All Things Endurance

Steve House is a former professional alpinist and mountaineer guide. Steve is currently the founder and CEO of Uphill Athlete.   As a professional climber, Steve climbed some of the most difficult mountains around the world and in 2006, Steve was awarded the Piolet d’Or (the Golden Ice Axe) award, which is the highest honor in the world of professional mountaineering.   With mountaineering being an inherently risky sport, host Rick Prince discusses the element of risk with Steve as it pertains to mountaineering and business. Unsurprisingly, there are quite a few takeaways with respect to mountaineering to business.   Questions covered in this podcast include:1.       Please tell us about your background as an alpinist and how you decided to start Uphill Athlete.2.       In most all sports, there is an element of risk. However, I can’t think of any sport with more at stake than high alpine mountaineering. How has being an alpinist shaped your perception of risk?3.       According to various sources, approximately 90% of start-up’s fail within the first 5 years, with 10% failing within the first year. Of the climbs that have been attempted, are there any that have this high (90%) of a failure rate?4.       What are some key lessons that you learned about risk that you’ve taken from climbing that you have applied to your business?5.       Regarding risk, what are some common mistakes that you see athletes and business owners make?6.       How do you assess risk? Specifically, deciding if a risk is worth the effort?7.       Appreciating the risk of a situation and going for it any way involves getting over one’s fear. As it relates to climbing, how did you get over the fear of certain situations that had a high risk factor?If you could leave our listeners with one or two nuggets of advice with respect to assessing and managing risk in their athletic and business endeavors, what would they be? 

In this episode of ‘All Things Endurance,’ host Rick Prince chat with Alli Felsenthal, owner of Runwithalli – a run coaching business. If you’re an aspiring coach, or an existing coach, you will be hard pressed not to come away from this podcast with valuable pieces of advice. Alli goes deep into how she started and scaled her running coach business, discussing a wide range of topics such as athlete retention, bringing on other coaches, the importance of goal setting and structure, among many other topics. So if you’re in the coaching business, this is one podcast you won’t want to miss!1.       Please tell us a little about yourself – when did you get into running and coaching?2.       How did you decide to take the leap to starting your own business? Did you do it as a side gig at first, or did you go full time immediately?3.       You have a pretty substantial background in business and sales. How did you leverage this knowledge when starting up your coaching business?4.       What were some of the biggest challenges that you faced when starting up your coaching business, and also when scaling it to a full-time business?5.       Getting paying athletes is always a challenge for new coaches. What advice or strategies do you have for new coaches, and for those looking to continue scaling their coaching practice?6.       What were some of your biggest mistakes when building your coaching practice?7.       Pricing is another issue that a lot of coaches get stuck on. How did you determine your pricing?8.       Where do you see Runwithalli in the next 5 years?

In this episode, host Rick Prince chats with former professional, and current elite masters cyclist, Laura Van Gilder. Laura is a former elite criterium champion, the winningest female US cyclist in history and the current UCI gravel world champion (60-64)... in addition to other national and world titles.  In this podcast, Laura discusses many things, including her beginnings in the sport, her rise to becoming a professional cyclist, and how she manages to keep things fun and still race to this day! Laura is a legend in the sport of cycling and whether you’re a fan of cycling or not, this is an intriguing conversation. 1.       Could you tell us more about your sport background and some of your many accomplishments2.       How many years have you been competing?3.       You’re known as a sprinter, but you live in a pretty hilly area. Have you found that training in a hilly area has given you an advantage over other sprinters on rolling/hilly terrain?4.       As you’ve progressed through your cycling career, how has your training changed/evolved?5.       With respect to various aspects of fitness (i.e., endurance, strength, explosiveness, etc…), how have these changed, if at all?6.       What keeps you training and racing?7.       How has your nutrition changed over the years of your career, if at all?8.       What advice would you give to other master’s athletes?9.       Given the popularity of gravel racing/riding, do you find yourself doing more gravel riding than road riding these days?10.  Given all your experience, if there is one thing that you’ve learned that you wish you knew when you were in the infancy of your cycling career, what would it be?What cycling goals do you have for the upcoming year? 

In this episode, host Rick Prince chats with coach and physical therapist, Nicole Armbrust – owner of Jump Start Running, based out of Boulder, Colorado. Nicole specialized in working with female masters athletes and as such, this podcast discusses her decision to focus on working with masters athletes, as well as various aspects that are pertinent to masters athletes. 1.       Tell us about your background2.       Your current focus is working with female masters runners. Why?3.       As a PT, are there any common issues that you see amongst master runners versus younger runners?4.       As a generalization, with respect to endurance sports, aging is often associated with increased – or at least not diminishing endurance, while youth, is often associated with speed and quickness… and quick recovery. Do you find this generalization to be true?5.       What are some of the most important considerations when working with masters runners?6.       I think a lot of masters athletes are concerned about becoming slower. How do you tackle this subject with your athletes and moreover, are there any main things to focus on?7.       As a masters athlete myself, I often reflect back on how I was faster when I was younger and I find myself comparing myself to that person – which inevitably leads to frustration. How do you deal with athletes like myself in this regard?Do you find that masters athletes are more susceptible to injuries? 

In this episode, host Rick Prince chats with respiratory and exercise physiologist, Dr. Nick Tiller. Rick and Nick discuss if there is a toxic dose of exercise and if so, what it is. Dr. Tiller has established himself as a well-known resource with respect to addressing health and exercise-related myths head on. In that vein, Dr. Tiller is the author of the book, ‘The Skeptic’s Guide to Sports Science.’ 1.       Tell us about yourself?2.       Endurance sports seem to be trending toward longer distances. Is this a good thing from a health perspective?3.       Let’s talk about it with respect to a bell curve, would you say that with respect to exercise volume, the health benefits of exercise more or less follow the normal distribution?4.       Training is typically viewed through the lens of increasing performance, however it’s rarely also viewed through the lens of health. Are these two things sometimes at odds with each other and why do you think that the health aspect is often not considered with respect to training?5.       Could you discuss some of the things that might be considered toxic with respect to too much cardiovascular exercise?6.       It’s been my experience that with a lot of endurance athletes, especially those that participate in ultra-distance events, they overprioritize volume over intensity. Have you also found this to be true?7.       Is what could be considered a toxic level of cardiovascular subjective and different for each person?8.       With respect to ultra-athletes, are there are guidelines that you recommend with respect to staying out of the ‘toxic’ zone?When discussing ‘toxic’ levels of exercise, is it specific to a particular type (ie, cardiovascular, strength, etc…), or is it a culmination of all areas of training with respect to overall training load?

In this episode of All Things Endurance, host Rick Prince chats with coach Nick Hancock, owner of Maximum Mileage Coaching in the UK. If you’re looking to start or scale your coaching business, consider this podcast a must listen! Coach Hancock doesn’t hold back about his challenges, his successes and his best pieces of advice for new coaches. He also discusses his personal challenges that led him to start running and coaching. 1.       Tell us about yourself and how you got into coaching2.       What was it like balancing coaching as your side gig and your full-time job?3.       When you made the decision to go full-time into coaching, was it a leap of faith or was your coaching income enough that you didn’t have many worries?4.       How long did it take to go from side-gig to full-time with coaching?5.       What are some of the things that you do attract and retain athletes?6.       If someone is looking to go full-time into coaching like you did, what are some tips that you have for them?7.       What are some mistakes that you did with respect to going full-time?8.       How do you balance your own training, coaching and family obligations?9.       What do you enjoy the most and least about being a full-time coach?10.  You have a coach that works with you. What advice would you give to coaches that are considering bringing on another coach to work with them?

In this episode of All Things Endurance, host Rick Prince chats with environmental and exercise physiologist, Mike Weiss of Alta Health and Performance Solutions (www.altahps.com). Specifically, Mike discusses what the most popular physiological tests are, as well as how to interpret and apply the results.  About Mike Weiss Mike Weiss is an environmental and exercise physiologist who owns his own practice – Alta Health and Performance Solutions in northern California. Mike is also an endurance athlete who focuses on ultrarunning.    Areas covered in this podcast:  1.       What is your background and how did you get into physiological testing?2.       Physiological testing is becoming more popular, in part due to the interest in the ‘Norwegian Method.’ However, in your own summation, why is testing important?3.       Ideally, when and at what intervals should an athlete get tested throughout a year?4.       For endurance athletes, the two most popular main physiological tests are VO2 Max and lactate. Could you explain a bit about each test, why they are important and how they correlate to each other?5.       What are some limitations with respect to VO2 Max testing (i.e., muscular fatigue, etc…)?6.       If a person doesn’t have access to a lab, what are some field tests that they can perform to approximate lactate threshold and VO2 Max?7.       From the perspective of implementing training intensities, or for lack of a better word, training zones, could you explain how to apply the results of a VO2 Max and Lactate threshold test?8.       What can an individual expect to pay for a VO2 Max and Lactate Threshold test?Are there any individuals where a VO2 max test would be contraindicated?

In this episode of All Things Endurance, host Rick Prince chats with personal trainer, running coach and multiple Masters world champion track & field athlete, Sue McDonald. Rick and Sue discuss her athletic background as well as her coaching business. Additionally, Sue discusses important factors in working with Masters athletes, why she enjoys track events vs. longer road races and how she balances her training with her other obligations. About Sue McDonald Sue McDonald is one of the most successful masters track and field athletes in the world who also ran on the national level and competed in the Olympic Trials. Sue has multiple Masters world and national titles on the track, as well as many accolades including the 2023 USATF and World Masters Track & Field Athlete of the Year awards!   Areas covered in this podcast: 1.       Could you tell me about yourself including your athletic background and your coaching/fitness business?2.       Like many coaches, you’re balancing a lot including coaching, training and family. However, you’re training for multiple track events at the highest level of masters athletics. How do you balance everything?3.       What are the primary events that you’re currently training for?4.       Masters athletes represent a meaningful demographic for our coaches. From a coaching perspective, what are some things that a coach should consider when working with a masters athlete?5.       The prevailing belief is that as humans get older, they get slower. While this is true from a physiological standpoint, we also see some masters athletes staying at the same speed or getting faster as time goes on. When working with masters athletes, what things do you find most valuable in retaining or increasing an athlete’s speed as they get older?6.       Speaking of which, what are some of your current records and associated times?7.       You also do pole vault. What does the training look like for that?8.       It seems that a lot of runners now are trending toward longer distances (i.e., ultramarathons) and not so much shorter distances – especially track. What is the allure for you of track vs. longer road races or ultrarunning?How, if at all, has your recovery strategy changed over the years? 

In this episode of All Things Endurance, host Rick Prince chats with triathlete and serial entrepreneur, Ryan Frankel. A former investor at Goldman Sachs, Ryan has founded multiple companies, and appeared on the hit show, Shark Tank. Rick and Ryan discuss assessing risk, start up financing and mistakes to avoid, among other topics. About Ryan Frankel Ryan Frankel is a serial entrepreneur, triathlete and former investor at Goldman Sachs.  Ryan has founded multiple companies, and appeared on the hit show, Shark Tank. Ryan recently launched his latest start up, Workup (workuphq.com), which aggregates quality and ethical wellness/health companies in an online marketplace format.    Areas covered in this podcast: 1.       Could you tell the listeners a bit about yourself and how you came to be an entrepreneur?2.       Goldman, and perhaps most of the finance industry is known for long hours, high intensity and a collaborative work environment. How did your time at Goldman influence and shape your entrepreneurial journey?3.       Corollary to the prior question, how has your time as a triathlete influenced your experience as an entrepreneur?4.       Let’s talk risk. Start-ups and small business in general are often perceived as being very risky as compared to working for someone else. That said, I’ve had many friends that have lost their ‘9-5’ jobs in the last few years. So do you think in today’s current economic and work climate, is being self-employed any riskier than working for a company?5.       As someone starting a business, what would be advice for them to reduce the risk commonly associated with a start up?6.       Most coaches are not going to be looking for investors or external capital to start their coaching businesses. Aside from what funds a coach already has in the bank, what are some other creative ways that a coach could raise money to bootstrap their start-up coaching practice?7.       In your time as both working for GS, as well as an entrepreneur, what are some of the most valuable lessons that you have learned that would apply to coaches looking to start and/or scale their business?8.       What are some of the mistakes that you’ve made that you could share with our listeners with respect to things to be aware of and potentially avoid?Lastly, what was it like being on Shark Tank?

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?