Some Work, All Play David Roche and Megan Roche

We are coming to you from Eugene, Oregon at the Olympic Track Trials for this amazing episode! The main topic was on some inspiring stories from the first half of the Trials, which feels like the ultimate party of the US running world. And like most good parties, it features a lot of Snoop Dogg.

We also talked about lessons from Broken Arrow, including Jim Walmsley doing the Vertical Kilometer race prior to the Western States 100, right alongside Anna Gibson racing the VK prior to the Olympic Trials 1500 meters. It's clear that we are seeing something about how this type of skill applies to all types of events, whether those events are 4 minutes or 14 hours!

And this one was full of some of the greatest topics! Other topics: our initial thoughts on Oregon and Tracktown USA, getting coaching credentials at the Trials, birthday reflections, a question on salty food options for endurance events, why Broken Arrow was one of the most competitive races ever on US soil, Jade Belzberg's incredible journey for an incredible race in the 23k, Drew Hunter's gutsy 4th place in the Trials 10k, the psychology of racing in heats, why an emphasis on coaches in Olympics coverage makes David nervous, why Megan thinks it's a weak argument, a Western States preview, how this year's race will unfold, the incredible tech of the Coros Arm Band HR monitor, UTMB's new prize money announcement, and hot takes.

The episode finishes with a meditation inspired by our spiritual teacher, Ludacris. May all of your days and all of your drinks be crunk.

We love you all! HUZZAH! Trucks!

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We thought long and hard about alien physiology before recording this great episode! The main topic was a wildly cool wrinkle in training science. Across all different types of events, the most predictive variable for performance is often how fast an athlete can go at VO2 max effort. That could have massive implications for how we think about training and what we consider "specificity" for long events!

We discussed why we think that is, along with workout designs, the use of hills, and how much we want to get aliens on a treadmill. ET can phone home after ET does a VO2 max test.

And this one was full of our favorite topics! Other topics: Addie dog going strong at nearly 12 years old, the upcoming Olympic Trials on the track, our wild travel schedule between the Trials and Western States, stroller running and our worrisome experience, sodium bicarbonate hacks, workout design, the power of using set-based structures, running economy and other predictors in ultras, a new study on fatigue resistance/durability and its relation to training status, Alex Honnold running the Lavaredo 50k, Roger Federer's wonderful speech on perseverance, messages about ferritin increases from liposomal iron, Joey Chestnut's ban from the hot dog eating contest and what it says about sponsorships, the increasing cost of shoes, Keely Hodgkinson's low-volume approach with lots of cross training, and hot takes.

When the aliens arrive, we should give them a cup of chocolate Nesquik so they can experience our finest delicacies. Then it's straight onto the treadmill for some podcast content.

We love you all! HUZZAH! Aliens!

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We put on some bouncy shoes for optimal energy return before this great episode! The main training discussion was a new study on a speed protocol that caused major improvements in high-level runners. We zoom out to discuss other studies that have similar findings, including one that provided a theory for mechanisms in slow-twitch muscle fibers. There is one thing almost every endurance athlete should be doing--short speed/hill repeats under 30 seconds. It's wild how simple it can be!

Before that, we got to share amazing news: we just got our hands on a trail supershoe that seems to channel the tech that changed the game in road running. The Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra is soft underfoot and built-up like its road counterparts, and it'll feel familiar to anyone who has had the silky smooth feeling of going fast in the new generation of shoes. We have some gripes (what is up with that sizing? Are they stable/durable?), but mostly we are excited about what it might mean for the future once this tech approach trickles down across the sport, including to training shoes.

And this episode was full of amazing topics! Other topics: matching outfits, the fun of track coaching, why trail shoes are lagging behind, what the future might hold for shoes based on the timeline from roads, running economy improvements after speed-based interventions, how to incorporate strides into a training plan, "delivering the message" in ultras, On sponsoring Zendaya, Allie Ostrander's win at the Portland Track Festival and why we think it's one of the best stories in sports, Shane Cohen's breakthrough win at the NCAA Champs, Parker Valby's dominance (and shoe craftsmanship), an AI song from a listener (plus other AI thoughts), a study on potential mitochondria-based changes from sodium bicarbonate, and hot takes.

If On has Zendaya, the SWAP podcast needs to get Timothee Chalamet. Someone text him for us!

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We were emotionally hardened by some sleepless nights before recording this special episode! A couple months ago, a brilliant podcast listener on Reddit published her predictions that Spring Energy's Awesomesauce gel had incorrect calorie counts. Three weeks ago, those findings were confirmed by a German lab. This past week, everything exploded on social media with all of Spring's gels listing fraudulent calorie totals, roping us into a situation that we never hope to relive. This episode talks about our emotions.

We are furious about the mislabeling. We wish we could go back in time and tell ourselves that nutrition labels can list fraudulent calorie totals, and we wish we could undo the health and performance struggles that so many runners have felt due to the egregious mislabeling. We are sorry for our connections to Spring years ago, and we love you all.

At the same time, love has limits. This past week pushed us to our emotional edge. It demonstrated some of the problems with social media and a society that can chase clout and clicks over kindness and nuanced facts. Podcast listeners got us through, and we are emerging with more compassion, more courage, and fewer f's to give. As Megan wrote, "Love to you all, especially to any woman who has dealt with a small man: may you become larger in who you authentically are."

And we threw in a bunch of fun topics! Other topics: reflections from sleepless nights, Pride Month joy, lessons from some of the highest energy expenditures ever studied, women in coaching, Unbound Cycling and the success of multisport athletes in bike races, Kilian's legendary dominance at Zegama, a study on CBD in runners, running club romantic connections, our love of Park Runs, and hot takes.

We finish with some Listener Corner messages that kept us going in a really hard time. We love you all! Yes, ALL. The world can be dark and scary, especially on social media, and we hope that we can help fill your lives with as much light and as many calories as possible.

PSA: empty your septic tanks and don't let the stank affect who you are. HUZZAH!!!

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We ate a bag of performance waffles to get ready for this awesome episode! The first topic was a follow-up on the controversy about a gel that may have mislabeled its calorie count. We discuss emails from listeners that provide more context, along with what it might mean for food labeling generally. It's a wild, wild world out there!

The main training topic was Courtney Dauwalter's race-day nutrition, which she discussed in a recent interview. The GOAT says she only consumes 200 calories per hour during races, well below most other elite athletes. What are we seeing? We dive into metabolic variance, and how that might be relevant based on gender and background. There is lots of wiggle room to find what works for you! Become one with the slurp.

And there were so many other great topics! Other topics: how often nutrition labels might be misleading, what we predict will happen next in the controversy, strange body connections via David's post-crash experience, practicing competition in training, pre-training meals, why Vafels are our new favorite pre-training fuel, case studies on race-day fueling numbers, a fun study on "grounding" science, the 10k world record, the Pre Classic mile and how trash talk is making track more fun, David's experience with sodium bicarbonate prior to intense workouts, why frivolous pursuits are meaningful, a survey on sleeping in separate beds, Brooks' surprising new sponsored athlete (an actor!), and hot takes.

If you put this episode in a calorimeter, you'd see that it has enough energy to power a spaceship! Just don't check our math on that.

We love you all! HUZZAH!

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We gathered liquid courage (chugging from a gallon of chocolate milk) for this great episode! The main training topic comes from the world of track, where athletes are probing the limits of human physiology. Because the margins separating athletes on the track are so small, there are takeaways for all endurance performance. Raise the ceiling to raise the floor! Yes, raising the roof is making a comeback like it's 2002 again.

We also talked about the ongoing controversy about an energy gel's nutrition label, and whether the actual carbohydrate total is lower than stated. It's a conversation that stumbles toward enlightenment while careening into a few ditches along the way, trying to balance love and accountability. This conversation also includes our first ever sound effect. Big time! The gel controversy may not be awesome, but it's definitely interesting.

And we had some of the best topics to fill out the episode! Other topics: big hope for the bundle of cells, our core work routines and how we think about core training for athletes, a small-but-important study on ketones and reduced testosterone, aerobic v. mechanical adaptations, upcoming updates to Strava including an AI coaching feature, more AI thoughts, and hot takes.

This episode is a wild journey! Grab your personal gallon of chocolate milk and let's ride.

We love you all! HUZZAH!

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