Running for the Crown

Ben and Jess are excited to bring Tyson Weiland back for another episode of "hijacking the crown!" In this episode, Tyson interviews Devin and Kelsey Allbaugh about their story of beginning the team Running Wild Elite.  They talk about their inspiration, vision, challenges and experiences. There is also conversation about goals and challenges for Crown Running, Runablaze and Weiland Racing. The theme of this conversation might be summarized by saying that the running community in Iowa is going places and is very supportive of each other.  Exciting stuff! Hope you enjoy!

In this conversation, Jess, Ben and Tyson talk about different approaches to creating a race schedule. They discuss their mentality about racing when it's not their “A” race and benefits of doing them even if not at peak fitness. Through this discussion, it is obvious their is not one “right” approach and they hope you find parts you can integrate into your calendar.  They also review Jess's Masters Grand Prix results and Tyson provides exciting details on a regional team racing series in the works!

Tyson Wieland is back with Jess and Ben for another Hijacking the Crown episode featuring Blake Whalen and Cody Baele.  Blake and Cody are former teammates of Tyson's at Iowa Central College and current teammates on Runablaze Iowa.  Tune in to hear about Blake's 4 min PR at the Houston Marathon, just barely missing qualifying for the Olympic trials! He talks about how it is his consistency in training that has allowed him to continue to improve over the years. His next attempt to qualify for the trials will be at Grandma's marathon in Duluth, MN in June. He shares the tweaks he will make in his training and racing to ensure his success.Cody shares his mentality in racing that allows him to excel, talks about his experience training with the group in Des Moines, and his future race plans. You'll love the story about Tyson's experience pacing Sara Hall for parts of her American Half Marathon record, while snagging a PR of his own!Hear about Blake and Tyson's 10-year competition record book.And there is one piece of cold weather gear that Blake can't go without—a third sock!

Jess and Ben recap their race and experience at the Cross Champs, put on by Sound Running and Trials of Miles. The Cross Champs was a Men's Pro and mixed Women's Pro/Open races held on December 4th at the infamous Mt. SAC course in Walnut, CA.   Some claim this to be the hardest cross country course in the country.  In this episode, learn more about Sound Running and Trials of Miles, the Mt. SAC course and Jess's preparation for it, and The Film Festival put on by Alexi Pappas and Ciele Athletics!https://www.soundrunning.run/crosschampshttps://cieleathletics.com/blog/2021/12/06/the-film-fest-2021/

Kassie Parker is a two-time DIII National Champion.  On November 20th, she won the 2021 DIII Cross Country National Championships in Louisville, KY by 17 seconds.  Her 6k time of 20:11 broke the DIII course record.  Kassie has come a long way since high school where, as a  volleyball player, she converted to being a cross country runner with a 5k PR of 20:20.  Listen to hear about Kassie's transition from being a University of Iowa Club runner to Loras College's perennial national title contender and champion.  During this change,  she had to navigate injuries and adjust from being self-coached to trusting her new coaches and program.  These challenges have developed a mature collegiate runner ready to threaten the DIII records over the course of her remaining eligibility.  

Nick  Hauger is a professional runner for HOKA Northern Arizona Elite and a co-host of the Running Rivals Podcast, both based out of Flagstaff, AZ.  In this episode, we talked about Nick's build to his debut marathon , CIM (California International Marathon), which is this Sunday December 5th.  Coming off a summer foot injury, Nick feels that doing the little things and leaning on his team have made a huge difference in his training consistency.  This consistency has put him in the best shape of his life and helped him recently achieve a top 10 finish at the USATF 25KM championships.  Nick is a plant-based athlete and shared how it has a positive impact on his health and running!  Listen to learn more about Nick, including his current favorite Athletic Brewing beer and who has the better facial hair between him and his fellow teammate, podcast co-host, and CIM competitor, Rory Linkletter.   This episode is extra special because we met Nick at Bruce Camp this past summer and Nick is now Jess's new coach.  We hope you enjoy our conversation as much as we did!  Who let the Haugs out?  

Welcome to season two!  This is the time of year that many people have just finished a cross country season, goal marathon or ultra event and are in a transition period. We talk about post race blues and our approach to dealing with them as well as setting up our next season or training cycle.

In this episode, Coaches Jess and Ben recap their experiences at the 2021 Boston Marathon.  Have a listen to learn about the course, their training and tips to make the most of the incredible experience that is the Boston Marathon!

Jess interviews recent USATF Masters Outdoor Track 5k/10k champion, Stefanie Slekis.  Stefanie is a former Syracuse cross country/track athlete.  She is also the current Head Coach of the Men's and Women's Cross Country and Track and Field programs at Division I Nicholls State.  Stefanie ran a 2:42 marathon to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials.  She ran the Trials 4 weeks postpartum.

Tyson Wieland hosting a new segment for Running for the Crown Podcast called Hijacking the Crown.  Along with Tyson, this episode with feature Jess, Ben and Austin O'Brien discussing Runablaze Iowa, athlete and team sponsorships, super shoes, and the current and future states of running.  Austin O'Brien was a 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier.

Jess and Ben are joined by seven guys from the Loras College distance team for a conversation on their shifting team culture and how it is fueling their rise to the top of Division III cross country and track.  In this episode, the guys discussed how their decision to focus on high mileage following the cancellation of 2020 track season, due to COVID, led to the shattering of school training and racing records.  The leadership of the upperclassmen has inspired the 2020 freshmen phenom class to become instant team contributors and conference contenders.Also in this episode, find out:*Why Ryan Harvey is not on Strava but why you should watch out when he feels good in race warm-ups*Brian Maty's search for new team training routes and his plans for next year*How a fast 2 mile time trial by Evan and the rest of the team translated into a huge confidence booster leading into the American River Conference Championships with finishes of 3rd (Evan), 15th (Ryan), and 2nd (Team)*Recap of Ryan and Luke's huge performance at the Division III Elite Indoor Championships aka "Fatty's"*Recap of the team's school record breaking performance at Elmhurst 3000 m*How Willie inadvertently put in the 3rd most summer mileage in school historyTeam Members:Brian Maty, SeniorJoey Schultz, SeniorLuke Guttormson, JuniorWillie Whalen, JuniorRyan Harvey, FreshmanEvan Jamrozy, FreshmanWill Yasdick, Freshman

Jess and Ben interview the blazing Tyson Wieland.  They discuss the many hats he wears including being an engineer, pro triathlete, coach, race director, and contributing member of Runablaze Iowa.   During the pandemic, when races were cancelling, Tyson created the super fast and successful 2020 WR Elite 5k (now the Blazing 5k).  Tune in for the preview to his next race creation, the Blazing 10k, which will be a team event taking place on April 11th in Des Moines, IA.

Jess and Ben will break down their use of cross training to get Jess past a plantar fasciitis niggle and achieve a half marathon PR at the Greenville Half Marathon.  With more races happening, we go over what to expect when returning to racing.

Jess and Ben review Jess's plant-based dietary journey through the question often posed to her, “How do you eat?”  They discuss the different ways to interpret and answer this question.  Jess discusses the quality foods she eats to fuel her in performance and life.Quotes:“I added so many other delicious foods into my diet that I honestly now never feel deprived.  I just have chosen to find other things and it's amazing how huge the plant world is and how limited I was before just because I didn't give myself a chance to explore and create.”“I find that I recover faster by getting more micronutrients in the vegetables and foods that I eat now.”“America is overfed and undernourished.”“Focus on what it is that you are adding to your diet.  Find foods that are new and that you love. Add more of those to your diet.”ResourcesConscious Eating by Gabriel CousinsPleasure Trap by  Douglas LisleProducts:Sprouted Grain BreadRippleFluid Recovery- Vanilla CinnamonGoddess Dressing- Annie's

Jess and Ben discuss why you should continue training during the cold winter months and reasons to run outside versus the treadmill.  Additionally, they review what to wear, fueling tricks and training tips.