FRC

Before → With FRC: Madi Janke 🏃‍♀️🎓

Sometimes the biggest goal isn’t getting faster right away.

When Madi Janke first joined Freedom Running Club, she was coming off a stress fracture. Before worrying about PRs, race results, or how fast she could run, our first priority was simple:

Get her healthy and safely back into shape.

Over the next two years, while competing at Gulf and River Ridge High Schools near Tampa, Madi did exactly that—and then some. 🔥

🏃‍♀️ XC 5K: 26:16 → 20:51
🏃‍♀️ 3200m: 14:32 → 11:21
🏃‍♀️ 1600m: 6:45 → 5:32
🏃‍♀️ 800m: 3:13 → 2:37

That’s a total time drop of 10:25 across those four events. 🤯

But what makes this progression even more meaningful is where she started.

The focus was never to rush the process. It was to rebuild her fitness, gradually increase what her body could handle, and create a foundation that would allow her to train consistently and safely.

That patience paid off.

Madi eventually earned a Division 1 scholarship to compete at Florida Gulf Coast University, where she is currently continuing her running career! 🎓👏

From returning from injury to becoming a Division 1 athlete, Madi’s journey is a great example of what can happen when the focus is on meeting an athlete where they are and building from there.

We’re incredibly proud of everything you’ve accomplished, Madi, and excited to continue following your journey at FGCU! 🔥

Empowering runners to safely achieve their goals with proven, customized methods.

Want to find your training gaps and see where you can improve?

👉 https://go.freedomrunningclub.com/apply-a

📧 Email [email protected] for more information about the FRC Performance Forum.

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🥪🏙️ Road to PB&J/Chicago Marathon Day 22 – Should You Carb Load for a 5K or 10K?

Carb loading isn’t just a marathon conversation—but how much it matters depends on the race distance.

For a 5K, there likely isn’t much performance benefit from a traditional carb load. If you’re properly fueled going into the race, glycogen stores generally shouldn’t be the limiting factor.

That said, increasing carbohydrates before the race likely won’t hurt—as long as you’re eating foods you tolerate well.

For a 10K, carb loading may have a little more potential benefit, especially for runners racing closer to or beyond an hour. But if you’re already adequately fueled, don’t expect a dramatic difference.

The practical takeaway?

🥪 5K: Focus on arriving normally well-fueled. A formal carb load probably isn’t necessary.

🏃 10K: A modest increase in carbohydrates may help, but it’s not the same need as a longer endurance event.

And if you decide to carb load, there is no reason to extend it beyond about three days. More isn’t automatically better!

The goal is to arrive with adequate glycogen—not to force-feed yourself carbohydrates for a week.

Practice what works for you, stick with familiar foods, and remember: fueling is part of your race preparation.

👉 Training Gaps Assessment: https://go.freedomrunningclub.com/apply-a

“Empowering runners to safely achieve their goals with proven, customized methods.”

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FRC | Study Breakdown / Evidence Review — 15.3

Could female athletes need different approaches to heat adaptation and hydration?

In Part 3, we examine the review’s discussion of heat, hydration and sex-specific training considerations—and why the authors say much more research is needed.

📄 S*x Differences in VO₂max and the Impact on Endurance-Exercise Performance
Kelsey J. Santisteban, Andrew T. Lovering, John R. Halliwill & Christopher T. Minson
Published: April 19, 2022
Full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9105160/
PMCID: PMC9105160

Women can have different thermoregulatory responses to prolonged exercise in the heat, including lower sweating capacity at a given metabolic heat production.

The review highlights research suggesting that 5 days of heat acclimation may produce different adaptations in women than men. In one study, women did not show the same reductions in resting or peak core temperature after 5 days that men did—raising the possibility that women may need a longer or modified acclimation protocol.

Hydration is another area where the authors identify major gaps.

There are currently no female-specific hydration guidelines, and menstrual-cycle effects on fluid balance and thermoregulation may further complicate recommendations.

The authors’ bigger message is clear:

We need more research specifically designed around female athletes.

Rather than simply applying standards developed from predominantly male research, we need to understand how women respond and adapt—and use that evidence to improve training, nutrition, recovery, heat preparation and injury prevention.

This isn’t about assuming every female athlete needs a completely different program.

It’s about having enough evidence to know when individualization matters.

Evidence → what the review found
Interpretation → what it could mean for training

🔎 Training Gaps Assessment
https://go.freedomrunningclub.com/apply-a

📧 [email protected]

Empowering runners to safely achieve their goals with proven, customized methods.

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Before → With FRC: Landon Rodriguez 🏃‍♂️🎓

Sometimes it doesn’t take years to see meaningful progress.

Landon Rodriguez from Fivay High School near Tampa worked with Freedom Running Club for just 2 months—and came away with new PRs in both the 5K and 1600m.

🏃‍♂️ 5K: 17:44 → 17:15
🏃‍♂️ 1600m: 5:06 → 4:58

That’s 37 seconds of total time dropped across two events in only two months.

And the progress helped Landon take the next step in his running career, as he signed to compete at Pasco-Hernando State College! 🎓👏

This is why individualized training matters.

The goal isn’t simply to do more. It’s to identify what an athlete needs, build the right training around it, and give them the opportunity to improve without unnecessarily putting their health or consistency at risk.

Congratulations, Landon! We’re proud of what you accomplished in your time with FRC and excited to see what’s next! 🔥

Empowering runners to safely achieve their goals with proven, customized methods.

Want to find your training gaps and see where you can improve?

👉 https://go.freedomrunningclub.com/apply-a

📧 Email [email protected] for information about the FRC Performance Forum.

IG/Facebook: freedom running club
TikTok/YouTube:
Strava: Freedom Running Club

FRC | Study Breakdown / Evidence Review — 15.2

What physiological differences between male and female athletes can actually affect endurance performance?

In Part 2, we go deeper into the pulmonary, cardiac and hematological differences discussed in this review—and which may or may not be modifiable through training.

📄 S*x Differences in VO₂max and the Impact on Endurance-Exercise Performance
Kelsey J. Santisteban, Andrew T. Lovering, John R. Halliwill & Christopher T. Minson
Published: April 19, 2022
Full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9105160/
PMCID: PMC9105160

Women generally have smaller lungs, hearts and lower hemoglobin mass than men, contributing to differences in oxygen delivery and VO₂max.

The review also highlights an interesting training finding: after one year of matched endurance training, women in one study reached a plateau in left ventricular mass and VO₂max after ~3 months, while men continued improving for longer.

But the authors caution that this may not simply mean women “respond less to training.” Differences in energy intake and whether the training protocol was appropriately designed for female athletes may also have contributed.

Hematologically, women average lower hemoglobin levels, which can limit oxygen delivery. Some of these differences are biological and relatively difficult to change, while others—such as iron deficiency—can be addressed.

This is why applying training research conducted primarily on men to women isn’t always appropriate.

The goal isn’t to train women less. It’s to understand how they may respond differently.

Evidence → what the review found
Interpretation → what it could mean for training

Part 3: heat adaptation, hydration & where the research needs to go.

🔎 Training Gaps Assessment
https://go.freedomrunningclub.com/apply-a

📧 [email protected]

Empowering runners to safely achieve their goals with proven, customized methods.

IG/Facebook: freedom running club
TikTok/YouTube:
Strava: Freedom Running Club

FRC | Study Breakdown / Evidence Review — 15.1

Why is there still a ~10–12% performance gap between elite men and women?

In Part 1 of this 3-part breakdown, we look at the physiological differences that help explain the endurance performance gap—and whether understanding those differences could help us better tailor training for female athletes.

📄 S*x Differences in VO₂max and the Impact on Endurance-Exercise Performance
Kelsey J. Santisteban, Andrew T. Lovering, John R. Halliwill & Christopher T. Minson
Published: April 19, 2022
Full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9105160/
PMCID: PMC9105160

The review notes a persistent ~10–12% performance gap across individual endurance events, with the women’s marathon world record still about 13 minutes behind the men’s record.

Some key differences:

• VO₂max: elite women average ~10% lower than elite men.
• Running economy: women may have an advantage in some comparisons.
• Lactate threshold: women can sustain a slightly higher percentage of VO₂max.
• Critical power/velocity: relative values can be similar or slightly favorable to women.

But the advantage men have in VO₂max and oxygen delivery is generally large enough that these other advantages don’t overcome the overall performance gap.

The bigger question: Can understanding these differences help us develop training strategies better suited to female athletes?

The authors argue that more female-specific research is needed to find out.

Evidence → what the review found
Interpretation → what it could mean for training

Part 2: pulmonary, cardiac & hematological differences.

🔎 Training Gaps Assessment
https://go.freedomrunningclub.com/apply-a

📧 [email protected]

Empowering runners to safely achieve their goals with proven, customized methods.

IG/Facebook: freedom running club
TikTok/YouTube:
Strava: Freedom Running Club

Before → With FRC: Kenzie Janke 🏃‍♀️🔥

Two years of training. 6:18 of total time dropped. And 3 conference championships along the way.

Kenzie Janke worked with Freedom Running Club for two years, and her progression across cross country and track shows just how much can change with consistent, individualized training:

🏃‍♀️ XC 5K: 22:06 → 19:33
🏃‍♀️ 3200m: 14:22 → 11:48
🏃‍♀️ 1600m: 6:34 → 5:35
🏃‍♀️ 800m: 3:11 → 2:36

That’s a 6:18 total time drop across four events.

But the progression wasn’t just about faster times.

Kenzie also earned 3 conference championships during her time with us:

🏆 1 in Cross Country
🏆 2 in Track

Two years of showing up, putting in the work, and trusting the process helped Kenzie reach a completely different level as a runner.

The goal is never simply to train harder. It’s to train appropriately, consistently, and with a plan built around the athlete.

We’re incredibly proud of Kenzie and everything she accomplished! 🔥

Empowering runners to safely achieve their goals with proven, customized methods.

Want to find your training gaps and see where you can improve?

👉 https://go.freedomrunningclub.com/apply-a

📧 Email [email protected] for information about the FRC Performance Forum.

IG/Facebook: freedom running club
TikTok/YouTube:
Strava: Freedom Running Club

🥪🏙️ Road to PB&J/Chicago Marathon Day 21 – Race Day Gear & Hydration

Race day is not the time to figure out your gear.

For PB&J, we want you thinking ahead about what you’ll wear, how you’ll carry fluids, and how you’ll stay hydrated throughout the race.

👕 Clothing: Keep it comfortable and familiar. Race day is not the time to test a new outfit, shoes, socks, or anything else that could create a problem.

💧 Carrying fluids: If you’re bringing your own hydration, handhelds are one simple option. Practice carrying them during training so you know what works for you and doesn’t interfere with your running.

You can also plan around the aid stations rather than carrying everything yourself, depending on your needs and strategy.

For the PB&J Run, know what hydration will be available on the course ahead of time and plan how that fits into your individual hydration and sodium strategy.

Most importantly: practice your setup before race day.

The goal is to remove as many unknowns as possible so that when the gun goes off, you can focus on racing.

👉 Training Gaps Assessment: https://go.freedomrunningclub.com/apply-a
📧 FRC Performance Forum: [email protected]

Empowering runners to safely achieve their goals with proven, customized methods.

📸 IG/Facebook: freedom running club
🎥 TikTok/YouTube:
🏃 Strava: Freedom Running Club