Matt Fitzgerald is the author of well-known books like 80/20 endurance and in his most recent book titled “Chasing Mastery”, he provides 25 lessons to reach your full athletic potential.

During the episode, we discussed topics including:

• What it means to achieve mastery of your sport
• What are the habits of elite athletes that succeed in reaching their full potential
• Why keeping your training fun and hard is key to staying motivated
• How to top athletes succeed using very different training strategies
• Why personal character matters when it comes to improving as an athlete
• What Matt’s personal pursuit of mastery has looked like as a non-elite runner and author

Matt makes it clear that mastering running has nothing to do with talent. Instead, he shows how anyone can become your best self as a person and athlete.

Chasing Mastery book purchase: https://8020books.com/product/chasing-mastery/

80/20 endurance coaching and training resources: https://www.8020endurance.com/8020-endurance-books-best-training-resources/

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This week’s show brought to you by:

Lagoon

Lagoon specializes in making pillows designed specifically for runners and athletes to help them optimize their sleep and recovery.

Their sleep quiz pairs you with the perfect pillow for you based on sleep position, body size and more.

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MAS Iron

Outside of training deficiencies, low iron is one of the most common reasons for poor results during workouts and races.

Recent research indicates that almost 56% of male runners and 86% of female runners suffer from an iron deficiency that severely hampers performance.

The problem with eating iron-rich foods or supplementing with traditional iron supplements is that iron is notoriously difficult for the body to absorb and utilize.

In fact, only about 25% of dietary iron found in animal sources is absorbed while 17% or less of the iron from plant sources is absorbed.

But MAS Iron has found a way to combat these absorption issues to ensure you can get the iron you need for health and performance.

By combining the most efficiently absorbed form of elemental iron with clinically proven ingredients to aid in absorption, MAS Iron performs like no other iron product on the market.

In fact, clinical research has shown the combination of ingredients in MAS Iron can quadruple absorption and increase bioavailability by 30%, all while reducing GI issues by 50%.

Check out the research and the results for yourself at masedge.com/iron. Runnersconnect fans will automatically save 20% on any purchase.

You’re not going to gain much fitness in the last few days before a race but nailing your carb load can give a huge boost in performance.

We’re bringing together registered dietician Travis Wilson and running coach Andie Cozzarelli to help you master the art of the carb load with topics including:

• How long before race day you need to start increasing your carb intake
• How to know how many carbs your body needs
• Whether to focus on whole grains or fast-absorbing simple carbs like pasta and white bread
• Examples of what to eat at each point in the carb load as your race approaches
• How to fix common fueling problems like cramping and GI upset

Making carbs your friend will help you to hit your paces for longer without feeling fatigued and Travis helps us to understand the science behind how this works.

metpro.co

3 Ways to Effectively Carb Loading Before a Race - Runners Connect

Glycogen Calculator - How Many Grams of Crabs you Need to Avoid Hitting the Wall

Connect, Comment, Community

• Follow RunnersConnect on Instagram
• Join the Elite Treatment where you get first dibs on everything RTTT each month!
• Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community
• RunnersConnect Facebook page
• GET EXPERT COACHING AT RUNNERSCONNECT!

This week’s show brought to you by:

Previnex Joint Health Plus

Joint Health Plus from Previnex is clinically proven to reduce joint pain, joint stiffness,and improve joint flexibility in 7-10 days.

In fact, it is clinically proven to be up to 5 times more beneficial than glucosamine and chondroitin alone or in combination.

I saw immediate results when I started using Joint Health Plus and that’s why I reached out to Previnex to see if we could put together an offer for you guys.

If you’re suffering from joint pain or simply want to get a jump start on protecting your joint health as you get older, head to runnersconnect.net/joint and use the code RTTT15 to save 15% on your first order.

Pique

We’ve done quite a few podcast episodes on the performance benefits of caffeine.

But, if you’re like many runners I know, pre-run coffee often leaves you with jitters or stomach issues.

That’s why I was so excited when I found Nandaka by Pique—the ultimate coffee alternative designed to power your runs, your training, and your recovery.

So, what makes Nandaka different?

Most so-called “coffee alternatives” don’t actually provide functional energy. But Nandaka is built for endurance

Unlike coffee, which spikes your energy and leaves you crashing mid-run, Nandaka fuels you with steady, sustained endurance—no spikes, no crashes, just clean energy that lasts.

Nandaka provides its caffeine from fermented probiotic teas, which provide a slow-release caffeine that prevents jitters and gives you sustained release for those long runs workouts.

It also contains cordyceps mushrooms, which help boost VO2 max, delivering more oxygen to your muscles for better endurance

Plus, the probiotic teas mean no digestive distress like you often get with coffee.

If you’re tired of running on fumes—or worse, running on coffee crashes—it’s time to make the switch.

Right now, Pique is offering 20% off for life AND a free Starter Kit with your first purchase.

Go to Piquelife.com/run and start running on real energy today.

Your legs, your lungs, and your PRs will thank you