David & Megan Roche | State of Trail Running, Training Theory, Leadville, & Parenthood

Today we are joined by David Roche and Dr. Megan Roche for a fun and wide ranging conversation. David and Megan are top athletes, coaches, and co-hosts of the Some Work All Play podcast -- one of the most popular shows in running. We center the conversation around the state of trail running, sports science, and why it seems like everyone is getting significantly faster in the modern era. We also spend time talking about David and Megan's family life and athletic life, David's upcoming race at the Leadville 100, Megan's role as Co-Medical Research Director for the Western States 100, and parenthood as they prepare to welcome their second child.
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[@dastolh]

if you want some positivity in your life listen to david & megan

[@Freetrail]

Always a pick me up!

[@nikolamiljkovic6069]

100%.

[@usldghan9712]

being newbie 60ies age grouper this year I'm way to detached from "I wish I had all this intel at my command being 22" , I'm just freaking stoked still being active enough to explore the options and effects NOW, rejuvenating alone by having all these new playing fields to dig into - awesome trio

[@christopherorman5769]

Conversational Pace is awesome -- Brett and Finn (don't forget Finn!) deserve serious props for what they are doing for the trail community. I will say this, when they say they would race in a shoe (like the Zegama 2 -- which Finn used at Cocodona), it says something. When they say they wouldn't race in a certain shoe, that too is also telling.

[@Freetrail]

💯

[@adnanbajic1]

The pod combo everyone needed!!

[@Freetrail]

Thanks for listening!

[@LetsGoGregg]

Awesome pod So happy for you David 🦖 Megan & Leo. 👊

[@yetijoeyetijoe]

The way that she looks at him when he talks. Partner goals.

[@loganholmes7814]

love the Brett Hornig shoutout. listening to that dude talk about running shoes is like meditation to me. so important yet so unimportant. pure escapism.

[@sterlingsimmons8309]

Enjoyed every minute of this!

[@Grantmi1_trailrun]

Wow this was amazing, also watched the Conversational Pace today with David. So much good information and entertaining.

[@selfcoachedrunner]

So much great stuff to unpack here!

[@Freetrail]

Thank you!!

[@beakerconcepts]

Liked the wet shoe weight test, would love to see more data! Are those 2oz of wet while shoe is sitting ? Or being worn and then re weighed? So much fun data could be derived! But so many factors. But love the concept of the WET test

[@nickramey5733]

so all this tells me that if Anton back in the day ate and worked on cooling he would have won everything

[@oscarn1562]

Question for everyone, I really want to get more into trail running (im doing a 66km race at the end of September) but I find it difficult to train for incline as I don’t have a car or really any trails with more than 100m of vert over like 8km. Any ways to improve my hill running other than buying a car?

[@Freetrail]

Buying a car would help, but maybe the more affordable investment would be getting a membership at a gym with a treadmill that goes on a big incline!

[@kimaboe]

The gym membership and treadmill will help with the incline, but depending on the course, your biggest worry should maybe be to get some training for downhills too. I ran my first ultra distance in June on a fairly steep and technical course, and while I have much more incline/decline in my area found that it was not enough to properly condition my legs for the impact of going downhill for long stretches, so both my feet and quads really felt it after the steeper downhills. A friend of mine who was a pro mountain runner suggests doing a shock weekend if at all possible. This is a weekend about a month or so out from the race (or multiple such weekends if time allows) where you try to really hammer your legs by doing back-to-back days of long runs with loads of vert and downhills. In your case, I really think it would be worth renting a car and finding some good trails where you can get long inclines and fast downhills to make sure your legs get that experience. My friend would do this before the start of his race season when he lived in a non-mountainous region. I did one such weekend six weeks out, running half of the race course on a friday, and the last half the following morning, and I felt that it did help. Legs still got smashed, but lasted longer.

[@michaelhuntington29]

Do you think a generation growing up with super shoes will have a different running form than those who developed more naturally?

[@Freetrail]

interesting question.

[@toddboucher3302]

It’s really interesting because then at the end we are an experiment of one. I’ve never listening to Jeff Browning say one of his racist this year that he listen to other people and not himself and he started going heavier in the carbs and his race is falling apart, and he went back to his normal routine. I know me myself if I do not start fasted, I’m gonna have a bad day but I can do the first hour fast and then I start adding in the carbs and adding whatever it is I’m gonna be eating bacon. Have a good day and probably eating just as much but something when I start fall, I just don’t have the drive Set up during the day I don’t know but I guess it seems that I’ve talked to a doctor about this. He says he said you gotta find what works and do it he said but of course if you’re eating too much crap eventually that’s gonna pay back on you know you’re gonna have to pay to Piper on that one but it’s really interesting, great great talk

[@gabrieltate7755]

You guys talk so fast like you are on Adderal! 😂Strange

[@karenjones180]

Poor David’s face is cut off!

[@uloutdoors]

Pllz David, send me 50 bucks 🙏