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Episode 243: Sebastian Junger on Running, Writing, and Not Negotiating With Yourself

In this episode, bestselling author Sebastian Junger talks about his background in running as well as how it's shaped his identity and framed his perspective on writing and life. We also discussed how his relationship to running has evolved over the years, the parallels between competitive running and being in combat — "There's nothing like fear and exhaustion to wipe out your ego," he explains — how he got his start as a journalist and eventually author, the race he's spent his entire life training for, and a lot more.

Episode 239: Vincent Bouillard on UTMB, His Life in Sport, and What’s Next

In this conversation, which was recorded in early October 2024, Vincent Bouillard told me what life's been like since his big victory and what may or may not change for him moving forward. We discussed his life as an athlete and how he honed his focus from a young age. He told me about his relationship with his wife, Kamilah Journét, who appeared on this podcast in 2020, why he shifted his focus to ultras a a few years ago, how he trained for UTMB, and a lot more.

Podcast: Episode 238 | Ask Mario Anything

This week on the podcast I sat down with my right-hand man Chris Douglas and answered reader and listener questions about the updated Boston Marathon qualifying standards, balancing gym sessions with running workouts, how to better manage long runs when you’re an older athlete, what is exciting me most in running at the moment, advice for aspiring coaches, and a lot more.

Workout of the Week

Workout of the Week: The Mona Fartlek

The Mona Fartlek can also serve as a good 20-minute benchmark session every 4-6 weeks by simply comparing your total distance and overall average pace (and heart rate and power, if you’re into those sorts of things) from one attempt to the next. What I love about this session is that it’s efficient and versatile: it can be done anywhere and you can make it as hard or an easy as you need/want it to be.

Workout of the Week: The 3 x 3 Cutdown

We're in the midst of marathon season which means the long run takes on an extra level of importance if you're training to race 26.2 miles. The 3 x 3 Cutdown is one of my favorite go-to long runs to help develop the specific fitness and skills necessary to succeed on race day. Here are the details:

Workout of the Week: Mile Repeat Progressions

One-mile repeats are a bread-and-butter session for distance runners prepping to race 5K, the marathon, or anything in between. Every once in a while I like to mix up the intensity and recovery a bit to work on both stamina and speed while also keeping my athletes more engaged throughout the workout.

runners on an outdoor track