Issue 1

Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Hammer!

It’s officially Hammer Time… Not THE Hammer Time, but maybe you’ll like this one more.

A few months ago, the Hammer & Axe team sat down to talk about how we could provide all of you with a fun, quick way to get “in the know” with all things Hammer & Axe. At that very moment, we decided that we needed a newsletter (or two!), and here we are!

What to expect →

The Hammer highlights our coaching staff and our services. You’ll get to know them through exclusive interviews (keep reading for the first one), plus they’ll provide tips they’ve picked up throughout their careers.

The Axe is an athlete-focused newsletter that will tell the success stories of athletes from the program. Stories will detail the triumphs and tribulations of training for a big race. If you're a Hammer and Axe athlete, there's a good chance your story will be told to the world (as long as you're ok with that). The Axe will release on the 15th of every month beginning on 11/15.

Think of our newsletters like a mullet. The Hammer is the business in the front, and The Axe is the party in the back.

Oh, and there will be giveaways! 🙌🎊

The Agenda

1. Update on the HAX Coaching Staff 🤠

2. Q + A with Reed Fischer Before the TCS NYC Marathon ❓

3. Coach Openings 📖

4. Training Tip of the Month 🏃

5. Training Plan Options 🔁

6. Giveaway Deets 👀

This issue of The Hammer is brought to you by RunDNA.

RunDNA provides education, a training platform, and 3D technology used by top professionals throughout the world to help runners of all abilities get faster and stay healthy. Hammer & Axe uses the RunDNA platform for all of our training plans.

Will you be at the New York Marathon? Do you want to meet members of Tinman Elite and get a free, professional gait analysis to learn more about your weaknesses? Sign up for a time slot here! Limited spots are still available.

Our Current Coaches, What They’ve Been Up To,

& What They’re Excited For →

Brogan Austin (THEE Iowan)

I've been working through plantar fasciitis for the past 6 months so training has been slow going. Once we're on the mend, I plan to knock out my Olympic Trials marathon qualifier and get ready for 2024.

Christine Fischer (Coach Reed’s better half)

Training has been going well! I work full-time as a 4th-grade teacher but have been consistently building my mileage, long runs, and workouts. I am fortunate to have other runners in Denver who also work full-time and are training at similar levels with similar goals to meet after work to get runs/workouts in. Community in running is so important to push and motivate each other! I was planning to have my first race in over a year on November 12th, but came down with the flu last week and am still recovering. I am going to listen to my body and take it day by day. If I am not recovered by November 12th, then I will look for another local race before competing in a half marathon in the next couple of months.

Drew Hunter (Still the youngest person on TME somehow)

My training has been okay. I have stayed healthy and put a real emphasis on the "little things" this fall. So, I have consistently been doing core and weight room exercises as the miles start to pile on. I have developed a good routine around this. I am still coming back from a pretty low-mileage summer. So I am trying to add back in long runs and threshold workouts. These types of workouts are taking a toll on me-- so coach Joan and I have moved to 3 easy days between sessions. I have been solo the entire fall, so we have really emphasized effort-based training. I am getting ready for some fall Xc and road races! Then into indoor track!!

Tori Gerlach (Team Mom)

I've been having the best fall training I've had in years. I'm running the most miles I have since moving to Boulder a couple of years ago and have been feeling great in workouts. It makes me excited to race US 5k Champs and Sugar Run next month!

Jordan Gusman (The Car Enthusiast)

Training has been going well. We made a bit of a switch to longer more threshold-focused training and higher mileage and it has me feeling loads better. I'm excited to make my proper half debut at the BAA half next month.

Connor Winter (The Elk Run Legend)

My training has been going great after coming back from achilles surgery. I have been training the most miles and the most consistently for the last 6 months. I have been enjoying training with Reed and Brian all summer and have been able to hang in there with most of Reed's killer marathon workouts. I am excited to race a couple of Sound Running and club cross-country races in the Winter with the team to prepare for my half marathon debut next year. Excited to be back out and race with my teammates and push myself to the limit.

Joey Berriatua (The Next Tinker Hatfield)

Training in the fall for me is all about consistency. Whatever I need to do for training, I do it consistently throughout the weeks and months to get ready to race in June. For the fall and winter, I'm excited to get ready for the USA XC championships in January. I raced there (a bit lackluster) in 2019 and want to redeem myself this year.

Brian Barraza (Only wears "Earthy Tones")

Training has been going well for me, the focus on building strength is paying off! I've been feeling more comfortable with the long efforts recently. I'm excited to race at the Houston Half marathon in January. I would cheer on the competitors in college, so I'm really happy to debut in the half marathon there.

Aaron Templeton (He’s been talking about Tennessee beating Alabama for weeks now)

Training has been going well. I'm finally stringing along some healthy weeks and solid mileage. Looking forward to getting to race a couple of times on grass over the fall and early winter.

Q + A with the man, the myth, the legend - Coach Reed Fischer

Reed, we’re about a week from the New York City Marathon. How are you feeling, dude?!

I'm feeling ready to roll. TCS NYC has been a dream race of mine since I started thinking about the marathon, so I'm stoked to have the opportunity to compete next weekend. It's been a really solid build for me—I haven't missed a single workout, I've nailed my long runs, and I've taken a bit more risks in my training than in my past few builds that seem to have paid off. With that said, there's nothing guaranteed in the marathon. A successful build doesn't earn you a successful race, so I'm going into race day ready to work for the result I've worked toward the past few months.

How’s your preparation been this time around? Has anything changed from the last build?

I've been a bit higher and a bit more consistent in my mileage than in previous builds. I spent about 7 weeks averaging 110 miles per week in this buildup, vs. only a couple of weeks above 110 in my Boston build. We've also switched from a 10-day cycle to a 9-day cycle, taking out the medium-long run and just keeping two easy days in between everything. That's given me a couple of extra long run days, which I find give me more confidence. We've also switched from long runs with structured workouts in them to steady-state long runs, which I've found do a better job of callusing my mind and legs for the marathon since there's no rest, shoe changes, or breaks in general. We've also done some long runs and interval workouts at high altitudes (8,000-9,000') which has been fun to experiment with. In all, Coach Hunter and I decided this build would be a good time to mix things up a bit. We're about 18 months out from the 2024 Olympic Trials. I've had two successful but similar buildups for Chicago and Boston, but I walked away from both builds and races feeling like I left a bit on the table.

What was your favorite part about this build?

It's just been a lot of fun to feel like I'm doing some new things in training. Marathon buildups are, out of necessity, pretty predictable—and I'm not one to advocate for changing things up just for the sake of changing things up. But given where I'm at in my career, in my experience level with the marathon, and in my desire to make a jump to the next level it made a lot of sense for Coach and me to take some calculated risks in training for this buildup. When you've been running competitively for this long, it's pretty rare to find something new and exciting, but I've definitely found that. It's also been a lot of fun to work alongside the guys on the team who are in varying levels of fitness. We've got guys building up for the first half marathons, guys just coming off a break after the track season, and guys returning from injury all working together in workouts. Seeing that positive energy and having the team all building together toward their goals has been awesome.

What goes into the final preparations for the marathon?

The last few weeks are all about not screwing things up. It's about sticking to the routines in training, nutrition, sleep, hydration, etc. that have kept you healthy throughout the build. The taper can make you go a little stir-crazy or start to question your buildup. You take away some of the stimuli of training and your body often responds by reminding you of lingering little aches and pains, an increased risk of catching a cold, or ripping workouts too fast because you feel fresher and want a bit of last-minute confidence. It's hard to avoid some of those things, but sticking to your routines and increasing your focus on sleep and recovery will have you feeling your best on race day.

What are you going to do after you cross the finish line in Central Park?

Look for the people who've supported me through this build. The marathon is always an emotional experience, from the sacrifice and time commitment in the months before the race to the suffering and celebration of race day. Without the encouragement, understanding, and guidance of Christine, the Hunters, the team, my sponsors, my agent, my strength coach, physio, etc. I really couldn't do this.

It truly takes a village, and whenever I race I carry all of those people with me. It's a really humbling but freeing feeling, to know how many people have invested their time and energy into you but also to know that those people will still care for you regardless of the result. So when I cross the line, I'll be seeking them out. And then I'll be seeking out some pizza and a comfy bed.

Need a Coach?

Hammer & Axe coaches work with marathoners, milers, turkey trotters, and anyone in between. No matter your age or experience, a coach is an invaluable piece of any athletic journey. Good thing we've got a few looking for some additional athletes!

Links to coach profiles: Jordan Gusman, Joey Berriatua, Tori Gerlach, Aaron Templeton, Connor Winter

Training Tip of the Month

Ah. So you need a running tip, eh? I suppose we can give you one of those. That'll be $5. You can Venmo us... just kidding.

Training Tip: Strides!

You may be thinking, wow, that's not a training tip! Everyone and their mother do strides.

Strides are essential for keeping quickness in your legs, among other things. Here's what coach Joan has us do 🔽

On your easy runs, incorporate some 20/40 strides within the run. That means that once you're good and warmed up, run at your 5k pace for 20 seconds then run easy for 40 seconds. Repeat 4-8 times. This will help you keep some speed in your legs all year round.

Affordable, Easy To Follow Training Plans

Training for one of these distances? Try one of our training plans. We have plans for almost every goal time you could think of.

GIVEAWAY!

Want a free Hammer & Axe training plan written by Coach Drew Hunter? All you have to do is refer people to The Hammer! The person with the most referrals by 11/31 will be crowned the winner 🏆 Use the referral link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Stay tuned for The Axe. Hitting your inbox on 11/15!

Thanks for reading The Hammer. We appreciate your support more than you know. ⚒️