​​Ultramarathon runner Don Reichelt opens up about how running has shaped his mindset, resilience, and sense of purpose. 

Joining Dr. Andrew Fix, Don shares what it takes to move from the back of the pack to world records and a spot on Team USA at the 24-hour World Championships. What keeps someone going when the race lasts an entire day? How do you stay connected to the joy that first pulled you into the sport when training gets hard? Don reflects on the importance of surrounding yourself with the right team, using setbacks as teachers, and remembering your “why” when motivation fades. From mountain trails to flat looped courses, he shows how ultramarathon running is as much about mental strength as it is about physical endurance, offering lessons that reach far beyond the miles.

Quotes

• “I think the most important thing that I’ve learned and that I have implemented is that it’s okay not to have all the answers and to surround yourself with a team that does potentially have the answers.” (16:54 | Don Reichelt)
• “I simply wanted to be outside. And those are the things that you cannot forget. The more you get into the sport and it’s any sport or any activity is just remember that the first run you did and how probably terrible you were and how rewarding it felt to get done with that workout.” (19:42 | Don Reichelt)
• “It’s okay not to have all the answers. Surround yourself with a team, and also just remember where you came from, remember the passion and the joy and your why.”  (20:03 | Don Reichelt)
• “I would rather never win another race than not to be able to walk and run when I’m 80.” (27:00 | Don Reichelt)
• “I’m deeply, deeply motivated on the idea of not being like old man Don and looking back and saying, what would have happened if I tried to do this? What would have happened? Or what could I have been capable of if I pushed myself in this area or this?” (44:30 | Don Reichelt)
• “There is going to be a positive takeaway from failure. And maybe it’s a, ‘Oh, I approached it the wrong way,’ or, ‘Oh, I wasn’t as prepared as I thought, so I needed to do X, Y, and Z.’ There should be some action item takeaway from failure.” (51:25 | Don Reichelt)

Connect with Don Reichelt:

Follow Don on Instagram 

From Novice to Ultrarunning Champion with Don Reichelt | The Code Podcast 

2025 IAU 24 Hour World Championship | USA Track & Field

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The post 189. Running Into the Record Books with Team USA | Don Reichelt appeared first on Physio Room.

Key Takeaways

• Use the first half of a marathon as a warm up, race slower than your goal race pace

• Runners can use strength training to restore damaged body tissue and build a more robust body

• All 3 macronutrients are important for runners, but protein is actually the most important

“People talk about hitting a wall. To me the wall just means that you ran dumb. You’ve been too fast and you have nothing left,” explains Tristan Mitchell, owner, manager, and coach at Lions Den SMP. Tristan has completed 24 marathons and has learned a lot about training for running since his first attempt at age 20. Today, he joins host Dr. Andrew Fix to discuss strategies for smarter marathon training.

Running for extended periods of time is very rough on the body because it is incredibly repetitive. In order to master the marathon without harming your body, it is important to train strategically. This means not only learning how to pace yourself properly throughout the race depending on its length, but also knowing how to fuel your body efficiently beforehand. People are quick to think of carbohydrates for runners, but protein is even more important as a building block for your body to function at its best. Additionally, adding in strength training can help restore the body tissues that have been damaged by the repetitive motions of running.

If you start off a marathon running your hardest, you will likely hit a wall pretty quickly. That’s why it is imperative to pace yourself and purposefully run slower than your race pace goal for the first half of the marathon before kicking it into high gear for the second half. Be sure to fuel up on lots of protein beforehand and consider adding strength training to your regimen to help your body become more robust.

Quotes

• “Learning how to negative split races was huge, and ever since then it’s something I’ve really worked at in the marathon and prided myself on. (20:20-20:29 | Tristan)

• “The way I always like to think about it is having these things that I can draw upon to elicit an adrenaline response, something that just fires me up. And I save these things for the second half of a marathon.” (21:51-22:05 | Tristan)

• “If you go out too hard, you simply burn up too much of your stored carbohydrates.” (33:00-33:06 | Tristan)

• “People talk about hitting a wall. To me the wall just means that you ran dumb. You’ve been too fast and you have nothing left.” (33:11-33:19 | Tristan)

• “When it comes to running, strength training builds a more robust body. It builds a body that can tolerate the demands of running training more effectively.” (49:25-49:38 | Tristan)

• “All three of the macronutrients are highly important aspects of a runner’s diet, protein, fat and carbohydrates. But I think that we must get runners to think through the lens of protein first, because it is the building block.” (1:05:41-1:05:59 | Tristan)

Links

Connect with Tristan Mitchell:

Website | ​​https://www.lionsdensmp.com/

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/lionsdensmp/?hl=en

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/LionsDenSMP

Connect with Physio Room: 

Website | ​​https://physioroomco.com/

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/physioroomco/

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/physioroomco

Andrew’s Personal Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/dr.andrewfix/

Andrew’s Personal Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/andrew.fix.9/

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The post 65. Mastering the Marathon: Strategies for Smarter Training | Tristan Mitchell appeared first on Physio Room.