“The first interval of the set is almost always the rustiest interval… often times that can kill your confidence for the rest of the workout.” – Mario Fraioli on The Extramilest Show #137
We’re running “Back to Basics 30” right now in the Personal Best Program, a 30-day challenge helping runners build consistent habits around sleep, daily movement, nutrition, and strength. The progress people are seeing has been real. Join here: https://www.skool.com/
Mario Fraioli is a running coach who has worked with everyone from beginners to a elites. In this episode, he shares how to introduce speed work, use hills to build strength, run strong in your 40s and beyond, and keep the joy in running while chasing your next personal best.
Click HERE to watch the full video with Mario Fraioli.
► CLICK HERE to watch this new video.
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Topics covered:
- 00:00 — Smarter training with Mario Fraioli
- 01:15 — Building better habits with the Personal Best challenge
- 02:21 — Mario’s training fundamentals: Think like an athlete
- 11:32 — Keeping your training simple
- 13:20 — How self-talk shapes your running
- 15:20 — Balancing running data and managing training stress
- 20:36 — Building a training week around a busy schedule
- 22:23 — Why short runs still count
- 25:08 — How to introduce speed work with strides
- 28:35 — Precision Fuel & Hydration Sponsorship
- 29:45 — Getting comfortable with faster running
- 32:06 — The mile repeat progression workout
- 38:14 — The “throwaway 400” warm-up trick
- 41:04 — Using hills to build strength and speed
- 44:13 — Downhill training and varying your strides
- 46:17 — Behind a Western States champion’s training and recovery
- 50:19 — Why a predictable routine improves training
- 56:20 — Running strong in your 40s and beyond
- 1:02:17 — Keeping easy days truly easy
- 1:02:58 — Getting started with strength training as you age
- 1:06:52 — Common mistakes recreational runners make
- 1:09:09 — Where to find Mario
- 1:10:27 — How to become a stronger, healthier & happier athlete
- 1:13:01 — Closing Thoughts
A few quotes from my conversation with Mario Fraioli:
- “Once you get fancy, fancy gets broken.”
- “You will believe whatever story you tell yourself about yourself, period.”
- “It’s impossible to be the best runner you can be, the best parent you can be, the best employee that you can be, the best partner that you can be, all at once.”
- “I take my easy days incredibly easy… I bounce back quicker because I’m just not hanging out in that gray zone all that much.”
- “How we talk about ourselves really makes a difference in terms of how effective our training can be.”
- “Joy does not just come from setting a personal best. If you tie your joy to that, you’re not going to be in this game for a long time.”
Hope you enjoy this new video, CLICK HERE to watch it.
Cheers,
Coach Floris Gierman
P.S. This episode is brought to you by Precision Fuel & Hydration! I’ve been using their energy gels and electrolytes for years, and they’ve become a staple in my race day and long run nutrition strategy. Dialing in your nutrition can make a massive difference in both your performance and enjoyment on race day. I personally aim for 90g of carbs per hour, which works out to three of their gels per hour. Each gel contains 30g of carbs, they’re easy on the stomach, and the flavor is mild enough that you won’t hit that dreaded flavor fatigue deep into a marathon or ultra. Use code FLO26 to get 15% off your first order at https://visit.pfandh.com/extramilestshow
