Unfiltered with Jon Levitt: Injuries, Business Updates, New Sauna Science, and More
Release Date: 02/29/2024
Why David Roche Needed 4-Minute Mile Speed to Win the Leadville 100 (+ more secrets)
The Strength Running Podcast
Many runners called The Leadville Trail 100 Run's near-20 year record "unbeatable." David Roche raised the bar with an astonishing 2024 performance. David Roche is an elite trail runner and running coach. He's a two-time USATF trail national champion, the 2014 Sub-Ultra Trail Runner of the Year, and former Mountain Runner of the Year. As of August 2024, David is also the new course record holder of the Leadville 100 Mile Endurance Run, finishing in 15:26:34. In this episode, we talk about: How David blends consistency with fun in his training The recovery routine that helped him perform at...
info_outline
Jesse Itzler on the Magic of 100-Mile Ultramarathons: Mindset, Entrepreneurship, & More
The Strength Running Podcast
Imagine a running festival combined with a retreat plus a race thrown in there: That's Jesse Itzler's Runningman. Jesse Itzler is the founder of Runningman and All Day Running Co., a serial entrepreneur, an author, an endurance sports enthusiast, and a 100-mile ultra marathoner. In this episode, we talk about: Translating running's discipline and consistency into other areas of life Sharing the values of health and wellness with children Jesse's approach to long-term running planning Finding the sweet spot of having a plan while being flexible The parallels of 100-mile races and...
info_outline
Team USA Coach Paul Greer on the Pillars of Development for Youth & Master’s Runners
The Strength Running Podcast
How do we develop new runners, young runners, and master's runners, into great runners? Paul Greer is a professor of Health and Exercise Science at San Diego City College, coach of the San Diego Track Club, and the 2016 and 2024 Team USA Men’s Junior Cross Country coach. With about 40 years of coaching experience, Paul has a lot of wisdom to share for runners from youth to master's levels. His athletes include hundreds of Boston qualifiers, several top age-group competitors, and a handful of Olympic qualifiers. In this episode, we talk about: Reasons for the lack of adult cross-country...
info_outline
Inside the Race Industry: The Future of Timing & Why Races Cost So Much with CEO Phil Dumontet
The Strength Running Podcast
Ever catch yourself complaining about how much you paid to sign up for a race? Here's the inside story. Phil Dumontet is a 2:42 marathoner, the founder of Boulderthon, and the CEO of race management and timing company Brooksee. Personally, I believe Brooksee's timing technology is going to revolutionize road racing in the future. In this episode, we talk about: The day-to-day of a racing management company CEO: managing races, training teams, and building partnerships Race marketing and differentiation, with a look at Portland and Boulderthon's strategies Race planning, permitting, and...
info_outline
Unfiltered: New Equipment, Jason’s Knee Injury, Milestones, and more with Jon Levitt
The Strength Running Podcast
Kick back for a less structured conversation with my friend Jonathan Levitt, focusing on the big and small real-life issues affecting runners. Jon is a runner, cyclist, and host of For The Long Run Podcast. I like to joke that Jon is the Mayor of Boulder because of his ridiculous network of every single runner who lives within 100 miles. We share a lot of miles on the Boulder trails together and have great, rambling conversations about the running industry and our personal training, like this one. In this episode, we talk about: New running equipment thoughts A silly knee injury: How I’m...
info_outline
Aerobic Threshold and the Benefits of Zone 3 with John Davis, PhD
The Strength Running Podcast
In today's running culture, people can't stop talking about Zone 2 running. But what about Zone 3? John Davis is an author, running coach, former collegiate runner, and an expert in human performance with a focus on biomechanics. He ran at Carleton College before getting a PhD in biomechanics at Indiana University's School of Public Health, focusing on running injuries. In this episode, we talk about: The underutilized value of Zone 3 running Why zones aren't as clear as many people make them out to be Lactate threshold and steady-state max in running High-end aerobic training and its...
info_outline
Dr. Gaby Go on Plyometrics: Safety and Benefits, Scheduling, & Favorite Plyos
The Strength Running Podcast
Most runners have heard of plyometrics, but are they using these exercises effectively to prevent injury and boost performance? Dr. Gaby Go is a Doctorate of Physical Therapy who ran Division 1 Track and Field for the University of Maryland, College Park, and who qualified for the Boston Marathon in her debut marathon. Today, Gaby’s sharing a lot of knowledge around plyometrics for runners with us. In this episode, Gaby and I talk about: The basics of plyos: what they are, who they're for, and what they do Using plyometrics for tendon health, especially the Achilles How plyometrics help...
info_outline
Zone 2 Q&A: Can You Run Too Slow? When Does Easy Pace Get Faster?
The Strength Running Podcast
Have we put Zone 2 running on an undeserved pedestal? A dug into Zone 2 as it relates to heat training. One listener named Nadine emailed me some great questions to follow up on the Zone 2 conversation. Like many of you, easy running has gotten confusing for Nadine because of so much of the advice on the internet to never go faster than Zone 2 and the value of very slow running. But Nadine was feeling better at slightly faster paces! I figured it'd be more helpful to record a conversation about these topics as a follow-up to our episode with Brady, and Nadine agreed. In this episode, we talk...
info_outline
How to Run a Faster Marathon (new coaching call!)
The Strength Running Podcast
Hoping to get faster at the marathon and reach a personal best? So is Nick Jordan, a member of Team Strength Running. Nick joined this coaching program in order to most effectively use his time and effort to get the best possible chance of reaching a marathon personal best. We talked about what he can do in the remaining months to stack the deck in his favor. is a program that includes ongoing coaching directly from me, access to a team of other runners just like you, a library of 30+ training plans, a whole bunch of discounts, bonus resources, and more. In this coaching call, we talk about: ...
info_outline
Alex Larson, RD on Sugar Cravings, Weight Loss & Training, Salt Supplementation, and More
The Strength Running Podcast
Sugar cravings, salt content, underfueling, post-race beers… Runners get a lot of conflicting nutrition information, so we’re asking your questions to a registered dietitian! Alex Larson is a Minnesota-based registered dietitian and Ironman triathlete who’s worked with thousands of athletes in more than fifteen countries. I get a lot of questions from endurance runners about nutrition, so we collected your questions for Alex to answer. In this episode, Alex answers these running nutrition questions: We have treats in the house for the kids, how do I stop stealing them? What are best...
info_outlineThis week I decided to take you along on my conversation with my friend and fellow podcaster, Jon Levitt. Jon is a sub-3 marathoner and a Senior Sales Executive at InsideTracker. He also hosts the popular podcast, For the Long Run, where I was a guest on episode 264.
We usually have long meandering conversations on trail runs throughout Boulder, but this time we recorded it.
While we start by discussing our current running troubles (and our efforts towards solving them), we ultimately focus a lot of our conversation on the professionalization of the running industry. As the sport continues to grow, all players in the industry have a responsibility to up their game by encouraging high standards and broader inclusion.
Jon and I cover a lot of ground, including:
- Our current struggles with illness and injury and the road back to regular running
- My business decision to improve future content on StrengthRunning
- What we’re each doing to professionalize (and grow!) the sport
- The common thread of setting high standards in both running and business
- Studies on sauna benefits for running and longevity
- Jon’s exciting plans for 2024
- Some thoughts on the use and science of ketones
If you enjoy this episode, leave a review and let me know what you think about this new, conversational format!
Links & Resources from the Show:
- Learn more about Jon and his podcast, For the Long Run
- Follow Jon on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
- Listen to our previous conversation about the running community
- Let me help you with your training!
Thank you MOBO Board!
Invented by renowned physical therapist Jay Dicharry, MOBO helps you stabilize your stance with an innovative rocker board that’s set up on two fins. The design effectively forces you to drive your big toe into the board to improve your stability. I was pretty arrogant going into my first session on the MOBO Board. How hard can it be to balance, right? Well, I was humbled pretty quickly!
Even if you’re a good runner, better balance, stability, and proprioception is going to help you have a more powerful stride and prevent more running injuries. You’ll learn how to improve the efficiency of the kinetic chain from your hip to your big toe. Because as Jay likes to say, it’s not just how strong you are, but how well you use that strength.
I was recently at a weekend physical therapy workshop (lol I was the only running coach) and learned how important (and rare) this simple movement is. Save 10% with code STRENGTHRUN10 at checkout at moboboard.com.
Thank you Ultimate Training Bundle!
We’re also supported by Strength Running’s own Ultimate Training Bundle. Since 2010, Strength Running has helped runners around the world race faster, get stronger, and prevent more injuries with our evidence-based training programs and courses.
Now, you can get all of our best courses - High Performance Lifting, Injury Prevention for Runners, Bodyweight Power, Mindset Mastery, Nutrition for Runners, and Team Strength Running - at a massive 35% discount. Give yourself the gift of certainty this new year and get your running, strength training, nutrition, and mindset on the right track.
Get it here today!