#3 World Records, Old Methods & New Fads, and Big Salt

Cal Neff and Coach Kirk Elias return to discuss Josh Kerr calling his shot—and delivering a mile world record under enormous pressure. They examine how Kerr and his coach built toward one defining performance, the value of racing outside your primary event, and why racing itself must be counted as part of an athlete’s training.

The main coaching discussion compares Arthur Lydiard’s foundational system with Marius Bakken’s Norwegian Method. From high-volume aerobic development and hill bounding to controlled threshold training and lactate testing, Cal and Kirk explore where the methods overlap, where they differ, and how an athlete’s environment, climate, schedule, and personality should shape the final plan.

They also recap the latest track action, consider how American championships could become more compelling, and explain why fans of road racing and ultrarunning should appreciate the full range of track and field.

Finally, Cal continues his investigation into endurance nutrition and performance products. Sodium is reframed as a fluid balance rather than a fuel tank, while the discussion examines bicarbonate, high-carbohydrate fueling, lactate gels, fat adaptation, and the risks of everyday athletes blindly adopting methods originally developed for exceptional performers.

Along the way, Cal shares an update on his own marathon build, experiments with lactate testing in the Houston heat, and his latest connection between endurance training, Phil Maffetone, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Links:

• The sodium paper that electrolyte companies don't want you to read

• The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers

• Product/Book List