Some Work, All Play

On Saturday, Megan broke a 15-year-old course record at Quad Dipsea! This episode shares everything about the journey in a “no secrets” style.

The record was set by Caren Spore in 2010, back when Megan was playing field hockey and her biggest runs were wind-sprints. Years later, when Megan was in medical school in the Bay Area, the Quad became a bucket list event. But it never happened—a 28 mile race with 9000 feet of vertical gain and approximately three billion steps was just too much at that stage of her life.

Then came the heart issues and 2 kids. This weekend, she got back on the brutal, stair-filled trails and WENT PRIMAL. We break it all down, featuring listener questions and hot takes on training, strength work, nutrition, heart rate, stairs, and so much more! 

Thank you all for being here for the wild ride. Come for the story about how we almost Home Alone’d the bicarb. Stay for the reminder to watch where you sit on Southwest.

We love you all! HUZZAH!

-Megan and David

We got way too invested in dog food models before this amazing episode! The main topic was a new study on passive heat training (like the hot tub or sauna) that acts as a missing link between theory and real-world proof.

The study found that 5 weeks of hot tub training increases hemoglobin mass and VO2 max, which coincides with improved running economy. WOW! We break it all down.

And this one was full of incredible topics! Topics: a date night game that should have stayed in date night, Hans Troyer and Jade Belzberg’s wins at the JFK 50 Mile, hard hill strides to break through neuromuscular lulls, questions on heat training, unexpected events and prosocial behavior (including a study involving Batman), a 47-year study on athletic aging, persistence hunting science (and how that relates to human responses to heat), influencers, traveling with gels, stacking training plans, pre-wedding advice, and lots more!

If there’s one takeaway from the science in this episode, it’s this: BATMAN. It will make sense soon.

We love you all! Huzzah!

-David and Megan

We thought deeply about the societal implications of Paw Patrol before this amazing episode! The main science discussion involved a pair of strange, counter-intuitive wrinkles of physiology. The first was the sometimes paradoxical finding of higher hemoglobin A1c in many elite athletes. The second involved a new paper addressing a connection between suppressed thyroid hormones and low energy availability. 

Both phenomena demonstrate how physiology is a complex system. Also, it’s possible that concerning bloodwork means one thing... or the polar opposite. We have fun breaking it all down!

And this one was full of great topics! Other topics: Megan’s Just Say No To Rhabdo training run, David’s first treadmill workout on the comeback trail, a follow-up on bowls and buckets, the winter training plan, findings jobs in running, the pardon of Michelino Sunseri, running form 101, altitude tents, structuring training weeks, prepping for Survivor, fueling winter races, what to do about elevated heart rate, and lots more.

This one is full of nuance. And after you listen, you’ll realize that “full of Nuance” should be in the back room and cost extra.

We love you all! HUZZAH!

-David and Megan

We chocolatized our life before this amazing episode! The main topic was a new study on elite marathoners measuring responses to different carb intakes, finding a 2.6% lower oxygen cost at 120 grams per hour compared to 60 grams per hour. It showed massive carb oxidation rates at high outputs. In 10 years, we might look back on this study as a game-changing moment in the science of endurance performance. 

And this one had so many cool topics! Other topics: Megan’s biggest uphill treadmill threshold workout, David’s Zwift racing, the strange connection between energy intake and iron deficiency, how hydration could influence stress responses, the predictive power of smiling in pre-race photos, Anne Flower’s 50 mile world record, other records at Tunnel Hill, whether to walk onto the track team, offseason layoffs, race week nutrition, and AI messaging.

Stick around for a beautiful affirming Listener Corner message! Or you can stick around to learn what we do with the Tupperware. Your choice!

We love you all! HUZZAH!

-David and Megan

We stretched the ketones-as-robot-butt metaphor to its limits for this awesome episode! The main topic was a new study measuring fatigue resistance in marathons. Athletes completed lab tests prior to a marathon, with final results correlating with different attributes. Unfortunately, the athletes weren’t fueling during the protocol. What is this, 2005?! 

We broaden it out for conclusions that apply to everyone. Fatigue resistance without carbs is a stupid human trick, and there’s no need to play that game.

And this one was full of our favorite topics! Other topics: Megan’s return to the site of her heart issues 4 years ago, David’s scooter debut on the path to going pro, SiS Beta Recovery, the weird science of CurraNZ, how the New York City marathon was influenced by high carb approaches, high carb taking over the roads, the UCI’s strange declaration on ketones, mileage ranges in training plans, how training philosophy changes for outliers, dealing with unintentional underfueling, introducing the uphill treadmill, Megan’s field hockey and track history, and doubles.

We love you all! Huzzah!

-Megan and David