Kinda Eccentric: The Berlin Marathon, 30K Burpees, and Tendon Strength

What do the Berlin Marathon, $500 racing shoes, 30,000 burpee broad jumps, and tendon strength have in common? Somehow, they all made it into this week’s Kinda Fast.

Claire and Travis kick things off with What Does That Even Mean?, breaking down eccentric vs. concentric muscle contractions and why both matter for runners.

Then, it’s time for running news. Tigst Assefa runs an incredible 2:11:04 at the Berlin Marathon, setting a new course record before suffering an Achilles injury in the final kilometers. Plus, Adidas unveils the new Adizero Adios Pro 5 with a completely different carbon design—but all six men’s and women’s podium finishers in Berlin chose to race in the $500 Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 instead.

And because running a normal marathon apparently wasn’t difficult enough, German HYROX athlete Kevin Ociepka covered the entire 26.2-mile marathon distance using burpee broad jumps—about 30,000 of them over more than six and a half days.

Finally, in this week’s Deep Dive, Claire and Travis are talking tendons. Why do they matter so much for runners? Why can they take longer to adapt than your muscles and cardiovascular system? And how can you help prepare them for the demands of running?

They break down five exercises runners can incorporate into their strength training: calf raises, deadlifts, Bulgarian split squats, speed skaters, and pogo hops.

It’s running news, ridiculously expensive shoes, 30,000 burpees, and a little strength training—all in Episode 67 of Kinda Fast.

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