We thought long and hard about alien physiology before recording this great episode! The main topic was a wildly cool wrinkle in training science. Across all different types of events, the most predictive variable for performance is often how fast an athlete can go at VO2 max effort. That could have massive implications for how we think about training and what we consider "specificity" for long events! We discussed why we think that is, along with workout designs, the use of hills, and how much we want to get aliens on a treadmill. ET can phone home after ET does a VO2 max test. And this one was full of our favorite topics! Other topics: Addie dog going strong at nearly 12 years old, the upcoming Olympic Trials on the track, our wild travel schedule between the Trials and Western States, stroller running and our worrisome experience, sodium bicarbonate hacks, workout design, the power of using set-based structures, running economy and other predictors in ultras, a new study on fatigue resistance/durability and its relation to training status, Alex Honnold running the Lavaredo 50k, Roger Federer's wonderful speech on perseverance, messages about ferritin increases from liposomal iron, Joey Chestnut's ban from the hot dog eating contest and what it says about sponsorships, the increasing cost of shoes, Keely Hodgkinson's low-volume approach with lots of cross training, and hot takes. When the aliens arrive, we should give them a cup of chocolate Nesquik so they can experience our finest delicacies. Then it's straight onto the treadmill for some podcast content. We love you all! HUZZAH! Aliens! Click "Claim Reward" for $80 at The Feed here: thefeed.com/swap Support the podcast: patreon.com/swap Buy Janji's amazing gear: https://janji.com/ (code "SWAP")