, past and present of the sport of Obstacle Racing. He was also kind enough to provide some insight into some of the events he and his fellow event producers have slated for 2017. You don’t want to miss this!