Sally McRae is known worldwide for her mental fortitude and ability to push through extreme discomfort.

As a professional mountain and ultra runner for Nike, Sally is a two-time Top 10 Western States finisher, the Badwater 135 Champion, Tarawera 100 Champion, Mozart 100 Champion and Moab 240 Champion. Sally is also an author, podcast host, business owner, and a strength and running coach.

In this episode, Sally and I talk about:

• The pros of using a treadmill for distance training
• The whole body needs to be strong for endurance races, not just the muscles
• How Sally structures strength training depending on the race season to build muscle and endurance
• Mobility, stretching, and hip and glute work to combat the weakening effects of sedentary lifestyles
• Training for 200-mile races, including eating and sleeping strategies, gear, and mental prep
• The mental aspect of long distances can make or break a runner's performance
• Power hiking and weight training for 200-mile ultra preparation
• Mental muscles, believing in your potential, and focusing on the story you want to tell yourself
• Sally's first experience with foot and heel blisters during the Cocodona 250
• Training for the Western States Endurance Run

Listen to this episode to hear from one of the most hardcore and kindest runners you'll ever meet.

Links & Resources from the Show:

• Sally McRae on Instagram
• The Choose Strong Podcast
• Sally on YouTube
• Sally's mobile app
• Sally's book, "CHOOSE STRONG: The Choice That Changes Everything"
• Access the free course to help you master your mindset during training and races.

Thank you AG1!
We’re also supported by AG1, the greens superfood mix. This is a category-leading greens mix that has 75 vitamins and minerals, prebiotics, probiotics, antioxidants, and adaptogens. It’s recommended by professional athletes and has over 7,000 positive reviews.

One scoop per day is what I’ve been doing to help me fill in any nutrition gaps in my diet. It also provide a nice boost of energy and focus throughout the day. With all 3 of my kids in school, I know I need to support my immune system or else I’m getting sick and can’t train.

I also love that AG1 has changed over the last decade. They’ve made 53 improvements to the formula based on the latest research to make these nutrients more absorbable and rigorous with the 3rd party testing that they do.

For our listeners, they are offering a year’s worth of free Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs of AG1 with your first purchase. You can sign up for single shipment or for a monthly drop – the choice is yours. Check out AG1 to redeem your offer today.

Thank you MOBO Board!
Invented by renowned physical therapist Jay Dicharry, MOBO helps you stabilize your stance with an innovative rocker board that’s set up on two fins. The design effectively forces you to drive your big toe into the board to improve your stability. I was pretty arrogant going into my first session on the MOBO Board. How hard can it be to balance, right? Well, I was humbled pretty quickly!

Even if you’re a good runner, better balance, stability, and proprioception is going to help you have a more powerful stride and prevent more running injuries. You’ll learn how to improve the efficiency of the kinetic chain from your hip to your big toe. Because as Jay likes to say, it’s not just how strong you are, but how well you use that strength.

I was recently at a weekend physical therapy workshop (lol I was the only running coach) and learned how important (and rare) this simple movement is. Save 10% with code STRENGTHRUN10 at checkout at moboboard.com.

We're switching it up a bit this week so you can listen to the episode of The Drop where I was the guest!

The Drop is hosted by Thomas Neuberger, Meaghan Murray, and Robbie Reddinger. Robbie wasn’t on this episode, but I had a great time chatting with Thomas and Meaghan and thought you'd enjoy a listen.

We talked about:

• Preventing injury while high mileage training with proper warm-ups and cool downs
• Problem-solving in running: motivation, plateaus, and improving performance
• How training for a marathon can help build self-efficacy in the rest of life
• The difference in pain between a 5k and a marathon
• Pacing and challenges in short-distance races
• Recovery strategies post-marathon and for aging runners
• How men and women differ in running and strength training
• The evolution of Strength Running over the years
• Setting realistic running goals
• Experimenting with different running shoes and finding the right ones for you

Thanks to the team at The Drop for generously letting me publish this episode!

Links & Resources from the Show:

• Believe in the Run
• The Drop Podcast
• The Performance Training Journal
• Get the free strength training email series to lift like elite runners.

Thank you to 2Before!

We are supported by 2Before, a powerful sports supplement made from New Zealand Blackcurrants designed to increase endurance, manage inflammation, support immunity, and promote adaptation. 2Before helps to boost performance by increasing blood flow, making it more efficient for the body to pump oxygenated nutrient-rich blood into the muscles.

So, if you want to try to boost your performance and immune system, use code JASON for 30% off 20 packs and multi-serve packs at 2Before.com.

Thank you to 2Before for supporting Strength Running!

Thanks to The Performance Training Journal!

The Performance Training Journal is now available on Amazon and debuted as the #4 new release in the running category. Since I started running in 1998, I’ve kept a hardcopy training journal. Holding a tangible log, writing in it daily, and reflecting on the ups and downs of running is a surefire way to improve.

This hardcopy training journal helps you focus on the training metrics that matter, prioritizes a long-term outlook so you don’t take any shortcuts, and maintains your motivation with strategic self-praise. With a no-frills, functional design, the Performance Training Journal includes coaching advice on racing, injury prevention, strength training, and more. It will guide you through race scheduling, how to plan your race morning, the best workouts for endurance runners, and encourage you to track your personal bests over time.

You have the space to make this journal your own whether you're a new runner or a professional, a trail or road runner, or a mid-distance specialist or ultra marathoner.⁣ So don't just track your running, learn from it with the Performance Training Journal! Check it out today on Amazon.