WEBVTT
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To the Running Reconnected podcast.
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This is episode number 476, previously the Real Life Runners podcast.
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Today I'm gonna be talking about how sourdough is directly tied to our running journey, and how me learning how to make sourdough bread directly correlated to so many things that I know about running.
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So stay tuned What's up, everybody?
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Welcome to the Running Reconnected Podcast.
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Yes, formerly known as the Real Life Runners Podcast.
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We are doing a little rebranding around here, and I'm really excited about it.
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We have been Real Life Runners for 475 episodes, which is insane.
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So someone might say,"Why the heck are you rebranding after 475 episodes?" And the short story, there's a long story, of course, but the short story is that I just thought it was time, and we're gonna be moving in a different direction with the business.
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Not different direction, because we're still talking about running, we're still talking about all the things that you guys love and have grown to love here on the podcast.
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So you don't need to go anywhere.
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But I just genuinely thought that Running Reconnected is a better name for what we do here.
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Yes, we talk about real-life runners, and we talk about how running is connected to your real life.
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And you're not professionals, you're not elites, and that was a big part of our story for a long time.
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And if you've been listening for any length of time, you also know that one of the things that I love to do is to connect the dots.
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I love to connect running to other things in our life, and I like to use the lessons from life to apply to our running and the lessons from running to apply to our life.
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And so, reconnected really is a great word to describe exactly what we do here on the podcast and also what I do in the business when I coach my clients.
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And part of what I like to do and, and part of, you know, the things that I've been seeing, both in the running world and also just in the, our world at large, is how disconnected we've all become from ourselves, from each other, from our bodies.
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And we are relying on AI, and we're relying on external devices to tell us if we're doing a good job.
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And our goal here always has been to help you reconnect to your body, help you reconnect to yourself so that you can actually understand the messages that your body is trying to give you, because so much pain and suffering is caused when we don't understand what is going on inside of our body.
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And so, as far as kind of the shifts that we're gonna be making in the business and in our coaching program- It is gonna be more shifting towards talking more about pain, because as you know, I am a physical therapist, and I've been a physical therapist for the past 20 years, which is absolutely insane to say.
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And I'm just seeing more and more people in pain.
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You would think that with all this technology and all this information, we would be seeing less incidences of running injuries, and it's definitely not that way.
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I think it's just more and more people are trying to find the quick fix, push harder, do more, because AI and immediate gratification and all these things are just leading people to try to do too much too soon, and it's leading to a lot of pain.
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And so, as always, I'm going to be exploring both the physical side, the mental side, and how all of that is connected.
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So welcome to the Running Reconnected podcast, formerly known as the Real Life Runners podcast.
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Today, I'm doing a solo episode because Kevin is not feeling well.
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He is a teacher, like most of you know, and he's back at school.
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He's been back at school for a couple of weeks now, and all of the kids are bringing back all of the germs.
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So poor Kev has been sick this weekend, so don't you-- He's still gonna be on the podcast.
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It's still gonna be a combination of, uh, du- duo episodes, so Kevin and I together.
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there's gonna be some solo episodes from me, and then also some interview episodes from experts and other runners.
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So the, the format is basically staying the same, and, uh, we've got a lot of really fun, exciting content coming your way from now on, which is great.
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But Kevin today is not feeling well and woke up this morning with a sore throat, and so I just thought, you know, it's gonna probably better-- be better if I just record a solo podcast episode today.
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So that's what we've got on tap for you, and we're talking all about sourdough.
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What the heck am I talking about?
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Sourdough bread.
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How does that have anything to do with our running?
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So as a little backstory This summer, we were hanging out, and my youngest daughter decided that she wanted to learn how to make sourdough bread because one of the influencers that she follows on YouTube put out a video or I guess has been making sourdough, and I don't know the extent of everything that she saw.
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But basically, this YouTuber, inspired her to learn how to make sourdough bread.
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And so back in, I wanna say this was in June, we decided to go on this sourdough journey.
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I said,"Sure, sounds good.
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I will do this thing." And so we started from scratch because if you know anything about sourdough, you need to have a starter.
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And you can purchase a starter, you can borrow a star- or not borrow, uh, but I guess, obtain a starter from a friend or if you know someone that bakes sourdough bread, you can get some starter from that person to then make your own.
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But I decided let's do it from scratch because I wanna kinda s- go through the entire process of this.
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You guys know I like to get down to the nitty, nitty-gritty, and I like to build that foundation because I don't know anything about sourdough, so I'll tell you that.
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And I will also tell you that my, nature, I'm not really much of a baker.
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Um, I'm more...
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Or much of a cook.
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I h- have become one throughout the years, but it's not kind of an innate natural ability that I have.
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So in June, we decided to start this sourdough journey, and basically, at the beginning, you just have to combine flour and water on a daily basis.
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And so this is where we started, right?
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And I, as I was going through this whole process and as I was thinking about today's episode, I was like,"This is genuinely such a good metaphor for running." And part of the reason I thought about this is because I currently have a sourdough, uh, some dough on the counter that I, that I'm working on.
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And so What do we do?
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Okay, so we are essentially building a starter from nothing, and that is where a lot of us started on our running journey back in the day.
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Maybe for you, that was a year ago, maybe it was just a couple months ago, maybe it was 10 years ago or 20 years ago when you went out and took those first running steps.
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You didn't know what you were doing.
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Maybe you knew a little bit.
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Maybe you looked up some information.
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Maybe you listened to some podcasts or read a book or found some information.
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And ultimately, b- you didn't really, didn't know what you do- were doing, right?
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You just had to get out and get on the roads, and so that's really where we started.
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I looked up recipes.
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I looked up, different blogs and information on how to make s- a sourdough starter, and I followed the instructions.
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I started to do what they told me to do.
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And it was just flour and water.
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You mix them.
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You let it sit overnight, and then the next day, you discard it, most of it, and then you take a little bit of that and then you do it again.
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You add more flour and water, and then you let it rise overnight.
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And then the next day, you do it again.
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You discard it, then you add more flour and water.
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And so basically, the purpose or the, kind of what's happening is that it's taking wild yeast and bacteria from the air and from your surroundings, and it's creating an active yeast s- yeast culture, um, with the flour and the water and all the stuff that's in the air from your own environment.
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And it takes time to cultivate this active starter because, you know, it'd be great if you could just jump ahead, and a lot of people do.
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Like I said, you can buy them or you can obtain starters from other, other people.
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But this starter that I was making took time and patience.
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And That is exactly what's happening in our running, right?
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Every single step that we take, we have to put in some miles, and then rest and let it just sit.
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And then put in some more miles, and then we just rest and let it sit.
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And this is exactly what was going on with the starter.
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And for days, it didn't really seem like it was doing much.
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I was watching it, and it really didn't look like it was doing much.
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And then it started rising, and this was really cool.
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So it was starting to form little bubbles, and it would start to rise overnight, and I was getting really excited.
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And admittedly, I was probably getting a little bit more excited than even my daughter was.
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But then after maybe a week, uh, maybe like five, five or six days, it st- it was, like, doing its thing and it was starting to rise and bubble, and it...
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I was like,"Oh my gosh, this is working.
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How cool." And then it went through this dormant period, and I didn't know what was going on.
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I was like,"Oh, shoot.
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Did I kill it?
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Did I...
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is it dead?" And of course I'm, like, looking up all these informa- all the information on the blogs and trying to figure out what's going on.
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And the one blog that I looked at said,"No, no, no.
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This is normal.
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This is...
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there...
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It goes through kind of this dormant phase for a few days where it doesn't look like it's making any progress." Does that sound familiar?
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Right?
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Like, how many times does that happen in our running also where we're putting in the miles day after day after day, week after week, and then we go through a plateau where it doesn't really look like we're making progress?
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But what was actually happening was all under the surface.
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I couldn't see what was visibly happening.
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I couldn't see the bubbles, and it wasn't really rising.
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Just like in our running, sometimes we don't see that progress.
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We don't see how we're getting better.
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But under the surface of this starter, that active yeast was actually trying to establish itself.
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The culture was building beneath th- the surface in ways that just were not visible yet.
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And so this plateau that I thought my starter was on, or even worth- worse, a, a death of my starter, was just building the foundation.
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And this happens all of the time in our running, right?
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Base building looks exactly like this, these early miles that feel like...
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uh, let's be honest.
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At the beginning, they feel terrible, and especially, like, if you are...
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Maybe you've been running for a while, right?
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but maybe now you're training for a race distance that you've never done before, and so you're trying to increase your running distance.
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And sometimes when you're in that process where you're trying to build something or you're trying to start something from nothing, or if even if you do have a little bit of, of a base, it feels like it's not working sometimes.
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It feels like nothing's changing, right?
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Your pace isn't improving visibly, or you question whether the process is working, but it is.
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And this is exactly what is happening inside of our bodies.
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Your aerobic base is building.
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You're building those mitochondria.
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You are building new capillaries, which are your blood vessel networks that are going to bring blood to your working muscles.
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Your connective tissue is adapting because there's a lot of stress that we place on our body during running, and your muscles and your connective tissue, all of these things need to adapt and get stronger.
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And none of them, frustratingly enough, are visible in your daily runs, most of them, right?
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Like, they're, they're just not...
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You can't see how much stronger your connective tissue has gotten or your fascia or your tendons, all of these things, right?
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And this is exactly what was going on with the sourdough.
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And the cool thing, too, about sourdough that one of the things that I learned is that my starter, the starter that I was making in my kitchen, is actually unique to me.
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There's no other starter that's exactly the same as mine because of my environment, because it's taking the bacteria and the yeast from the air and the environment w- of my house and the humidity and the temperatures and all of the different environmental conditions, and it's creating this starter.
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And so my starter, if, probably if you, analyze it, uh, under a microscope or something, it would probably look different than someone else's starter.
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And that's how running is, too, right?
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Like, you can follow the same plan as someone else and get a completely different result because you are the variable.
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You have to learn your starter.
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You have to learn your body.
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And you have to keep doing the thing even when it looks like nothing is happening, especially when it looks like nothing is happening because that's when the foundation is being built So I got the starter.
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So after two weeks, y'all, it freaking took two full weeks to make this starter.
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And I was, like, reading these blogs, and some of them were saying five to seven days, and some of them were saying seven to 10 days, and mine took a full two weeks to actually have a starter that was active and bubbling and looking like, okay.
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And then it had to passed, it had to pass the float test.
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If any of you know about sourdough, basically you take a little bit of the starter and you put it into, uh, a cup or a jar of water, and if it floats, that means that there's enough air in it that it's ready to use in baking.
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So two weeks of consistency, of adding flour, adding water, mixing it, letting it sit overnight, discarding it, doing it again.
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not, you don't discard the whole thing, right?
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You discard the majority of it, otherwise you just have too much of it.
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It grows exponentially.
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So doing this day in and day out, every single day, getting through that plateau period.
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Same thing with running, right?
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Same thing with running.
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And then all of a sudden, you've got an active starter.
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Now you are ready to bake.
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And so in baking, in making sourdough bread, one of the cool things about it is that it only takes four ingredients to make sourdough bread.
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You need the starter, water, flour, and salt.
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That's it.
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None of the other stuff and junk and whatnot that goes into bread, especially bread that you buy in the grocery stores nowadays.
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Holy n- Lord knows how many chemicals and ingredients are in some of those loaves of bread.
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It's absolutely insane, right?
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But it's four simple ingredients.
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No additives, no shortcuts, no special equipment.
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The magic is in the process and the simplicity of the ingredients, and that's really cool.
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Think about running In running, to get better as a runner, you need to run.
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That's ingredient number one, right?
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You need to strength train.
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That's another absolutely essential ingredient.
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You need mobility work so that your body doesn't get com- tightened up and, uh, restricted, and then have problems and injury and pain later on, right?
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We need simple ingredient- and rest.
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We need rest.
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We need lots of sleep.
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We need good nutrition, right?
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If we look at what we need to improve as runners, there's, there's really four main ingredients that I like to break it down to, and this is, these are the four main pillars inside of my programs.
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The first one is mindset.
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It's the psychology of running, because what you tell yourself about running means everything.
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Whether you think you can or you think you are c- you can't, you are right.
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That is accurate when it comes to running, and also when it comes to sourdough, apparently.
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But mindset and psychology is everything.
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Not overanalyzing, not worrying, not throwing out the starter just because it went through this dormant period, trusting the process, understanding that it's okay if your progress is not visible every single day.
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That's all mindset and psychology.
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The second part is training, right?
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So I don't know what, we were on our starter, now we're on our flour, right?
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The, the training is important.
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The running that you put in, the strength training that you put in, the mobility that you put in, extremely important.
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That is the bulk of it.
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That's why I'm gonna call that the flour that we are adding to the bread.
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Then we've got the water in the bread.
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The water is your nutrition, right?
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You need food.
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You need hydration.
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You need to make sure that you are fueling your body so that your body has the energy that it needs to get stronger as a runner, to make the progress that you want.
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And then in sourdough, you also need salt, and that's what I like to call nervous system regulation or recovery.
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You need recovery because it's not just about hard- how hard you're pushing yourself in the training, it's how well you are allowing your body to rest and to rise, just like sourdough, right?
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The rising happens when the dough is resting, not when I'm stretching and folding, like I'm gonna tell you about, right?
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So the temptation, I think, a lot of times is to think that something simple can't produce something extraordinary.
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But complexity is not what creates a great loaf of bread.
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Consistency with simple, quality ingredients is.
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And so it's the same thing with our running.
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We need fundamentals, right?
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Progressive overload, strength work, miles, sleep, fueling.
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the four ingredients that I just talked about, that is the whole recipe.
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But I feel like we as runners are oftentimes con- trying to just look for more ingredients.
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We want...
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You know, there's so much information nowadays in the world about all of these tricks and hacks and, um, supplements and all of these different shortcuts that are gonna get you faster results Is the consistency with the ingredients that you already have.
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And the simplicity, that is the sophistication.
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The perfect sourdough loaf doesn't need 17 ingredients, it needs four.
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Just like a stronger runner doesn't need 17 supplements, it needs those main four things first.
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We have to get our mind right.
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We have to get our training right to make sure that we're ma- managing that training load with a combination of strength, mobility, and running.
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We have to get our nutrition dialed in so that you're actually eating enough to support your body.
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That doesn't mean that you have to count every single morsel of food that goes into your mouth, but most people are just not eating enough of the right things to actually support their body.
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And number four, you have to recover.
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You have to help regulate your nervous system so that your body can actually recover from that training.
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Most people are so sleep deprived and are in constant states of stress that their body's just not able to make the adaptations that they want.
00:18:55.070 --> 00:18:57.451
So the, it's, it seems simple, right?
00:18:57.461 --> 00:18:58.290
It i- it is simple.
00:18:58.290 --> 00:19:00.361
There's four things, but that's not easy, right?
00:19:00.361 --> 00:19:01.790
Simple does not mean easy.
00:19:01.790 --> 00:19:04.020
Just like sourdough is not easy.
00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:12.191
Once you get the hang of it, I think it does become pretty easy, but for some reason out there in the world, people think,"Oh, a sour- sourdough is so complicated." It's really not.
00:19:12.201 --> 00:19:18.611
It's simple, and it's easy, but there's a lot of things that can affect the outcome.
00:19:18.851 --> 00:19:22.800
The temperature, the humidity, the stretch and folds, all these things, right?
00:19:22.830 --> 00:19:27.340
All these things can affect how the sourdough turns out.
00:19:27.611 --> 00:19:30.060
Now, speaking of stretch and folds, okay?
00:19:30.721 --> 00:19:34.901
So when you're making sourdough bread, you spend all this time making the starter.
00:19:34.901 --> 00:19:36.480
Now I have an active starter, so we're good.
00:19:36.750 --> 00:19:38.040
So now it's time to make the bread.
00:19:38.040 --> 00:19:46.401
And so I combine the starter, the flour, the water, and the salt into a bowl, and I mix it up with a whisk, and I let it sit for 30 minutes, okay?
00:19:46.431 --> 00:19:53.580
Again, listen to this pro- I'm gonna explain to you the sourdough process so that you can understand how similar to running this is is.
00:19:53.840 --> 00:19:56.181
So then it sits for 30 minutes, right?
00:19:56.740 --> 00:19:58.820
Then we enter the stretch and fold period.
00:19:58.830 --> 00:20:06.631
Now, stretch and folds are basically where I go in and I grab the dough with my hand, and I pull it and stretch the dough.
00:20:06.641 --> 00:20:09.560
If you're watching me on YouTube, you can see me, uh, demonstrating this.
00:20:09.570 --> 00:20:18.490
Actually, actually, I should actually, uh, bring my bowl over here because I just paused my recording to go do a stretch and fold because I've got an active sourdough, dough.
00:20:18.530 --> 00:20:21.401
I'm in the process today of doing the stretch and fold.
00:20:21.401 --> 00:20:25.951
So it, and this is the other thing about sourdough that I forgot to mention, is that it's a three-day process.
00:20:25.961 --> 00:20:30.916
So I have to feed the starter at night, uh, on day one.
00:20:31.156 --> 00:20:35.696
So day one I feed the starter, and then I let it sit overnight and that doubles in size.
00:20:35.727 --> 00:20:39.467
Mine actually, this, this one rose like crazy, today.
00:20:39.467 --> 00:20:42.737
I- it probably tripled in size when I got it today, so that was awesome.
00:20:43.436 --> 00:20:44.946
And then, so that's day one.
00:20:44.946 --> 00:20:50.787
Day two I make the dough and then I do the stretch and folds, and then baking is on day three.
00:20:50.787 --> 00:20:55.567
So again, even just the process of making one loaf of bread takes time.
00:20:55.926 --> 00:20:57.636
So now let's talk about the stretch and fold.
00:20:57.636 --> 00:21:00.217
So after mixing the dough you leave it alone for 30 minutes.
00:21:00.277 --> 00:21:11.227
Then for the next two and a half hour- next two hours I do these things called stretch and folds where I basically go in, I grab the dough with my hand, I stretch it and then I fold it over.
00:21:11.227 --> 00:21:13.866
And you go around the bowl and you do that like four or five times.
00:21:13.876 --> 00:21:15.497
Stretch it, fold it, stretch it, fold it.
00:21:15.807 --> 00:21:19.247
And then I cover it with a damp towel and I let it sit for 30 minutes, okay?
00:21:19.247 --> 00:21:23.596
So in between every set of stretch and folds the dough just sits.
00:21:24.317 --> 00:21:30.376
And during that time, I, I looked up this information because I wasn't sure, why are we doing this?
00:21:30.416 --> 00:21:31.537
What is, what is going on here, right?
00:21:32.146 --> 00:21:35.886
During that stretch and fold time the dough is actually strengthening.
00:21:35.896 --> 00:21:45.067
The bonds within the dough are strengthening to make a stronger, like springier, more airy dough I guess.
00:21:45.557 --> 00:21:50.426
And it's really cool because you can actually see it happening over time.
00:21:51.017 --> 00:21:57.366
In the first 30 minutes, like so when I first mix all the dough, I combine all the ingredients, the dough is so, so sticky.
00:21:57.366 --> 00:21:58.326
It's super sticky.
00:21:58.326 --> 00:22:02.416
It's like all over the whisk, my hands, like whatever it is that you're using to mix.
00:22:02.906 --> 00:22:10.423
It's super sticky and it just kind of falls apart Then we start the stretch and fold, and the first time you do it, again, same thing.
00:22:10.432 --> 00:22:12.012
Pretty sticky when I...
00:22:12.022 --> 00:22:13.262
'cause I, I just do it with my hands.
00:22:13.262 --> 00:22:15.633
Don't worry, I wash my hands of course before and after.
00:22:16.012 --> 00:22:23.323
But that first stretch and fold, it's, there's a lot of residue left on my hands when I'm done with that stretch and fold.
00:22:23.692 --> 00:22:33.452
And then every progressive stretch and fold that I do, it, there becomes less and less dough on my hands because that dough is getting stronger, right?
00:22:33.673 --> 00:22:40.063
So you stretch it up as far as it will go without tearing it, and then you fold it back over on itself.
00:22:40.423 --> 00:22:46.573
And so this is developing that gluten network that gives the bread its structure and strength.
00:22:46.893 --> 00:22:56.502
And so it's really cool because as you do this, like, you can feel the dough becoming more elastic, and more resistant, and more capable of holding its shape.
00:22:56.833 --> 00:23:02.472
And with this, just like with our running, you can't do all of the stretch and folds at once.
00:23:02.782 --> 00:23:09.442
You have to do a set of stretch and folds, and then sit for 30 minutes, and then do another set, and then sits, sit for 30 minutes.
00:23:09.442 --> 00:23:12.732
I think I do four total, so it's like a two-hour process.
00:23:13.002 --> 00:23:19.113
And then when you add in the first 30 minutes, it's like a two and a half hour process, the first 30 minutes before the first stretch and fold.
00:23:19.883 --> 00:23:22.212
So you can't skip straight to the end.
00:23:22.272 --> 00:23:31.113
Timing matters, and the rest in between the stretch and folds matters just as much as the fold itself.
00:23:31.633 --> 00:23:33.113
Same thing with our running.
00:23:33.182 --> 00:23:35.742
Every single run that you do matters.
00:23:35.752 --> 00:23:40.403
Every strength session, every mobility session is a stretch and fold, right?
00:23:40.403 --> 00:23:42.522
You are developing the network.
00:23:42.522 --> 00:24:05.303
You're developing the muscular, the neurological, the connective tissue, and how all of those things work together to give your body the strength and the resilience to keep you strong out on the roads without getting injured Now progressive overload, if we wanna kind of bring this down even more, progressive overload is that stretch and fold principle.
00:24:05.532 --> 00:24:07.923
A little bit more stress and then we rest.
00:24:08.163 --> 00:24:10.202
A little bit more stress and then we rest.
00:24:10.202 --> 00:24:12.682
That's exactly what progressive overload is.
00:24:12.682 --> 00:24:14.042
We add a little bit more load.
00:24:14.042 --> 00:24:19.803
We add a little bit more to the body, and every time I do the stretch and folds on my sourdough, I stretch it a little higher.
00:24:19.813 --> 00:24:26.353
That first stretch and fold, I don't pull very high because you're supposed to pull as high as you can without it tearing, without it ripping.
00:24:26.573 --> 00:24:27.613
And so you can feel it.
00:24:27.613 --> 00:24:28.303
You can feel it.
00:24:28.343 --> 00:24:31.093
Oh, I'm like, I'm at the edge here, and then, then I fold it over.
00:24:31.383 --> 00:24:40.212
And by the end, by that last stretch and fold, I'm, like, hanging the whole thing of dough, and it's super stretchy and super strong.
00:24:40.432 --> 00:24:44.492
So that rest in between the folds, that is not laziness.
00:24:44.532 --> 00:24:48.712
It is the mechanism by which that dough strengthens itself.
00:24:48.722 --> 00:24:50.542
The elasticity increases.
00:24:50.772 --> 00:24:59.653
The gluten is actually reorganizing itself during rest, just like your body is adapting during recovery.
00:25:00.053 --> 00:25:02.452
Skipping the rest does not get you there faster.
00:25:02.482 --> 00:25:04.863
It gets you a collapsed loaf, right?
00:25:04.863 --> 00:25:07.232
Like, thank goodness I haven't had that experience yet.
00:25:07.252 --> 00:25:11.073
So far, I, I feel like I've been pretty darn successful with this whole sourdough thing.
00:25:11.553 --> 00:25:12.053
I haven't...
00:25:12.053 --> 00:25:14.452
'Cause I've, I've been good about following the steps, right?
00:25:14.452 --> 00:25:17.242
Like, just like in running, I'm good about following the steps.
00:25:17.542 --> 00:25:22.192
If we follow the progressive overload steps, we continue to get better.
00:25:22.192 --> 00:25:29.199
Now, I will say that My first loaf came out, the bottom was a little too dark.
00:25:29.199 --> 00:25:31.669
Like, it, it wasn't burnt, but it was a little too dark.
00:25:31.888 --> 00:25:35.548
And so I've learned how to v- how to adjust the temperature a little bit.
00:25:35.548 --> 00:25:44.078
I've learned a trick of, like, putting a pan underneath the Dutch oven so that the heat doesn't b- overcook the bottom of the loaf.
00:25:44.138 --> 00:25:47.848
the first loaf that I made also was, uh, more dense.
00:25:47.868 --> 00:25:58.898
And as with time, and I think part of this is because my starter is continuing to get more active and more bubbly, and, my starter is more mature.
00:25:58.909 --> 00:26:00.009
That's the word I'm looking for.
00:26:00.259 --> 00:26:02.269
I have a mature starter now.
00:26:02.288 --> 00:26:09.028
And so it's making airier bread because there's more bubbles that are h- that are built into the starter.
00:26:09.249 --> 00:26:12.209
Just like with time, we are stronger.
00:26:12.209 --> 00:26:14.338
Our bodies can go through more.
00:26:14.338 --> 00:26:15.648
They're more resilient.
00:26:15.888 --> 00:26:22.788
Things, little things aren't going to derail you if you've been running for 10 years and you've built a really strong base.
00:26:23.058 --> 00:26:36.489
This is one of the things that I talk to my clients about all the time, that, you know, if they miss a, a, a period of time and they maybe were inconsistent, life gets in the way, they're very worried that something is wrong and that they've lost all of the fitness that they've built.
00:26:36.499 --> 00:26:40.328
And hey, and I always reassure them because I tell them,"No, no, no.
00:26:40.328 --> 00:26:41.288
You're good.
00:26:41.298 --> 00:26:43.659
Like, you've got 10 years of running under your belt.
00:26:43.669 --> 00:26:56.759
You've got five years of base built." When you go out and start running after a period of an inconsistency, it's probably not gonna feel great at the beginning, but you are not back at square one by any means.
00:26:56.769 --> 00:26:58.028
You still have a base.
00:26:58.028 --> 00:26:59.098
Your body remembers.
00:26:59.098 --> 00:27:01.878
There's muscle memory, and that is a real thing.
00:27:02.868 --> 00:27:09.348
And at the same time, you can't expect to jump right back in where you were, and that's a big mistake that I see a lot of runners making as well.
00:27:09.618 --> 00:27:11.548
They know that they have this base.
00:27:11.548 --> 00:27:13.249
They know that they've been running for 10 years.
00:27:13.249 --> 00:27:21.048
And after an extended break, they sometimes try to jump in where they were the last time that they were consistent, and that doesn't work either.
00:27:21.048 --> 00:27:23.429
That's also going to learn to injury.
00:27:23.679 --> 00:27:37.088
So it's really important for us to understand, kind of going back to our, our sourdough and our progressive overload, it's the reps that we put in that builds the capacity, that builds the strength, that builds the elasticity and the resilience.
00:27:37.118 --> 00:27:39.138
And same thing with our training sessions.
00:27:39.148 --> 00:27:45.098
Every training session that you put in, even if it's 20 minutes, it puts something into the body.
00:27:45.098 --> 00:27:49.628
Even if you can't see the results right away, it's building that network.
00:27:49.808 --> 00:27:56.269
Now After the stretch and folds are over, basically then comes the bulk rise phase, right?
00:27:56.269 --> 00:27:57.969
Where I just leave the dough.
00:27:57.969 --> 00:27:59.878
So I have the dough in a bowl.
00:27:59.979 --> 00:28:06.128
It's covered by a damp towel so that it doesn't dry out, and then it goes...
00:28:06.189 --> 00:28:08.979
Oh, so then it, uh, bulk rises.
00:28:09.209 --> 00:28:10.959
I, I forgot a couple steps here for a second.
00:28:10.999 --> 00:28:11.489
Forgive me.
00:28:11.959 --> 00:28:19.578
Uh, it's been a, maybe a month or so since I've made sourdough, and I'm like,"Good thing I'm remembering this," um, as I have sourdough sitting on my counter.
00:28:19.999 --> 00:28:28.558
So after the stretch and fold period, then it goes through the bulk rise phase, where it basically sits out on my warm counter for about eight hours.
00:28:28.558 --> 00:28:29.288
It kind of depends.
00:28:29.288 --> 00:28:37.078
Like, we're in summertime now, and I live in South Florida, so it's very warm, so I have a warm kitchen, and the temperature of the kitchen makes a big difference.
00:28:37.548 --> 00:28:42.388
And so I can get my sourdough to rise within, like, six to eight hours.
00:28:42.398 --> 00:28:49.169
So basically, I leave it there until the sourdough has doubled in size, and then I shape the dough.
00:28:49.179 --> 00:28:54.439
Okay, so at the end of that day, so the, the whole morning, on day two, I make the dough.
00:28:54.439 --> 00:29:00.929
I do all the stretch and folds, then it sits for eight hours, and then at night before I go to bed, I shape the loaf, okay?
00:29:00.929 --> 00:29:16.108
So I put, I take the, the doubled, uh, dough size, I put it out on my floured counter, and I do this thing where, like, you, you, like, push it and pull it to, create the pretty little ball of sourdough bread that you want, right?
00:29:16.108 --> 00:29:21.378
So to create your dough into the shape that of the, the bread that you want.
00:29:21.409 --> 00:29:25.219
And so, during that process, right?
00:29:25.219 --> 00:29:28.648
So a- actually, let me go back to the bulk rise phase, like, before I shape it.
00:29:29.398 --> 00:29:36.108
When it's just sitting on my counter and it's going through that bulk rise phase, that's when everything is fermenting.
00:29:36.249 --> 00:29:40.009
That's when the wild yeast is eating up all the little sugars in the flour.
00:29:40.009 --> 00:29:49.409
It's producing carbon dioxide that's gonna create those beautiful little air pockets, that open crumb structure which makes sourdough so delicious, right?
00:29:49.648 --> 00:29:50.969
The flavors are developing.
00:29:50.969 --> 00:29:53.009
The complexity is being built.
00:29:53.358 --> 00:30:01.429
And if you rush this, if I try to shape my dough too early or bake it before it's ready, that's when it becomes that dense, flat loaf.
00:30:01.669 --> 00:30:02.568
The flavor's not there.
00:30:02.719 --> 00:30:03.598
The structure's not there.
00:30:03.598 --> 00:30:07.929
It's very dense because the ingredient that we skipped was the time, right?
00:30:07.929 --> 00:30:10.058
And this is exactly what we need as runners.
00:30:10.078 --> 00:30:13.118
The sleep is the bulk rise phase.
00:30:13.648 --> 00:30:16.019
That's when adaptation actually happens.
00:30:16.028 --> 00:30:21.358
Muscle protein synthesis, hormone restoration, glycogen replenishment, nervous system recovery.
00:30:21.689 --> 00:30:31.028
All of those things are d- what happens during rest and recovery, during the bulk rise phase where I don't even touch the loaf.
00:30:31.028 --> 00:30:37.201
It's just sitting there adapting The training sessions that we're doing, those are the stretch and folds.
00:30:37.280 --> 00:30:42.421
Sleep is where those stretch and folds actually become improvements in your fitness.
00:30:42.421 --> 00:30:51.661
That's where the body actually adapts, and that's why we cannot shortcut sleep, just like you cannot shortcut a bulk rise phase when it comes to sourdough.
00:30:51.911 --> 00:30:57.671
If you don't get enough sleep, your body's not going to make the adaptations that you want, period.
00:30:57.820 --> 00:30:59.290
Like, plain and simple.
00:30:59.480 --> 00:31:01.810
I cannot say this any more simply.
00:31:02.290 --> 00:31:06.411
Sleep is the missing ingredient for so many people, right?
00:31:06.901 --> 00:31:17.740
If you're an athlete that trains really hard but sleeps really poorly, that's the same thing as a baker that does wonderful stretch and folds, but then tries to bake the loaf two hours later.
00:31:17.740 --> 00:31:19.151
It's just not going to work.
00:31:19.161 --> 00:31:21.721
The transformation was not allowed to complete.
00:31:22.090 --> 00:31:26.550
You, it might be okay, but it's not gonna be as good as it could be.
00:31:26.871 --> 00:31:28.941
And this is the same thing that our body needs.
00:31:28.941 --> 00:31:29.131
You know?
00:31:29.131 --> 00:31:34.191
It's, it's recovery, and this is why we also build r- down weeks into our training cycle.
00:31:34.671 --> 00:31:41.520
I hope if you're not training with us, those of you that are training with us, you know that we, you have recovery weeks built into your cycle.
00:31:41.520 --> 00:31:44.060
We have, um, down weeks when it comes to running.
00:31:44.060 --> 00:31:51.330
We have down weeks for our strength sessions to allow your body to rest, recover, and adapt, right?
00:31:51.570 --> 00:31:53.611
We can't be building all the time.
00:31:53.611 --> 00:32:02.131
This is one of the reasons why so many people that want to train for race after race after race, and j- they just put races back to back to back, they wonder why they're not improving.
00:32:02.131 --> 00:32:04.431
It's because they don't have that downtime.
00:32:04.431 --> 00:32:11.151
They don't have the recovery time where the body's actually building and rising and becoming stronger than it was before.
00:32:12.020 --> 00:32:12.330
Okay.
00:32:12.820 --> 00:32:15.861
So after the bulk rise, I do the shaping.
00:32:15.871 --> 00:32:26.881
So I, I do the pull, the push and the pull, and I get it formed into this pretty little ball, and then I put that ball into the fridge overnight to, do a second rise.
00:32:26.921 --> 00:32:27.250
Okay?
00:32:27.250 --> 00:32:31.911
So it actually doesn't really rise much, to be honest with you, but e- everything is still happening, right?
00:32:31.911 --> 00:32:35.711
The same thing as, things I just talked about, um, during the bulk rise.
00:32:35.730 --> 00:32:38.111
The fermentation is happening, the gluten structure.
00:32:38.121 --> 00:32:41.750
All those things are happening as the dough is rising overnight.
00:32:42.861 --> 00:32:48.770
So the next morning on day three, I take the loaf out of the refrigerator and...
00:32:49.621 --> 00:32:53.080
Oh, before I take it out of the refrigerator, I have to put the Dutch oven into the oven.
00:32:53.080 --> 00:32:56.580
So I heat my oven to 500 degrees, y'all.
00:32:56.580 --> 00:32:59.211
It i- this, it's, like, high-temperature baking.
00:32:59.611 --> 00:33:08.851
So you put the Dutch oven into the oven at 500 degrees and let the Dutch oven, um, heat up for, like, an hour before starting to bake it.
00:33:09.141 --> 00:33:19.250
So once that oven and Dutch oven are preheated, then I take the dough out of the refrigerator, and you have to score the top of the loaf.
00:33:19.250 --> 00:33:19.570
Okay?
00:33:19.570 --> 00:33:31.000
So I take it out of the bowl, and on the top you take a knife and you score it, which means you just cut, like, a slice into it, and this is to help the air release.
00:33:31.010 --> 00:33:31.391
Okay?
00:33:31.401 --> 00:33:36.070
We, you make deliberate cuts with a very sharp blade In a specific pattern.
00:33:36.310 --> 00:33:41.161
And this is why sourdough looks so pretty,'cause a lot of people make like leaf patterns or like different patterns.
00:33:41.421 --> 00:33:45.530
The pattern that I like to make is a starfish because I have a big connection with starfish.
00:33:45.790 --> 00:33:57.471
And so you make this, this cut, the score in the bread, and this creates a controlled place for the loaf to expand as it's baking.
00:33:57.590 --> 00:33:57.951
Okay?
00:33:58.161 --> 00:34:07.750
So without scoring, if you don't do that, the bread is still going to expand, but then what happens is it will burst at its weakest, most unpredictable point.
00:34:07.760 --> 00:34:09.201
You don't have any control over it.
00:34:09.471 --> 00:34:19.951
So that's why, you wanna score it so that the bread can expand where you want it to, because then it makes these really pretty designs and pretty patterns and it looks really aesthetic, but it's also really good for the loaf.
00:34:19.971 --> 00:34:24.840
Because if you forget to score it, it's still going to expand and it's still going to burst.
00:34:24.840 --> 00:34:32.581
It's just going to be at a place where you might not want it So the scoring doesn't limit the rise, it just directs it, tells it where, where to go.
00:34:32.800 --> 00:34:35.731
And this is, is exactly what, what our training plan is, right?
00:34:35.771 --> 00:34:37.831
Your training plan is the scoring.
00:34:37.840 --> 00:34:41.610
It creates that intentional place for growth to happen.
00:34:41.800 --> 00:34:47.400
It has hard weeks, we have easy weeks, we have race-specific work, we have recovery, all of it built in.
00:34:47.681 --> 00:34:51.570
And without a specific training plan, that growth does still happen.
00:34:51.570 --> 00:35:01.121
If you're still, if you're following the s- the correct principles, if you're following the principles of progressive overload, if you're making sure that you rest, you can still grow as a runner.
00:35:01.121 --> 00:35:02.661
You can still get better.
00:35:02.871 --> 00:35:05.431
But it tends to happen at the weakest point.
00:35:05.440 --> 00:35:15.690
and a lot of times when runners aren't following a plan, they experience more overuse, more injury, more burnout, because there's no structure to kind of guide that expansion.
00:35:15.701 --> 00:35:20.411
So we like to say that the plan helps to guide your potential.
00:35:20.411 --> 00:35:21.740
It doesn't limit your potential.
00:35:21.740 --> 00:35:26.221
A lot of people feel like a plan limits them, but it really helps to guide you.
00:35:26.920 --> 00:35:38.740
So after I score the loaf, then I place it on, a piece of parchment paper, and then I put that parchment paper into the 500-degree Dutch oven, and you bake it.
00:35:38.860 --> 00:35:39.150
Okay?
00:35:39.150 --> 00:35:48.260
So it goes into the oven for 20 minutes, and with the lid on, and that first 20 minutes apparently is to help trap the steam in.
00:35:48.681 --> 00:35:54.740
Um, and then you remove the lid after that, and then I bake it for another, I wanna say 15 to 20 minutes.
00:35:55.070 --> 00:36:00.150
Um, and I decrease the temperature also because I, I don't want it to brown too much.
00:36:00.420 --> 00:36:02.780
and then that helps to really develop the crust.
00:36:02.791 --> 00:36:09.010
So to give you that really beautiful, crisp, brown crust on a sourdough.
00:36:09.320 --> 00:36:10.530
I'm, like, so excited right now.
00:36:11.271 --> 00:36:13.380
My mouth is starting to water already.
00:36:13.740 --> 00:36:16.251
but I'm not gonna have my sourdough until tomorrow, which is a bummer.
00:36:16.260 --> 00:36:33.090
But that heat, uh, that extreme heat is helping to, create the crust, the color, the texture, the flavor, and without that extreme heat, that bread will never develop into the type of loaf that it's capable of.
00:36:33.431 --> 00:36:36.010
And so same thing with our running, right?
00:36:36.010 --> 00:36:42.851
Your harder efforts, that extreme heat, because I-- Think about what you bake on a daily basis or, or what you cook.
00:36:42.851 --> 00:36:45.451
You, you're never at 500 degrees, right?
00:36:45.451 --> 00:36:56.164
Like, this, this might be the first time I've ever put my oven at 500 degrees is when, in this sourdough process So that is a high extreme temperature.
00:36:56.474 --> 00:36:57.614
That's the harder effort.
00:36:57.625 --> 00:37:02.494
That's the stuff that helps that loaf develop into its full potential.
00:37:02.704 --> 00:37:10.724
Just like the harder efforts, you know, your speed sessions, your tempo runs, those training blocks that really push you, that's the oven.
00:37:10.735 --> 00:37:12.534
That's the heat that transforms you.
00:37:12.534 --> 00:37:17.675
It, it bakes you, especially in this summer heat of South Florida.
00:37:17.684 --> 00:37:18.764
Holy heck, right?
00:37:19.414 --> 00:37:33.684
So that's what helps to really transform you, but it- you can't get to that step without the base of all the two days of preparation that came before day three, where I actually get to bake the bread.
00:37:34.144 --> 00:37:38.664
I can't get to that phase if I didn't have the days, and that's where easy running.
00:37:38.704 --> 00:37:48.914
Easy running builds that base, and then the heat of that hard effort is what takes that base and converts it into real performance capacity.
00:37:49.155 --> 00:37:51.244
Both are necessary, right?
00:37:51.454 --> 00:37:55.034
You can't just do hard efforts and expect to get better as a runner.
00:37:55.034 --> 00:37:55.905
You need both.
00:37:56.125 --> 00:38:21.900
You need the easy runs and the base-building and the strength and the mobility that builds that foundation in day one and day two of sourdough baking, so that when you put it into the heat of the oven on day three, when you test your body with hard runs or races or things that you've never been capable of before, you now have the capability to do that thing Right?
00:38:21.920 --> 00:38:24.021
Both are necessary.
00:38:24.630 --> 00:38:37.001
If you're a runner that only does easy runs, you're not going to be as fast as you could be if you were to also include sprint intervals, and tempo runs, and harder effort runs.
00:38:37.340 --> 00:38:49.510
But if you're a runner that only does hard stuff, and every single time you go out and run, you're running at, like, a medium effort level, and then sometimes you try to throw in some hard works, hard, uh, runs, that's not going to work either.
00:38:49.521 --> 00:38:52.311
You're just gonna end up injured and burnt out, right?
00:38:52.931 --> 00:39:00.641
So both are necessary, and this is exactly what is required for both sourdough and running.
00:39:01.050 --> 00:39:09.340
So I think by now I have really beat or kneaded this metaphor, and, hopefully you guys see it, right?
00:39:09.340 --> 00:39:15.791
Like, pretty cool how directly they correlate to each other because...
00:39:16.460 --> 00:39:18.340
And, and here's another thing to remember, too.
00:39:18.440 --> 00:39:24.490
every sourdough loaf is not the same, just like every training season, every race is not the same.
00:39:24.501 --> 00:39:26.481
You could put in the same effort.
00:39:26.501 --> 00:39:27.880
You can put in the same work.
00:39:28.240 --> 00:39:36.260
For every single sourdough loaf that I make, I put in the same ingredients, the same four ingredients: starter, flour, water, salt.
00:39:36.831 --> 00:39:39.731
Same recipe, same process.
00:39:39.931 --> 00:39:49.570
But just like sourdough, sourdough apparently is finicky, and it's affected by humidity, and temperature, and the batch of flour that I'm using, the timing.
00:39:49.581 --> 00:39:51.420
All of these things affect the outcome.
00:39:51.610 --> 00:40:02.460
So I'm guessing, haven't done it yet because I've only been baking for, like, two months, but I'm guessing sourdough in the wintertime is gonna be a little bit different than sourdough in the summertime because my house is warmer.
00:40:02.460 --> 00:40:04.201
My house is different temperatures, right?
00:40:04.501 --> 00:40:11.090
And so sometimes the, the loaf is gonna come out with a better crumb structure, with better air pockets.
00:40:11.101 --> 00:40:11.971
Sometimes the...
00:40:12.041 --> 00:40:13.501
it's gonna have a better crust.
00:40:13.760 --> 00:40:20.510
Some may be denser than expected, and I'm not gonna really understand why, but you learn from every single one, right?
00:40:20.851 --> 00:40:28.266
And just like the baker doesn't throw out the bread if it doesn't turn out perfectly- we can't just throw out our training either.
00:40:28.286 --> 00:40:31.226
Like, maybe one training cycle didn't go the way that you wanted to.
00:40:31.226 --> 00:40:32.967
Okay, what can you learn from it?
00:40:33.306 --> 00:40:41.097
What can you learn so that you can come back stronger next time, that you can come back with a flakier crust next time, or with a better air pocket structure, right?
00:40:41.806 --> 00:40:46.597
Some, some training cycles don't go the way that we want, so what can we learn?
00:40:46.927 --> 00:40:53.686
And just like your starter is unique to your environment, your training is unique to your body, your life, your season.
00:40:53.686 --> 00:40:59.467
So we have to also stop comparing ourselves to other people out there.
00:40:59.476 --> 00:41:02.737
We have to not compare our sourdough loaf to somebody else.
00:41:02.746 --> 00:41:06.177
I mean, it's good when we use it to learn, right?
00:41:06.186 --> 00:41:12.286
There's people that have been baking sourdough far longer than I have, and I can learn a lot from those people.
00:41:12.447 --> 00:41:24.916
It's gonna be silly for me to compare my loaf to them, but if I can look at my loaf compared to their loaf and say,"Okay, well, what did you do differently, and what can I learn from you?" Then that's a great thing, right?
00:41:24.916 --> 00:41:29.396
But not just if I'm gonna be like,"Oh, yours is better than mine." I mean, that's silly, right?
00:41:29.827 --> 00:41:30.936
Same thing with our training.
00:41:31.246 --> 00:41:35.817
So sourdough, like your running, is not fast.
00:41:36.217 --> 00:41:46.617
It requires time and patience and consistency, and doing the same thing day in and day out until you build an active starter, until you build a strong foundation.
00:41:46.907 --> 00:41:48.806
It can't be rushed.
00:41:49.556 --> 00:41:53.067
It requires you to show up and do the simple things well, right?
00:41:53.067 --> 00:41:55.876
Simplicity over complexity every single time.
00:41:56.217 --> 00:41:57.896
And then you have to trust the process.
00:41:57.896 --> 00:42:01.797
And when the process calls for rest, you give it the rest that it needs.
00:42:02.007 --> 00:42:10.927
And trust that what's happening under the surface is real, because that's when the real work is being done, is when your body actually gets the rest that it needs.
00:42:11.306 --> 00:42:15.396
So keep feeding your starter, keep showing up.
00:42:15.717 --> 00:42:27.036
The rise is coming, and it's gonna make a delicious sourdough loaf or race cycle or running accomplishment that you want, or muscle growth.
00:42:27.036 --> 00:42:28.967
I mean, this, this applies to everything, right?
00:42:28.967 --> 00:42:30.777
It does- it doesn't just apply to your running.
00:42:30.777 --> 00:42:39.347
It also applies to you if you're trying to build muscle, if you're trying to foster a good relationship with a partner, with a friendship.
00:42:39.347 --> 00:42:41.277
I mean, it's, it applies to everything, right?
00:42:41.277 --> 00:42:42.507
We need the consistency.
00:42:42.847 --> 00:42:43.817
We need the rest.
00:42:44.586 --> 00:42:47.836
And with those things, we will rise, just like our sourdough.
00:42:48.536 --> 00:42:50.766
So I hope you guys enjoyed this episode.
00:42:50.786 --> 00:42:57.476
I enjoyed making this, reconnecting this, uh, making this parallel for you all.
00:42:57.797 --> 00:43:03.206
and if you liked it, I would love for you to leave a review on your favorite podcast player.
00:43:03.567 --> 00:43:05.056
Uh, share it with a friend.
00:43:05.067 --> 00:43:06.577
Share it on social media.
00:43:06.626 --> 00:43:11.657
Anything that you do to help us get the word out about the podcast is very much appreciated.
00:43:11.996 --> 00:43:13.527
And as always, thanks for joining us.
00:43:13.547 --> 00:43:18.717
This has been the Running Reconnected podcast, episode number 476.
00:43:19.067 --> 00:43:20.817
Now, get out there and run your life.
00:00:02.125 --> 00:00:04.596
To the Running Reconnected podcast.
00:00:04.626 --> 00:00:09.906
This is episode number 476, previously the Real Life Runners podcast.
00:00:10.365 --> 00:00:23.036
Today I'm gonna be talking about how sourdough is directly tied to our running journey, and how me learning how to make sourdough bread directly correlated to so many things that I know about running.
00:00:23.045 --> 00:00:29.902
So stay tuned What's up, everybody?
00:00:29.952 --> 00:00:33.093
Welcome to the Running Reconnected Podcast.
00:00:33.103 --> 00:00:36.442
Yes, formerly known as the Real Life Runners Podcast.
00:00:36.453 --> 00:00:40.453
We are doing a little rebranding around here, and I'm really excited about it.
00:00:40.472 --> 00:00:45.073
We have been Real Life Runners for 475 episodes, which is insane.
00:00:45.073 --> 00:01:01.643
So someone might say,"Why the heck are you rebranding after 475 episodes?" And the short story, there's a long story, of course, but the short story is that I just thought it was time, and we're gonna be moving in a different direction with the business.
00:01:01.643 --> 00:01:09.143
Not different direction, because we're still talking about running, we're still talking about all the things that you guys love and have grown to love here on the podcast.
00:01:09.143 --> 00:01:11.063
So you don't need to go anywhere.
00:01:11.423 --> 00:01:16.983
But I just genuinely thought that Running Reconnected is a better name for what we do here.
00:01:16.983 --> 00:01:22.602
Yes, we talk about real-life runners, and we talk about how running is connected to your real life.
00:01:22.612 --> 00:01:30.253
And you're not professionals, you're not elites, and that was a big part of our story for a long time.
00:01:30.543 --> 00:01:37.513
And if you've been listening for any length of time, you also know that one of the things that I love to do is to connect the dots.
00:01:37.543 --> 00:01:47.612
I love to connect running to other things in our life, and I like to use the lessons from life to apply to our running and the lessons from running to apply to our life.
00:01:47.612 --> 00:01:56.813
And so, reconnected really is a great word to describe exactly what we do here on the podcast and also what I do in the business when I coach my clients.
00:01:57.203 --> 00:02:11.913
And part of what I like to do and, and part of, you know, the things that I've been seeing, both in the running world and also just in the, our world at large, is how disconnected we've all become from ourselves, from each other, from our bodies.
00:02:11.913 --> 00:02:18.252
And we are relying on AI, and we're relying on external devices to tell us if we're doing a good job.
00:02:18.272 --> 00:02:35.532
And our goal here always has been to help you reconnect to your body, help you reconnect to yourself so that you can actually understand the messages that your body is trying to give you, because so much pain and suffering is caused when we don't understand what is going on inside of our body.
00:02:35.532 --> 00:02:53.070
And so, as far as kind of the shifts that we're gonna be making in the business and in our coaching program- It is gonna be more shifting towards talking more about pain, because as you know, I am a physical therapist, and I've been a physical therapist for the past 20 years, which is absolutely insane to say.
00:02:53.401 --> 00:02:55.790
And I'm just seeing more and more people in pain.
00:02:55.790 --> 00:03:02.651
You would think that with all this technology and all this information, we would be seeing less incidences of running injuries, and it's definitely not that way.
00:03:02.651 --> 00:03:17.811
I think it's just more and more people are trying to find the quick fix, push harder, do more, because AI and immediate gratification and all these things are just leading people to try to do too much too soon, and it's leading to a lot of pain.
00:03:18.140 --> 00:03:25.401
And so, as always, I'm going to be exploring both the physical side, the mental side, and how all of that is connected.
00:03:25.411 --> 00:03:31.390
So welcome to the Running Reconnected podcast, formerly known as the Real Life Runners podcast.
00:03:31.770 --> 00:03:36.950
Today, I'm doing a solo episode because Kevin is not feeling well.
00:03:37.110 --> 00:03:41.001
He is a teacher, like most of you know, and he's back at school.
00:03:41.001 --> 00:03:45.561
He's been back at school for a couple of weeks now, and all of the kids are bringing back all of the germs.
00:03:46.181 --> 00:03:51.591
So poor Kev has been sick this weekend, so don't you-- He's still gonna be on the podcast.
00:03:51.591 --> 00:03:57.721
It's still gonna be a combination of, uh, du- duo episodes, so Kevin and I together.
00:03:58.010 --> 00:04:03.371
there's gonna be some solo episodes from me, and then also some interview episodes from experts and other runners.
00:04:03.920 --> 00:04:12.610
So the, the format is basically staying the same, and, uh, we've got a lot of really fun, exciting content coming your way from now on, which is great.
00:04:12.931 --> 00:04:24.740
But Kevin today is not feeling well and woke up this morning with a sore throat, and so I just thought, you know, it's gonna probably better-- be better if I just record a solo podcast episode today.
00:04:24.740 --> 00:04:29.261
So that's what we've got on tap for you, and we're talking all about sourdough.
00:04:29.271 --> 00:04:30.521
What the heck am I talking about?
00:04:30.531 --> 00:04:31.461
Sourdough bread.
00:04:31.930 --> 00:04:34.190
How does that have anything to do with our running?
00:04:34.190 --> 00:04:52.889
So as a little backstory This summer, we were hanging out, and my youngest daughter decided that she wanted to learn how to make sourdough bread because one of the influencers that she follows on YouTube put out a video or I guess has been making sourdough, and I don't know the extent of everything that she saw.
00:04:52.889 --> 00:04:59.139
But basically, this YouTuber, inspired her to learn how to make sourdough bread.
00:04:59.139 --> 00:05:04.678
And so back in, I wanna say this was in June, we decided to go on this sourdough journey.
00:05:04.678 --> 00:05:05.769
I said,"Sure, sounds good.
00:05:05.838 --> 00:05:12.709
I will do this thing." And so we started from scratch because if you know anything about sourdough, you need to have a starter.
00:05:12.918 --> 00:05:26.658
And you can purchase a starter, you can borrow a star- or not borrow, uh, but I guess, obtain a starter from a friend or if you know someone that bakes sourdough bread, you can get some starter from that person to then make your own.
00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:32.759
But I decided let's do it from scratch because I wanna kinda s- go through the entire process of this.
00:05:32.759 --> 00:05:42.678
You guys know I like to get down to the nitty, nitty-gritty, and I like to build that foundation because I don't know anything about sourdough, so I'll tell you that.
00:05:42.978 --> 00:05:47.928
And I will also tell you that my, nature, I'm not really much of a baker.
00:05:48.218 --> 00:05:48.798
Um, I'm more...
00:05:49.129 --> 00:05:50.119
Or much of a cook.
00:05:50.129 --> 00:05:57.379
I h- have become one throughout the years, but it's not kind of an innate natural ability that I have.
00:05:57.379 --> 00:06:09.649
So in June, we decided to start this sourdough journey, and basically, at the beginning, you just have to combine flour and water on a daily basis.
00:06:09.848 --> 00:06:12.379
And so this is where we started, right?
00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:27.139
And I, as I was going through this whole process and as I was thinking about today's episode, I was like,"This is genuinely such a good metaphor for running." And part of the reason I thought about this is because I currently have a sourdough, uh, some dough on the counter that I, that I'm working on.
00:06:27.718 --> 00:06:30.644
And so What do we do?
00:06:30.685 --> 00:06:38.944
Okay, so we are essentially building a starter from nothing, and that is where a lot of us started on our running journey back in the day.
00:06:38.964 --> 00:06:48.214
Maybe for you, that was a year ago, maybe it was just a couple months ago, maybe it was 10 years ago or 20 years ago when you went out and took those first running steps.
00:06:48.584 --> 00:06:49.824
You didn't know what you were doing.
00:06:49.824 --> 00:06:51.014
Maybe you knew a little bit.
00:06:51.024 --> 00:06:52.444
Maybe you looked up some information.
00:06:52.444 --> 00:06:56.214
Maybe you listened to some podcasts or read a book or found some information.
00:06:56.725 --> 00:07:00.995
And ultimately, b- you didn't really, didn't know what you do- were doing, right?
00:07:00.995 --> 00:07:05.035
You just had to get out and get on the roads, and so that's really where we started.
00:07:05.045 --> 00:07:06.214
I looked up recipes.
00:07:06.495 --> 00:07:13.824
I looked up, different blogs and information on how to make s- a sourdough starter, and I followed the instructions.
00:07:13.824 --> 00:07:15.884
I started to do what they told me to do.
00:07:16.144 --> 00:07:18.384
And it was just flour and water.
00:07:18.444 --> 00:07:19.274
You mix them.
00:07:19.285 --> 00:07:27.235
You let it sit overnight, and then the next day, you discard it, most of it, and then you take a little bit of that and then you do it again.
00:07:27.235 --> 00:07:30.785
You add more flour and water, and then you let it rise overnight.
00:07:30.785 --> 00:07:32.084
And then the next day, you do it again.
00:07:32.084 --> 00:07:35.194
You discard it, then you add more flour and water.
00:07:35.824 --> 00:07:54.245
And so basically, the purpose or the, kind of what's happening is that it's taking wild yeast and bacteria from the air and from your surroundings, and it's creating an active yeast s- yeast culture, um, with the flour and the water and all the stuff that's in the air from your own environment.
00:07:54.555 --> 00:08:02.295
And it takes time to cultivate this active starter because, you know, it'd be great if you could just jump ahead, and a lot of people do.
00:08:02.295 --> 00:08:06.134
Like I said, you can buy them or you can obtain starters from other, other people.
00:08:06.415 --> 00:08:12.555
But this starter that I was making took time and patience.
00:08:12.904 --> 00:08:17.119
And That is exactly what's happening in our running, right?
00:08:17.189 --> 00:08:22.939
Every single step that we take, we have to put in some miles, and then rest and let it just sit.
00:08:23.259 --> 00:08:27.129
And then put in some more miles, and then we just rest and let it sit.
00:08:27.389 --> 00:08:29.478
And this is exactly what was going on with the starter.
00:08:29.478 --> 00:08:32.129
And for days, it didn't really seem like it was doing much.
00:08:32.129 --> 00:08:35.198
I was watching it, and it really didn't look like it was doing much.
00:08:35.418 --> 00:08:37.589
And then it started rising, and this was really cool.
00:08:37.589 --> 00:08:43.178
So it was starting to form little bubbles, and it would start to rise overnight, and I was getting really excited.
00:08:43.509 --> 00:08:47.499
And admittedly, I was probably getting a little bit more excited than even my daughter was.
00:08:47.788 --> 00:08:56.418
But then after maybe a week, uh, maybe like five, five or six days, it st- it was, like, doing its thing and it was starting to rise and bubble, and it...
00:08:56.479 --> 00:08:57.849
I was like,"Oh my gosh, this is working.
00:08:57.849 --> 00:09:03.048
How cool." And then it went through this dormant period, and I didn't know what was going on.
00:09:03.119 --> 00:09:03.958
I was like,"Oh, shoot.
00:09:03.969 --> 00:09:04.649
Did I kill it?
00:09:04.658 --> 00:09:05.009
Did I...
00:09:05.038 --> 00:09:10.369
is it dead?" And of course I'm, like, looking up all these informa- all the information on the blogs and trying to figure out what's going on.
00:09:10.369 --> 00:09:12.318
And the one blog that I looked at said,"No, no, no.
00:09:12.318 --> 00:09:13.198
This is normal.
00:09:13.499 --> 00:09:14.259
This is...
00:09:14.469 --> 00:09:14.698
there...
00:09:14.708 --> 00:09:22.609
It goes through kind of this dormant phase for a few days where it doesn't look like it's making any progress." Does that sound familiar?
00:09:22.899 --> 00:09:22.928
Right?
00:09:23.168 --> 00:09:37.129
Like, how many times does that happen in our running also where we're putting in the miles day after day after day, week after week, and then we go through a plateau where it doesn't really look like we're making progress?
00:09:37.129 --> 00:09:40.298
But what was actually happening was all under the surface.
00:09:40.328 --> 00:09:42.928
I couldn't see what was visibly happening.
00:09:42.958 --> 00:09:45.769
I couldn't see the bubbles, and it wasn't really rising.
00:09:46.259 --> 00:09:49.318
Just like in our running, sometimes we don't see that progress.
00:09:49.318 --> 00:09:51.019
We don't see how we're getting better.
00:09:51.269 --> 00:09:57.788
But under the surface of this starter, that active yeast was actually trying to establish itself.
00:09:57.818 --> 00:10:03.678
The culture was building beneath th- the surface in ways that just were not visible yet.
00:10:04.019 --> 00:10:12.989
And so this plateau that I thought my starter was on, or even worth- worse, a, a death of my starter, was just building the foundation.
00:10:13.269 --> 00:10:16.048
And this happens all of the time in our running, right?
00:10:16.048 --> 00:10:21.249
Base building looks exactly like this, these early miles that feel like...
00:10:21.399 --> 00:10:22.288
uh, let's be honest.
00:10:22.288 --> 00:10:25.009
At the beginning, they feel terrible, and especially, like, if you are...
00:10:25.198 --> 00:10:27.009
Maybe you've been running for a while, right?
00:10:27.572 --> 00:10:34.082
but maybe now you're training for a race distance that you've never done before, and so you're trying to increase your running distance.
00:10:34.102 --> 00:10:46.663
And sometimes when you're in that process where you're trying to build something or you're trying to start something from nothing, or if even if you do have a little bit of, of a base, it feels like it's not working sometimes.
00:10:46.663 --> 00:10:49.673
It feels like nothing's changing, right?
00:10:49.673 --> 00:10:55.523
Your pace isn't improving visibly, or you question whether the process is working, but it is.
00:10:55.543 --> 00:10:59.062
And this is exactly what is happening inside of our bodies.
00:10:59.322 --> 00:11:01.393
Your aerobic base is building.
00:11:01.403 --> 00:11:03.143
You're building those mitochondria.
00:11:03.253 --> 00:11:10.013
You are building new capillaries, which are your blood vessel networks that are going to bring blood to your working muscles.
00:11:10.263 --> 00:11:21.393
Your connective tissue is adapting because there's a lot of stress that we place on our body during running, and your muscles and your connective tissue, all of these things need to adapt and get stronger.
00:11:21.702 --> 00:11:28.913
And none of them, frustratingly enough, are visible in your daily runs, most of them, right?
00:11:28.923 --> 00:11:30.143
Like, they're, they're just not...
00:11:30.143 --> 00:11:37.232
You can't see how much stronger your connective tissue has gotten or your fascia or your tendons, all of these things, right?
00:11:37.552 --> 00:11:40.932
And this is exactly what was going on with the sourdough.
00:11:41.462 --> 00:11:53.432
And the cool thing, too, about sourdough that one of the things that I learned is that my starter, the starter that I was making in my kitchen, is actually unique to me.
00:11:53.462 --> 00:12:10.633
There's no other starter that's exactly the same as mine because of my environment, because it's taking the bacteria and the yeast from the air and the environment w- of my house and the humidity and the temperatures and all of the different environmental conditions, and it's creating this starter.
00:12:10.633 --> 00:12:20.253
And so my starter, if, probably if you, analyze it, uh, under a microscope or something, it would probably look different than someone else's starter.
00:12:20.592 --> 00:12:23.342
And that's how running is, too, right?
00:12:23.342 --> 00:12:31.682
Like, you can follow the same plan as someone else and get a completely different result because you are the variable.
00:12:31.682 --> 00:12:34.062
You have to learn your starter.
00:12:34.062 --> 00:12:35.962
You have to learn your body.
00:12:36.163 --> 00:12:48.530
And you have to keep doing the thing even when it looks like nothing is happening, especially when it looks like nothing is happening because that's when the foundation is being built So I got the starter.
00:12:48.530 --> 00:12:55.280
So after two weeks, y'all, it freaking took two full weeks to make this starter.
00:12:55.280 --> 00:13:08.510
And I was, like, reading these blogs, and some of them were saying five to seven days, and some of them were saying seven to 10 days, and mine took a full two weeks to actually have a starter that was active and bubbling and looking like, okay.
00:13:08.711 --> 00:13:12.240
And then it had to passed, it had to pass the float test.
00:13:12.490 --> 00:13:23.860
If any of you know about sourdough, basically you take a little bit of the starter and you put it into, uh, a cup or a jar of water, and if it floats, that means that there's enough air in it that it's ready to use in baking.
00:13:24.350 --> 00:13:34.041
So two weeks of consistency, of adding flour, adding water, mixing it, letting it sit overnight, discarding it, doing it again.
00:13:34.120 --> 00:13:35.610
not, you don't discard the whole thing, right?
00:13:35.610 --> 00:13:38.551
You discard the majority of it, otherwise you just have too much of it.
00:13:38.551 --> 00:13:39.880
It grows exponentially.
00:13:40.311 --> 00:13:46.211
So doing this day in and day out, every single day, getting through that plateau period.
00:13:46.331 --> 00:13:48.171
Same thing with running, right?
00:13:48.171 --> 00:13:49.341
Same thing with running.
00:13:49.571 --> 00:13:52.250
And then all of a sudden, you've got an active starter.
00:13:52.250 --> 00:13:54.640
Now you are ready to bake.
00:13:54.821 --> 00:14:04.230
And so in baking, in making sourdough bread, one of the cool things about it is that it only takes four ingredients to make sourdough bread.
00:14:04.711 --> 00:14:08.421
You need the starter, water, flour, and salt.
00:14:08.581 --> 00:14:09.500
That's it.
00:14:09.510 --> 00:14:17.051
None of the other stuff and junk and whatnot that goes into bread, especially bread that you buy in the grocery stores nowadays.
00:14:17.061 --> 00:14:21.640
Holy n- Lord knows how many chemicals and ingredients are in some of those loaves of bread.
00:14:21.691 --> 00:14:23.130
It's absolutely insane, right?
00:14:23.660 --> 00:14:27.291
But it's four simple ingredients.
00:14:27.591 --> 00:14:30.730
No additives, no shortcuts, no special equipment.
00:14:30.740 --> 00:14:38.831
The magic is in the process and the simplicity of the ingredients, and that's really cool.
00:14:38.870 --> 00:14:45.038
Think about running In running, to get better as a runner, you need to run.
00:14:45.239 --> 00:14:47.078
That's ingredient number one, right?
00:14:47.359 --> 00:14:49.259
You need to strength train.
00:14:49.269 --> 00:14:51.849
That's another absolutely essential ingredient.
00:14:52.089 --> 00:15:02.198
You need mobility work so that your body doesn't get com- tightened up and, uh, restricted, and then have problems and injury and pain later on, right?
00:15:02.509 --> 00:15:04.629
We need simple ingredient- and rest.
00:15:04.708 --> 00:15:05.349
We need rest.
00:15:05.349 --> 00:15:06.359
We need lots of sleep.
00:15:06.599 --> 00:15:08.259
We need good nutrition, right?
00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:19.708
If we look at what we need to improve as runners, there's, there's really four main ingredients that I like to break it down to, and this is, these are the four main pillars inside of my programs.
00:15:19.899 --> 00:15:21.019
The first one is mindset.
00:15:21.019 --> 00:15:26.619
It's the psychology of running, because what you tell yourself about running means everything.
00:15:26.828 --> 00:15:31.009
Whether you think you can or you think you are c- you can't, you are right.
00:15:31.708 --> 00:15:36.448
That is accurate when it comes to running, and also when it comes to sourdough, apparently.
00:15:36.769 --> 00:15:38.849
But mindset and psychology is everything.
00:15:39.089 --> 00:15:52.538
Not overanalyzing, not worrying, not throwing out the starter just because it went through this dormant period, trusting the process, understanding that it's okay if your progress is not visible every single day.
00:15:52.578 --> 00:15:54.729
That's all mindset and psychology.
00:15:55.339 --> 00:15:57.519
The second part is training, right?
00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:01.759
So I don't know what, we were on our starter, now we're on our flour, right?
00:16:01.769 --> 00:16:03.938
The, the training is important.
00:16:04.298 --> 00:16:11.869
The running that you put in, the strength training that you put in, the mobility that you put in, extremely important.
00:16:11.879 --> 00:16:13.139
That is the bulk of it.
00:16:13.149 --> 00:16:16.879
That's why I'm gonna call that the flour that we are adding to the bread.
00:16:17.188 --> 00:16:18.798
Then we've got the water in the bread.
00:16:18.808 --> 00:16:22.749
The water is your nutrition, right?
00:16:22.749 --> 00:16:24.109
You need food.
00:16:24.328 --> 00:16:25.729
You need hydration.
00:16:25.729 --> 00:16:35.548
You need to make sure that you are fueling your body so that your body has the energy that it needs to get stronger as a runner, to make the progress that you want.
00:16:35.828 --> 00:16:41.589
And then in sourdough, you also need salt, and that's what I like to call nervous system regulation or recovery.
00:16:41.808 --> 00:16:54.208
You need recovery because it's not just about hard- how hard you're pushing yourself in the training, it's how well you are allowing your body to rest and to rise, just like sourdough, right?
00:16:54.479 --> 00:17:01.038
The rising happens when the dough is resting, not when I'm stretching and folding, like I'm gonna tell you about, right?
00:17:01.418 --> 00:17:09.689
So the temptation, I think, a lot of times is to think that something simple can't produce something extraordinary.
00:17:10.009 --> 00:17:14.209
But complexity is not what creates a great loaf of bread.
00:17:14.439 --> 00:17:18.808
Consistency with simple, quality ingredients is.
00:17:19.058 --> 00:17:21.229
And so it's the same thing with our running.
00:17:21.239 --> 00:17:23.459
We need fundamentals, right?
00:17:23.709 --> 00:17:28.358
Progressive overload, strength work, miles, sleep, fueling.
00:17:28.578 --> 00:17:31.729
the four ingredients that I just talked about, that is the whole recipe.
00:17:32.019 --> 00:17:37.429
But I feel like we as runners are oftentimes con- trying to just look for more ingredients.
00:17:37.429 --> 00:17:37.828
We want...
00:17:38.199 --> 00:17:57.750
You know, there's so much information nowadays in the world about all of these tricks and hacks and, um, supplements and all of these different shortcuts that are gonna get you faster results Is the consistency with the ingredients that you already have.
00:17:58.111 --> 00:18:02.240
And the simplicity, that is the sophistication.
00:18:02.490 --> 00:18:07.141
The perfect sourdough loaf doesn't need 17 ingredients, it needs four.
00:18:07.451 --> 00:18:13.790
Just like a stronger runner doesn't need 17 supplements, it needs those main four things first.
00:18:14.121 --> 00:18:15.550
We have to get our mind right.
00:18:15.550 --> 00:18:23.010
We have to get our training right to make sure that we're ma- managing that training load with a combination of strength, mobility, and running.
00:18:23.121 --> 00:18:27.840
We have to get our nutrition dialed in so that you're actually eating enough to support your body.
00:18:28.070 --> 00:18:38.820
That doesn't mean that you have to count every single morsel of food that goes into your mouth, but most people are just not eating enough of the right things to actually support their body.
00:18:38.990 --> 00:18:40.780
And number four, you have to recover.
00:18:40.780 --> 00:18:46.971
You have to help regulate your nervous system so that your body can actually recover from that training.
00:18:46.971 --> 00:18:54.790
Most people are so sleep deprived and are in constant states of stress that their body's just not able to make the adaptations that they want.
00:18:55.070 --> 00:18:57.451
So the, it's, it seems simple, right?
00:18:57.461 --> 00:18:58.290
It i- it is simple.
00:18:58.290 --> 00:19:00.361
There's four things, but that's not easy, right?
00:19:00.361 --> 00:19:01.790
Simple does not mean easy.
00:19:01.790 --> 00:19:04.020
Just like sourdough is not easy.
00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:12.191
Once you get the hang of it, I think it does become pretty easy, but for some reason out there in the world, people think,"Oh, a sour- sourdough is so complicated." It's really not.
00:19:12.201 --> 00:19:18.611
It's simple, and it's easy, but there's a lot of things that can affect the outcome.
00:19:18.851 --> 00:19:22.800
The temperature, the humidity, the stretch and folds, all these things, right?
00:19:22.830 --> 00:19:27.340
All these things can affect how the sourdough turns out.
00:19:27.611 --> 00:19:30.060
Now, speaking of stretch and folds, okay?
00:19:30.721 --> 00:19:34.901
So when you're making sourdough bread, you spend all this time making the starter.
00:19:34.901 --> 00:19:36.480
Now I have an active starter, so we're good.
00:19:36.750 --> 00:19:38.040
So now it's time to make the bread.
00:19:38.040 --> 00:19:46.401
And so I combine the starter, the flour, the water, and the salt into a bowl, and I mix it up with a whisk, and I let it sit for 30 minutes, okay?
00:19:46.431 --> 00:19:53.580
Again, listen to this pro- I'm gonna explain to you the sourdough process so that you can understand how similar to running this is is.
00:19:53.840 --> 00:19:56.181
So then it sits for 30 minutes, right?
00:19:56.740 --> 00:19:58.820
Then we enter the stretch and fold period.
00:19:58.830 --> 00:20:06.631
Now, stretch and folds are basically where I go in and I grab the dough with my hand, and I pull it and stretch the dough.
00:20:06.641 --> 00:20:09.560
If you're watching me on YouTube, you can see me, uh, demonstrating this.
00:20:09.570 --> 00:20:18.490
Actually, actually, I should actually, uh, bring my bowl over here because I just paused my recording to go do a stretch and fold because I've got an active sourdough, dough.
00:20:18.530 --> 00:20:21.401
I'm in the process today of doing the stretch and fold.
00:20:21.401 --> 00:20:25.951
So it, and this is the other thing about sourdough that I forgot to mention, is that it's a three-day process.
00:20:25.961 --> 00:20:30.916
So I have to feed the starter at night, uh, on day one.
00:20:31.156 --> 00:20:35.696
So day one I feed the starter, and then I let it sit overnight and that doubles in size.
00:20:35.727 --> 00:20:39.467
Mine actually, this, this one rose like crazy, today.
00:20:39.467 --> 00:20:42.737
I- it probably tripled in size when I got it today, so that was awesome.
00:20:43.436 --> 00:20:44.946
And then, so that's day one.
00:20:44.946 --> 00:20:50.787
Day two I make the dough and then I do the stretch and folds, and then baking is on day three.
00:20:50.787 --> 00:20:55.567
So again, even just the process of making one loaf of bread takes time.
00:20:55.926 --> 00:20:57.636
So now let's talk about the stretch and fold.
00:20:57.636 --> 00:21:00.217
So after mixing the dough you leave it alone for 30 minutes.
00:21:00.277 --> 00:21:11.227
Then for the next two and a half hour- next two hours I do these things called stretch and folds where I basically go in, I grab the dough with my hand, I stretch it and then I fold it over.
00:21:11.227 --> 00:21:13.866
And you go around the bowl and you do that like four or five times.
00:21:13.876 --> 00:21:15.497
Stretch it, fold it, stretch it, fold it.
00:21:15.807 --> 00:21:19.247
And then I cover it with a damp towel and I let it sit for 30 minutes, okay?
00:21:19.247 --> 00:21:23.596
So in between every set of stretch and folds the dough just sits.
00:21:24.317 --> 00:21:30.376
And during that time, I, I looked up this information because I wasn't sure, why are we doing this?
00:21:30.416 --> 00:21:31.537
What is, what is going on here, right?
00:21:32.146 --> 00:21:35.886
During that stretch and fold time the dough is actually strengthening.
00:21:35.896 --> 00:21:45.067
The bonds within the dough are strengthening to make a stronger, like springier, more airy dough I guess.
00:21:45.557 --> 00:21:50.426
And it's really cool because you can actually see it happening over time.
00:21:51.017 --> 00:21:57.366
In the first 30 minutes, like so when I first mix all the dough, I combine all the ingredients, the dough is so, so sticky.
00:21:57.366 --> 00:21:58.326
It's super sticky.
00:21:58.326 --> 00:22:02.416
It's like all over the whisk, my hands, like whatever it is that you're using to mix.
00:22:02.906 --> 00:22:10.423
It's super sticky and it just kind of falls apart Then we start the stretch and fold, and the first time you do it, again, same thing.
00:22:10.432 --> 00:22:12.012
Pretty sticky when I...
00:22:12.022 --> 00:22:13.262
'cause I, I just do it with my hands.
00:22:13.262 --> 00:22:15.633
Don't worry, I wash my hands of course before and after.
00:22:16.012 --> 00:22:23.323
But that first stretch and fold, it's, there's a lot of residue left on my hands when I'm done with that stretch and fold.
00:22:23.692 --> 00:22:33.452
And then every progressive stretch and fold that I do, it, there becomes less and less dough on my hands because that dough is getting stronger, right?
00:22:33.673 --> 00:22:40.063
So you stretch it up as far as it will go without tearing it, and then you fold it back over on itself.
00:22:40.423 --> 00:22:46.573
And so this is developing that gluten network that gives the bread its structure and strength.
00:22:46.893 --> 00:22:56.502
And so it's really cool because as you do this, like, you can feel the dough becoming more elastic, and more resistant, and more capable of holding its shape.
00:22:56.833 --> 00:23:02.472
And with this, just like with our running, you can't do all of the stretch and folds at once.
00:23:02.782 --> 00:23:09.442
You have to do a set of stretch and folds, and then sit for 30 minutes, and then do another set, and then sits, sit for 30 minutes.
00:23:09.442 --> 00:23:12.732
I think I do four total, so it's like a two-hour process.
00:23:13.002 --> 00:23:19.113
And then when you add in the first 30 minutes, it's like a two and a half hour process, the first 30 minutes before the first stretch and fold.
00:23:19.883 --> 00:23:22.212
So you can't skip straight to the end.
00:23:22.272 --> 00:23:31.113
Timing matters, and the rest in between the stretch and folds matters just as much as the fold itself.
00:23:31.633 --> 00:23:33.113
Same thing with our running.
00:23:33.182 --> 00:23:35.742
Every single run that you do matters.
00:23:35.752 --> 00:23:40.403
Every strength session, every mobility session is a stretch and fold, right?
00:23:40.403 --> 00:23:42.522
You are developing the network.
00:23:42.522 --> 00:24:05.303
You're developing the muscular, the neurological, the connective tissue, and how all of those things work together to give your body the strength and the resilience to keep you strong out on the roads without getting injured Now progressive overload, if we wanna kind of bring this down even more, progressive overload is that stretch and fold principle.
00:24:05.532 --> 00:24:07.923
A little bit more stress and then we rest.
00:24:08.163 --> 00:24:10.202
A little bit more stress and then we rest.
00:24:10.202 --> 00:24:12.682
That's exactly what progressive overload is.
00:24:12.682 --> 00:24:14.042
We add a little bit more load.
00:24:14.042 --> 00:24:19.803
We add a little bit more to the body, and every time I do the stretch and folds on my sourdough, I stretch it a little higher.
00:24:19.813 --> 00:24:26.353
That first stretch and fold, I don't pull very high because you're supposed to pull as high as you can without it tearing, without it ripping.
00:24:26.573 --> 00:24:27.613
And so you can feel it.
00:24:27.613 --> 00:24:28.303
You can feel it.
00:24:28.343 --> 00:24:31.093
Oh, I'm like, I'm at the edge here, and then, then I fold it over.
00:24:31.383 --> 00:24:40.212
And by the end, by that last stretch and fold, I'm, like, hanging the whole thing of dough, and it's super stretchy and super strong.
00:24:40.432 --> 00:24:44.492
So that rest in between the folds, that is not laziness.
00:24:44.532 --> 00:24:48.712
It is the mechanism by which that dough strengthens itself.
00:24:48.722 --> 00:24:50.542
The elasticity increases.
00:24:50.772 --> 00:24:59.653
The gluten is actually reorganizing itself during rest, just like your body is adapting during recovery.
00:25:00.053 --> 00:25:02.452
Skipping the rest does not get you there faster.
00:25:02.482 --> 00:25:04.863
It gets you a collapsed loaf, right?
00:25:04.863 --> 00:25:07.232
Like, thank goodness I haven't had that experience yet.
00:25:07.252 --> 00:25:11.073
So far, I, I feel like I've been pretty darn successful with this whole sourdough thing.
00:25:11.553 --> 00:25:12.053
I haven't...
00:25:12.053 --> 00:25:14.452
'Cause I've, I've been good about following the steps, right?
00:25:14.452 --> 00:25:17.242
Like, just like in running, I'm good about following the steps.
00:25:17.542 --> 00:25:22.192
If we follow the progressive overload steps, we continue to get better.
00:25:22.192 --> 00:25:29.199
Now, I will say that My first loaf came out, the bottom was a little too dark.
00:25:29.199 --> 00:25:31.669
Like, it, it wasn't burnt, but it was a little too dark.
00:25:31.888 --> 00:25:35.548
And so I've learned how to v- how to adjust the temperature a little bit.
00:25:35.548 --> 00:25:44.078
I've learned a trick of, like, putting a pan underneath the Dutch oven so that the heat doesn't b- overcook the bottom of the loaf.
00:25:44.138 --> 00:25:47.848
the first loaf that I made also was, uh, more dense.
00:25:47.868 --> 00:25:58.898
And as with time, and I think part of this is because my starter is continuing to get more active and more bubbly, and, my starter is more mature.
00:25:58.909 --> 00:26:00.009
That's the word I'm looking for.
00:26:00.259 --> 00:26:02.269
I have a mature starter now.
00:26:02.288 --> 00:26:09.028
And so it's making airier bread because there's more bubbles that are h- that are built into the starter.
00:26:09.249 --> 00:26:12.209
Just like with time, we are stronger.
00:26:12.209 --> 00:26:14.338
Our bodies can go through more.
00:26:14.338 --> 00:26:15.648
They're more resilient.
00:26:15.888 --> 00:26:22.788
Things, little things aren't going to derail you if you've been running for 10 years and you've built a really strong base.
00:26:23.058 --> 00:26:36.489
This is one of the things that I talk to my clients about all the time, that, you know, if they miss a, a, a period of time and they maybe were inconsistent, life gets in the way, they're very worried that something is wrong and that they've lost all of the fitness that they've built.
00:26:36.499 --> 00:26:40.328
And hey, and I always reassure them because I tell them,"No, no, no.
00:26:40.328 --> 00:26:41.288
You're good.
00:26:41.298 --> 00:26:43.659
Like, you've got 10 years of running under your belt.
00:26:43.669 --> 00:26:56.759
You've got five years of base built." When you go out and start running after a period of an inconsistency, it's probably not gonna feel great at the beginning, but you are not back at square one by any means.
00:26:56.769 --> 00:26:58.028
You still have a base.
00:26:58.028 --> 00:26:59.098
Your body remembers.
00:26:59.098 --> 00:27:01.878
There's muscle memory, and that is a real thing.
00:27:02.868 --> 00:27:09.348
And at the same time, you can't expect to jump right back in where you were, and that's a big mistake that I see a lot of runners making as well.
00:27:09.618 --> 00:27:11.548
They know that they have this base.
00:27:11.548 --> 00:27:13.249
They know that they've been running for 10 years.
00:27:13.249 --> 00:27:21.048
And after an extended break, they sometimes try to jump in where they were the last time that they were consistent, and that doesn't work either.
00:27:21.048 --> 00:27:23.429
That's also going to learn to injury.
00:27:23.679 --> 00:27:37.088
So it's really important for us to understand, kind of going back to our, our sourdough and our progressive overload, it's the reps that we put in that builds the capacity, that builds the strength, that builds the elasticity and the resilience.
00:27:37.118 --> 00:27:39.138
And same thing with our training sessions.
00:27:39.148 --> 00:27:45.098
Every training session that you put in, even if it's 20 minutes, it puts something into the body.
00:27:45.098 --> 00:27:49.628
Even if you can't see the results right away, it's building that network.
00:27:49.808 --> 00:27:56.269
Now After the stretch and folds are over, basically then comes the bulk rise phase, right?
00:27:56.269 --> 00:27:57.969
Where I just leave the dough.
00:27:57.969 --> 00:27:59.878
So I have the dough in a bowl.
00:27:59.979 --> 00:28:06.128
It's covered by a damp towel so that it doesn't dry out, and then it goes...
00:28:06.189 --> 00:28:08.979
Oh, so then it, uh, bulk rises.
00:28:09.209 --> 00:28:10.959
I, I forgot a couple steps here for a second.
00:28:10.999 --> 00:28:11.489
Forgive me.
00:28:11.959 --> 00:28:19.578
Uh, it's been a, maybe a month or so since I've made sourdough, and I'm like,"Good thing I'm remembering this," um, as I have sourdough sitting on my counter.
00:28:19.999 --> 00:28:28.558
So after the stretch and fold period, then it goes through the bulk rise phase, where it basically sits out on my warm counter for about eight hours.
00:28:28.558 --> 00:28:29.288
It kind of depends.
00:28:29.288 --> 00:28:37.078
Like, we're in summertime now, and I live in South Florida, so it's very warm, so I have a warm kitchen, and the temperature of the kitchen makes a big difference.
00:28:37.548 --> 00:28:42.388
And so I can get my sourdough to rise within, like, six to eight hours.
00:28:42.398 --> 00:28:49.169
So basically, I leave it there until the sourdough has doubled in size, and then I shape the dough.
00:28:49.179 --> 00:28:54.439
Okay, so at the end of that day, so the, the whole morning, on day two, I make the dough.
00:28:54.439 --> 00:29:00.929
I do all the stretch and folds, then it sits for eight hours, and then at night before I go to bed, I shape the loaf, okay?
00:29:00.929 --> 00:29:16.108
So I put, I take the, the doubled, uh, dough size, I put it out on my floured counter, and I do this thing where, like, you, you, like, push it and pull it to, create the pretty little ball of sourdough bread that you want, right?
00:29:16.108 --> 00:29:21.378
So to create your dough into the shape that of the, the bread that you want.
00:29:21.409 --> 00:29:25.219
And so, during that process, right?
00:29:25.219 --> 00:29:28.648
So a- actually, let me go back to the bulk rise phase, like, before I shape it.
00:29:29.398 --> 00:29:36.108
When it's just sitting on my counter and it's going through that bulk rise phase, that's when everything is fermenting.
00:29:36.249 --> 00:29:40.009
That's when the wild yeast is eating up all the little sugars in the flour.
00:29:40.009 --> 00:29:49.409
It's producing carbon dioxide that's gonna create those beautiful little air pockets, that open crumb structure which makes sourdough so delicious, right?
00:29:49.648 --> 00:29:50.969
The flavors are developing.
00:29:50.969 --> 00:29:53.009
The complexity is being built.
00:29:53.358 --> 00:30:01.429
And if you rush this, if I try to shape my dough too early or bake it before it's ready, that's when it becomes that dense, flat loaf.
00:30:01.669 --> 00:30:02.568
The flavor's not there.
00:30:02.719 --> 00:30:03.598
The structure's not there.
00:30:03.598 --> 00:30:07.929
It's very dense because the ingredient that we skipped was the time, right?
00:30:07.929 --> 00:30:10.058
And this is exactly what we need as runners.
00:30:10.078 --> 00:30:13.118
The sleep is the bulk rise phase.
00:30:13.648 --> 00:30:16.019
That's when adaptation actually happens.
00:30:16.028 --> 00:30:21.358
Muscle protein synthesis, hormone restoration, glycogen replenishment, nervous system recovery.
00:30:21.689 --> 00:30:31.028
All of those things are d- what happens during rest and recovery, during the bulk rise phase where I don't even touch the loaf.
00:30:31.028 --> 00:30:37.201
It's just sitting there adapting The training sessions that we're doing, those are the stretch and folds.
00:30:37.280 --> 00:30:42.421
Sleep is where those stretch and folds actually become improvements in your fitness.
00:30:42.421 --> 00:30:51.661
That's where the body actually adapts, and that's why we cannot shortcut sleep, just like you cannot shortcut a bulk rise phase when it comes to sourdough.
00:30:51.911 --> 00:30:57.671
If you don't get enough sleep, your body's not going to make the adaptations that you want, period.
00:30:57.820 --> 00:30:59.290
Like, plain and simple.
00:30:59.480 --> 00:31:01.810
I cannot say this any more simply.
00:31:02.290 --> 00:31:06.411
Sleep is the missing ingredient for so many people, right?
00:31:06.901 --> 00:31:17.740
If you're an athlete that trains really hard but sleeps really poorly, that's the same thing as a baker that does wonderful stretch and folds, but then tries to bake the loaf two hours later.
00:31:17.740 --> 00:31:19.151
It's just not going to work.
00:31:19.161 --> 00:31:21.721
The transformation was not allowed to complete.
00:31:22.090 --> 00:31:26.550
You, it might be okay, but it's not gonna be as good as it could be.
00:31:26.871 --> 00:31:28.941
And this is the same thing that our body needs.
00:31:28.941 --> 00:31:29.131
You know?
00:31:29.131 --> 00:31:34.191
It's, it's recovery, and this is why we also build r- down weeks into our training cycle.
00:31:34.671 --> 00:31:41.520
I hope if you're not training with us, those of you that are training with us, you know that we, you have recovery weeks built into your cycle.
00:31:41.520 --> 00:31:44.060
We have, um, down weeks when it comes to running.
00:31:44.060 --> 00:31:51.330
We have down weeks for our strength sessions to allow your body to rest, recover, and adapt, right?
00:31:51.570 --> 00:31:53.611
We can't be building all the time.
00:31:53.611 --> 00:32:02.131
This is one of the reasons why so many people that want to train for race after race after race, and j- they just put races back to back to back, they wonder why they're not improving.
00:32:02.131 --> 00:32:04.431
It's because they don't have that downtime.
00:32:04.431 --> 00:32:11.151
They don't have the recovery time where the body's actually building and rising and becoming stronger than it was before.
00:32:12.020 --> 00:32:12.330
Okay.
00:32:12.820 --> 00:32:15.861
So after the bulk rise, I do the shaping.
00:32:15.871 --> 00:32:26.881
So I, I do the pull, the push and the pull, and I get it formed into this pretty little ball, and then I put that ball into the fridge overnight to, do a second rise.
00:32:26.921 --> 00:32:27.250
Okay?
00:32:27.250 --> 00:32:31.911
So it actually doesn't really rise much, to be honest with you, but e- everything is still happening, right?
00:32:31.911 --> 00:32:35.711
The same thing as, things I just talked about, um, during the bulk rise.
00:32:35.730 --> 00:32:38.111
The fermentation is happening, the gluten structure.
00:32:38.121 --> 00:32:41.750
All those things are happening as the dough is rising overnight.
00:32:42.861 --> 00:32:48.770
So the next morning on day three, I take the loaf out of the refrigerator and...
00:32:49.621 --> 00:32:53.080
Oh, before I take it out of the refrigerator, I have to put the Dutch oven into the oven.
00:32:53.080 --> 00:32:56.580
So I heat my oven to 500 degrees, y'all.
00:32:56.580 --> 00:32:59.211
It i- this, it's, like, high-temperature baking.
00:32:59.611 --> 00:33:08.851
So you put the Dutch oven into the oven at 500 degrees and let the Dutch oven, um, heat up for, like, an hour before starting to bake it.
00:33:09.141 --> 00:33:19.250
So once that oven and Dutch oven are preheated, then I take the dough out of the refrigerator, and you have to score the top of the loaf.
00:33:19.250 --> 00:33:19.570
Okay?
00:33:19.570 --> 00:33:31.000
So I take it out of the bowl, and on the top you take a knife and you score it, which means you just cut, like, a slice into it, and this is to help the air release.
00:33:31.010 --> 00:33:31.391
Okay?
00:33:31.401 --> 00:33:36.070
We, you make deliberate cuts with a very sharp blade In a specific pattern.
00:33:36.310 --> 00:33:41.161
And this is why sourdough looks so pretty,'cause a lot of people make like leaf patterns or like different patterns.
00:33:41.421 --> 00:33:45.530
The pattern that I like to make is a starfish because I have a big connection with starfish.
00:33:45.790 --> 00:33:57.471
And so you make this, this cut, the score in the bread, and this creates a controlled place for the loaf to expand as it's baking.
00:33:57.590 --> 00:33:57.951
Okay?
00:33:58.161 --> 00:34:07.750
So without scoring, if you don't do that, the bread is still going to expand, but then what happens is it will burst at its weakest, most unpredictable point.
00:34:07.760 --> 00:34:09.201
You don't have any control over it.
00:34:09.471 --> 00:34:19.951
So that's why, you wanna score it so that the bread can expand where you want it to, because then it makes these really pretty designs and pretty patterns and it looks really aesthetic, but it's also really good for the loaf.
00:34:19.971 --> 00:34:24.840
Because if you forget to score it, it's still going to expand and it's still going to burst.
00:34:24.840 --> 00:34:32.581
It's just going to be at a place where you might not want it So the scoring doesn't limit the rise, it just directs it, tells it where, where to go.
00:34:32.800 --> 00:34:35.731
And this is, is exactly what, what our training plan is, right?
00:34:35.771 --> 00:34:37.831
Your training plan is the scoring.
00:34:37.840 --> 00:34:41.610
It creates that intentional place for growth to happen.
00:34:41.800 --> 00:34:47.400
It has hard weeks, we have easy weeks, we have race-specific work, we have recovery, all of it built in.
00:34:47.681 --> 00:34:51.570
And without a specific training plan, that growth does still happen.
00:34:51.570 --> 00:35:01.121
If you're still, if you're following the s- the correct principles, if you're following the principles of progressive overload, if you're making sure that you rest, you can still grow as a runner.
00:35:01.121 --> 00:35:02.661
You can still get better.
00:35:02.871 --> 00:35:05.431
But it tends to happen at the weakest point.
00:35:05.440 --> 00:35:15.690
and a lot of times when runners aren't following a plan, they experience more overuse, more injury, more burnout, because there's no structure to kind of guide that expansion.
00:35:15.701 --> 00:35:20.411
So we like to say that the plan helps to guide your potential.
00:35:20.411 --> 00:35:21.740
It doesn't limit your potential.
00:35:21.740 --> 00:35:26.221
A lot of people feel like a plan limits them, but it really helps to guide you.
00:35:26.920 --> 00:35:38.740
So after I score the loaf, then I place it on, a piece of parchment paper, and then I put that parchment paper into the 500-degree Dutch oven, and you bake it.
00:35:38.860 --> 00:35:39.150
Okay?
00:35:39.150 --> 00:35:48.260
So it goes into the oven for 20 minutes, and with the lid on, and that first 20 minutes apparently is to help trap the steam in.
00:35:48.681 --> 00:35:54.740
Um, and then you remove the lid after that, and then I bake it for another, I wanna say 15 to 20 minutes.
00:35:55.070 --> 00:36:00.150
Um, and I decrease the temperature also because I, I don't want it to brown too much.
00:36:00.420 --> 00:36:02.780
and then that helps to really develop the crust.
00:36:02.791 --> 00:36:09.010
So to give you that really beautiful, crisp, brown crust on a sourdough.
00:36:09.320 --> 00:36:10.530
I'm, like, so excited right now.
00:36:11.271 --> 00:36:13.380
My mouth is starting to water already.
00:36:13.740 --> 00:36:16.251
but I'm not gonna have my sourdough until tomorrow, which is a bummer.
00:36:16.260 --> 00:36:33.090
But that heat, uh, that extreme heat is helping to, create the crust, the color, the texture, the flavor, and without that extreme heat, that bread will never develop into the type of loaf that it's capable of.
00:36:33.431 --> 00:36:36.010
And so same thing with our running, right?
00:36:36.010 --> 00:36:42.851
Your harder efforts, that extreme heat, because I-- Think about what you bake on a daily basis or, or what you cook.
00:36:42.851 --> 00:36:45.451
You, you're never at 500 degrees, right?
00:36:45.451 --> 00:36:56.164
Like, this, this might be the first time I've ever put my oven at 500 degrees is when, in this sourdough process So that is a high extreme temperature.
00:36:56.474 --> 00:36:57.614
That's the harder effort.
00:36:57.625 --> 00:37:02.494
That's the stuff that helps that loaf develop into its full potential.
00:37:02.704 --> 00:37:10.724
Just like the harder efforts, you know, your speed sessions, your tempo runs, those training blocks that really push you, that's the oven.
00:37:10.735 --> 00:37:12.534
That's the heat that transforms you.
00:37:12.534 --> 00:37:17.675
It, it bakes you, especially in this summer heat of South Florida.
00:37:17.684 --> 00:37:18.764
Holy heck, right?
00:37:19.414 --> 00:37:33.684
So that's what helps to really transform you, but it- you can't get to that step without the base of all the two days of preparation that came before day three, where I actually get to bake the bread.
00:37:34.144 --> 00:37:38.664
I can't get to that phase if I didn't have the days, and that's where easy running.
00:37:38.704 --> 00:37:48.914
Easy running builds that base, and then the heat of that hard effort is what takes that base and converts it into real performance capacity.
00:37:49.155 --> 00:37:51.244
Both are necessary, right?
00:37:51.454 --> 00:37:55.034
You can't just do hard efforts and expect to get better as a runner.
00:37:55.034 --> 00:37:55.905
You need both.
00:37:56.125 --> 00:38:21.900
You need the easy runs and the base-building and the strength and the mobility that builds that foundation in day one and day two of sourdough baking, so that when you put it into the heat of the oven on day three, when you test your body with hard runs or races or things that you've never been capable of before, you now have the capability to do that thing Right?
00:38:21.920 --> 00:38:24.021
Both are necessary.
00:38:24.630 --> 00:38:37.001
If you're a runner that only does easy runs, you're not going to be as fast as you could be if you were to also include sprint intervals, and tempo runs, and harder effort runs.
00:38:37.340 --> 00:38:49.510
But if you're a runner that only does hard stuff, and every single time you go out and run, you're running at, like, a medium effort level, and then sometimes you try to throw in some hard works, hard, uh, runs, that's not going to work either.
00:38:49.521 --> 00:38:52.311
You're just gonna end up injured and burnt out, right?
00:38:52.931 --> 00:39:00.641
So both are necessary, and this is exactly what is required for both sourdough and running.
00:39:01.050 --> 00:39:09.340
So I think by now I have really beat or kneaded this metaphor, and, hopefully you guys see it, right?
00:39:09.340 --> 00:39:15.791
Like, pretty cool how directly they correlate to each other because...
00:39:16.460 --> 00:39:18.340
And, and here's another thing to remember, too.
00:39:18.440 --> 00:39:24.490
every sourdough loaf is not the same, just like every training season, every race is not the same.
00:39:24.501 --> 00:39:26.481
You could put in the same effort.
00:39:26.501 --> 00:39:27.880
You can put in the same work.
00:39:28.240 --> 00:39:36.260
For every single sourdough loaf that I make, I put in the same ingredients, the same four ingredients: starter, flour, water, salt.
00:39:36.831 --> 00:39:39.731
Same recipe, same process.
00:39:39.931 --> 00:39:49.570
But just like sourdough, sourdough apparently is finicky, and it's affected by humidity, and temperature, and the batch of flour that I'm using, the timing.
00:39:49.581 --> 00:39:51.420
All of these things affect the outcome.
00:39:51.610 --> 00:40:02.460
So I'm guessing, haven't done it yet because I've only been baking for, like, two months, but I'm guessing sourdough in the wintertime is gonna be a little bit different than sourdough in the summertime because my house is warmer.
00:40:02.460 --> 00:40:04.201
My house is different temperatures, right?
00:40:04.501 --> 00:40:11.090
And so sometimes the, the loaf is gonna come out with a better crumb structure, with better air pockets.
00:40:11.101 --> 00:40:11.971
Sometimes the...
00:40:12.041 --> 00:40:13.501
it's gonna have a better crust.
00:40:13.760 --> 00:40:20.510
Some may be denser than expected, and I'm not gonna really understand why, but you learn from every single one, right?
00:40:20.851 --> 00:40:28.266
And just like the baker doesn't throw out the bread if it doesn't turn out perfectly- we can't just throw out our training either.
00:40:28.286 --> 00:40:31.226
Like, maybe one training cycle didn't go the way that you wanted to.
00:40:31.226 --> 00:40:32.967
Okay, what can you learn from it?
00:40:33.306 --> 00:40:41.097
What can you learn so that you can come back stronger next time, that you can come back with a flakier crust next time, or with a better air pocket structure, right?
00:40:41.806 --> 00:40:46.597
Some, some training cycles don't go the way that we want, so what can we learn?
00:40:46.927 --> 00:40:53.686
And just like your starter is unique to your environment, your training is unique to your body, your life, your season.
00:40:53.686 --> 00:40:59.467
So we have to also stop comparing ourselves to other people out there.
00:40:59.476 --> 00:41:02.737
We have to not compare our sourdough loaf to somebody else.
00:41:02.746 --> 00:41:06.177
I mean, it's good when we use it to learn, right?
00:41:06.186 --> 00:41:12.286
There's people that have been baking sourdough far longer than I have, and I can learn a lot from those people.
00:41:12.447 --> 00:41:24.916
It's gonna be silly for me to compare my loaf to them, but if I can look at my loaf compared to their loaf and say,"Okay, well, what did you do differently, and what can I learn from you?" Then that's a great thing, right?
00:41:24.916 --> 00:41:29.396
But not just if I'm gonna be like,"Oh, yours is better than mine." I mean, that's silly, right?
00:41:29.827 --> 00:41:30.936
Same thing with our training.
00:41:31.246 --> 00:41:35.817
So sourdough, like your running, is not fast.
00:41:36.217 --> 00:41:46.617
It requires time and patience and consistency, and doing the same thing day in and day out until you build an active starter, until you build a strong foundation.
00:41:46.907 --> 00:41:48.806
It can't be rushed.
00:41:49.556 --> 00:41:53.067
It requires you to show up and do the simple things well, right?
00:41:53.067 --> 00:41:55.876
Simplicity over complexity every single time.
00:41:56.217 --> 00:41:57.896
And then you have to trust the process.
00:41:57.896 --> 00:42:01.797
And when the process calls for rest, you give it the rest that it needs.
00:42:02.007 --> 00:42:10.927
And trust that what's happening under the surface is real, because that's when the real work is being done, is when your body actually gets the rest that it needs.
00:42:11.306 --> 00:42:15.396
So keep feeding your starter, keep showing up.
00:42:15.717 --> 00:42:27.036
The rise is coming, and it's gonna make a delicious sourdough loaf or race cycle or running accomplishment that you want, or muscle growth.
00:42:27.036 --> 00:42:28.967
I mean, this, this applies to everything, right?
00:42:28.967 --> 00:42:30.777
It does- it doesn't just apply to your running.
00:42:30.777 --> 00:42:39.347
It also applies to you if you're trying to build muscle, if you're trying to foster a good relationship with a partner, with a friendship.
00:42:39.347 --> 00:42:41.277
I mean, it's, it applies to everything, right?
00:42:41.277 --> 00:42:42.507
We need the consistency.
00:42:42.847 --> 00:42:43.817
We need the rest.
00:42:44.586 --> 00:42:47.836
And with those things, we will rise, just like our sourdough.
00:42:48.536 --> 00:42:50.766
So I hope you guys enjoyed this episode.
00:42:50.786 --> 00:42:57.476
I enjoyed making this, reconnecting this, uh, making this parallel for you all.
00:42:57.797 --> 00:43:03.206
and if you liked it, I would love for you to leave a review on your favorite podcast player.
00:43:03.567 --> 00:43:05.056
Uh, share it with a friend.
00:43:05.067 --> 00:43:06.577
Share it on social media.
00:43:06.626 --> 00:43:11.657
Anything that you do to help us get the word out about the podcast is very much appreciated.
00:43:11.996 --> 00:43:13.527
And as always, thanks for joining us.
00:43:13.547 --> 00:43:18.717
This has been the Running Reconnected podcast, episode number 476.
00:43:19.067 --> 00:43:20.817
Now, get out there and run your life.
