We're here! It's race week for the Western States 100. This episode talks through how we're feeling before the moonshot. Hopefully there are helpful similarities to all of the big, scary things in your lives!

We also break down a new study that feels like the Manhattan Project of sports science, testing "replicability" in the field. You know it's serious when there are 99 authors! It found low replicability rates, particularly related to effect size, with massive implications for how we think about interpreting research.

Finally, we answer a question about building belief in life.

Thank you so much for being here along the journey! A year ago, this would have seemed unthinkable. But with the love and support of so many people lifting us up, here’s what we’ve learned in that time:

All big scary goals are unthinkable before they happen.

Training is the test, and racing is the celebration. Time to celebrate!

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life.” -Mary Oliver (Ollie’s namesake)

BELIEVE.

WILDLY.

PRECIOUSLY.

-David and Megan

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Our favorite episodes involve answering listener questions in a "no secrets" style. That means we might be right, we might be wrong, but we'll always be honest (and hairy!).

We started with a game theory analysis on how we think this year's Western States 100 will play out. This is the type of conversation that athletes have before every race, but they usually wouldn't play it out in public. We can check our work in 2 weeks!

And then we broke down tons of great questions! Topics: what drives us, messages from our younger selves, The Feed's new high carb mix that is resetting the cost curves, responders and non-responders to passive heat, going for it at the back of the pack, diagnosing and improving offsets between climbing and flats, adding passive heat v. adding more training, whether you need heat training in the summer, a couple hypotheticals on road and track athletes coming to trails, a spicy hypothetical on Kilian Jornet, adding weight vest training, balancing competition with self-acceptance, sub-ultra v. ultra for making the sport more accessible, getting into coaching, and the popularity of Park Run in the UK v. the US.

May your legs be carbed-up and may your hairs not be given names on a podcast. We love you all! Huzzah!

-David and Megan

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This episode was such a fun mix of science, emotions, and hot tubs that could cook a turkey! We started with some thoughts on Western States, less than 3 weeks out from the race. Does embracing the stage also mean embracing social media posts telling you that you aren’t being picked to perform well? Our argument channeling Tyrese Halliburton of the Indiana Pacers: the “noise” can be performance enhancing if you have fun with it!

The main science topic was a WILD study on the hot tub improving hemoglobin levels, resting heart rate, and altitude performance. It’s “wild” because the hot tub was set astonishingly high, with participants staying in for an astonishingly long time. I like my participants like I like my eggs: hard-boiled. We talk about what it means and why passive heat training might be the easiest advanced training intervention that goes beyond the basics.

And this one was full of our favorite topics! Other topics: a training trip out to the Western States course, Kilian Jornet searching for a pacer, Cam Jones consuming 185 grams of carbs per hour on his way to winning Unbound Gravel, Jessie Diggins’ amazing poem on fueling her body to take a hit, a study on ketones and altitude that found no benefits, using downhills to improve strength for flat running, and a genetic link between muscle stiffness and strains, plus a Q+A on the new OTQ standards getting faster for men (we don’t like it), whether to GO FOR IT if going for it might not lead to your big goals, a hypothetical about gold medalist Kristian Blummenfelt at a mountain race, and heat and family planning.

The episode finishes up with questions about alcohol and celebrity-flavored bathwater. It’ll make sense soon. Maybe.

We love you all! A unit for a unit,

-David and Megan

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