From War Zones to Ultra Podiums: How Running Makes Joshua Stevens Thrive - RTTT 2020-02-12
Run to the Top Podcast | The Ultimate Guide to Running
RunnersConnect: Coaching Community, Running Experts, Inspiring Runners, No Fluff Blog
4.5 • 936 Ratings
🗓️ 12 February 2020
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
From War Zones to Ultra Podiums: How Running Makes Joshua Stevens Thrive
In this episode, Coach Claire digs in to find out how Joshua went from that shocking diagnosis to running his first ultra at age 44, and eventually becoming the Badwater Ultra Cup Champion. We also learn how he approaches training and injury prevention, his plant-based nutrition, and how he could run for 24 hours on a treadmill.
Joshua has incredible insight and is an inspiration, even if you don't plan on running any farther than a local 5K. His experiences overcoming his injury, racing for 24 hours, and helping to pace and crew for friends are enlightening and huge confidence builders.
Questions Joshua is asked:
4:42 How do you look at aging and running performance?
6:27 What percentage of your training goes to all the 'extra' things beyond actually running?
7:17 How can people learn to stop worrying and love the treadmill?
9:38 What was it like to go through your spinal injury, receive a diagnosis that you'd never run again, and then actually start running again from scratch?
11:41 What were the steps you took to start running all over again?
12:52 What is the experience of pacing, and being paced, like?
14:49 How do you talk to somebody you're pacing through the Dark Times of a race?
15:55 What is it like to be running an ultra really hard in the middle of the night and being sleep deprived?
18:25 What other learnings from your military experience carry over into your running?
19:36 How did you develop your running form and what tips would you share with us?
21:18 Is it easier to have better form in the gym than on the road?
22:47 What do you normally eat before and during a run?
26:14 Do you have any mantras that help you get through races?
27:59 Can you develop a positive voice when you're not racing?
30:11 What advice would you give yourself back when you started running?
31:27 What is the best gift running has given you?
33:03 How can people connect with you?
33:35 What's on your horizon?
Quotes by Joshua:
"It's what you do with the other 20 hours. At least two-thirds to three-quarters of everything that I do is in support of the actual running."
"If you have a negative mindset from the moment you step on the (treadmill) belt, it's never going to be a good experience."
"I'm just exceedingly stubborn. If you want me to do something, tell me not to do it, and I will make it my life's mission; it will become my purpose to do it."
"I didn't know what I'd been missing until I got to pace and crew for some of my friends."
"Where sleep is absolutely imperative is in the training and recovery cycles. I typically get between 8 and 10 hours of sleep a night. I try to be routine in that sometime between 9:00 and 10:00 is when I'm going down and getting up organically between 6:00 and 7:00."
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Mentioned in this podcast:
Run To The Top Winners Circle Facebook Community
Wolf Pack - vegan-endurance-meal-for-athletes
SPEEDNUT WITH CAFFEINE (Vegan) - Extreme Efforts
Canaberry (Vegan)- Any Distance Fuel
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Joshua Stevens and you're listening to the Run to the Top Podcast. Hello and |
| 0:25.0 | I am Coach Claire Bartholic and this is my first full episode |
| 0:30.0 | is my first full episode hosting the show. |
| 0:34.6 | In case you missed last week's episode |
| 0:36.8 | that Stephanie did, introducing me, |
| 0:39.3 | and you have no idea who the heck I am, |
| 0:41.4 | you might want to listen to that one first. But if you'd like to |
| 0:44.7 | save a step, here is a quick little bio on me. I'm a running coach at Runners Connect, |
| 0:50.8 | where we have coached thousands of athletes at this point to reaching their personal |
| 0:56.4 | bests. I actually started out as an RC athlete myself before becoming a coach, so I am living proof that the RC philosophy works. |
| 1:07.6 | I ran a 258 marathon in my 40s, and now I train athletes that are anywhere from sub to 30 marathoners to beginner runners who start out with a walk run approach. |
| 1:20.0 | I'm excited to add the podcast host to my collection of hats. Of course I have to |
| 1:27.8 | admit I'm also a little nervous about this new adventure so my first guest is someone that immediately charms |
| 1:35.8 | you and makes you feel comfortable and that is Joshua Stevens. |
| 1:42.0 | Joshua is a professional mountain ultra trail runner based in Estes Park, Colorado. |
| 1:48.8 | Last year Joshua became the 2019 Badwater Ultra Cup champion. |
| 1:56.0 | The Badwater Ultra Cup is a three event series |
| 1:59.5 | comprising of the 51-Miler Badwater Cape Fear in March, the 81-mile Badwater Saltin Sea in late April, |
| 2:09.0 | and the most brutal of them all the 135 mile Badwater 135 in July. The Badwater 135 |
| 2:20.5 | has been called the world's toughest foot race as it climbs from the contiguous United |
| 2:26.4 | States lowest point in Death Valley to its highest point at Mount Whitney in the hottest month of the year. Oh yeah and just 49 days after |
| 2:37.6 | bad water Joshua ran the Leadville Trail 100 as well. You know, just for fun. Before becoming an ultra-runner, |
... |
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