The Fast and Free Podcast

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The past week, my athelete Thomas Nobbs just ran 2:08:35 at the 2026 Chicago Marathon, becoming the 3rd fastest Canadian marathoner in history despite cramping at 40K and losing valuable time just before the finish. Fresh off his massive PR in Chicago , Tom sits down with Coach Brant to break down exactly what happened, why he believes a sub-2:08 was within reach, and what the performance means for where he can go next.

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The Edmonton Marathon was 647 metres too long, and for the athletes who raced it, it had real consequences. Myself and Thomas Nobbs sat down fresh off his 1:04:45, 2nd-place finishing performance at the Edmonton Half Marathon, to talk about his race specifically and the controversy that has completely overshadowed this years Edmonton Marathon weekend. The marathon course was ultimately found to be approximately 647 metres too long, creating a mess for athletes who had spent months preparing for specific times, PB's, qualifying standards and other goals. There’s obviously been a lot of anger and chatter on the internet surrounding this Edmonton Marathon situation. Hopefully mine and Tom's conversation can give you a different, more nuanced perspective from an elite runner who raced it and their coach! The good news however, despite all that, Nobbs ran one hell of a race! Next stop: Chicago!

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Zone 2 training has become one of the most popular topics in endurance sports. Runners are constantly told they need to spend more time in Zone 2 to build their aerobic base, improve their mitochondria, burn more fat, and become better athletes. But what happens when you actually look at the evidence behind those claims? In this episode of the The Fast And Free Podcast, I sit down with exercise physiology researcher and Ph.D candidate Kristi Storoschuk to discuss the Zone 2 paper that created a major debate in the running and endurance world. Her research questioned whether some of the most common claims about Zone 2 training are actually supported by the evidence, especially when concepts from elite endurance athletes are applied directly to everyday runners. This conversation challenged a lot of my own beliefs as a coach. For years, I have explained easy running, aerobic development, and Zone 2 training using concepts that many endurance coaches have accepted as fact. But talking with Kristi forced me to ask a better question: do we actually know why these methods work, or have we just repeated explanations that sound correct? We break down what Zone 2 training actually is, why elite athletes spend so much time at lower intensities, and why copying professional runners, cyclists, and endurance athletes does not always make sense for the average person. Kristi explains the difference between correlation and causation, why training volume changes the conversation, and why the needs of a professional athlete training 20+ hours per week may be completely different from someone balancing running with work, family, and everyday life. I want to stress that this episode is not about proving Zone 2 training is useless or saying runners should stop doing easy runs. It’s a conversation about being willing to challenge assumptions, update your beliefs, and become a better athlete or coach when new information becomes available.

Happy Training!

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Internet running advice wasn’t designed for the person who started running at 35, 45, or 55. It’s built for athletes who generally already have years of training history behind them.

In this video, I wanted to break down the biggest mistakes I see newer runners make when they enter the sport later in life. We’ll cover why your aerobic fitness improves much faster than your connective tissue, why standard training plans often fail late starters, and how trying to “catch up” with speed work usually leads to injury instead of progress.

You’ll learn how I apply the Marathon Hierarchy to new runners, why consistency beats intensity early on, and how to build a training structure that allows you to stay healthy, improve steadily, and keep running for years.

Whether you’re training for your first 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon, or simply trying to become a healthier runner, I hope this framework will help you avoid the common traps that derail so many athletes in their first few years!

Happy Training!

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A lot of runners think injuries just happen because of bad luck, poor biomechanics, or flawed training plans. But in many cases, the real mistake happens in the moment you feel something isn’t right and convince yourself to keep going anyway.

In this video, I break down the four most common psychological traps runners fall into when they ignore injury warning signs: the Rationalization Loop, the Sunk Cost Trap, Identity Threat, and the Fitness Illusion.

I hope you'll gain from this why smart, driven runners often make poor injury decisions, how the brain tricks us into overriding our body’s signals, and the decision-making framework I use with all the athletes I coach to help them stay healthy, train consistently, and reach the start line ready to perform.

Happy Training!

⸻

Relevant Links

🚨 FREE TOOLS I CREATED FOR RUNNERS 🚨
https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools

⚠️ TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW ⚠️
https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com

Mental Performance Coaching with Brant Stachel:
https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01

Get my Book “Fast and Free” on Amazon:
https://a.co/d/00twBZ6d

⸻

Follow Brant Stachel & Fast & Free Performance Coaching

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