Episode 40: Courtney Frerichs on Long-Term Success: Gymnastics, Strength Training, and Teammates

10/02/17 • 36 min

Last August, we witnessed the most electrifying track race in history at the World Championships: the women's 3,000m Steeplechase.

Before this race, no American woman had ever won a medal in the steeple at the World Championships.

Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs changed that with an historic 1-2 finish, decimating a field that included the current World Record holder and Olympic Champion.

This was also the first time any Americans had taken home both gold and silver at the World Champions or the Olympics in a race longer than 400m since the 1912 Olympics.

Both Emma and Courtney also ran faster than the existing American Record.

NBC Sports called the race "shocking."

Sports Illustrated described Courtney's effort "certainly one of the biggest surprises of the world championships."

And ESPN boldly proclaimed that this was one of the best races in the history of running.

I'll paraphrase ESPN:

Before this race, Courtney' fastest steeplechase time was 9:19. She beat that time by an enormous 15 seconds to win silver in 9:03.77. That's like scoring a hat trick in a World Cup soccer game after totaling only three goals all season.

No American had won a world title in steeplechase since 1952. No U.S. women had ever finished 1-2 in any world championship distance race. Track nerds -- why isn't there such a thing as a football nerd? -- are calling this the most thrilling race of the 2017 World Championships, and one of the greatest moments in American distance running history.

You sports fans can just call it amazing. Like a football game where -- nah, forget that. After a race like this, nobody cares about football.

A 15-second improvement? Over a race that's less than two miles long? INSANITY!

That kind of PR puts Courtney in the record books. She's now the 8th fastest woman to ever run the steeplechase.

Today you're going to hear directly from Courtney about this historic race.

Last August, we witnessed the most electrifying track race in history at the World Championships: the women's 3,000m Steeplechase.

Before this race, no American woman had ever won a medal in the steeple at the World Championships.

Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs changed that with an historic 1-2 finish, decimating a field that included the current World Record holder and Olympic Champion.

This was also the first time any Americans had taken home both gold and silver at the World Champions or the Olympics in a race longer than 400m since the 1912 Olympics.

Both Emma and Courtney also ran faster than the existing American Record.

NBC Sports called the race "shocking."

Sports Illustrated described Courtney's effort "certainly one of the biggest surprises of the world championships."

And ESPN boldly proclaimed that this was one of the best races in the history of running.

I'll paraphrase ESPN:

You sports fans can just call it amazing. Like a football game where -- nah, forget that. After a race like this, nobody cares about football.

A 15-second improvement? Over a race that's less than two miles long? INSANITY!

That kind of PR puts Courtney in the record books. She's now the 8th fastest woman to ever run the steeplechase.

Today you're going to hear directly from Courtney about this historic race.

Previous Episode

Elite Runners on Failure: How 6 Pro Runners Deal with Disappointment

But we almost never discuss the failures of the world's best runners.

What does it feel like to never achieve your biggest goal throughout your entire career?

How does an elite keep perspective? Do they ever think about quitting?

Most importantly... how do elites bounce back from setbacks? Do they have a different mindset than us normal runners?

What enables them to continue training at high levels for years?

How do they overcome a bad workout, long run, or race?

These are the questions that I couldn't get out of my head.

So I interviewed six pro runners to get their hot take on failure:

Alexi Pappas - Olympian, Greek national record holder, and star of Tracktown
Mike Wardian - racing phenom, world record holder, and nicest guy ever
Brandy Erholtz - Pikes Peak Ascent champ, US Mountain Running team member
Nick Symmonds - 2x Olympian and the CEO of Run Gum
Devon Yanko - 2017 winner of the Leadville Trail 100, multiple national champion
Travis Macy - ultra runner and author of The Ultra Mindset

They're the stars of Episode 39 of the Strength Running podcast. I think you're going to love this episode.

We talk about their own personal failures, how they bounced back, and whether their approach to failure has changed over time.

Next Episode

Episode 41: Jonathan Beverly on How to Run for Decades (with no burnout)

For a lot of runners, what started as a way to get in shape or lose a few pounds turns into a lifelong passion.

Soon, you're going on running retreats and flying across the country to run a marathon. What did we do with all of our free time before running?!

Alas, not every runner gets to experience a lifetime of running bliss.

Some of us over train, burn out, or get so injured that we simply give up. But I will not let that happen to you!

Instead, let's learn from lifelong competitors who are still running after decades of workouts, long runs, and races.

These are athletes that have discovered the secret to unlocking a lifetime of racing, trail runs, and workouts (in other words... a lifetime of FUN!).

And Jonathan Beverly interviewed 50 of them to help you run for decades.

In his new book Run Strong, Stay Hungry: 9 Keys to Staying in the Race, Jonathan Beverly discusses the universal principles that promote lifelong running.

He spoke with 50 "lifetime competitors" like:

Deena Kastor (American Record holder in the marathon and half-marathon)
Bill Rodgers (4x winner of the Boston Marathon)
Joan Benoit Samuelson (former marathon World Record holder)

But more importantly, he interviewed a lot of normal runners! Not just Olympians or previous Boston Marathon winners - but average runners who don't have elite genetics.

That's why this podcast episode is so important: it's what works for all runners - not just the best runners.