219. Western States 100 winner Cat Bradley on Career Pivots, Self-Belief, and Training Staples
Release Date: 10/28/2021
How to Learn From Any Injury (So You Stay Healthier) with Physiotherapist Brodie Sharpe
The Strength Running Podcast
Brodie Sharpe is a physiotherapist, the host of the , and author of . As a Physical therapist who specializes in endurance runners, Brodie Sharpe takes a holistic approach to . He helps runners learn how to correct mistakes and work with their bodies to get healthy. Brodie emphasizes the importance of looking at training as well as your lifestyle around it, since every aspect of what you do impacts how you feel and perform. This episode focuses on how to learn from a running injury: how to figure out what caused it the training changes needed to prevent it from recurring how to update...
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Isometrics vs. Strength vs. Plyos: What’s Missing in Your Strength Training with Dr. Matt Silver
The Strength Running Podcast
Dr. Matthew Silver is a physical therapist, author, and owner of Alpha Project Phyzio and Performance in Maryland. His book is now available. While he set his college’s 8k record and made the all-conference team, injuries prematurely ended Matt’s career, sparking his interest in physical therapy. In today’s conversation, we’re talking about the different types of strength training that exist, their benefits and drawbacks, and how to integrate them into your training. It’s important to recognize that not all strength training is the same. We’re going to discuss traditional...
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Atlantic CEO Nick Thompson on Master’s Training, Motivation, and Breakthroughs
The Strength Running Podcast
Nick Thompson has been running and racing for 35 years. He’s the 40-44 age group American record holder in the 50k with a 3:04 finish time (that’s 5:56 per mile for 31 miles), and was previously the world’s top ranked runner in his age group in the 50-mile. He's now the CEO of the Atlantic Magazine and his new book is now available: You'll hear: How Nick’s relationship with his father helped him get into running What drives him to compete today vs. 30 years ago His recommendations for passing along a love for running to your kids How his cancer diagnosis changed his relationship with...
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Movement, Strength, and Injuries: Dr. John Rusin on How to Run Pain-Free
The Strength Running Podcast
Dr. John Rusin is a physical therapist and trainer who's worked with nearly every professional sports league as well as Olympic athletes. His new book, , is now available. Our conversation focuses on movement, coordination, and building efficiency. We discuss: common mistakes in the weight room how to structure better strength workouts mindfulness and breathing a nervous-system oriented warm-down when to know if you’re putting in too much effort in the gym We should not consider strength training to be "cross-training" - it’s just part of the normal training process. Learn how to...
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How to Build Physiological Resilience in the Marathon with Coach John Davis, PhD
The Strength Running Podcast
John Davis holds a PhD in Biomechanics, coaches elite marathoners, and is the author of . His newest book is a masterclass on marathon preparation: . It includes new research on training theory, elite-level training plans, and guidance for every type of aspiring marathoner. Today, we discuss physiological resilience: How physiological resilience is like the 4th metric of performance How to build this skill safely Example workouts for beginner to advanced runners The role of "depletion workouts" in physiological resilience What actually causes the "marathon fade" at the end of 26.2 miles...
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Super Shoes & Form: How New Shoe Tech Alters Running Form with Chris Napier, PhD
The Strength Running Podcast
Chris Napier is the author of , a professor of physical therapy, practicing physiotherapist, 2:33 marathoner, and medal winner at the Canadian Track & Field Championships in 1996 and 1997. He is also a scientific advisor to , the world’s smartest running shoe (I'm also an advisor!). Today's focus is on super shoes and how they affect your running form: The specific form changes that happen due to high-stack foam and carbon plates Specific injury risks from super shoes How often Chris recommends wearing super shoes Training changes that while wearing super shoes Extra Resources: ...
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Cross-Training Masterclass: Coach Megan Flanagan on How to Add Other Sports to Your Running
The Strength Running Podcast
is a former collegiate athlete and writer for Outside Magazine, a certified running coach and personal trainer, and a Spartan Elite podium athlete. She has a bachelor’s in Psychology & Nutrition, a master’s in Public Health, and has finished four 100-mile races. Megan is a multi-faceted athlete and works with a variety of runners in her . In this conversation, we’re bringing our combined experiences with cross-training to you: how to add cross-training why you should add it what forms of exercise are best the types of exercise to avoid if you want to stay healthy when to...
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How to Build Fatigue Resistance with the Coach of Both UTMB Champs, Scott Johnston
The Strength Running Podcast
Scott Johnston is one of the top coaches in the world, especially in mountain and high alpine sports. He's worked with Killian Jornet and recently coached both winners of the most prestigious trail race on Earth, UTMB (Tom Evans & Ruth Croft). He's also author of one of my favorite training books, and founder of the coaching group. This conversation focuses on fatigue resistance: What is fatigue resistance? Local vs. global fatigue Top workouts to build fatigue resistance The role of the nervous system in fatigue Scott's wisdom has helped the best runners in the world reach...
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10x National Champ Sara Hall on the Secrets to Running Longevity for Decades
The Strength Running Podcast
Sara Hall has been competing at the highest level for nearly 30 years. She was the 2000 high school national cross country champion before earning 7-time All-America honors at Stanford University. Not only has she won 10 US National Championship titles, but she’s the only American to win national titles in both the mile and the marathon. Her incredible range is also demonstrated by her gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in the steeplechase, while also being the second fastest American female marathoner with a time of 2:20:32. She was previously on the podcast when I interviewed 5...
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How ‘Coach of the Year’ Sean Brosnan Revolutionized Newbury Park’s Cross Country Team
The Strength Running Podcast
Coach turned around a struggling Newbury Park high school cross country team that hadn't qualified for a State Championship in 25 years. Soon, they had won three consecutive National Championships. How did he do it? Sean shares the psychological and physical strategies he used to instill belief, develop fitness, and build the bond between teammates. His all-in, often unorthodox approach, raised eyebrows but undeniably got incredible results. Himself a distinguished endurance runner, Sean was a collegiate All-American in both cross country and track and holds a personal best of 3:44.33 in the...
info_outlineCat Bradley is an athlete that absolutely loves the sport. She's an ultra-endurance runner coached by Matt Fitzgerald who I had the pleasure of meeting this past August at the Endeavorun retreat in Boulder, CO.
Her resume is shocking, in the best of ways:
- Winner of the 2017 Western States 100 Miler
- Winner of the 2017 Canyons Endurance Run 100k
- Former Fastest Known Time record holder of the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim in 7:52 (first woman to break 8 hours)
- Winner of the 2016 Rio Del Lago 100 Miler
- Winner of the 2018 Moab Red Hot 50k
- Winner of the 2018 Quicksilver 100k
- Winner of the 2019 Castle Rock Trail Festival 50k
- Winner of the 2020 TransRockies Run stage race (team division)
I could go on, but I think you understand now that Cat Bradley is one of the best ultra runners in the United States.
Cat didn't start out as a distance runner. In fact, she was an 800m specialist at the University of California - Santa Barbara. At about a half-mile, the 800m distance might as well be a different sport than ultras!
Soon, Cat realized that she didn't love the track. She wanted some adventure and found herself taking time off from her college career to focus on through-hiking the Appalachian Trail.
That's where she fell in love with mountains, woods, and losing yourself in the visceral beauty of nature.
Within a few short years, Cat's passion for ultra distances bloomed and her competitive drive propelled her forward. Soon, she became one of the most dominant ultramarathon runners in the country.
In this conversation, we discuss:
- How she made the switch from 800m track athlete to Appalachian Trail through-hiker to ultra runner
- The training demands of a 120 mile, 6-day stage race vs. a 100-mile ultra
- How she mentally grappled with pivoting her running career almost 180 degrees
- What made her start to believe she could run professionally
- How she trains for the Grand Canyon R2R2R FKT
Whether you're about to run your first ultra or you're a seasoned veteran, you'll love this conversation with one of the sport's greats.
Links & Resources from the show:
- Follow Cat Bradley on Instagram or check out her website
- How to increase your endurance and run longer
- 5 tips on running your first ultra
Thank You InsideTracker!
Our show is supported by our longtime sponsor InsideTracker. Today, more than ever, it's essential that we’re making the right decisions to keep our bodies healthy. To help us be resilient, prevent over-training, and optimize our running to get the most from it.
InsideTracker is the ultra-personalized nutrition platform that analyzes your blood and DNA biomarkers along with your lifestyle habits to help you optimize your body and reach your goals.
InsideTracker’s patented system will transform your body's data into knowledge, insights, and a customized action plan of science-backed recommendations. The data can help you determine whether you’re running too much, not enough, or have some other issues that could be affecting your recovery or performance.
I've had my own blood drawn with InsideTracker several times and have been amazed at the valuable information that they provide. Not only are the results very detailed, but they also share guidance for how to improve any markers that are out of range.
If you’re ready to take control of your health and optimize your training, InsideTracker offers a selection of plans that best suit your needs with a limited time 25% discount.
Thank you Elemental Labs!
A big thanks to Elemental Labs for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. And you can get a free sampler pack of 4 flavors and 8 individual packets when you pay $5 in shipping.
Elemental Labs' products have some of the highest sodium concentrations that you can find. Anybody who runs a lot knows that sodium, as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, are essential to our performance and how we feel throughout the day.
The citrus flavor has quickly become my favorite. I’m drinking one a day now to help me get enough fluids in our dry Colorado air. It’s tasty and delicious and I find that I’m not peeing every 45 minutes throughout the day, which might be an indication I wasn’t eating enough sodium.
There’s now mounting evidence that higher sodium intake levels are not unhealthy – and athletes need substantially more than your typical sedentary person. Of course, ask your doctor if you’re worried. But for those athletes running outside in the heat, an electrolyte replacement makes a lot of sense.
They just released their first new flavor of 2021, their most requested flavor, watermelon salt. So check out Elemental Labs to try their new flavor or get a free sampler pack.