The Session

Episode 3 with Haftu Strintzos was recorded just weeks after pulling out of the Hamburg Marathon. He opens up about the injury that derailed his debut and how he’s slowly rebuilding the volume in his training. Haftu also shares what it was like growing up in a remote mountain village in Tigray, adapting to life in Australia, and the breakout race that put him on the map with his 60:36 at Marugame, now the third-fastest half marathon ever by an Australian. Enjoy!(0:00) - Intro(1:00) - Purpose of the session(2:15) - Haffie's injury in Hamburg Marathon(5:30) - Racing the Marugame Half Marathon in Japan(12:39) - Growing up in a remote mountain village in Tigray, Ethiopia.(20:18) - Moving to the US(22:48) - College racing in the US(26:15) - Personal struggles back home during the Ethiopian Civil War(33:48) - Focusing on the marathon

Episode 2 with Lauren Ryan was recorded just before she flew back to the States. Lauren talks about why her weekly mileage and Sunday long runs are non-negotiable, why running slow on recovery days matters just as much as training hard, and how consistency over time has been the biggest difference-maker in her career. She also opens up about her next chapter—relocating to Flagstaff and working with a new coach. Enjoy!

THE SESSION is our new long-form video podcast—hour-long episodes dropping on YouTube—where we catch up with some of Australia’s top athletes during their training sessions to give you an insight into their mindset, routines, and lives of these athletes. Episode 1 is with the Super Mullet himself, Seth O'Donnell doing one of his lactate threshold sessions on the treadmill.(0:00) - Intro(0:47) - Seth talks about the 5000m championship race.(2:29) - How he's increased his speed.(3:27) - 1500m race Seth won at Doncaster.(5:11) - How Seth approaches his training.(7:02) - What Seth found works and what doesn't work with his training.(9:03) - What is a training week look like?(10:30) - Warm up finishes(10:44) - Seth talks about the super shoe he uses.(11:25) - Start of threshold session 3 X 10min (60seconds recovery)(14:07) - Seth talks about drumming.(15:17) - What Seth was wearing during 5000m national championship race.(16:47) - Seth talks about the mullet.(17:30) - Physiotherapy work (19:16) - Why he likes the treadmill(20:22) - Future plans for the year(21:02) - End of rep 1(21:14) - Rep 2 at threshold(21:50) - Europe racing on the cards?(23:17) - Seth's team (24:04) - Non traditional approach to training.(26:13) - End of Rep 2(26:16) - Start of Rep 3 at threshold(26:50) - The mishaps at Nationals(27:41) - Mindset(29:00) - Nutrition and sleep focus.(29:53) - End of the session(30:43) - Cooldown(32:20) - Seth ended up in hospital(34:00) - Running outside(35:05) - Running in footy boots and how he got into running(38:37) - Seth's humility.(39:50) - End of the cooldown.Presented by NORTHSOUTH.New episodes plan to drop every fortnight. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel or follow THE SESSION wherever you listen to podcasts.