Man, lot's of stuff going on this edition of Mastering 40. The last three weeks have seen some strong workouts, a few skipped miles, and a minor knee injury.  In this episode, run coach James McKirdy and I have a blunt conversation on my need to step up the miles from the mid to high 30's well into the 40's. In his words, "if you aren't able to do this then you will not reach your goals." Then I speak with sport psychologist Adrienne Langelier about how I have been doing the "classic Matt Chittim." By this I mean skipping cooldowns and a mile here and there. We talk discuss how to take my training up a notch and get out of the groove that has been my happy normal in previous training cycles.  To paraphrase, if I want to accomplish something I never have, I need to work harder than before to reach that new level.  Mastering 40: I had just completed the worst athletic year of my life. One beset by injuries and a 25 lb. weight gain. Finally, I decided enough was enough. With the help of a professional coach - James McKirdy and sport psychologist - Adrienne Langelier, I am determined to have the best athletic year of my life. One that will end, hopefully, with a sub-40:00 10k. This is a huge stretch goal and I am determined to get it done. Over the course of this year I will also be turning 40 years old and become a masters runner. Hence the “Mastering 40.” We will be documenting the journey with a podcast every three weeks. The podcasts, like this one, will include calls with the experts I will be leaning on, and learning from, throughout the process. Hopefully you enjoy and learn from my year of reclaiming my fitness and pursuing an entirely new level of performance while trying to maximize my schedule as a dedicated amateur runner. Thank you to the Mastering 40 partners: - Supplements/Protein: Previnex - code: RUNNER15 for 15% off - Health Analysis: InsideTracker - Go to www.insidetracker.com/qr/onboarding/SUPERRECIPES/ to save $200 on their Ultimate Package by using code GIFTFROMRAMBLINGRUN - Attire: Tracksmith - code RAMBLINGRUNNER for 15% off first purchase over $75 Follow Matt: Instagram - @rambling_runner Twitter - @rambling_runner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices