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What valuable race-day lesson could a runner possibly learn from a gastropod mollusk AKA snail?  On this mini episode we share the tale of a determined little snail with big dreams of finishing a marathon. After months of training, doubt clouds the snail's mind on the eve of the race. The moral of this slimy yet uplifting tale will resonate with anyone struggling to stay the course.  The journey of this ambitious snail will warm your heart and give you the motivation to slug it out, step-by-step.

On this episode, we explore a topic often underestimated but vital for endurance sports – sleep.  In a world where nutrition and exercise usually claim the spotlight, we're here to shed light on the underrated role that sleep plays in optimizing health and fitness.  But why focus on sleep?  Have you ever considered that sleep might be more influential than both food and exercise combined? The renowned Shawn Stevenson, a nutritionist and former collegiate track athlete, suggests just that.  To help explain how sleep impacts your endurance journey.  we brought together Dr. Lori McGee Koch, an occupational therapist and lead coach for CES's run program, and  Dr. Elise Toth from Align Modern Health, a functional medicine provider known for a holistic approach to health.  Your host, Ryan Caturan, CES's lead coach at Lincoln Square and Director of Community Partnerships with Aligned Modern Health, guides this discussion.

As an endurance athlete nutrition is a crucial aspect of our preparation as it provides the energy we need for running, triathlons, and other endurance sports. In this episode, we'll be focusing on nutrition for long-distance running, but fear not, the insights we share can be applied to various endurance sports like triathlon, swimming, and cycling. We are delighted to have an exceptional group of experts joining us for this conversation. From Align Modern Health, we welcome Dr. Lexi Mikrut and Dr. Blake Butler and representing Chicago Endurance Sports, we have the pleasure of having Coach Ryan and Coach Amanda on board. Together, their expertise promises to enrich our discussion on endurance athlete nutrition. If you're ready to elevate your athletic performance through the right nutrition strategy, tune in to this episode for expert advice, practical tips, and inspiring stories from athletes who've been where you are. Together, we'll embark on a nourishing journey to reach your endurance goals. Thank you all for joining us today. Let's kick off this episode and fuel your athletic aspirations! Stay tuned for a power-packed session!

The one thing that has always made the Chicago Endurance Sports training experience stand out is its diverse and experienced team of coaches. Individually our coaches bring unique experiences and expertise, and as a team are able to relate and assist to every type of athlete.  On this mini episode of the Chicago Endurance Sports podcast you'll get to meet several of our 2023 Summer running coaches as they share some tips and advice to help you navigate the challenge summer training session. 

Summer Marathon/ Half Marathon is our biggest and longest train program of the year, and with it come some of the biggest excitement and anticipation. To get thing off to an energetic start we have assembled this episode to introduce you to this season lead coaches as well as go over some of the basics that we believe will be useful as we kick-off the 2023 summer running season. If you are new to Chicago Endurance Sports, we highly recommend you check out our New Member Orientation episode, where we go into detail about how CES training is structured.

Coach Violet is here to pump you up for marathon day with her valuable insights, experience, and positive spirit in this bonus mini-episode .

Marathon Race Week can be full of excitement and anticipation, but also can be a source of worry and stress. On this episode of the Chicago Endurance Sports Podcast Coach Cynthia, Coach Lori, and Coach Michael do their best to help navigate you safely through the final week leading up to your race. Their conversation covers the dos and don’ts of your activity and nutrition on the days leading up to race day, setting race goals, your visit to the race expo, race morning, and much much more. And of course, they have fun too. This episode  references  a few previous episode you can listen to in the archives or by using these links: Marathon Race Strategies https://www.buzzsprout.com/1117280/9308750 Prepping Your Mind For Running Success https://www.buzzsprout.com/1117280/4237271

While we tend to accept that being able to perfect most athletic skills requires investing time into practicing and performing drills, most of us give little thought into how we run. This might be due to the fact that running is a skill we don’t even remember learning, and is an activity we can do passively. The purpose of talking about Good Form Running ( GFR) is to make you conscious of how you run instead of just going through the motion.  For this episode we repurposed the contentment from Coach Randy's fantastic video series on Good Form Running as a way to provide another avenue for you to become familiar with the topic. The ideas and concepts behind Good Form Running will be referenced by your coaches all season. The aforementioned video series of  Good Form Running goes more in depth on the topic and we highly encourage you take the time to check tt out at your convenience. You can find it here. Intro https://tinyurl.com/4bb2jhkbPosture https://tinyurl.com/2p98m4z3Foot Strike https://tinyurl.com/pdtu3n6xStride https://tinyurl.com/3mz7ywe7Cadence https://tinyurl.com/2p8a8uac

Attempting anything for the first time can elicit many emotions ranging from apprehension to  giddy excitement to cold-sweat terror. On this episode we are talking about the journey to your first marathon. No matter your background or experience, taking on the challenge of running a marathon is a daunting undertaking, especially for first-timers. We thought it would be beneficial to have a conversation at the start of the training season to help you avoid common mistakes, dispel pre-conceptions, and hopefully alleviate some of those first-time jitters. We hope this conversation aids in setting you up for success as you begin your journey to the start-line of your first marathon. References: New Member Orientation Goal Setting

So you registered to train with Chicago Endurance Sports, and now you are thinking “What have I gotten myself into”.  It is understandable to feel a little anxious when taking on a new challenge, but relax we have got you covered. On this episode of the Chicago Endurance Sports podcast we will try to answer many of the questions you may have as you begin your CES journey. We’ll discuss how CES does things and what to expect  from your CES training program so you feel comfortable as you get started training with us. We’ll go over how CES intends to support you through communications and staff, how your training is assigned and structured, what to expect from group workouts, and answers to some commonly asked questions participants have.  This is a must listen for those new to Chicago Endurance Sports, and a great refresher for those returning alumni.

On this episode Coach Emily, Coach Michael, and Coach Ryan discuss the role of Spring Training and how you might leverage it to assist you in your short and long term running goals. Whether you have been training through the winter or taking some time off of running, Spring  Training offer many unique opportunities runners of all levels. What makes Spring Training unique? What special opportunities does Spring present for the  novice and experienced runner?  Whether you have already committed to Spring Training or are still on the fence, this episode should supply a lot for you to think about. Some of the topics covered in this episode include: The Role of Training CyclesSuccessfully emerging from Training HibernationUse Base Training For PrehabLaying  the Groundwork for Summer Fall Goals Getting the Most Out Of The SeasonReference: Prepping Your Mind for Running Success

On this episode, Coach Michael walks you through twenty race day strategies, ten on-course and ten mental, to assist you in your Marathon journey. You've done all the training and your bodies are well prepared to cover the distance, now its time to equip yourself with strategies to assist in having the best raceday possible.