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A neck surgery is not part of any training plan, but it became the center of Dan Curts offseason and the lens for everything that came after. We sit down with Dan ahead of Mount Sunapee to talk about what recovery actually feels like when your body is “cleared” but not fully back, from tightness and numbness to the strange details you never expect. It is an honest look at health, patience, and how quickly confidence can wobble when consistency gets interrupted. 

From there, we get practical about mountain running training. Dan explains why he changed coaches, why the rebuild started with strength and volume instead of flashy workouts, and how he is trying to upgrade the aerobic engine that can get exposed in longer high-intensity efforts. We also go deep on technical downhill running, including his take on fear, focus, and why the best “hack” for better descending is still time on the terrain, especially when you are tired. If you care about trail running performance, skyrunning skills, and smart endurance training, there is a lot here to steal. 

We close with race-day thinking for Sunapee, what the bigger prize purse changes, and what Dan wants from the day beyond a result. Then we look ahead to Marathon du Mont Blanc, possible FKT dreams like the Presidential Traverse, and the real-life question of where to live to train with the right climbs and the right people. If you enjoyed this, subscribe, share it with a training partner, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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