262. Western States Pressure, Passive Heat and Hemoglobin, Using Downhills to Build Strength, New OTQ Standards, and Fueling To Take A Hit!

Some Work, All Play

David Roche and Megan Roche

Sports, Running

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2025

⏱️ 102 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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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Transcript

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0:00.0	Woo. Welcome to the Sunwork All Play podcast. We are so happy to do with you today. Happy Tuesday. It's
0:05.7	Tuesday. And the pressure is on on this Tuesday. Oh, the pressure is on. What are you talking about?
0:10.5	It's coming from the fact that you are about to get on a plane and it's Monday. You're heading to
0:15.1	the Western States Force and so we got to record this podcast. We can do it. Yeah. Well, first, I'm so looking forward to getting to talk to you
0:21.8	for 90 minutes here because we're not going to be together for two full days. I have never been away
0:26.7	from baby Ollie since he was born almost six months ago. It's going to be so strange to have time in the day.
0:32.1	It's also going to be so strange because I'm sure as you were packing up for the trip, it was probably so simple. It took me 90 seconds to pack.
0:38.7	Yeah.
0:39.3	Are you bringing anything more than a book bag?
0:41.6	Oh, God, no.
0:42.6	God, no.
0:42.9	I'm debating whether I can just fit it all in one plastic baggie.
0:47.0	Actually, did you fit?
0:48.0	How did you pack all of your gels?
0:49.6	Just one plastic baggie.
0:50.6	Yeah. I'm going to like go for it and do it and carry on, not check
0:55.3	bugge. So hopefully they don't take my gels. I'm going to have to get very creative, but...
0:58.9	If they do, you better shotgun that gel in the airport. It's not worth sacrificing like $16
1:03.2	worth of gels or whatever the cost comes out to. Megan, I brought $100 worth of jails. You
1:07.3	want me to shotgun all of that at once? Maybe. GI training. Who knows? Maybe that'll be the new frontier performance. But yes, heading to the
1:15.9	course, very excited. I didn't want to. You know, I wanted to stay home with the family and
1:20.1	you're like, you have to go. You have to see the canyons part of the Western States course.
	...

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