Breaking Trail

Today Toni Carey and I talk about staying sane while also running a business and the common denominator is some kind of movement. Although we talk primarily about running (and yoga), it doesn't have to be about running specifically. Toni is the founder of Black Girls Run - a hugely popular movement with running groups all over the nation. She shares with us how she started and built a community, the importance of social exercise and we both talk about the the dips (periods of destruction or crises) and the highs, (growth stages) of life in general. Toni has some tips for those of you who want to run but can't seem to fall in love with it. Hint it doesn't mean you have to run: but she has ideas for both sides.

I also want to thank Ralph Rivera - a friend, an owner of three businesses, and the co-host of the podcast Carbon Based Units - this is a great podcast for entrepreneurs and marketers - they talk about everything. The reason I want to thank him is that when I started recording this particular interview, I had a feeling something was awry but what did I do? I carried on with it and did nothing. At the end, I discovered the input wasn't set properly and the audio was horrible. Ralph to the rescue. Thank you Ralph. It's good having friends who want to help. and the lesson? be a better listener of your gut. Always.

Links mentioned:

Headpace

One Medal

Randy Zuckerberg: The Entrepreneur's Dilemma

Where to find Toni

Toni Carey

Keeping Balanced

Black Girls Run

You can always find more at www.thegearshow.com.

Today's episode will change the way you think about tackling something that scares you, not just in the outdoors but also at work.

Brian Harder, a seemingly fearless mountaineer and former Exum Mountain Guide is the perfect guy to talk to about this because he does stuff I see on instagram and say NFW. Scaling rock, climbing chutes, skiing in the No Fall Zone… so how does he deal with fear? Does he even feel fear?

Whether it's an outdoor pursuit or our own professional pursuits, i think you'll find this thought provoking. We discuss exposure to risk, uncertainty, how different people view risk and reward, (like him and I), and the best way to not only get better at something, but to increase your threshold for fear.

Learn more at www.thegearshow.com

Professional trail runner and coach, Rene Unser shares with us her training philosophy and habits and tips she incorporates into her every day life as it relates to rest, recovery, and hydration. Along the way, she shares some pretty moving stories and experiences.

This is about much more than trail running - it's about finding your "thing," maybe hating it at first, then falling in love with it. Even if you aren't a trail runner, Rene's story will make you fall in love with it. As in any of my episodes, I hope there is always a bigger lesson that whatever it is you initially hate, then love, is something you can embrace and improve upon - that will eventually lead to greater adventures.

I often wonder if a better or different bike would have helped me ride that section I just got off my bike and walked. Or is trust in the bike and self-confidence in my own ability? So I asked my friend Rusty Spiedel to come on and tackle this topic, and talk about what bikes can do for us. We discuss different wheel sizes and their pros and cons, different types of terrain and body types and the importance of the Adjustment Ride - do you have the right travel on your bike? Is the air in your fork enough or too much? Are you locking out the suspension at the right times? Lastly, if money were no object, what bike would you buy?

Lastly, Rusty shares with us a few tips plus a bonus one, on preventing your next mountain bike shit show.

Please share your added thoughts in the comments at www.gearshow.com

Sometimes we jump into something with such frenzy and ambition, we might not be properly prepared. We are in over our heads. It's a theme many of us are familiar with, perhaps in our lives, perhaps from the news.

Powder Matt Mosteller sets the stage for our conversation today by sharing a story of lofty teenage goals, finding himself in over his head and getting himself safely out of it. From this and many other experiences throughout his life, he helps us prevent our next shit show by giving us a full-on primer on everything you should consider for your first backpacking trip: conditioning for your trip, where to go, what kind of gear needs your consideration, personal health and safety and things to think about when you bring the kids and/or dogs along.

Even if you aren't planning a trip, it's a good lesson on life.

We talk to Sarah Brown, 2-Time USATF World Championships team member and professional track & field athlete for Team New Balance about running and training while pregnant and postpartum, and when dreams go sideways - how we respond,adapt and move forward.

Sarah will share her story about her unexpected pregnancy while training for the 2016 Olympic Trials and going on to compete in said trials four months postpartum and how the most difficult year of her life was also the best.

Mid-life crisis, existential crisis, epic freakout…. whatever you want to call it, we've all had one or more. Today's episode is less about yoga and more about how to respond to a period of breakdown and come out better than before. For Jason Konopinski, our guest today, yoga was his savior. For you, it might be something else.

We talk running shoes with trail running coach, author, and speaker, Mike Ehredt. As in anything, no shoe is made for all runners. We have to take things like running conditions, the terrain you're running on and your own biomechanics to choose the right

As we get older, we start to feel like a used car with nagging injuries: "I can't run today because my knee, my achilles tendon, my shoulder.." Whatever the case may be. Today we'll talk about one of the most important pieces of gear we have - our bodies, and the importance of strength training to prevent chronic injury and support the play we want to do in the wilderness. As our guest, Jen Fisher puts it, we need to be physically prepared and do a lot to support our bodies to be able to fully enjoy the outdoors. Jen Fisher is a personal trainer, owner of The Shed Gym in Sandpoint,race director for the Sandpoint Scenic Half Marathon. and host of Functional health radio show.

Are you setting yourself up for success and preparing for worst-case scenarios? We like to think the stuff we read about in the news won't happen to us. One bad turn of events, and the game has changed. Today, we talk to Jeff Thompson, director of the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center, ski patroller, and recreational backcountry skier. He shares with us what he carries in his backpack - a cumulative knowledge base of shit shows that have perfected this perfect balance of not too much and not too little in the backpack.