KoopCast

Lloyd completed a BA (hons) in Business Administration at Staffordshire University and an MSc in Marketing Management at Aston University. He then proceeded to work in the advertising industry for several years before embarking on a career change in 2016.

Lloyd returned to academia after a thirteen-year break and completed a Postgraduate Diploma (conversion degree) in Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London. After completion of the postgraduate diploma, Lloyd studied for an MSc in Applied Sport Psychology at St Mary’s University and graduated in 2021.

Lloyd has also held several committee and board member roles at the British Psychological Society (BPS), and he is currently Past Chair for the BPS London & Home Counties branch and an editorial board member for Sport & Exercise Psychology Review (SEPR) which is an international, peer-reviewed publication.

Papers discussed-

‘Pushing through the pain cave’: Lived experiences of pain tolerance in male ultra-marathon runners

Portrayals of Pain in Children’s Popular Media: Mothers’ and Fathers’ Beliefs and Attitudes

LLoyd on X: @nathan78

Academic profile: https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/staff-directory/lloyd-emeka-staff-profile
ResearchGate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lloyd-Emeka
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lloyd-emeka-msc-gmbpss-1262662
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpain.2022.898855/full

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Episode overview:

Dan Owens is an associate professor in cellular and molecular exercise physiology at Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool (UK). His research sits at the crossroads between nutrition, muscle metabolism, and muscle adaptation. In parallel to his academic career, Dan brings his passion for sports science to practice and has provided nutrition and physiology support for amateur and elite athletes across sports, including rugby union and league, ski and snow sports, football (soccer), and motorsports (Formula 1) and triathletes.

Episode highlights:

(23:00) Omega 3s: EPA and DHA fatty acids, mediating inflammation and oxidative stress, dietary intake before supplementation, mixed research results, high cost, use case for athletes coming off of surgery

(33:46) Vitamin D: claims, the big picture, a necessary vitamin rather than a performance aid, sources of Vitamin D, role in regulating calcium to the blood, the goal is to avoid deficiency

(52:08) Supplements for EIMD: avoiding deficiencies with omega 3s and vitamin D, proactive nutritional health, considering protein and polyphenols, low risk options

Additional resources:

Research enquiries – d.j.owens@ljmu.ac.uk
Nutrition, physiology, and coaching inquiries – dan@owensperform.com

Dan’s handles-
Twitter: @dan_owie
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-owens-phd-9361373a/
Instagram: @owens_performance_solutions
 
Papers discussed-

• Exercise-induced muscle damage: What is it, what causes it and what are the nutritional solutions?
• The Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation on the Lipid Profile and Cardiovascular Markers Following Downhill Running in Long-Distance Runners
• What is known about the health effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use in marathon and ultraendurance running: a scoping review

Vitamin D conversion for dietary/supplemental intake: 1 microgram = 40 IU (we suggest 1000-2000 IU per day vitamin D3 during winter)
 Vitamin D blood concentration conversion: 1 ng/mL = 2.5 nmol/L (we aim for around 75 nmol/L)
Asker Jukendrup’s Vitamin D guide

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Episode overview:

Floris Wardenaar is an assistant professor at the College of Health Solutions since September 2017 with expertise in Performance Nutrition.

Floris's education:

• PhD Dietary exposure assessment in athletes, Wageningen University 2017
• MS Nutritional Physiology, Wageningen University 2005
• Internship, the University of Texas at Austin, Department of Kinesiology, 2005
• BS Nutrition and Dietetics, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool van Amsterdam, HvA) 2001

Episode highlights:

(35:15) Sodium bicarbonate example: best for sprinting 30-90 seconds, lack of relevance to ultramarathon running, know what problem you are trying to solve

(51:18) Single substances: caffeine example, controlling dosage, timing, and substance, coffee example

(1:01:00) Personalized nutrition: potentially the future, testing for deficiencies, magnesium supplement example

Additional resources:

How Sports Health Professionals Perceive and Prescribe Nutritional Supplements to Olympic and Non-Olympic Athletes
AIS supplement framework
Blood Biomarkers with Charlie Pedlar, PhD | KoopCast Episode #186

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Episode overview:

Frederic Sabater Pastor is a CTS ultrarunning coach with a PH.D. in Exercise Physiology and experiences coaching athletes for a variety of challenges. He is also a Postdoctoral researcher at the Inter-university Lab of Human Movement. His areas of focus are  running, trail, performance, physiology, and fatigue.

Episode highlights:

(32:02) Training differences: road runners 20 hrs/week, trail runners 10 hrs/week, road runners cross train and strength train more, overall road volume is double despite race duration being up to 10x less

(37:11) Why are trail runners stronger: do runners self-select, is trail running innately better strength training, strength training is a broad term

(51:38) Specificity of running economy: train for specificity, changing protocols from road training, strides over technical terrain, differences in strength training

Additional resources:

Fred’s paper
Trail Runner Magazine’s coverage of this paper
Fred’s CTS Coach Bio
Fred’s Researchgate profile
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Episode overview:

Dr. Scott H. Frey is an internationally renowned neuroscientist, psychologist, accomplished endurance athlete, author, and teacher. Scott helps individuals and groups identify and realize their aspirations. He can be reached at: Scott@CerebralPerformance.com

Episode highlights:

(29:00) Data and compromising effort levels: example of readiness scores harming mental preparation pre-race

(39:04) Feedback manipulation: training interventions, example of pacing for a closer finish line, interjecting uncertainty in cycling workouts, cycling racing example

(1:06:25) Strength of mental training interventions: interval analogy, medical analogy, randomized double blinded studies, placebo meta-analysis example, half of treatment is mental

Additional resources:

Scott's website
https://www.cerebralperformance.com/

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Episode overview:

Dr. Nicolas Berger is a Senior Lecturer in Sport & Exercise at Teeside University’s Centre for Rehabilitation. In this episode, we discuss the emerging topic of durability in endurance sports and how it applies to ultrarunning.

Topics discussed:
 
1- Why examining physiological variables matter and why determining what variables matter more is important for training design
2- How physiological testing is limiting
3- The concept of durability
4- What affects durability and how to improve it
5- How progression runs useful in some contexts and not in others

Episode highlights:

(17:26) Muscular fatigue: Gui Millet’s 2011 presentation, ultramarathon runners are more muscular than marathon runners, additional muscle mass may combat fatigue, strength demands of uphill and downhill running, sacrificing running economy for strength and durability

(24:00) Strength gains from training: trail runners get strength gains naturally, there is a higher bar for strength training trail runners, strength for running economy in road runners

(44:59) DIY-ing your own durability test: consistency of testing, track what you eat and how you feel, measure what you can, keep conditions similar, deciding what training to work on

Additional resources:

Nic’s profiles-
TU Research Profile
Google Scholar Profile
ResearchGate
Twitter
Earlier podcast on Durability with Ed Maunder
Fatigue and Ultra-Endurance Performance by Guillaume Millet

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Episode overview:

CTS Coaches Sarah Scozzaro and Nicole Rasmussen go over how to set up a strength program for ultrarunners. We discuss strength training for injury resiliency, performance goals, and health, and discuss tools that you can use to set up your season.

Episode highlights:

(32:01) Programming for performance goals: experience in the gym, addressing weaknesses in strength and power, utilizing gym time while running volume is low, heavier lifts early in the season

(41:59) Scheduling your week: strength training is not rest, hard days hard, easy days easy, stacking strength workouts with high-intensity runs, the most important focus comes first, protect what matters the most.

(1:21:14) General exercises for running: consider the demands of trail and ultra, strengthening relevant muscles, the challenge of addressing this on a podcast, resources in the show notes

Additional resources:

Sarah on Instagram
Successful Physical Therapy for Ultrarunners with Nat Collins DPT CSCS | Koopcast Episode 101
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists

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View all show notes and timestamps on the KoopCast website.

Episode overview:

Stephanie Howe, Ph.D. is a CTS Pro Coach and nutritionist. She has a Ph.D. in Nutrition & Exercise Science from Oregon State University and a Sports Nutrition Diploma from the International Olympic Committee. She is also the 2014 Western States Endurance run champion.

Episode highlights:

(25:43) Weight loss for performance: nutrition for performance and nutrition for weight loss are at odds, keep training volume low, start making changes well before your goal race, hormonal effects of undereating and sex differences

(37:23) Macronutrient breakdown: dependant on goals, maintaining lean muscle mass, increasing protein relative to carbohydrates, using MyFitnessPal

(55:34) Eating as a social activity: diets that limit certain food groups are generally unsustainable, some diets work in the short term due to practical caloric restriction, weight rebound after diets, food should be fun, sustainability of diet is the most important

Additional resources:

Dynamic Energy Balance Figure
Example of factors that impact EI and EE (Full article)
My Fitness Pal most user friendly to track intake
USDA Food Data Central. Most accurate database for food composition
Harris-Benedict equation

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Episode overview:

If you are not planning out your season by now you should be! CTS coaches Cliff Pittman and AJW discuss how to set up your season with the right anchor points, how to schedule a B race and how to keep the focus on the things that are the most important.

Episode highlights:

(9:02) Western States classic buildup: Way Too Cool 50k, American River 50, Miwok 100k, Memorial Day training camp

(17:02) Koop’s framework: identifying key goal races, building an ideal long range plan before modifying it to incorporate supporting races, camps, and life circumstances, knowing where to make compromises

(30:00) Recon the crux of the course: challenges with course recon, Western States example and trails blocked by snow, example from the first year of Cocodona, confidence boost

Additional resources:

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Koop’s Social Media: Twitter/Instagram- @jasonkoop

View all show notes and timestamps on the KoopCast website.

Episode overview:

Neal Palles is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Mental Performance Coach, and CTS Ultrarunning coach based in Longmont, Colorado.

Have you ever felt the weight of failure pressing down on you after a season of unmet athletic goals? Join Coach Jason Koop and CTS coach Neal Palles as we dissect the emotional journey of resilience in the face of athletic disappointment. In our heart-to-heart, Neil shares his eloquent insights from his latest article, guiding us through the storm of DNFs and injuries and charting a course toward using these setbacks as the building blocks for future triumphs.

Episode highlights:

(12:05) Moving past failure: practical example, find what failure means to you, breaking down standards and process goals, reframing failure into a growth mindset, personal Leadville example, taking failure as a challenge rather than a threat

(33:55) Diffusing from stories: recognizing the personal stories we tell ourselves, examples, sources, write the story you want

(42:45) Intentional catalysts: pacers, recognizing you can use help, getting help from friends and family, taking care of yourself, communicating with your tea,

Additional resources:

Neal’s article ‘The Freedom to Fail’-https://coloradopsychotherapyandsport.com/blog/2023/12/6/the-freedom-to-fail

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View all show notes and timestamps on the KoopCast website.

Episode overview:

CTS Coaches John Fitzgerald and Stephanie Howe discuss how to navigate winter training for Ultramarathon.

Episode highlights:

(14:39) Structuring the winter season around races: athletes who peak at different times of the year, longer recovery for athletes with longer race seasons, 4-8 weeks of fun or unstructured training, recognize when you need a break

(37:58) Work on weakness at a time: athletes try to change too many things at once during the winter season, examples, pick one weakness to work on

(59:36) Fitz on returning to running: shifting from non-weight bearing to weight bearing activities, strength foundation, working on running while snow piles up, keeping two runs per week

Additional resources:

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Information on coaching-https://www.trainright.com
Koop’s Social Media: Twitter/Instagram- @jasonkoop

View all show notes and timestamps on the KoopCast website.

Episode overview:

Nidia Rodriguez-Sanchez, Ph.D., has spent her career in the field of sports nutrition and physiology. She earned her BSc in Dietetics / Clinical Nutrition and later pursued postgraduate studies in Anthropometry and Nutrition applied to Sports, which gave her a better understanding of the unique nutritional needs of athletes and physically active individuals.

Dr Rodriguez-Sanchez has worked as a sports dietitian for a Mexican professional football team and as a nutrition advisor for the Gatorade Sports Science Institute Mexico. She also holds an IOC Diploma in Sports Nutrition, and she is an ISAK Level 3 Instructor.

Dr Rodriguez-Sanchez holds a PhD in Hydration Physiology and has completed post-doctoral research in the field.

She is a Physiology and Nutrition Lecturer at the University of Stirling, where she also serves as the MSc Sport Nutrition Programme Director.

In addition, Nidia is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), a Graduate member of the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register (SENr), and a member of the Physiological Society (PhySoc).

Episode highlights:

(17:53) Theory on hormone cycles and hydration: estrogen and progesterone can impact nutrition needs, performance, brain function, investigating fluid and electrolyte balance

(25:27) Practical considerations for females: no meaningful differences in hydration for female athletes versus males or across different phases of their cycle, no performance differences, avoiding overhydration, cross-cycle variations in core temperature are insignificant

(36:23) Sweat testing: Precision Hydration sweat testing at CTS, sweat testing protocol, menstrual cycle phase does not impact results

Additional resources:

Fluid and electrolyte balance considerations for female athletes-https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34121620/

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Episode overview:

Nick Tiller, PhD is an exercise scientist at Harbor-UCLA. He is also the author of The Skeptics Guide to Sports Science, a columnist for Ultrarunning Magazine and the Skeptical Inquirer.

Episode highlights:

(9:09) Science communication: academics fighting back against media claims, Don't Be Such A Scientist, the importance of science communication, examples

(44:48) Identifying bad science: 28% increase in VO2max is a red flag, sedentary versus trained individuals, training and EPO example, unsubstantiated citations, statistical errors, absolute versus relative VO2max, retracting the article

(1:37:10) Inverse relationship between media presence and credentials: fitness influencers on Instagram, being a full-time influencer and capitalizing on sensationalization, science is incremental and rarely sensational

Additional resources:

You can find all of Nick’s work here, https://www.nbtiller.com/

Our combined Twitter list-
Louise Burke- @LouiseMBurke
Asker Jukendrup- @Jeukendrup
Brad Schoenfeld-@BradSchoenfeld
Guillaume Millet- @kinesiologui
Stuart Phillips- @mackinprof
Michael Joyner @DrMJoyner
Kristy Sale- @ElliottSale
Trent Stellingwerff- @TStellingwerff
Inigo San Milan-@doctorinigo
Marco Altini- @altini_marco
Sian Allen- @DrSianAllen
Stephen Seiler- @StephenSeiler

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Episode overview:

Luc van Loon is a Professor of Physiology of Exercise and Nutrition and Head of the M3-research group at the Department of Human Biology at Maastricht University. Luc has an international research standing in the area of skeletal muscle metabolism and has published well over 475 peer-reviewed articles. Current research in his laboratory focuses on the skeletal muscle adaptive response to physical activity, and the impact of nutritional and pharmacological interventions to modulate metabolism in both health and disease.

Episode highlights:

(22:50) Results of collagen research: collagen stimulates neither connective nor contractile proteins in muscle, potential explanations, the benefits of collagen are not confirmed, areas for future research

(42:35) Dietary protein intake: athletes who exercise more consume more food, thus their protein and amino acid intake per kg body mass is already high, recap

(45:57) Sources of collagen: collagen from skin sources are superior, dangers of concentrating heavy metals in bone broth, example of athlete consuming arsenic from salt

Additional resources:

SUBSCRIBE to Research Essentials for Ultrarunning
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Information on coaching-https://www.trainright.com
Koop’s Social Media: Twitter/Instagram- @jasonkoop

View all show notes and timestamps on the KoopCast website.

Episode overview:

Jeff Rothschild is a registered dietician, PhD, and research associate at Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand.

Ever been curious about the science behind fueling your athletic performance? Look no further, as we are joined by Jeff Rothschild, a registered dietitian and researcher, who is here to break down the complex concept of carbohydrate periodization for trail and ultra runners. We dissect the misunderstood principle of "fueling for the work required" and dive into how an athlete can manipulate their carbohydrate intake during periods of high intensity or high training loads. Jeff's innovative research on this topic unveils an index for quantifying carbohydrate periodization - a game-changer for athletes aiming to enhance their performance through optimized nutrition.

Episode highlights:

(17:32) Calculating periodization: any metric of training load, daily carbohydrate intake in g/kg, correlation coefficient, reasons for including range and monotony

(36:24) How to track your carbohydrate periodization: track your diet, consistent measures of training load, TSS or CR100, TSS is best, use the spreadsheet in the description, help from Jeff’s app

(43:38) Use cases for carb periodization: predicted TSS for your upcoming workout, adjusting carbohydrate intake based on each day, you can consume more after the workout if the true TSS was higher than expected, examples

Additional resources:

The quantification of daily carbohydrate periodization among endurance athletes during 12 weeks of self-selected training: presentation of a novel Carbohydrate Periodization Index
Jeff’s app-https://rothschild.shinyapps.io/carb-index-app/

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Episode overview:

Jim Rutberg is the Content Director for CTS. He has co-authored ten books on training and sports nutrition, including “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” and “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning,” and produced more than 20 full-length indoor cycling videos. He is also the primary author for the Research Essentials for Ultrarunning Newsletter.

Episode highlights:

(31:32) Finding coaching mentors: the best way to progress as a coach, personal example, collaboration and competition

(51:24) Second phase of coaching: growth and expertise, creating a product to innovate in business or sport, variability of duration, personal examples from Rutty and Koop

(1:23:55) Safeguarding you reputation: coaching is a small community, competitors may eventually be colleagues, be someone other coaches want to work with

Additional resources:

FastTalk labs- How to Remain Relevant in 10 years
Podcast with Lindsay Golich
Podcast with Andy Kirkland

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Episode overview:

Coaching industry veteran and Training Peaks’ co-founder Dirk Friel takes over the KoopCast to discuss the business of ultramarathon coaching. The panel of coaches and coaching business owners includes Jason Koop, Heather Hart, owner/founder of Hart Strength and Endurance Coaching, and Jeff Browning, who owns his own coaching company.

Episode highlights:

(13:50) Jeff and Heather’s startup experience: technology and marketing background, taking baby steps, making the move to full-time coaching, transitioning from flexible gig jobs

(57:44) Heather on recruiting assistant coaches: Heather’s experience, admitting assistant coaches, your reputation is on the line, UESCA certification, networking but not actively recruiting

(1:50:23) Jason on coach-athlete ratios: athletes require roughly 1 hour per week, 40 athletes for a 40 hour work week, most CTS coaches are full time, Jason is able to take ~1 new athlete per year

Additional resources:

Heather’s coaching website
Jeff’s coaching website

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Episode overview:

Diego Jaén-Carrillo PhD is a postdoctoral researcher at Universität Innsbruck. Weighted vests are a common intervention used by both coaches and athletes, yet the existing research on weighted vests is virtually nonexistent. In this episode we discuss his pioneering study on weighted vests and their potential training applications for running and hiking.

Episode highlights:

(16:41) Research design: incremental speed and gradient test, 5-10% body weight vests represent in-race loads

(21:26) Stride length and stride frequency: both increase with speed, both variables were unchanged with weighted vests, individual preferred stride frequency and stride length

(29:08) Weighted vests for running economy: example ways to train leg stiffness, weighted vests training leg stiffness with greater specificity to running, ~5% bw is reasonable, application across a range of running velocities

Additional resources:

Training Specificity in Trail Running: A Single-Arm Trial on the Influence of Weighted Vest on Power and Kinematics in Trained Trail Runners

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Episode overview:

Didn't we all, at some point, feel that prick of regret at a mistake made or a lesson learned the hard way? As your devoted trail and ultra running coaches, we've had our share of missteps over the past year. From seemingly minor issues like failing to thoroughly educate athletes about the World Anti-Doping Agency's rule on IV fluids to more significant ones, we've seen it all. And today, we're pulling back the curtain on our successes and missteps alike to help you avoid the same pitfalls.

Episode highlights:

(2:04) Nicole’s mistake: IV fluids are banned in and out of competition, reasoning, example where an athlete gave themselves IV before a race, the role of coaches as educators

(18:41) Ryne’s mistake: considering weather and training, factoring in heat and humidity to long range plans, key training blocks happen May-July, examples, being proactive with scheduling, using cooling strategies in training

(25:23) Sarah’s mistake: assuming athletes make good recovery decisions, example, forcing athletes to take recovery when they need it

(41:43) Koop’s mistake: accounting for the stress of travel, time zone changes and long-range travel for athletes, examples

Additional resources:

Time Shifter app
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Episode overview:

Dr. Nicolas Berger is a Senior Lecturer in Sport & Exercise at Teeside University’s Centre for Rehabilitation. In this episode we discuss Nic’s new study on the limits of ultramarathon performance, which brings together a who’s-who of researchers in the ultramarathon space to create a framework of performance that will be foundational for years to come. We focus on the myriad of factors that influence performance outside of pure fitness including GI distress, psychology, durability, and the integrative way in which these factors combine to affect performance.

Episode highlights:

(28:26) Stephen Seiler’s chart: physiological improvement plateaus with time in trained athletes but performance does not, performance is multifactorial, during longer duration events multifactorial factors matter more, examples, small changes with big impacts

(43:40) Malleable strategies: recognizing that strategies must change based on environmental factors, example, gastric emptying, cycling example, taking advantage of features of the race

(46:54) Durability: Andy Jones and physiological resilience, how we perceive fatigue matters more than the physiology itself, nerve blocking example

Additional resources:

TU Research Profile
Google Scholar Profile
ResearchGate
Twitter
Limits of Ultra: Towards an Interdisciplinary Understanding of Ultra-Endurance Running Performance

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