The Fast and Free Podcast

Brant Stachel
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Fitness

The Fast and Free Podcast with Brant Stachel explores the intersection of endurance training and mental performance. Each week, Brant—an endurance coach, Registered Psychotherapist, and mental performance specialist—dives into conversations with Olympians, elites, and everyday athletes chasing their goals. From running strategies to psychology tools, every episode delivers practical insights to help you train smarter, think stronger, and perform at your best.

  1. Jul 10

    Social Media Vs. Zone 2 Research, with Kristi Storoschuk

    Zone 2 training has become one of the most popular topics in endurance sports. Runners are constantly told they need to spend more time in Zone 2 to build their aerobic base, improve their mitochondria, burn more fat, and become better athletes. But what happens when you actually look at the evidence behind those claims? In this episode of the The Fast And Free Podcast, I sit down with exercise physiology researcher and Ph.D candidate Kristi Storoschuk to discuss the Zone 2 paper that created a major debate in the running and endurance world. Her research questioned whether some of the most common claims about Zone 2 training are actually supported by the evidence, especially when concepts from elite endurance athletes are applied directly to everyday runners. This conversation challenged a lot of my own beliefs as a coach. For years, I have explained easy running, aerobic development, and Zone 2 training using concepts that many endurance coaches have accepted as fact. But talking with Kristi forced me to ask a better question: do we actually know why these methods work, or have we just repeated explanations that sound correct? We break down what Zone 2 training actually is, why elite athletes spend so much time at lower intensities, and why copying professional runners, cyclists, and endurance athletes does not always make sense for the average person. Kristi explains the difference between correlation and causation, why training volume changes the conversation, and why the needs of a professional athlete training 20+ hours per week may be completely different from someone balancing running with work, family, and everyday life. I want to stress that this episode is not about proving Zone 2 training is useless or saying runners should stop doing easy runs. It’s a conversation about being willing to challenge assumptions, update your beliefs, and become a better athlete or coach when new information becomes available. Happy Training! Watch my Running: Explained Series ⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXSHy1fG_CEMUOxJD_2cYeSJZmUIdIDro ➡️ Join 1300+ Other Runners and Sign Up For My Newsletter: https://brantstachel.activehosted.com/f/30 ⸻ Relevant Links 🚨 FREE TOOLS I CREATED FOR RUNNERS 🚨 https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools ⚠️ TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW ⚠️ https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com Subscribe to Kristi Storoschuk and follow her on Social Media ⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCva-B2BZ8XNj32re7VpxfAw? https://www.instagram.com/krististoroschuk https://linkedin.com/in/kristi-storoschuk-1602aaa9 https://substack.com/@krististoroschuk Visit her Website: https://krististoroschuk.com/

  2. May 3

    Masters Runner Runs 2:57 at Boston… Without a Watch, with Henry Walker

    In this episode of the  @FastAndFreePodcast , I sit down with masters runner Henry Walker after a huge performance at the Boston Marathon, where he ran 2:57 and hit the qualifying standard for the Abbott World Masters Championships. We break down how Henry approached Boston without a watch after it died at the start line, and how years of experience, effort-based training, and race discipline allowed him to stay completely in control. No splits. No pace checks. Just execution. Henry’s Boston performance is the result of doing the simple things consistently, making better decisions over time, and trusting the process instead of chasing numbers. Happy Training! ⸻ Relevant Links 🚨 FREE TOOLS I CREATED FOR RUNNERS 🚨 https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools ⚠️ TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW ⚠️ https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com Get Coached by Brant Stachel https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/ Mental Performance Coaching with Brant Stachel: https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01 Get my Book, “Fast and Free”, on  @amazon : https://a.co/d/00twBZ6d ⸻ Follow Brant Stachel Fast & Free Performance Coaching https://www.youtube.com/@UC4Nd1yg5n94puosXxjeL5FQ https://www.instagram.com/fastandfreecoaching https://www.instagram.com/brant_stachel https://www.tiktok.com/@BrantStachel https://www.strava.com/athletes/12318637 https://www.facebook.com/FastandFreeWithBrant https://www.twitter.com/BrantStachel https://www.LinkedIn.com/Brant-Stachel https://www.reddit.com/user/BrantStachel/ Visit My Website: http://runfastandfree.com Coming Soon, Substack: https://www.substack.com/@fastandfree

  3. Apr 24

    The 4-Year Journey to a Half-Marathon Breakthrough, with Sophia Rodriguez

    Runners can spend years trying to force progress without ever really addressing the thing that keeps setting them back. They train hard, race hard, deal with the same injuries, the same anxiety, the same frustration, and quietly start wondering whether they’ve already hit their ceiling. In this episode of the ‪Fast And Free Podcast‬, I sit down with Sophia Rodriguez after a huge half-marathon breakthrough that was years in the making. We talk about the long road that led to this performance, including early struggles with recovery, repeated setbacks, race anxiety, and the challenge of trying to rebuild in a way that was actually sustainable. This wasn’t just a good race. It was the result of years of learning how to train smarter, manage load better, and finally give her body and mind the support they needed. We get into what changed over the last two training blocks, why this half-marathon build felt different, and how small practical shifts made a massive difference on race day. Sophia talks about improving her sleep leading into the race, how better consistency in training changed her confidence, and what it felt like to finally have a performance that matched the work she had been putting in. We also break down the race itself, from the pre-race chaos and traffic stress to the moment she realized she was going to pull off the result she had been chasing for years. This episode also goes deeper than the race result. We talk about her background in the military, how difficult it was to balance service, unpredictable training demands, and her own running goals, and why finally having more control over her schedule helped unlock progress. Sophia also shares how race anxiety shaped her relationship with running for years, how mental health support became part of the process, and why running works best when it stays connected to joy rather than turning into another source of pressure. We also spend time on something a lot of runners will relate to: the value of community. Sophia talks about going from years of running alone to finding real support through run clubs, how that changed her relationship with the sport, and why the right environment can make a massive difference in both performance and happiness. There’s a lot in here about accountability, structure, injury prevention, and learning how to stop making every run carry the weight of your entire identity. Happy Training!

  4. Apr 17

    She Quit Running… Then Came Back and Ran 2:34 at McKirdy, with Jess Donohue

    In this episode of the Fast and Free Podcast, I sit down with Jess Donohue to talk about her return to high-level marathoning and the breakthrough performance that followed. After years of battling injuries, stepping away from the sport, and rebuilding her relationship with running from the ground up, Jess has gone from simply wanting to run healthy again to qualifying for the Olympic Trials and dropping a massive personal best of 2:34:40 at  @McKirdyTrained . We get into how that comeback actually happened, what it took to rebuild confidence after years of setbacks, and why this version of her as an athlete is stronger than the one that came before. This conversation goes well beyond splits and race results. Jess opens up about her experience in the NCAA system, the physical and mental toll that came with disordered eating and chronic injury, and what finally allowed her to break that cycle. We talk about identity, the danger of tying self-worth entirely to running, and why learning that there was more to her than the sport ended up being one of the biggest reasons she was able to return to it in a healthy way. We also get into the practical side of what has helped her make this jump in the marathon. That includes higher mileage, better recovery, consistent strength work, weekly physical therapy, better fueling, and a more mature long-term approach to training. Jess shares why the marathon ended up being a better fit for her than the intensity-heavy structure of college racing, how she learned to stop chasing more for the sake of more, and why the less glamorous parts of training are often the ones that move performance forward the most. Happy Training! ⸻ Relevant Links Get coached by Brant Stachel https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/ Get coached by Jess Donohue https://tinyurl.com/3zwswzce Get my Book, “Fast and Free”: https://a.co/d/00twBZ6d ⸻ Follow Brant Stachel Fast & Free Performance Coaching https://www.youtube.com/@UC4Nd1yg5n94puosXxjeL5FQ https://www.instagram.com/fastandfreecoaching https://www.instagram.com/brant_stachel https://www.tiktok.com/@BrantStachel Visit My Website: http://runfastandfree.com ⸻ Follow Jess Donohue https://www.instagram.com/jess.emily.donohue/ https://www.tiktok.com/@jess.emily.donohue https://www.strava.com/athletes/15254503

  5. Apr 12

    PRing at 42 at the Tokyo Marathon, with Jess Hadley

    In this episode of the Fast and Free Podcast, I sit down with Jessica Hadley after her breakthrough performance at the Tokyo Marathon, where she ran a 3:20 at 42 years old and set a new personal best. We talk through what changed in her training, how she worked through the belief that she may never PR again, and why this build felt different from the ones that came before it. This is a conversation about performance, but it is also a conversation about identity, confidence, and learning how to stop letting fear dictate your ceiling. We also get into the practical side of what helped move things forward: higher mileage, better recovery, double-threshold sessions, improved fueling, and shifting away from obsessing over exact pace targets in workouts. Jess shares how she stopped spiralling after off days, how she learned to trust effort over the watch, and why that mindset shift helped unlock a completely different level of racing. We also talk about the reality of racing majors, the complications she had navigating chronic pancreatitis while in Tokyo, and the mental resilience it took to still step to the line and execute. If you’re a master's runner, a marathoner questioning whether your best is still ahead of you, or someone who tends to tie too much self-worth to training splits and race results, this episode should hit home. There’s a lot in here about performance, but even more about how runners grow when they stop placing limits on themselves. Happy Training! ⸻ Relevant Links 🚨 FREE TOOLS I CREATED FOR RUNNERS 🚨 https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools ⚠️ TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW ⚠️ https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com Get coached by Brant Stachel https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/ Get coached by Jessica Hadley https://teamrunrun.com/coach/jessica-hadley-detroit-running-coach/ ⸻ Follow Brant Stachel Fast & Free Performance Coaching https://www.youtube.com/@UC4Nd1yg5n94puosXxjeL5FQ https://www.instagram.com/fastandfreecoaching https://www.instagram.com/brant_stachel https://www.tiktok.com/@BrantStachel https://www.strava.com/athletes/12318637 Visit My Website: http://runfastandfree.com Follow Jessica Hadley https://www.instagram.com/jessbug1122/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-hadley-15776b25 https://www.strava.com/athletes/22447135

  6. Mar 30

    A 2:09:24 Finish and a Place in the Record Books. The McKirdy MicroOTQ Breakdown, with Thomas Nobbs

    A 2:09:24 marathon. Solo. On a looped course. Off a treadmill-heavy build. Yup. He did that. In this episode of the Fast & Free Podcast, Brant and Elaina sit down with Thomas Nobbs less than 24 hours after running 2:09:24 at the McKirdy Micro OTQ, becoming the 4th fastest marathon ever run by a Canadian. What makes this performance even more wild is that this was in no way shape or form the plan. Thomas came in targeting something closer to 2:11…, and within a few miles, that plan was gone. We break down how the record-setting race actually unfolded in real timef from the early pacing decisions, to managing effort completely alone, to the moment it became clear this was going to be something special. We also dive into the build behind it: a largely treadmill-based winter, subtle but important changes in training, and how stacking marathon cycles led to a massive jump from 2:12 to 2:09 in just a few months. Beyond the performance, this is a conversation about what it actually takes to reach this level of training without sponsorship, balancing work and coaching, trusting the process over years, and understanding that breakthroughs like this aren’t random… they’re built. Happy Training! ⸻ Relevant Links Get coached by Brant Stachel: https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/ Get coached by Elaina Raponi: https://teamrunrun.com/coach/elaina-raponi-kingston-ontario-running-coach/ Get coached by Thomas Nobbs: https://teamrunrun.com/coach/tom-nobbs-ottawa-running-coach/ ⸻ About the Fast & Free Podcast The Fast & Free Podcast with Brant Stachel explores the intersection of endurance training and mental performance. Each episode, Brant—an endurance coach, Registered Psychotherapist, and mental performance specialist—talks with athletes and coaches about training smarter, thinking clearly under pressure, and building sustainable performance over time. ⸻ Follow Fast & Free Coaching http://instagram.com/fastandfreecoaching http://youtube.com/FastandFreeCoaching https://www.tiktok.com/@brantstachel Website: http://runfastandfree.com Follow Elaina Raponi http://www.instagram.com/elainaraponi Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/59776119 Website: http://runfastandfree.com Follow Thomas Nobbs https://www.instagram.com/nobbs.not.knobs/ https://www.threads.com/coach.nobbs/ https://www.strava.com/athletes/28521910

  7. Feb 26

    My First BQ at Age 50, with Victor Yang

    Let us know if you've qualified for the Boston Marathon before in the comments ⬇️⬇️ In this episode of the Fast & Free Podcast, Brant sits down with Victor Yang—fresh off a 3:19 Boston Qualifier. Victor shares how shifting away from “more miles, more suffering” and into restraint + precision changed everything: capping long runs, staying patient early, ignoring the chaos of packs and pacers, and using simple rules like “hold it until 23” to make the last 10K feel controlled instead of desperate. They talk through the psychological side of it too—why being 10–15 seconds off pace early can be the smartest move you make all day, and how confidence builds when you stop trying to “win” the first half. The conversation moves beyond splits and pacing charts. Victor talks about being a serial entrepreneur, what it means to “fail for a living,” and why that mindset mirrors chasing a Boston Qualifier. Brant and Victor dig into coaching beyond spreadsheets, how high-touch communication, internal calibration (“how are you feeling?”), and how sustainable training blocks lead to real confidence for runners. They also look ahead to Western States 100 and why marathon precision might be the edge you need when the terrain changes. If you’re chasing a breakthrough, this one will challenge how you think about effort, patience, and what it really takes to level up ⸻ Relevant Links Get coached by Brant Stachel: https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/ Mental Performance Coaching with Brant Stachel: https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01 Get my Book! https://a.co/d/00twBZ6d Learn More about Team RunRun: https://teamrunrun.com/ Fuel your training: https://fuelgoods.com/?ref=Brant TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW: https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com ⸻ About the Fast & Free Podcast The Fast & Free Podcast with Brant Stachel explores the intersection of endurance training and mental performance. Each episode, Brant—an endurance coach, Registered Psychotherapist, and mental performance specialist—talks with athletes and coaches about training smarter, thinking clearly under pressure, and building sustainable performance over time. ⸻ Follow Fast & Free Coaching Instagram: @fastandfreecoaching YouTube: @FastandFreeCoaching Website: http://runfastandfree.com ⸻ Listen to this Episode on Your Favourite Podcast Platform: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jI6TBvBPYihSf9FhQFZAv Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fast-and-free-podcast/id1867807916

  8. Feb 13

    Training For Boston Without Overcooking, with Dakotah Popehn (Lindwurm)

    In this episode of the Fast & Free Podcast, Brant sits down with Dakotah Popehn (Lindwurm), current Puma-sponsored professional, two-time Grandma’s Marathon champion, Team USA Olympian, and long-time member of Minnesota Distance Elite, to talk about what it actually takes to grow into a world-class marathoner over time. Rather than treating marathoning like a simple equation of workouts-to-results, Dakotah breaks down the real skill: restraint. They dig into why “crushing training” can be a trap, how athletes quietly leave their race in long runs and key sessions, and what it looks like to consistently stack solid blocks without chasing perfection. With the Boston Marathon on the horizon, Dakotah shares how she’s approaching a course that rewards feel and decision-making more than pace charts. Using power as a governor, building durability, and making smarter trade-offs so she can arrive ready to compete, not cooked. The conversation also widens out into the mindset side of high performance: the strange reality that even major breakthroughs can feel fleeting, the constant pull to chase the next standard, and how elite athletes manage comparison in an era where everyone’s training is public. Along the way, Dakotah reflects on the less-glamorous parts of her path—earning her way forward step by step—and why she values the “working class” culture of her group. They close with the coaching layer too: why she started coaching during COVID, what she gets out of helping everyday runners chase big goals, and how being in someone’s corner through disappointment can matter as much as celebrating their best days. Drop your best tips for the Boston Marathon in the comments ⸻ Relevant Links Get coached by Brant Stachel: https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/ Mental Performance Coaching with Brant Stachel: https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01 Learn More about Team RunRun: https://teamrunrun.com/ Fuel your training: https://fuelgoods.com/?ref=Brant ⸻ About the Fast & Free Podcast The Fast & Free Podcast with Brant Stachel explores the intersection of endurance training and mental performance. Each episode, Brant—an endurance coach, Registered Psychotherapist, and mental performance specialist—talks with athletes and coaches about training smarter, thinking clearly under pressure, and building sustainable performance over time. ⸻ Follow Dakotah: Instagram: @dakotahlindwurm Team RunRun: https://teamrunrun.com/coach/dakotah-popehn-minneapolis-running-coach/ Strava: https://www.strava.com/pros/26341222 Follow Fast & Free Coaching Instagram: @fastandfreecoaching YouTube: @FastandFreeCoaching Website: http://runfastandfree.com

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About

The Fast and Free Podcast with Brant Stachel explores the intersection of endurance training and mental performance. Each week, Brant—an endurance coach, Registered Psychotherapist, and mental performance specialist—dives into conversations with Olympians, elites, and everyday athletes chasing their goals. From running strategies to psychology tools, every episode delivers practical insights to help you train smarter, think stronger, and perform at your best.

Information

  • Creator
    Brant Stachel
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Brant Stachel
  • Show Website
    The Fast and Free Podcast

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