Podcast: Episode 143 with Frank Lara

Mario Fraioli | January 11, 2021

“I think at Furman I ended up doing a lot on my own, just thinking, ‘Oh, I have to do all this stuff to be good.’ So I ended up overdoing a lot of things that I ultimately was kind of wearing myself out trying to get all this stuff done—just in my head to have an edge on everybody. But I think a big factor now is just that I’m letting myself recover and rest and I go into every race feeling super good and super fresh because I have taken the time to focus on letting my body relax and only stressing it out when it needs to be stressed. I think that’s been a big factor…I found that giving myself actual ample time to recover and rest has been the biggest change for me. I think it’s a big factor to the success I’m having now.”

Frank Lara is a professional runner for the Roots Running Project out of Boulder, Colorado. He also works part-time for Strava as a community management representative. Most recently, Frank paced 20 miles of The Marathon Project at sub-2:09 pace, just a couple weeks after running a massive personal best of 27:44 in the 10,000m. In 2020, he was named the U.S. 15K champion a few months after the winner of the race was sanctioned by USADA for a doping violation.

I enjoyed this conversation, which we recorded back in December, just a couple days before Frank’s pacing assignment at the Marathon Project. We talked about transitioning from collegiate to professional running, his biggest learnings as a pro, and developing the confidence to compete at the highest level of the sport. He also told me about learning how to rest, chasing his curiosities, and a lot more.

Frank Lara: Instagram | Twitter | Strava

the morning shakeout: Instagram | Twitter

Mario Fraioli: Website | Strava

This episode is brought to you by:

— Tracksmith: As we start 2021, Tracksmith continues their tradition of encouraging No Days Off — their annual call for patience, persistence and participation in running. Tracksmith is shipping a free NDO Poster with every order to encourage commitment to consistency, while supplies lasts, so get your order in today at Tracksmith.com. Additionally, they are offering new customers $15 off your first purchase of $75 or more when you use the code Mario15 at checkout.

Music and editing for this episode by John Summerford.