131. Uphill v. Downhill Pacing, Barefoot Running Benefits (Seriously), and Toughness!

This episode had it all, with some of the most fun training and life topics! We kicked it off with a training discussion that could improve your form and strength FOREVER... and it involves barefoot running. We are not ashamed to speak our barefoot running truth! The main training discussion is on a new study looking at 16,518 race results to determine whether uphill or downhill splits are the most important for race performance. The results may shock you! Other topics: 5 pieces of running news (including doping and race lotteries), novel approaches to tapers, podcast stats, flopping in soccer, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and what that means for authenticity, and much more!  We also talk about the performance-enhancing properties of country music. Yes, we officially reversed our position on country-pop playlists! We apologize for our past errors. You only hate the ones you secretly love. For a weekly bonus episode (and bi-weekly newsletter), make sure you're subscribed to our Patreon. We love you all! WOOHOO! Support the podcast: patreon.com/swap Try Athletic Greens: athleticgreens.com/swap