FRC

Big week. Big results. And even bigger progress across the board. 🔥

From first finishes to PR breakthroughs, FRC athletes showed what consistent, smart training can do:

• Liz Downs completed her FIRST EVER marathon at the Garmin Marathon in Durham, NC, finishing strong in 4:55:50 💪
• Our crew showed out at the Run with Meb 5K in Tampa with 2 PRs and 2 age group wins 🏆
• Audrey Kujawa dropped a 20-second PR in the 3200m, running 12:18 on the track in Wisconsin ⏱️
• Two of our high school athletes stepped up big at regionals with new best times in the 4x800 relay 🔁
• Leah Zainc ran 5:24 in the mile in Connecticut, her SECOND fastest outdoor time ever, placing 2nd overall 🥈

Different races. Different goals. Same standard of development.

This is what happens when training is individualized, consistent, and built for the long term.

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

Ready to take the next step?
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🌊 How Lake Superior Can Impact Your Race

One of the most underrated factors at Grandma’s Marathon isn’t just the course…

It’s the lake.

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world, and it’s big enough to create its own weather patterns.

And for most of the race… it’s right there on your left.

🌬️ What That Means on Race Day

1️⃣ Wind Can Change Everything

Tailwind → feels effortless early
Headwind → can grind you down late
Crosswinds → make pacing feel inconsistent
Because of the exposure along the course, wind off the lake can amplify effort without you realizing it.

2️⃣ Temperature Swings Are Real

Cooler near the lake
Warmer when you move away or lose exposure
On a warmer year (like 2025), the only real cooling came when directly exposed to the lake.

3️⃣ Conditions Can Shift Mid-Race

Calm start → windy finish
Cool early → warm late
This isn’t a “set it and forget it” race — you have to be ready to adjust.

🎯 How to Prepare

Don’t lock into rigid pacing — run by effort
Check wind direction leading into race day
Be ready for changing conditions, not just one forecast
Use lake exposure when it’s there — but don’t rely on it
💬 Bottom line:

This course isn’t just you vs the distance —
It’s you vs the environment.

And the runners who adapt best… race best.

🔍 Find your training gaps:
https://go.freedomrunningclub.com/apply-a

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

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🏁 Early Miles that can Derail your Race

At Grandma’s Marathon, the course profile sets a trap:

Early miles trend downhill
Later miles bring rolling terrain + late hills
And most runners get this wrong.

👉 The early miles feel smooth… controlled… even easy
👉 So pace starts creeping faster than goal

But that early “gain” doesn’t come for free.

📉 Here’s What the Research Shows

Study: “Metabolic and performance response to uphill and downhill running in distance runners”
Author: Staab et al
Year: 1992
PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1548986/

Key Takeaways:

Even when runners feel like effort is steady on hills…
👉 metabolic cost increases more than perceived
Downhill running does NOT fully offset the physiological cost of uphill running
💡 What That Means for You

If you:

Let the downhill pull you faster early
Try to “bank time”
You’re increasing the cost of the race before it even starts to get hard

And when the hills show up late…
That’s when it gets exposed.

🎯 Our Recommendation

👉 Take the first 10 miles:

5–10 seconds per mile SLOWER than goal pace
Lock into effort, not pace
This does two things:

Protects you from early overreaching
Sets you up to actually race the second half
💬 Bottom line:

You don’t win this race in the first 10 miles…
But you can absolutely lose it there.

🔍 Find your training gaps:
https://go.freedomrunningclub.com/apply-a

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

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Opinion vs. Evidence: Reviewing Additional VO₂max Studies

Lewis provided two additional studies to support the claim that VO₂max improvements stop or greatly diminish after 6–8 weeks. We reviewed all three.

📄 Time Course Changes in Confirmed “True” VO₂max After Individualized and Standardized Training
🔎 PMC6559817
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6559817/
→ Individualized group had their largest gains from weeks 8–12 (1.4 ml/kg/min). Standardized group slowed but still improved.

📄 Comparison of Different Interval Training Methods on Athletes’ Oxygen Uptake
🔎 PMC12218014
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12218014/
→ Mixed results across HIIT/SIT/RST, many not running-specific, with shorter intervals and frequencies (e.g., 3x/week) not typical of VO₂max training. Also did not change training targets during the study, so progress would be expected to stall after 6-8 weeks as they adapted.

📄 Effects of Sprint Interval Training on VO₂max and Aerobic Performance
🔎 PMC4836566
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4836566/
→ Excluded studies >8 weeks, noting this as a limitation.

Takeaway

The evidence does not conclusively show VO₂max stops improving after 6–8 weeks.

What it shows:
• Continued gains with individualized training
• One study that didn’t examine longer durations
• One with mixed outcomes

Differences may come down to the athlete. More developed athletes may benefit from shorter blocks, while developing athletes often need longer progression.

That’s a coaching decision.

It’s valid to have training opinions — but we must separate evidence from interpretation.

We appreciate Lewis contributing to this discussion. We’ll be back with our final video on hill training evidence.

That’s the difference between opinion and evidence.

FRC | Opinion vs. Evidence

-Apply for a free training gaps assessment with us here https://go.freedomrunningclub.com/apply-a

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

⛰️ Hill Workouts That Actually Prepare You for Grandma’s

If you’re running Grandma’s Marathon and not training hills the right way… you’re leaving a lot up to chance.

This course isn’t just “downhill = fast.”

It’s:

Early downhill loading
Rolling terrain throughout
Late-race hills when fatigue is highest
So your training needs to reflect that.

🔑 4 Types of Hill Work We Use

1️⃣ Rolling Hills (Recovery + Long Runs)

Keep effort EASY
Let terrain dictate pace
Build durability without added stress
👉 Best used:

On easy days
Within long runs
2️⃣ Short, Fast Uphill Intervals

8–12 sec or 30–60 sec efforts
Focus on power, form, and cadence
👉 Best used:

Early–mid cycle
After easy runs or as a standalone workout
3️⃣ Combined Uphill + Downhill Workouts

Hard uphill → controlled downhill
Teaches effort control both directions
👉 This is HUGE for this race:

Uphill = strength
Downhill = control + durability
4️⃣ Marathon Effort on Hills

Effort-based running (NOT pace)
Let pace change with terrain
👉 Best used:

Mid–late cycle
Long runs or midweek workouts
🧠 When to Use These

Early training → build strength (short hills)
Mid training → add terrain + control
Late training → race-specific effort on hills
💡 The goal isn’t just to “run hills”
It’s to prepare your body AND your pacing decisions for race day.

❓ Have questions about how to structure your hill workouts?
Drop them in the comments — we’ll help you dial it in.

🔍 Find your training gaps:
https://go.freedomrunningclub.com/apply-a

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

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Late season. No crowds. No race-day adrenaline. Just work.

Our FRC crew took on a mile time trial this week with one race still ahead—whether that’s regionals or a local 5K. Efforts like this keep you sharp, confident, and ready to finish the season strong.

And the results? 🔥
5 athletes stepped up.
3 PRs.
1 matched PR.

💥 Mitchell senior Carlee Kromolicki — 5:42 (first mile PR since freshman year)
💥 Mitchell senior Bella Packer — 5:54 PR
💥 Lakeland Highlands 8th grader Natalie Granados — 6:12 PR
💥 Matthew Walter — 5:29 (matched PR)

No race atmosphere. No external push. Just trusting the process and executing.

That’s what consistency looks like.

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

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

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FRC | Study Breakdown / Evidence Review

What happens when runners are under-fueled going into the Boston Marathon?

In this video, we break down a 2025 study examining how low energy availability (LEA) indicators impacted performance and health outcomes in Boston Marathon athletes.

📄 Boston Marathon athlete performance outcomes and intra-event medical encounter risk associated with low energy availability indicators
Kristin E. Whitney et al.
Published: 2025 | PMCID: PMC11874277

Full study:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39532316/

What the evidence showed:

• Runners with LEA indicators had worse race performance
• ~2x higher risk of any medical encounter on race day
• ~2.9x higher risk of major medical events
• Increased risk of issues like electrolyte imbalance, GI distress, and thermoregulation problems

What we focused on:

• Impact on marathon performance
• Race-day medical risk
• Injury risk (bone stress + overuse leading into race)

Evidence → what the study found
Interpretation → how it applies to training

Fueling isn’t just about performance — it’s about staying healthy enough to actually race.

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

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

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