Episode 11: Strength Training for Endurance Athletes with guest Lori Thomson

In this episode of All Things Endurance, host Rick Prince chats with triathlon coach, Jim Rowe. Jim is the coach education lead for Playtri and comes to the world of triathlon coaching from a non-traditional pathway – as a Lutheran minister. While various topics are discussed in this podcast, the central theme that Rick and Jim discuss are the pros and cons of coaching for yourself versus coaching through an organization. As Jim has done both, he brings a unique perspective to this discussion.About Jim RoweJim is a Lutheran minister and a triathlon coach. Currently, Jim is a full-time triathlon coach with Playtri and is the coach education lead for the organization. In addition to coaching, Jim also performs physiological testing, bike fitting and swim stroke analysis for his athletes.   Areas covered in this podcast:1.       You have a unique background with respect to being a full-time tri coach, could you discuss your background and the path that you took to be a full-time tri coach?2.       Could you explain a bit more about how you made the decision to step away from being a minister, to being a full-time coach?3.       In both ministry and being a coach, you deal directly with people and communication is critically important. Would you say that your background as a minister has helped you in your role as a coach?4.       You had your own coaching practice prior to joining PlayTri as a coach. Could you discuss your reasoning behind that transition?5.       What are some of the pros and cons of running your own coaching practice, as well as that of coaching for an organization like PlayTri?6.       You also offer physiological testing as part of your coaching practice with PlayTri. When did you add that aspect to your services and how has that helped you in your coaching practice?7.       What are some key pieces of advice that you would have for a coach trying to decide if to coach independently or through an organization?8.       As a coach for an organization, do you still have to market your coach services or is that done 100% through PlayTri?What does a ‘day in the life’ of Jim Rowe look like with respect to coaching? 

In this episode of All Things Endurance, host Rick Prince chats with structural integration specialist, Dr. Lawrence van Lingen. Dr. van Lingen takes a holistic and systemic approach to running form due to his belief that nothing in the body functions in isolation. While some may view Dr. van Lingen’s methods as contrarian in nature, they are evidence-based and get results - which may be why so many professional athletes seek out Dr. van Lingen.  About Dr. Lawrence van LingenDr. van Lingen has helped thousands of people overcome pain and injury and enhance their sports performance and everyday well-being. He has over twenty years of experience in sports chiropractic, physical therapy, rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, movement coaching, and breathing techniques. Lawrence is the founder of Innerunner, an online community with masterclasses, workshops, programs, and teachings that aim to transform your running and movement potential. He helps his running community and world-class athletic clients, such as Red Bull, Mr Price Running, Santa Cruz Syndicate and athletes such as Greg Minnaar, Ryan Sandes, Taylor Knibb, Jan Frodeno, and Flora Duffy, to name just a few, to run better, move better, and feel better.  Areas covered in the podcast: 1.       What is your background?2.       Running gait is often solely viewed through the lens of the musculoskeletal system. Your take on it is different. Could you explain?3.       In your opinion, do gait specialists in the US have a different view of how the body functions than elsewhere in the world?4.       Why do you think more people don’t have this systemic view of how the body functions and therefore, how running gait is influenced?5.       Clearly, your model of viewing the mind/body as a whole differs greatly from most others. That being said, with respect to conventional gait analysis, what are some things that you feel they get right, and wrong?6.       Are there some common reasons that you’ve found across working with a variety of athletes for gait issues?7.       Do you ever encounter resistance from potential athletes with respect to your systemic view of the body?8.       If you could give just a few pieces of advice for our listeners today with respect to improving their running form, what would it be?Lastly, what are some of the biggest and most common running form myths that you are aware of, and why are they myths?

In this episode of the All Things Endurance podcast, host Rick Prince chats with self-defense expert, James Jankiewicz.   It is an unfortunate reality that recently, a month or two do not go by without hearing about someone being assaulted while exercising outdoors, often with horrific consequences. As the growth of trail/ultrarunning and gravel cycling is on a meteoric rise, there are more athletes running and cycling in isolated areas than ever before. While learning self-defense is important for everyone to know, it’s never been more important amongst those that exercise in isolated environments.   This is not noted as a scare tactic but that of reality. In this podcast, James discusses the following areas:1.       James’s background 2.       How is the form of self-defense discussed by James different from other forms of self-defense and why is it the most effective?a.       Discuss traditional self-defense models3.       What are some of the most important aspects to the recommended form of self-defense?4.       What are some situations to try to avoid if possible (ie. Running in isolated areas by themselves)?5.       What about carrying things such as pepper spray or other things like that?6.       What are some of the key target areas on a human?7.       What about defending yourself against animals such as dogs, wildlife?8.       Discuss the difference when self-defense become necessary between doing it when tired (during a run) or when not tired and how to train for this.9.       Does the size/weight of an attacker influence one’s response? As noted in the podcast, James is developing a self-defense specialization course for UESCA which will be free of charge for everyone due to its importance. When this course launches, UESCA will announce it via newsletter and social media channels. 

In this episode of All Things Endurance, host Rick Prince chats with Geoff and Heather Hart, co-owners of Hart Strength and Endurance Coaching. The podcast topics center around how to scale one’s coaching business, with a lot of emphasis on how and when to bring on other coaches to work for you. They focus on road runners and ultrarunners, as well as strength training. In addition to coaching, Heather was also a presenter (strength training) at last year’s UESCA Ultrarunning Coach Conference. As Geoff and Heather have built a very successful and sustainable coaching practice, if you want to build a solo coaching practice, or one that employs other coaches – this podcast is gold! Some of the topics discussed are:1.       What got you and Geoff into coaching? What did you guys do before coaching?2.       Have you always been ultrarunning-focused coaches?3.       When, and how did you decide to bring on another coach(es)?4.       What are the main qualities that you look for when bringing on more coaches?5.       Are there any legal considerations to consider when hiring coaches?6.       How much time do you spend on your clients vs. managing your business/other coaches?7.       How do you market your coaches/coaching business?8.       What are some of the biggest challenges of having coaches work for you?9.       When an inquiry comes in for coaching, how do you determine what coach you select to work with the athlete?10.  If someone was looking to hire coaches under them, what is some advice you would give them?

In this episode of All Things Endurance, host Rick Prince chats with cycling race director, Micah Rice, about the rise in popularity of gravel riding/racing, and what the future or gravel riding looks like. Micah is the race director of one of the most popular gravel races in the United States, SBT GRVL, and other gravel and mountain bike events such as Pikes Peak Apex.   Micah has over 25 years of being involved with some of the most prestigious cycling events in North America, including a role as VP of National Events with USA Cycling. As such, Micah brings a level of experience and knowledge regarding the current and future of gravel riding/racing that few others possess. 

In this episode of the All Things Endurance Podcast, host Rick Prince chats with renowned ultrarunning coach/author and UESCA principal, Jason Koop about training considerations for 100+ mile ultramarathons. Across many endurance sports disciplines, there is a trend toward longer distance races, and ultrarunning is no exception. Some of the topics that Rick and Jason discuss are:1.       Why do you think there is such an interest in 100+ mile ultras now?2.       From a volume perspective, are there any general training guidelines that athletes looking to target 100+ mile races should pay attention to?3.       From a nutritional demand standpoint, what, if any are the differences between a 100+ mile ultra and a < 100+ mile ultra?4.       Should someone racing a 100+ mile ultra, still include intensity in their training program?5.       Are there any race distance prerequisites that someone racing an 100+ mile ultra distance should consider?6.       Any special training/race prep considerations to take into account if training for a 100+ mile ultra?

In this episode of All Things Endurance, host Rick Prince chats with strength and conditioning specialist, Lori Thomson regarding strength training for endurance athletes. Lori is a former gym owner and is currently a strength and endurance coach, as well as a Ph.D candidate in exercise science. Below are some of the topics that were discussed in this episode:Strength training is often at odds with endurance athletes, why is this and is this changing?Benefits of strength training for endurance athletesHow should an endurance athlete integrate strength training into their program?What is concurrent training and how is it best implemented?Should endurance athletes stay away from lifting heavy weights?When in a training program should endurance athletes perform strength training?What exercises apply to most endurance athletes?

 In this episode of the All Things Endurance Podcast, host Rick Prince chats with physical therapist, Sammie Lewis on injury prevention, prehab and rehab. Sammie discusses a wide range of topics to help athletes and coaches better understand injury prevention and when to see a physical therapist. 

If you’re interested in learning about optimizing your health and performance via nutrition, consider this podcast a must! In this episode, host Rick Prince chats with registered sports dietitian, Bob Seebohar. Bob is a seasoned sports dietitian who specializes in working with endurance athletes. In this podcast, Bob discusses a wide range of topics that relate to nutritional programming for endurance athletes. 

In this episode, All Things Endurance Host, Rick Prince, speaks with Jayme Linker. Jayme is a Colorado native who, along with her team, is planning to become the first individuals to row the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans consecutively. They will be attempting this in 2024. Jayme discusses what it takes to train for such an endeavor, as well as what is required from a logistical point of view. It's a fascinating discussion.  This podcast episode is unique in the fact that ocean rowing is not one of the ‘mainstream’ endurance sports and therefore, it contains a lot of eye-opening information. We hope you enjoy it!