Michael Nielsen Is Giving Runners Resources Needed To Succeed

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Today’s guest is a fellow running coach and podcaster, so clearly we will have no lack of topics to cover.

In his running career, he has run hundreds of races, up to and including the 50-mile distance.

I am looking forward to going a few easy miles with Michael Nielsen today!

Michael Nielsen

Running Grew On Him

Michael Nielsen has been running from the time he was in elementary school.

While in high school, he dabbled in the sport and occasionally ran 5k and 8k races.

It was in 2005, at University, when he really fell in love with the sport.

Michael got involved in a running group and trained to run his first half-marathon.

Ultimately his schedule didn’t align with the actual race, so he opted to run the distance solo.

His second “official” half didn’t occur until a few years later.

He quickly began climbing the distance ladder after that race.

Benefits Of Varied Training

Michael believes that as humans it’s good to push boundaries.

He applies that belief to running and that is how he signed up for a 50-mile race.

His first attempt at the distance took place in Colorado, but altitude sickness prevented him from even starting the race.

Michael successfully completed 50 miles six months later at a race closer to home.

In slowing down to run longer, he began to wonder just how far he might be able to go.

He has aspirations to run 100 miles someday, but in the meantime, he is enjoying a variety of training.

Michael has trained for a variety of races over the years and has found that to be the way his body responds best.

When training for the same distance for too long, it’s common for performance to plateau.

Don’t Obsess Over Data

Anyone that has been running for a while knows that the mental aspect of running cannot be ignored.

Michael enjoys seeing the data from his training, but he has also found a balance.

He found himself obsessing over the data, so he decided to run a race without his watch.

Michael won the race while also running a PR.

Since that moment, he has learned the value of listening to his body and not solely relying on feedback from his watch.

He even went so far as not using a watch at all for a few years.

A Non-Linear Path

In 2021, Michael started a podcast that was unrelated to running.

On his show, he spoke with business owners and entrepreneurs who were passionate about what they did.

The show ran for about a year, and in that time Michael did a lot of self-reflection.

Michael enjoyed the podcast, but it took a lot of prep to cover completely different topics from week to week.

He began reflecting on things he was passionate about and knowledgeable about and running was the obvious answer.

Michael wanted to start a runner’s resource podcast.

Michael Nielsen Podcast

A Proper Warm Up Is Often Overlooked

Most people know they should warm up before being active, but it is often skipped.

A proper warm-up doesn’t have to take long and can aid in injury prevention.

Michael is a huge proponent of not overlooking this important step.

What NOT to do:

No warm-up at all.
Static stretching used to be recommended, but research has found a dynamic warm-up to be more beneficial.
A short warm-up is rarely enough to prime the body for an activity.

What to do:

Begin with 5 to 10 minutes of easy jogging.
Then perform a series of dynamic stretches. A variety of options can easily be found online. Muscle groups that should be targeted are the quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
Speed progression- 5 sets of leg turnovers at race pace for about 30 seconds each.

A proper warm-up prior to a race should typically take around 25 to 35 minutes depending on the distance being raced.

The Runner’s Resource

Michael is about 24 episodes in on The Runner’s Resource podcast.

He could talk endlessly about running and loves sharing his knowledge and perspective with others.

Michael especially enjoys helping to shape newer runners so they don’t make some of the mistakes he did early on.

Even if running isn’t your thing, Michael encourages everyone to find an activity they’re passionate about.

When looking at the future, Michael hopes to keep pushing his limits and continually set new goals.

Since he has begun coaching, he has been more inspired by others and seeing what they are capable of.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Stay connected to Michael Nielsen by following him on Instagram and/or Twitter.

Michael Nielsen created The Runner's Resource podcast as a way to help newer runners navigate the running world and all the questions that may arise. Click To Tweet

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