The Fast and Free Podcast

Every Tempo Workout You Need in a Season | Beginner to Intermediate Running Guide

Today I wanted to break down how I actually build tempo workouts across an entire season and why most runners are either progressing them too aggressively… or not progressing them at all. One of my most popular videos ever here on YouTube was explaining what tempo running actually is, but in this video, I wanted to go way deeper and show you the real structure behind how I scale tempo sessions from beginner runners all the way to advanced marathon builds. I walk through the exact progression I use with athletes, from broken tempos like 4x4 minutes all the way up to monster sessions like 2x20 minutes and 30+ minute continuous efforts. Happy Training! ➡️ Sign Up For My Newsletter: https://brantstachel.activehosted.com/f/30 [https://brantstachel.activehosted.com/f/30] ⸻ Relevant Links 🚨 FREE TOOLS I CREATED FOR RUNNERS 🚨 https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools [https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools] ⚠️ TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW ⚠️ https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com [https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com] Get Your First Month of Coaching with Brant for just $20 https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/ [https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/] Mental Performance Coaching with Brant Stachel: https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01 [https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01] Get my Book “Fast and Free” on  @amazon  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCkLXELm63_pH7L-r-548kig]: https://a.co/d/00twBZ6d [https://a.co/d/00twBZ6d] ⸻ Follow Brant Stachel & Fast & Free Performance Coaching https://www.youtube.com/@UC4Nd1yg5n94puosXxjeL5FQ [https://www.youtube.com/@UC4Nd1yg5n94puosXxjeL5FQ] https://www.youtube.com/@FastAndFreePodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@FastAndFreePodcast] https://www.instagram.com/brant_stachel [https://www.instagram.com/brant_stachel] https://www.instagram.com/fastandfreecoaching [https://www.instagram.com/fastandfreecoaching] https://www.tiktok.com/@BrantStachel [https://www.tiktok.com/@BrantStachel] https://www.strava.com/athletes/12318637 [https://www.strava.com/athletes/12318637] https://www.facebook.com/FastandFreeWithBrant [https://www.facebook.com/FastandFreeWithBrant] https://www.twitter.com/BrantStachel [https://www.twitter.com/BrantStachel] https://www.LinkedIn.com/Brant-Stachel [https://www.LinkedIn.com/Brant-Stachel] https://www.reddit.com/user/BrantStachel/ [https://www.reddit.com/user/BrantStachel/] Visit My Website: http://runfastandfree.com [http://runfastandfree.com]

You’re Not Mentally Weak, You Need a Competitive Identity!

This is Part 2 of my mental performance series for runners, and today, we're gettin' practical haha. In Part 1 I broke down why so many runners train like one athlete and race like another. In this video, I wanted to walk you through one of the most powerful tools I use in my mental performance practice as a registered psychotherapist: the Competitive Identity Exercise. Happy Training! ➡️ Watch my https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXSHy1fG_CEMUOxJD_2cYeSJZmUIdIDro [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXSHy1fG_CEMUOxJD_2cYeSJZmUIdIDro] Series ➡️ Sign Up For My Newsletter: https://brantstachel.activehosted.com/f/30 [https://brantstachel.activehosted.com/f/30] ⸻ Relevant Links 🚨 FREE TOOLS I CREATED FOR RUNNERS 🚨 https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools [https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools] ⚠️ TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW ⚠️ https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com [https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com] Get Your First Month of Coaching with Brant for just $20 https://www.getcoachedbybrant.com [https://www.getcoachedbybrant.com] Mental Performance Coaching with Brant Stachel: https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01 [https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01] Get my Book Fast and Free on  @amazon  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCkLXELm63_pH7L-r-548kig]: https://a.co/d/00twBZ6d [https://a.co/d/00twBZ6d] ⸻ Follow Brant Stachel & Fast & Free Performance Coaching Around On The Internet: YouTube (Main): https://www.youtube.com/@UC4Nd1yg5n94puosXxjeL5FQ [https://www.youtube.com/@UC4Nd1yg5n94puosXxjeL5FQ] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brant_stachel [https://www.instagram.com/brant_stachel] Fast & Free IG: https://www.instagram.com/fastandfreecoaching [https://www.instagram.com/fastandfreecoaching] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@BrantStachel [https://www.tiktok.com/@BrantStachel] Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/12318637 [https://www.strava.com/athletes/12318637] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FastandFreeWithBrant [https://www.facebook.com/FastandFreeWithBrant] Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/BrantStachel [https://www.twitter.com/BrantStachel] LinkedIn: https://www.LinkedIn.com/Brant-Stachel [https://www.LinkedIn.com/Brant-Stachel] Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/BrantStachel [https://www.reddit.com/user/BrantStachel] Website: http://runfastandfree.com [http://runfastandfree.com] ⸻ Check out CEP Mindset: https://cepmindset.com/ [https://cepmindset.com/]

Mental Performance Training For Runners: The IGNITE Framework

Today I wanted to break down something I’ve seen over and over again across more than 1,500 athletes I’ve coached: the gap between the runner you are in training and the runner who actually shows up on race day. In this video, I walk through the full IGNITE Framework from my book Fast and Free, a six-step mental performance system built from sports psychology, psychotherapy, and real-world coaching experience. This a repeatable system designed to help you identify the exact mental barriers holding you back, build a competitive identity you can rely on, and execute when it matters most. Happy Training! ➡️ Sign Up For My Newsletter: https://brantstachel.activehosted.com/f/30 [https://brantstachel.activehosted.com/f/30] ⸻ Relevant Links 🚨 FREE TOOLS I CREATED FOR RUNNERS 🚨 https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools [https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools] ⚠️ TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW ⚠️ https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com [https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com] Get Your First Month of Coaching with Brant for just $20 https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/ [https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/] Mental Performance Coaching with Brant Stachel: https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01 [https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01] ⸻ Follow Brant Stachel & Fast & Free Performance Coaching https://www.youtube.com/@UC4Nd1yg5n94puosXxjeL5FQ [https://www.youtube.com/@UC4Nd1yg5n94puosXxjeL5FQ] https://www.youtube.com/@FastAndFreePodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@FastAndFreePodcast] https://www.youtube.com/@FastAndFreePodcastClips [https://www.youtube.com/@FastAndFreePodcastClips] https://www.instagram.com/brant_stachel [https://www.instagram.com/brant_stachel] https://www.instagram.com/fastandfreecoaching [https://www.instagram.com/fastandfreecoaching] https://www.tiktok.com/@BrantStachel [https://www.tiktok.com/@BrantStachel] https://www.strava.com/athletes/12318637 [https://www.strava.com/athletes/12318637] https://www.facebook.com/FastandFreeWithBrant [https://www.facebook.com/FastandFreeWithBrant] https://www.twitter.com/BrantStachel [https://www.twitter.com/BrantStachel] https://www.LinkedIn.com/Brant-Stachel [https://www.LinkedIn.com/Brant-Stachel] https://www.reddit.com/user/BrantStachel/ [https://www.reddit.com/user/BrantStachel/] Visit My Website: http://runfastandfree.com [http://runfastandfree.com]

Masters Runner Runs 2:57 at Boston… Without a Watch, with Henry Walker

In this episode of the  @FastAndFreePodcast  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCJXxFbMpHZZbskyamBQwEsQ], I sit down with masters runner Henry Walker after a huge performance at the Boston Marathon, where he ran 2:57 and hit the qualifying standard for the Abbott World Masters Championships. We break down how Henry approached Boston without a watch after it died at the start line, and how years of experience, effort-based training, and race discipline allowed him to stay completely in control. No splits. No pace checks. Just execution. Henry’s Boston performance is the result of doing the simple things consistently, making better decisions over time, and trusting the process instead of chasing numbers. Happy Training! ⸻ Relevant Links 🚨 FREE TOOLS I CREATED FOR RUNNERS 🚨 https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools [https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools] ⚠️ TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW ⚠️ https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com [https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com] Get Coached by Brant Stachel https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/ [https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/] Mental Performance Coaching with Brant Stachel: https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01 [https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01] Get my Book, “Fast and Free”, on  @amazon  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCkLXELm63_pH7L-r-548kig]: https://a.co/d/00twBZ6d [https://a.co/d/00twBZ6d] ⸻ Follow Brant Stachel Fast & Free Performance Coaching https://www.youtube.com/@UC4Nd1yg5n94puosXxjeL5FQ [https://www.youtube.com/@UC4Nd1yg5n94puosXxjeL5FQ] https://www.instagram.com/fastandfreecoaching [https://www.instagram.com/fastandfreecoaching] https://www.instagram.com/brant_stachel [https://www.instagram.com/brant_stachel] https://www.tiktok.com/@BrantStachel [https://www.tiktok.com/@BrantStachel] https://www.strava.com/athletes/12318637 [https://www.strava.com/athletes/12318637] https://www.facebook.com/FastandFreeWithBrant [https://www.facebook.com/FastandFreeWithBrant] https://www.twitter.com/BrantStachel [https://www.twitter.com/BrantStachel] https://www.LinkedIn.com/Brant-Stachel [https://www.LinkedIn.com/Brant-Stachel] https://www.reddit.com/user/BrantStachel/ [https://www.reddit.com/user/BrantStachel/] Visit My Website: http://runfastandfree.com [http://runfastandfree.com] Coming Soon, Substack: https://www.substack.com/@fastandfree [https://www.substack.com/@fastandfree]

It's true... The Slower You Run, The Faster You Get

Today I wanted to break down why pushing your easy days into that “kinda hard” grey zone is where progress dies. It’s the most common mistake I see across my clients at every level, and it sabotages a runner's ability to actually improve. I dove into what “easy” actually means (and why most runners get it wrong), why your brain keeps pulling you to go faster, and how the best runners in the world are doing the opposite. Backed by studies, the data is becoming more and more clear: faster athletes aren’t doing more intensity… they’re doing more easy running, and they’re doing it slower. I also walk through the physiology behind how easy running builds your aerobic system, improves durability, and sets you up to actually perform on the days that matter. Plus, a real example from a recent Boston build where simply slowing down easy runs helped an athlete drop from 3:08 to 2:56. I know it's a bit of a paradox, but trust me it’s real: the easier you run on your easy days, the faster you’ll be when it counts. Happy Training! ⸻ Relevant Links 🚨 FREE TOOLS I CREATED FOR RUNNERS 🚨 https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools [https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools] ⚠️ TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW ⚠️ https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com [https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.com] Get Your First Month of Coaching with Brant for just $20 https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/ [https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/] Mental Performance Coaching with Brant Stachel: https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01 [https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01] Get my Book “Fast and Free” on  @amazon  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCkLXELm63_pH7L-r-548kig]: https://a.co/d/00twBZ6d [https://a.co/d/00twBZ6d] Learn More about  @teamrunrun  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCy974ZfiyLe61H4RKAer26Q]: https://teamrunrun.com/ [https://teamrunrun.com/] Fuel Your Training with  @fuelgoods  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCHlsky380Go5eyDMcVuAUnQ] (AFFILIATE LINK): https://fuelgoods.com/?ref=Brant [https://fuelgoods.com/?ref=Brant]