Many runners classify themselves as a certain type of runner or strong at a particular distance vs. others.

Max King is one of the few exceptions to this.

Max has been one of America’s best and most versatile distance runners for the past several years. He's been successful at distances from 3,000 meters to 100 miles. From roads to trails and obstacles to mountains.

One of his most recent successes was winning the IAU 100K World Championships in his 100K road race debut, running the 20-lap course in 6:27:43 – a 6:14 per mile average pace besting Tom Johnson’s 19-year-old 100K US record of 6:30:11.

In 2011 he claimed the World Mountain Running Championship title. He’s also won the Warrior Dash championships. On the roads he holds claim to a 2:14:36 marathon PR, 1:03:07 in the Half Marathon, 29:01 in the 10K and 14:02 in the 5K.

In this episode, Max and I talk everything from versatility, training, diet and shoes including:

Will we see more ultra runners coming down in distance to race competitively in road marathons
His mantra that keeps him running and experimenting with different race types and distances
Running when you don't have the full support of those around you
How he manages to run such a large spectrum of events at a competitive level
Incorporating hill running into training and the benefits of doing so
The structure of harder efforts vs. easy efforts in his training
Why maintaining a consistent volume will help you recover faster from progressively longer runs
His tips for getting foot speed back after an ultra
What he does to avoid getting bored when running looped courses or very long training runs
Preparing for his first 100 mile race, and determining how he should feel at various points in the race
Why one of his measures of fitness is based on where he bonks in training - and how he improves
His experience as a shoe buyer for Footzone - what he looks for in shoes that make the cut
Why having a variety of shoes that you regularly run in may help prevent injuries
His tips for determining proper fit of a shoe and what he looks for when he performs fittings
Thoughts on how to remain humble and keeping running enjoyable

Coaching Minute
How running more volume is inversely related to running injury.
Success Quote
"If you want to win something, run 100m. If you want to experience something, run a marathon" -Emil Zatopek
Links Mentioned in the Show
Max King's Blog