Mario Fraioli is a running coach, writer, and podcaster who has helped athletes accomplish goals including first finish lines, personal bests, Boston Marathon qualifying times, national championship titles, Olympic Trials appearances, international podiums, world championship teams, national records, and the Olympic Games. He is a former senior editor of Competitor Magazine, and currently writes the morning shakeout weekly email newsletter and hosts the morning shakeout podcast, both great sources of information and inspiration for runners.
This is a very difficult time mentally for all of us who have had races canceled and are not sure when things will actually get back to normal. Mario has some great thoughts about adopting a flexible mindset during this time to reap some different benefits from running than you would while training for a big event. Mario shares with us some of the advice he gives to his athletes on how to approach training right now, including his thoughts around the fall marathons, events which may or may not actually happen.
We also find out why the sport of track and field frustrates Mario so much, how he feels about social media for athletes, if he’s participating in virtual races, and how running with his puppy, Tahoe, is going.
Questions Mario is asked:
2:16 With so much uncertainty about races this year, what gets you out the door and what advice do you have for others to keep up their fitness?
4:07 What kinds of changes are you making to your athletes’ schedules?
7:42 How do you think various types of stress affects training?
9:23 What can you tell us about your current running streak?
11:39 What advice or guidance do you have for people considering doing a running streak?
12:30 How hard is it to go to open-ended training from a very structured type of training regimen?
14:34 How do you compare the experience of personal running success to coaching your athletes to success?
15:55 Why do you think that in a sport millions of people participate in, that track and field is not more popular in the US?
25:02 We’ve just learned that Berlin is out for the fall, so now there are 4 major marathons planned in 8 weeks. Any predictions? Training advice for September Boston?
29:51 What are your thoughts on virtual races?
31:01 Do you have any tips for running with dogs?
32:15 What advice would you give yourself back when you started running?
33:29 What is the best gift running has given you?
34:34 How can people connect with you?
Quotes by Mario:
“The way that I’m thinking about training right now for everyone that I work with is that it needs to be sustainable and there is no point to trying to get really, really fit right now because you can’t hold that for very long.”
“Running gives me a sense of normalcy, a sense of routine, and it serves as the foundation for the rest of my day.”
“I know because I’ve been doing this for long enough that when I run first thing in the morning, even if I feel crappy, I never regret it and the rest of my day is better as a result.”
“I don’t, just in my life in general, don’t plan too, too far ahead. I think that’s a dangerous way to do things, so I like having just a little bit of structure, but I’m not super tied to it and if I need to pivot, I can do that pretty easily.”
“I get much more out of helping someone else get closer to their goal and being a part of their journey and seeing them do something that they didn’t think was possible, or helping pick them up when they’ve been down, than I do myself.”
“In general, athletes need to race more so that there’s a narrative to follow there if you’re a fan.”
Take a Listen on Your Next Run
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