From a 3:48 Mile to the Mud of Nationals ā Gary Martinās Full Plan to Win NCAA XC (Training, Tactics, Mindset)
Few athletes have risen as fastāor raced as fearlesslyāas Gary Martin.Now a senior at the University of Virginia, he has evolved into a consistent national contender with personal bests that rank among the fastest in collegiate history. His 3:32.03 1500m at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships placed him sixth against the nationās best, while his 3:48.82 indoor mile at the Millrose Games stunned the sport and highlighted his breakthrough season.Ā He also anchored UVA to its first NCAA indoor distance medley relay title with a 3:48.12 split indoors; he is a runner with impressive range, holding PRs of 13:16.82 for 5000m and 1:47.46 for 800m.Affiliated with UVA and Brooks Running through an NIL partnership, Martin credits strength-based training and heavy threshold work as the engine behind his speed.Ā With the cross country season underway, he opened with a 22:51 8k at the Gans Creek ClassicĀ and wasĀ named ACC Performer of the Week, underscoring his momentum heading into the championship season.Ā At just 21 years old, his trajectory reflects both resilience and the promise of a future star well beyond Charlottesville.Tap into the Gary Martin Special.Ā Ā If you enjoy the podcast, pleaseĀ consider followingĀ us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts andĀ givingĀ us a five-star review!Ā I would also appreciate it if youĀ share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.Ā Comment the word āPODCASTā belowĀ andĀ Iāll DM you a link to listen.Ā If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!S H O WĀ N O T E S-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!):Ā https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs-BUY MERCH BEFORE ITāS GONE:Ā https://shop.therunningeffect.run-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.runĀ -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE:Ā https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ-My Instagram:Ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=enā ā ā ā ā ā -Take our podcast survey:Ā https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz
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Fix Your Plateau: Alex Ostberg on the Real Reasons Youāre Not Improving (and How to Turn Bad Days Into Breakthroughs)
The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!):Ā https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rsProgress in running is rarely smooth, often unpredictable, and sometimes shaped most by the days weād rather forget.Alex Ostberg is back again to discuss ideas that every runner will recognize but few stop to articulate. The Run Down recap is here and full of gold once again.From the unseen pitfalls that quietly derail progress, to the illusions we cling to about steady improvement, to the challenge of bracing for what we cannot predict. And when it comes to bad days, the ones we often wish away, Alex makes the case that they might hold more value than we think.The beauty of these conversations lies not in polished answers, but in the back-and-forth exploration.Ā Dominic pushes Alex to expand, clarify, and ground his reflections in the messy reality of training and racing, whileĀ Alex offers insights that invite listeners to look at their own running in a new light.ThisĀ is not just a recap: itās an invitation to sit in on a thoughtful exchange between writer and reader, athlete and coach, runner and thinker. Press play, lean in, and expect to leave with more questions than you started with.Tap intoĀ the The RundownĀ Recap Special.Ā Ā If you enjoy the podcast, pleaseĀ consider followingĀ us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts andĀ givingĀ us a five-star review!Ā I would also appreciate it if youĀ share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.Ā Comment the word āPODCASTā belowĀ andĀ Iāll DM you a link to listen.Ā If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!S H O WĀ N O T E S-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!):Ā https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.runĀ -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE:Ā https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ-My Instagram:Ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=enā ā ā ā ā ā -Take our podcast survey:Ā https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz
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Dathan Ritzenhein's Championship Blueprint: From Beamish's World Title to Nuguse's World Record and Obiri's BostonāInside OAC's System for Winning
Dathan Ritzenhein has lived two lives in running: first as one ofĀ America'sĀ most decorated distance runners, and now as the head coach of the On Athletics Club (OAC).Ā As a coach, Ritzenhein has been at the center of some of theĀ sport'sĀ biggestĀ moments in recent years. Under his leadership, Yared Nuguse set the indoor mile world record on Feb 8, 2025 (3:46.63) before it was lowered five days later by Jakob Ingebrigtsen and stormed down NewĀ York'sĀ Fifth Avenue to win the storied road mile that fall.Ā On the roads,Ā he'sĀ masterminded HellenĀ Obiri'sĀ back-to-back Boston Marathon victories in 2023 and 2024, and helped her remain a fixture at the front in 2025 when SharonĀ Lokedi'sĀ course-record run edged her for the win.Before he was a world-class coach, Ritzenhein was one of the fastest Americans ever. A three-time Olympian, he set the U.S. record in the 5,000 meters in 2009 with a blazing 12:56.27, claimed bronze at the World Half Marathon Championships that same year inĀ exactlyĀ one hour, and ran 2:07:47 for the marathon in Chicago in 2012.From Boulder, Colorado, he now leads a team that competes and wins at every distance from the 1500 meters to the marathon.Tap into the Dathan Ritzenhein Special.Ā Ā If you enjoy the podcast, pleaseĀ consider followingĀ us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts andĀ givingĀ us a five-star review!Ā I would also appreciate it if youĀ share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.Ā Comment the wordĀ "PODCAST"Ā belowĀ andĀ I'llĀ DM you a link to listen.Ā If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!S H O WĀ N O T E S-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!):Ā https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs-BUY MERCH BEFOREĀ IT'SĀ GONE:Ā https://shop.therunningeffect.run-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.runĀ -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE:Ā https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ-My Instagram:Ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=enā ā ā ā ā ā -Take our podcast survey:Ā https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz
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Joey Pointer (Fleet Feet CEO): How Data + Community Built a 300-Store Running Retail Powerhouse
Fleet Feet CEO Joey Pointer has made a career of combining community-driven retail with cutting-edge data insights.His journey into running retailĀ wasn'tĀ a straight line. Raised on a North Carolina farm, he began his professional life in accounting at Ernst & Young before joining Fleet Feet in 2004 as a financial manager.Ā Over the next decade, he rose through the ranks: Director of Operations, CFO, and ultimately CEO in 2017. Along the way, he transformed Fleet Feet from a small specialty chain into a national leader with nearly 300 stores.What sets Pointer apart is his conviction that data can differentiate running retail. Under his leadership, Fleet Feet launched fit idĀ® 3D scanning across its stores in 2017, collecting millions of scans to personalize footwear like never before.Ā Of course, growthĀ hasn'tĀ come without challenges.Ā Pointer has been candid about navigating competitive pressures from powerhouse brands like On, Nike, and Hoka, while also integrating major acquisitionsĀ likeĀ JackRabbit and Marathon Sports.In recent months, Fleet Feet hasĀ kept expanding, marking anniversaries across nearly 300 shops in 2025 andĀ pushingforward with its goal to make community-based retail thrive in the digital age.Ā Pointer also deepened his community ties, joining the national board of Girls on the Run International, reflecting his belief that running should be a force for good.Tap into the Joey Pointer Special.Ā Ā If you enjoy the podcast, pleaseĀ consider followingĀ us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts andĀ givingĀ us a five-star review!Ā I would also appreciate it if youĀ share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.Ā Comment the wordĀ "PODCAST"Ā belowĀ andĀ I'llĀ DM you a link to listen.Ā If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!S H O WĀ N O T E S-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!):Ā https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs-BUY MERCH BEFOREĀ IT'SĀ GONE:Ā https://shop.therunningeffect.run-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.runĀ -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE:Ā https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ-My Instagram:Ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=enā ā ā ā ā ā -Take our podcast survey:Ā https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz
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Exclusive: Andreas Almgren on the Untold Details Behind His Tokyo World BronzeāAnd the Inside Plan to Chase the European Half Marathon Record in Valencia
Andreas Almgren returns to the show, this time fresh off a bronze in the 10,000 meters at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.ThisĀ markedĀ SwedenāsĀ first World Championships medal in a long-distance track eventāand theĀ nationāsĀ first ever in the 10,000m. For Almgren, it was the culmination of a journey from middle-distance prodigy to one ofĀ EuropeāsĀ most versatile runners.He burst onto the scene with a World U20 bronze in the 800m in 2014, followed by a 1:45.59 personal best in 2015 after setting the Swedish U20 record (1:45.65) in 2014.In January 2025, Almgren became the first European to break 27 minutes for 10,000m on the road, clocking 26:53 in Valencia. Months later, he ran 12:44.27 in Stockholm to break the European 5,000m record. He also holds Swedish records of 13:05 in the 5,000m on the road and 59:23 for theĀ half marathon.His Tokyo bronze now sits alongside these marks, proof he can pair records with championship hardware.As of September 2025, Almgren is preparing for Valencia again, this time to chase the EuropeanĀ half marathonĀ record of 59:13. At 30, he stands at the peak of his powers,Ā showingĀ how patience and adaptability can redefine both an athlete and the record books.Tap into the Andreas Almgren Special.Ā Ā If you enjoy the podcast, pleaseĀ consider followingĀ us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts andĀ givingĀ us a five-star review!Ā I would also appreciate it if youĀ share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.Ā Comment the wordĀ āPODCASTāĀ belowĀ andĀ IāllĀ DM you a link to listen.Ā If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!S H O WĀ N O T E S-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!):Ā https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.runĀ -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE:Ā https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ-My Instagram:Ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=enā ā ā ā ā ā -Take our podcast survey:Ā https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz
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