“[Coaching] is fulfilling, but it also sincerely does make me better. It makes me a better athlete. Miguel (Marin), just the way that he wanted to get better as a person and as a runner. He was a young person, didn't have life figured out and was still trying to figure himself out. I'm still trying to figure myself out. Just seeing him put the effort into himself that he did. There were so many times that made me be like, ‘I can do this. I can be better and improve upon things about myself and my emotional stability, my mental stability.’ All these things improve just by the relationship that we had.” My guest for today’s episode is CJ Albertson. Just three weeks after setting a personal best of 2:08:17 at the Chicago Marathon, CJ came into the New York City Marathon and delivered another stellar performance, finishing 10th in 2:10:57. CJ's year has been nothing short of extraordinary—top American at both the Boston and Chicago Marathons, a 5th-place finish at the Olympic Trials, and now, another top-10 finish in New York. No American had ever run sub-2:11 marathons so close together, but CJ isn't one to shy away from a challenge. We'll talk about his mindset, his breakout year, and his relentless pursuit of faster times. Plus, CJ also shares a bit about how he was running in memory of Miguel Marin, who was one of his athletes who ran track and cross country at Clovis Community College. The 22-year-old died in a car crash over the weekend. A GoFundMe has been set up to assist with his family’s expenses. You can find the link to it here. Plus, we do our overrated/underrated segment on training elements with CJ to close out the show. Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram Guest: CJ Albertson | @cjalbertson on Instagram Time stamps: 3:24 - Reflections on his past year of marathoning 8:07 - Which of his marathons was the most satisfying this year  10:14 - How he approached racing both the Chicago and NYC marathons 13:10 - Factors that led to his improvement 15:13 - Hopes for what’s next in his career 22:25 - Race breakdown: 1st Ave 24:51 - Race breakdown: 5th Ave 28:32 - Thoughts on how to close the gap on becoming top American  30:24 - How he hopes to continue improving  36:30 - Race weight + fueling strategy while racing  41:08 - Going after the 2025 World Championships team  50:02 - Reflecting on Miguel Marin, his athlete who just passed away 56:40 - Answering listener questions  1:02:02 - How coaching others makes him a better athlete 1:04:24 - Overrated/underrated: training methods SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS WAHOO: KICKR RUN - a new revolutionary treadmill offering the freedom and form of outdoor running at home, from Wahoo Fitness. Run hands-free and focus solely on the joy of running with the innovative RunFree Mode - which adjusts to your stride and pace automatically. For the first time runners can now fully benefit from indoor training apps such as Zwift Run and the Wahoo app for an immersive training experience that delivers unmatched realism and results. Learn more at WahooFitness.com OLIPOP: For the past year, we’ve redefined Olipop as more than just a healthy drink known for its gut microbiome with a low sugar content and a much better alternative to regular soda. You know there are more than 16 flavors, including classic root beer, cherry cola, and lemon-lime. You know it as The Runner’s Soda. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.