The Halfstep Pod

Welcome back to a new season of The Halfstep Pod! It's the same as the old season, but we accidentally didn't record for six months so now it's a new season!. Grant and Connor talk about Grant's 4th and 6th place finishes at the World Championships in Eugene, his two American Records since the last recording (5k & 3k), the Diamond League Final in Zurich, and everything else you would want to know about Grant's last six months.

On Episode 8 of Season 2 of The Halfstep Pod, the guys are back to talk about Grant's upcoming race: the US 10k Trials this Friday Night at Hayward Field (Live on NBC). They also go deep on weather talk, Grant's signature thing, nasal strips, and (also somewhat importantly...) Grant's past month of workouts to get him ready for the upcoming US Champs.    ** Follow Halfstep Pod on Instagram / Youtube /Grant’s Instagram /Connor’s Instagram /Spotify /Apple Podcasts / Podbean Or email us halfsteppod@gmail.com !! **

On Episode 7 of Season 2 of the Halfstep Pod, Connor sits down with Sean McGorty for a comprehensive interview about his last year of pro running. This includes the crazy moment his shoe fell of at the Olympic Trials, post-Trials achilles surgery for Haglund's Deformity, his comeback from this most recent procedure and his successes in hitting the world standards in the 5k & 10k in his last two races -- running 13:09 and 27:18. They also cover so much more in this nearly 90 minute expansive interview. Enjoy!   ** Follow Halfstep Pod on Instagram / Youtube /Grant’s Instagram /Connor’s Instagram /Spotify /Apple Podcasts / Podbean Or email us halfsteppod@gmail.com !! **

In Episode 6 of Season 2 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant and Connor start with a brief recap of Grant’s week of training in Portland, then start a deep dive on the 2018 NCAA XC Championship in Madison. This was the first in a series of battles between Grant and Morgan McDonald during Grant’s senior year of college. Grant provides unique commentary and analysis on this often talked-about championship as a competitor and main player in the field. Hope you all enjoy it! Be sure to check out the youtube channel for clips from the race we have spliced into our commentary!   ** Follow Halfstep Pod on Instagram / Youtube /Grant’s Instagram /Connor’s Instagram /Spotify /Apple Podcasts / Podbean Or email us halfsteppod@gmail.com !! **

Ep 5 of Season 2 of The Halfstep Pod is a wide-ranging discussion that covers Grant's thought's about Elise Cranny's mindset she shared on last week's podcast, Marc Scott's first global medal, the shifting mentality of the members of BTC with an eye towards global medals, and -- with an eye towards an under the radar World Indoor Champs this past weekend, potential ways to get more people interested in Track & Field outside of the Olympic cycle... and much more!   ** Follow Halfstep Pod on Instagram / Youtube /Grant’s Instagram /Connor’s Instagram /Spotify /Apple Podcasts / Podbean Or email us halfsteppod@gmail.com !! **

On Episode 4 of Season 2 of The Halfstep Pod, the podcast welcomes Elise Cranny, recent winner of The Ten presented by Sound Running (Running a 10k in just a second off the American Record in 30:14) and American Record Setter in the Indoor 5000 run at Boston a month ago (14:33). Connor and Elise talk about her massive last couple of performances, her experience at the Tokyo Olympics representing the United States in the 5000m, the mental shift she’s made in the last year to help her reach new heights, and a whole bunch else.    Thanks everyone for listening!   Follow Elise here   ** Follow Halfstep Pod on Instagram / Youtube /Grant’s Instagram /Connor’s Instagram /Spotify /Apple Podcasts / Podbean Or email us halfsteppod@gmail.com !! **

On Episode 3 of Season 2 of the Halfstep Pod, Grant runs a PR of  26:33 in the 10k, a new American Record by 11 seconds. Or rather, he talks about running it this past Sunday at The Ten presented by Sound Running. The guys go deep on the race recap and all things surrounding this performance, including the importance of incredible teammates and healthy rivalries, light rail technology, squeezing a pace down, how silly it sounds to think about your 10k PR being 26:33, and how difficult it can be pre-race to conceptualize that a time like that requires running 64 second 400s for 25 laps (then kicking). Hope you guys enjoy.   Apologies for technical difficulties surrounding Connor's audio issues. There was a microphone error that was unrealized until after the recording.   Style (Check the Youtube): Connor: Yeti Fleece jacket from silknode and Explora Grant: Nike 🙄, Bowerman Hat, Sound Running Hat   ** Follow Halfstep Pod on Instagram / Youtube /Grant’s Instagram /Connor’s Instagram /Spotify /Apple Podcasts / Podbean Or email us halfsteppod@gmail.com !! **

On Episode 2 of this season of the Halfstep Pod, the guys are back talking about Grant's band activation drills which have taken the internet by storm this week, "Poopgate" the scandal which has elicited NYT articles and caused an uproar in the Flagstaff running community, and Grant's next race: a 10k on March 5th at the Sound Running Meet in Southern California where he will be targeting the elusive 27 minute barrier.    ** Follow Halfstep Pod on Instagram / Youtube /Grant’s Instagram /Connor’s Instagram /Spotify /Apple Podcasts / Podbean Or email us halfsteppod@gmail.com !! **

On Episode 1 of Season 2 of the Halfstep Pod, the guys are back to recap Grant's breakthrough 12:53 AR in the 5000 this past weekend at the BU Valentine Invite, including closing the final mile of his 3 mile race in 3:58. Grant discusses what his first American Record means to him, if he knew he was ready for this performance, and much more!   Season 2 will include: - Weekly Episodes - Youtube Channel (Halfstep Pod) where we will upload our conversations in full - More Guests - More Listener Questions   Sorry for the abrupt hiatus last Fall everyone! But we're back and are planning on uploading weekly episodes moving forward both in podcast form and on Youtube. Stay tuned for more!   ** Follow Halfstep Pod on Instagram / Youtube /Grant’s Instagram /Connor’s Instagram /Spotify /Apple Podcasts / Podbean Or email us halfsteppod@gmail.com !! **

On Episode 24 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant reveals his plans to race the 2-mile at this weekend's Diamond League meet at Hayward Field in Eugene, The Prefontaine Classic. He gives an update on his recovery process since the Olympics, and the training he has gotten in this past week. The guys then spend the second half of this episode answering your questions on Grant's experiences at the Tokyo Olympics, including some noteworthy ones such as the most notable athletes Grant saw walking around the village, and how he managed to keep a "winning" mentality on the start line against runners who, on paper, are more accomplished than himself.   Thanks to everyone for listening!  Be sure to rate us and subscribe if you haven't already in order to get our podcasts as soon as they drop!

On Episode 23 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant joins the Pod from back home in Oregon, after completing his 10k-5k double at the Olympics last week. With two top 10 finishes in his debut experience at the Games (5th in the 10k, 9th in the 5k) Grant discusses how he managed to get through that intense week of racing, a sudden injury that prevented him from running a step between the 5k prelim and 5k final (and jeopardized his ability to compete at all), and Moh's crazy push for a Silver medal in the 5k. The guys also dive deep on the 5k prelim and final from Grant's perspective as they do with all races. They conclude by talking about Grant's upcoming race plans now that his calf is recovering, which could include the Pre Classic in Eugene next week. Be on the lookout for our Instagram post this upcoming week asking for questions about Grant's Olympic experience. Also feel free to email (halfsteppod@gmail.com) or DM us with those same questions if you can't find it. Thanks to everyone for listening!  Be sure to rate us and subscribe if you haven't already in order to get our podcasts as soon as they drop!

On Episode 22 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant joins the Pod after placing 5th in the 10k at the Olympics, the best finish over that distance for an American man not named Galen Rupp since Frank Shorter in 1972. The guys do a brief recap of the race, including the keys to Grant's composure running in the lead pack in his first Olympic race, how he maintained belief that he belonged up there, and just who exactly he was giving the double thumbs up to after his historic race finishing 2.5 seconds out of the medals.   We'll be doing a more in depth recap of the 10k and the upcoming 5k after the Olympics, right now, Grant needs to move forward in preparing for his 5k prelim in a couple days so we didn't want to linger too long on this one, despite the incredible result. Thanks to everyone for listening ! Please continue sending us your listener questions (halfsteppod@gmail.com) or DM us on instagram! Be sure to rate us and subscribe if you haven't already in order to get our podcasts as soon as they drop!

On Episode 21 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant joins the show live from Tokyo (Not live by the time you're hearing him, unfortunately). The guys go through what it's like living in the Village- from how much he is actually able to socialize, how he's getting his runs in, and what a cafeteria pumping out 40,000 meals a day actually looks like in action.    Grant and Connor then spend the second half of the episode previewing Grant's 10k on Friday night, 8:30 Japanese local time. 7:30 Friday morning US Eastern time (4:30 AM PST, yikes). They go over how he is preparing to run the biggest race of his life so far, what it'll be like to have so many of his training partners and teammates in the field with him, and what his goals are for the race.  Thanks to everyone for listening ! Please continue sending us your listener questions (halfsteppod@gmail.com) or DM us on instagram! Be sure to rate us and subscribe if you haven't already in order to get our podcasts as soon as they drop! We've gotten a lot of questions about XC season and college/pro recruitment stuff- we definitely will tackle those after Grant's upcoming races.

On Episode 20 of The Halfstep Pod, Connor and Grant discuss Grant's final week in Park City as he heads to Honolulu this weekend in preparation for the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo. The guys then get into their race recap of the 2004 Athens Olympics 1500 meter final. A final that came down to Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, the 4 time World Champ at the distance searching for his elusive Olympic Gold, vs Bernard Lagat of Kenya, the man who had most recently beaten El Guerrouj before the Games and was already an Olympic Medalist. We encourage everyone to watch the race online before/after/while listening to the podcast to have the best experience! Just google "2004 Olympic 1500 final" for results. They talk about both runners' legacies in the sport, the somewhat sketchy era of track and field they existed in during the early 2000s, and a bunch of little details in the race that are often missed. As always, thanks to everyone for listening. You can find us at halfsteppod@gmail.com or DM us on instagram at @ halfstep_pod. Be sure to rate us and subscribe if you haven't already in order to get our podcasts as soon as they drop!

On Episode 19 of The Halfstep Pod, Connor interviews his Stanford teammate, Julia Heymach on the heels of her breakthrough 2021 Cross Country and Track seasons. The two go through her training experiences during the COVID pandemic, and then recap her whole season starting with her first cross country meet in Florida and culminating with her 6th place finish at the 2021 US Olympic Trials in the 1500. Along the way they discuss her 13th place finish at NCAA XC Nationals, Her victorious debut track 5k at PAC 12s, her double at NCAA Outdoor, and her experience getting through the rounds at the Olympic Trials.    They also discuss how much goal setting can influence performance, ways to stay calm and controlled while racing, and how to train through sickness in a smart and safe way. This was a really fun episode to do, so we hope you all enjoy it! Thanks again to Julia for coming on! You can find her on instagram @ jhey__   Grant and I will be back later this week for the normal episode!! As always, thanks to everyone for listening. You can find us at halfsteppod@gmail.com or DM us on instagram at @ halfstep_pod. Be sure to rate us and subscribe if you haven't already in order to get our podcasts as soon as they drop!

On Episode 18 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant and Connor talk about the recent news that the Tokyo Olympics will have no fans in attendance, and get into a bit of a deep dive on why the games probably can't get moved this close to the start date. Grant updates everyone on his training situation, including a surprising trip he and the team have planned before arriving in Japan.   The guys then transition into discussing the three separate drug testing scandals that have shaken track and field the past couple weeks involving Sha'Carri Richardson, Brianna McNeal, and Shelby Houlihan. Grant offers some inside perspective as someone who gets drug tested frequently on how he interacts with the USADA and WADA systems. The guys also try to get into the current issues with the drug testing system, while recognizing all athletes have to deal with the same high standards to prove they are clean.   We both want to acknowledge all these situations are nuanced and controversial. Not everyone is going to have the same opinion on each of them as either of us, but we did want to share our perspectives and try to provide educated points given all the background research we have tried to prep going into the episode. As always, thanks to everyone for listening. Don't hesitate to reach out to us halfsteppod@gmail.com or DM us on instagram at "halfstep_pod." Plus, be sure to rate us and subscribe if you haven't already in order to get our podcasts as soon as they drop!

On Episode 17 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant and Connor go chronologically from Grant's return to Park City after the 10k final, all the way through the 5k final and the reaction to Grant making the Olympic team in his second event. (2nd place in the 5k). The guys get detailed on the Trials environment, the structure and difficulty of the 5k prelims, the 10 am race start time on Sunday for the Final, and, of course, the last 100 meters of the 5k race, which saw Grant pushed out into lane 5 across the finish line.  Thanks to everyone for listening and sorry for the delay between episodes! Please continue sending us your listener questions (halfsteppod@gmail.com) or DM us on instagram! Be sure to rate us and subscribe if you haven't already in order to get our podcasts as soon as they drop!    Timestamps:  3:00- Grant's time back in Park City post 10k 8:40- 5k Prelim & Prelims in general 34:00- 5k Final recap 49:00- Final sprint drama 59:30- Eye toward Olympics & Misc ramblings

On Episode 16 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant recaps the biggest race of his life so far: his second place finish at the US Olympic Trials 10k. Race-winner and BTC teammate Woody Kincaid comes on as a guest, too. The guys talk about everything. From how it feels to make their first Olympic teams, to throwing up on the bathroom floor the day of the race (just one of them), to how long they believed what happened on Friday would be possible, Woody and Grant cover a lot of ground in the 50-ish minute interview. If you’re at all interested in an inside perspective on the crucible of the Olympic Trials, this episode is a must-listen.   The first part of the Podcast is just Grant and Connor. Woody joins as a guest at the 22:10 mark. Thanks to everyone for listening! Please continue sending us your listener questions (halfsteppod@gmail.com) or DM us on instagram! Be sure to rate us and subscribe if you haven't already in order to get our podcasts as soon as they drop!

On Episode 15 of The Halfstep Pod, the guys discuss Grant's mentality a week out from the Trials 10k, how he plans to attack that race, and his mentality for his potential double attempt. They also talk about the first two days of the NCAA Championships and touch on the killer 5k at the Rome DL. They end by answering a listener question about the Tokyo Games-inspired Bowerman merch and the story behind the Japanese athletes who train with the group on a consistent basis.   Thanks to everyone for listening and sorry for the delay between episodes! Please continue sending us your listener questions (halfsteppod@gmail.com) or DM us on instagram! Be sure to rate us and subscribe if you haven't already in order to get our podcasts as soon as they drop!

On Episode 14 of The Halfstep Pod, Grant and Connor recap Grant's victory in last weekend's Portland Track Festival from heat two of the 5k. The guys then talk about Grant's kinda-finalized plan of events for the Olympic Trials in two weeks. They also touch on Hobbs Kessler being very fast and the NCAA regional meets this past weekend.  Thanks to everyone for listening and sorry for the delay between episodes! Please continue sending us your listener questions (halfsteppod@gmail.com) or DM us on instagram! Be sure to rate us and subscribe if you haven't already in order to get our podcasts as soon as they drop!