Some Work, All Play

We put our hands down our pants (for warmth) before this amazing episode! The main topic revolved around the Black Canyon 100k, where Jenn Lichter and Hans Troyer set course records, and the ultrarunning took another major leap forward. We discuss what we learned before laying out an overview of our ultra training philosophy.
The sport is changing so fast that we’re almost certainly wrong (and biased) in some places. But it’s so fun to learn at the edges, and to see how that might apply to any athlete trying to see what’s possible! We finish it off by looking for lessons that we can learn for shorter distance training theory. Hint: it’s mostly carbs.
And this one was full of great topics! Other topics: eating “real food” in workouts, Megan unleashing the speed on the treadmill, David’s foot progress, Nomio back in stock, the debate on pacers in ultras, a wildly cool study on neurons and endurance adaptation, a weird cycling study that tricked participants with financial incentives, Tadej Pogacar accidentally (?) publishing his power numbers, and a question on metabolic processes and body image.
We love you all! HUZZAH!
-David and Megan
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Real talk! This episode is great, but maybe don’t listen out loud IN PUBLIC. The main training topic was a deep dive on long runs. We break down some of the competing long run theories, and how they fit into performance. The discussion ends with 5 principles to know (subject to change as competing theories duel it out).
And there were so many amazing topics! Other topics: the Real Talk Express, Megan’s mental approach to hard efforts, accidental caffeine, David’s bike progress, Lindsey Vonn’s incredible toughness, why Jessie Diggins is our favorite athlete, rumors of injections in sensitive places for ski jumpers, Jonas Abrahamsen finding his strong and pushing the limits in cycling, why the Adidas Evo SL is an amazing training shoe, Black Canyon 100k predictions, a weird and wild study on sexual activity, a discussion of shockwave therapy, and lots more.
May your drinks have secret caffeine, and may your talk be real. We love you all! Huzzah!
-David and Megan
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We cornered the market on mozzarella sticks before this awesome episode! The main topic involved our recommendations for electrolyte use in races and hard training. Sweat replacement is one of the strangest, least understood parts of athletic physiology. We give our guidelines from lots of real-world experimentation. 
And this one was full of incredible topics! Other topics: the happiest place on Earth, Megan’s first video filming and the year of vulnerability, David’s return to run, a new probiotic study showing the weird connection between the gut and brain, Kristian Blummenfelt measuring with the highest VO2 max ever (or did he?), Airpod 3 heart rate, gambling in running, Truett Hanes’ OTQ chase, our updated thoughts on applying AI in training, a Nomio follow-up, the perils of setting Z2 in the wrong place, changing directions on the track, elliptical v. bike training, bike cadence, a deep question on parenting, and lots more!
Whenever you’re in doubt about our place in the Universe, look up at the night sky, take a deep breath, and give the universal signal: SUCK IT.
That will make a bit more sense soon (maybe). We love you all! HUZZAH!
-David and Megan
Click "Claim Your Sponsorship" for 40% off at The Feed here: thefeed.com/swap
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The Wahoo KICKR Run is the best treadmill on the market: https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/running/treadmills/kickr-run-buy (code “SWAP”)
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We ordered extra-extra cheese before this deep-dive episode. The main topic took up most of the recording today, involving a new narrative review that argues for a low-carb approach for endurance athletes.
The real-world performance benefits of carbs are clear for anyone who has traveled this path, but at the end of the day, who cares? It's just performance. The low-carb believers can get left behind and that's ok by us.
The reason we are talking about this relates to health. The carb conversation is nuanced--it's not about taking in as many carbs as you can all the time, and their arguments point out legitimate discussions about how to balance fueling in training and life. But their arguments also infiltrate the broader discussion of nutrition, and anyone who works in this field sees what can happen on the other side.
There is a boneyard of ruined careers from serious endurance athletes who have undershot carb intake. The negative mental and physical health outcomes from carb restriction take this out of the academic realm and into much more serious places. We love carbs because we love performance. But mostly we love carbs because we love people, and we want to see athletes be able to shine their lights as brightly as possible.
Other topics on this episode: our approach to cross training, the incredible Beth McKenzie episode on the Freetrail podcast, Alex Honnold free soloing a skyscraper, a study tracking DEXA scan results with stress fracture outcomes, and we answer an important question from a listener about dealing with a tough health diagnosis.
This one starts with a different tone as we grieve the terrible news from Minnesota. Thank you for being on this journey with us.
We love you all! HUZZAH!
-David and Megan
Click "Claim Your Sponsorship" for 40% off at The Feed here: thefeed.com/swap
Buy Janji's amazing gear: https://janji.com (code "SWAP")
The Wahoo KICKR Run is the best treadmill on the market: https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/running/treadmills/kickr-run-buy (code “SWAP”)
For training plans, weekly bonus podcasts, articles, and videos: patreon.com/swap

We loaded up on Vitamin D (and deodorant) before this fresh episode! The main topic was a new sodium bicarbonate study, tracking 40k bike time trial performance at altitude. It’s another brick in a really big scientific wall supporting the use of bicarb for performance. We zoom out to let you know why we think it’s also effective even in very long distances... and maybe at lower (cheaper) doses.
We also talked about Vitamin D supplementation, using a big review study showing that over half of athletes had inadequate levels. Hit the ADEQUATE sign!
And this one was full of great topics! Other topics: the power of taking 3 days off, an update on David’s health journey, arm band heart rate, our Nomio epiphany, shoe nerd news, a new analysis on running economy changes in different trail shoes, the Hopecore Corner with pieces of art we really like, a quick-hitter CBD study, improving bike power, the theory of doubles, a fun sports bra question, using the stairmill, heart rate zones, and whether to follow logic or the heart with race decisions.
We love you all! HUZZAH!
-David and Megan
Click "Claim Your Sponsorship" for $40 free credit at The Feed here: thefeed.com/swap
Buy Janji's amazing gear: https://janji.com (code "SWAP")
The Wahoo KICKR Run is the best treadmill on the market: https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/running/treadmills/kickr-run-buy (code “SWAP”)
For training plans, weekly bonus podcasts, articles, and videos: patreon.com/swap