Here is a great podcast conducted by Bob Babbitt of The Competitor's Radio Show

“The Cool Impossible is by far one of the best training books of the past decade.” - Competitor Magazine…

Since December we’ve been focusing on training, intentionally avoiding racing early so I can be as ready as possible for my Cool Impossible, the US Skyrunning Series - Ultra. This was my first opportunity to hit the trails racing. I entered the 25k distance so I wouldn’t need much if any recovery following the race and be able to jump right back into training. It was somewhat of a last minute decision to…

Close your eyes and crank it up and let me know how you plan to challenge your running in a NEW way this weekend. 

Hi Everyone

Yesterday my B2R Trail shoes arrived along with a pair for my wife and a pair of the road shoes for my running partner Jeff. All in all it took 3 weeks for them to arrive which is very good given the distance they had to travel and having to clear customs before being delivered. As Jeff is also the local Post Master we opened our shoe boxes in the…

Have to share my new favorite place to run. It sucks actually...in a really awesome way! I've posted a few pics in the past. It's the World's Highest Hill, Poteau Oklahoma. I have a good friend who lives at the base of Cavanall hill. He has etched trails all over the hill.

Some are…

Two years. Two years.

104 weeks since I decided I'd make a bit more of an effort with what used to be a very alien pursuit for me. I've gone from being a panting mess that struggled to make it a couple of times around the local park to running literally thousands of kilometres over the last twenty-four months. I've run through the night, I've run for hours to see the sun rise, I've headed out to find peace and time to think. Sometimes, I've done it with hundreds of…

Its been 3 months since I finished reading TCI and started on strength training and just under 3 months for wearing my B2R road shoes.  To be honest, I thought I'd be further through the program, especially as I've been diligent about doing all the strength exercises 3-4 times per week but I'm kind of stuck on the Transition phase and not wanting to go further until I've sorted out some lingering soreness in my right heel.

While I haven't progressed along the training program like I'd…

Speedwork and brainwork today! track work with 2x400 and 4x1000 at near max effort...well, I was hoping they'd be more "near" max effort as opposed to just plain "max effort!".

 Speedwork runs/track runs are always my favorite and most nerve wracking runs. I absolutely love the challenge, but I tend to get very nervous about them and worry worry worry, before AND during. I'm working on that though and am making brain progress, which I hope will enhance speed…

Pics of ultrarunners from the Prairie Spirit 100 and 50mi ultra this weekend.  Such an amazing day and change, with amazing people, well, family really. Saw true grit, shameless whining;), and the true spirit of humanity. You cannot look in the eyes of an ultrarunner during a race and not see amazing depth of character and emotion, you can truly see their soul, and it is always beautiful and humbling.…

Now I know that many of you already know and enbrace this, so please humour me.

It's not that I have been completely oblivious to the relationships between Heart Rate, Fatigue, Form, Foot and Leg Strength, Proformance, Mindset, Muscle Soreness etc but until I read The Cool Impossible and started the 15 Week Foundation Program as described in The Cool Impossible these linkages were not front and centre in my mind. They were there, a shadow, a knowing but not really…

4 x 7 min speed intervals today.

Nervous as always before speed work..At first glance the pace looked not too shabby to hold, but then, "what if you can't you hold that pace?" "you held a faster pace with these same intervals last year what if they are too hard, what does that mean about you?", Hello Walter! Of course I didn't recognize those thoughts yet, they were still more feelings squeezing around my chest as…

It was too beautiful a day to resist. Breathless, slightly chilly, but glorious spring sunshine; perfect running weather. And I had to go into town anyway, so I slipped quietly out of work and tried a cautious mile down to the bike shop. And I didn't collapse in agony on the side of the road. My knee held up pretty well, perhaps feeling very slightly sore in the last 100m or so. And I didn't seem to have forgotten running form, and with lots of things to think about it may even have…

After a few months off this winter to recharge and a few good blocks of training, I was ready for my 1st race. I was really excited to get on dirt and test my legs. I didn't have a time goal. My race plan was simple, don't go out too hard, ease up a little on the hills, and put it into another gear for the last 5k. Here is what I emailed to Eric.

I had a really good race. I learned how to push myself to another level

of pain. I will explain in a second.

I was 2nd in my age…

Yes, it is quite possible I have gone completely off the deep end but if you are willing to follow me, it should be entertaining at least! I thought about waiting to blog about Walter until I completely understand where I’m going with this, but writing helps me understand, so maybe we’ll…

Well, I've made the decision.....to try again! Here I am 52yrs old, hypertensive and never managed to run more than 7kms without injury! Most of the time I spent trying to run was with teeth gritted, just trying to finish! BUT.....I have this urge to run! I had finally given up trying and then I read your book. I now realise how little strength I have in my feet and legs and, because of this my form is more like a crab in reverse! So, here goes....strength training and trying to improve form…

Eric has been my coach for many years.  In the beginning, I was not a big fan of HR monitors.  It took some getting used to.  Now, it has become a great tool and gives me information about myself during my runs.  It has just been in the last few years that I have begun to appreciate my zone 2 runs.  

At first, I didn't pay much attention to them, they were just slow…

Ok sorry to mention Kangaroos again but....  I went for a longer run on Saturday as I try to do and on my merry way I came across a heap of roos, bounce bounce bounce, hmmm I started thinking about Erics description of running and how we are basically jumping (hope I have that right) Now roos are very graceful when they are going full swing and it looks effortless, their body is basically motionless and they just swing through with the legs, which optimises their energy retention (just like…

Thirty years ago, I was a teenage soccer and rugby fanatic. Quick on my feet, good sprinter and good strategist made a great pick for regional and local games. I was, to be fair, a kid in great shape.

Fast forward to five years ago.  Married, kids, work promotions, working through the night and week ends, eating on the run made me a successful yet unhappy and severely unhealthy, overweight forty-something man.

At that point, I chose to retake control of my life.…