Riffs 02: Performance, Progress, Pain & Breaking 4

Hello, it's Steve Sisson, recording this in March of 2026. As you've probably guessed, this podcast has been retired — but I'm excited to share what's coming next.It's called oyo.run, & the focus is simple: self-coaching. Taking ownership of your running experience — as you should have been doing all along.I'll be your host, joined by a range of collaborators who'll help me break down the fundamentals of training & racing with as much clarity, precision & honesty as I can muster. We'll move across the full spectrum — physiology to strategy, mental skills to organizational planning — all with one purpose: to make you more invested, more effective, more motivated, & ultimately, to help you derive more meaning from everything you do as a runner.Think of it as the definitive resource for the self-coached runner.The name oyo.run carries a legacy & a story — and I'll unpack that in the very first episode, dropping April 1st, 2026. Yes, April Fool's Day. You'll find it wherever you get your podcasts.I'm bringing to this is fifty years of my own running & racing experience, as well as over thirty years of coaching expertise. My goal with these early episodes is to lay the foundation — the how & why behind the training systems coaches build. For some of you, this will be review. For others, it'll be critical background you've never had access to. Either way, my goal is to provide the foundation to develop your own system, or at minimum, to deeply understand the one you're already in. Eventually, we'll get deeper into the weeds with all manner of topics, guests & breakdowns. Alongside the free podcast, I'll be hosting a private online community resource for deeper exploration & discussion. More on that in the coming weeks. Now — you might wonder why a coach would give away the keys for free. That's reasonable, I guess, so I'l provide a clear answer: I benefit far more from working with an informed, thoughtful, reflective athlete than I ever could from one who simply follows orders. While my system has been honed through thirty years of hard-earned experience, what makes coaching truly rewarding is having an athlete who can take that knowledge into the arena of their own unique experience. So this isn't a pitch to stop working with a coach. If anything, I view this as a public service for coaches everywhere — including myself.Think of the difference between a cook who follows a recipe & a chef who understands balance, flavor, technique. I'd rather coach a chef. Someone who can take the fundamentals into the kitchen of their own experience & make something real with them - not just execute instructions they don't understand. &, as I'll argue throughout the entire podcast run, the athlete who knows gains significantly more benefit from any training or racing situation than one who simply follows. So join us April Fool's Day for episode one. All the information lives at www.oyo.run. I am honored & excited to share this project with you & Godspeed.

Welocome back to the Keep Going podcast. In this one-off episode, your hosts debrief Michael's recent Chicago Marathon experience, as well as how the "training by feel" experiment worked. We hope you enjoy & Godspeed!

The final planned episode of the Keep Going podcast is a running homage to Town Lake & Austin, Texas. We've enjoyed being on this ride with all of you. We'll see you down the road. Godspeed, my friends, godspeed. 

The (second to) last episode of the Keep Going podcast. In this final conversation, we talk about why this the end, for now. & what we've loved about these conversations. Godspeed, my friends, godspeed. 

This episode breaks down an iconic & specific key session in the Telos Running marathon program as Michael prepares for the 2025 Chicago Marathon. The Dance is a marathon specific session that, on paper, looks like the following:2M warm-up6 sets of 2M at Marathon Goal Pace w/ 1M Float (continuous)0-2M cool-downJoin us as we dissect Michael's experience of this particular session. We hit on heart rate, paces vs efforts, how to adjust in session, etc.We hope you enjoy this deep dive on one race specific session. Godspeed, my friends, godspeed. 

In this episode of the Keep Going podcast, your hosts talk about running's special gifts, many of which are not recognized or valued by the wider running culture. This leads up to one of our favorite artist's least catchy, most deep songs: For The Sake Of The Song by Townes van Zandt. We spend the remainder of the episode expounding on the ways running explores, expands & enhances the human condition. It does get a little deep here. Roll up you pants & jump in, the waters fine.

In this wide ranging episode we trace how being the best at what you do can play into a beautiful life. Dave Matthews Band, politics & if racing is dying off are the framing points but where we end up is being excellent is a personal journey. 

We hit another four quick takes this week & we relate much of this to the idea of training by feel. We also talk about the Breaking 4 performance before the event happens. Performance: what is the optimal time of day to train?Progress: when do we know we are fit?Pain: varieties of painBreaking 4

In this very special episode, Michael shares his Atreyu journey. Having recently announced that Atreyu would not be continuing to produce shoes & would be shutting down at the end of 2025, Steve asks Michael some questions about his Atreyu journey. This episode is not the whole story, by any stretch, but it is a conversation around what really matters. We hope you enjoy this candid conversation around Michael's Atreyu journey. Godspeed, friends; godspeed. 

Welcome to Riffs! In this experimental episode in which we unpack four distinct topics in 10-15 minute segments instead of one topic over an hour. The Riff topics are: WaterstopsHungerRace Day Fitness IndicatorsRainIf you like this format, please send us a few topics/concepts that you'd like us to riff on & we'll pull them all together in our next Riffs episode.