The Path to Going Pro: How Annie Rodenfels Went from D3 to Elite Runner
Release Date: 08/14/2025
The Strength Running Podcast
Dan joins us on the podcast today: a runner who recently improved his marathon from 3:38 to 3:08. In this conversation, Dan shares what he did to improve by a massive 30 minutes over 26.2 miles. But what if he wants to keep going? What if Dan wants to run another 30 minutes faster and start flirting with a sub-2:40 marathon? We'll cover what training changes need to happen to break 3 and run a much more competitive marathon finish time. Thanks to Dan for coming on the podcast and sharing his story! More resources: Thank you Previnex! After resisting most supplements for the...
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is a 7x All-American in the steeplechase and 5,000m, national champion, Drake Relays 3,000m steeplechase champion, and 2x Olympic Trials qualifier. Annie is also one of the few pro runners to come from a Division III school. In this episode, we discuss her path to going pro: The evolution of her career from college to now Her experience with the new pro team Meridia How she trains today (mileage levels, long runs, etc.) Her approach to double workouts in one day How she manages energy and caffeine for 8:30pm races A lot more! You can support her team Meridia by registering for their virtual...
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Runners are heat training more often with saunas, hot tubs, and hot weather runs. How much do we need to realize the full benefits of heat training? What are the best options and how do we structure it into our training? In this episode, coach Jason Fitzgerald shares how to think about heat training from duration to frequency to type of heat training. Resources: article Thanks Boulderthon! is a top 10 race in America according to USA Today and one of the best fall marathons according to Runner’s World. With a 5k, 10k, half marathon, and marathon, Boulderthon offers an...
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Dr. Philip Skiba is a physician, performance consultant for the Breaking 2 project, coach to dozens of world class athletes, and author of . Phil is a world-class expert on running physiology and how to race faster. His groundbreaking research into Critical Power, Critical Speed, and the "W Prime" model of fatigue help the best runners in the world plan their training. And the best coaches seek him out for guidance. In this conversation, we discuss: How to determine and improve your "critical speed" His work with Avelo (get your pair of !) The under-discussed "battery" of speed...
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holds the American record in the 10-mile and is the former half-marathon and marathon American record holder. Her new book, , is now available for preorder. She was a 4x All-American at American University in both Cross Country and Track but took about a decade off from running seriously in her 20's and 30's. Keira joined us on the to discuss her comeback to running. Now, she's back to discuss what that comeback looked like and how she made it happen. Keira and Jason discuss: Her mental relationship with running How it felt not being able to jog to the end of her street...
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Colleen Quigley is a 2016 Olympian, steeplechaser, and former model. She accepted a full scholarship to Florida State University, where she became a nine-time NCAA All-American and a 2015 NCAA Champion in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Colleen went on to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, finishing 8th in the 3000-meter steeplechase. She is also a current world record-holder in the 4x1500-meter relay, set in 2020. In this episode, we discuss Colleen's: Recent training and the types of workouts she's doing Current battles with injuries Brief stint as a triathlete New athlete-owned pro...
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Podcaster and coach Lindsey Hein recently hosted Jason on her podcast, I. The conversation was wide-ranging and touched on a variety of topics so it had to be shared again! Lindsey asks Jason about: His favorite 5k race strategy of "Letting Jesus Take the Wheel" How Jason got started in podcasting / Strength Running Jason's background & 2:39 marathon PR () Favorite interviews A lot more You can also read more about Jason & Strength Running . Thanks Boulderthon! is a top 10 race in America according to USA Today and one of the best fall marathons according to Runner’s...
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Pete Pfitzinger is a RRCA hall of famer, top American at two Olympic Marathons, and legendary coach and author most known for his book (the 4th edition is now available for preorder!). He's the top American at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Marathons, a 2-time winner of the San Francisco Marathon, 3rd place finisher at the 1987 NYC Marathon, and a coach with 30+ years of experience. He's on the podcast today to discuss marathon training: How is your posture during the delay related to how you run and your ? The value of back to back hard days (and how to structure them) Training red flags...
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Strength training is such a valuable tool for building speed, power, efficiency, strength, and injury resilience, that this episode needed to be republished! It originally aired in March 2022. Andy Galpin, PhD has been an assistant professor at California State University Fullerton for more than a decade. He formerly won a Division 3 national football championship while earning his exercise science degree at Linfield College. He then got his Master’s in Human Movement Sciences and his PhD in human bioenergetics. He serves on many advisory boards in the area of human performance, wrote the...
info_outlineAndrea (Annie) Rodenfels is a 7x All-American in the steeplechase and 5,000m, national champion, Drake Relays 3,000m steeplechase champion, and 2x Olympic Trials qualifier.
Annie is also one of the few pro runners to come from a Division III school. In this episode, we discuss her path to going pro:
- The evolution of her career from college to now
- Her experience with the new pro team Meridia
- How she trains today (mileage levels, long runs, etc.)
- Her approach to double workouts in one day
- How she manages energy and caffeine for 8:30pm races
- A lot more!
You can support her team Meridia by registering for their virtual mile here!
Resources:
- More info about Merida from Colleen Quigley
- Training & Coaching programs
- SR's strength series
Thank you Avelo!
Avelo is the world’s smartest running shoe created by a team of ex-Nike engineers. I’m so excited by Avelo that I’ve been advising them for nearly two years. And the market has spoken - they raised over $100,000 on Kickstarter on their very first day because they’re doing something unique.
Embedded in their bouncy, lightweight Supertrainer is a sensor that measures impact and your running form, showing you how much force your body is experiencing and when during your run your form starts deteriorating. This gives you incredible insights into your unique form, how it changes, and when it breaks down so you better understand your injury risk and when you get fatigued.
The shoes never need to be charged and you can reuse the sensor in each pair of Avelo’s. Their app gives you real-time coaching that I had a lot of input on, based on your unique data. They’re still available on Kickstarter at 34% off for a very limited time, so get yours today!
Thank you to 2Before!
We are supported by 2Before, a powerful sports supplement made from New Zealand Blackcurrants designed to increase endurance, manage inflammation, support immunity, and promote adaptation. 2Before helps to boost performance by increasing blood flow, making it more efficient for the body to pump oxygenated nutrient-rich blood into the muscles.
Just like beetroot but more effective, blackcurrant berries are vasodilators, helping you get more blood flow to where it's needed.
Boost your performance and immune system with 2before: use code JASON for 30% off 20 packs and multi-serve packs at 2Before.com.
Thank you to 2Before for supporting Strength Running!