This week I spoke with Olympian Marielle Hall, who represented the U.S. in the 10,000m at the Rio Games in 2016. She’s also a four-time world championship qualifier, finished 8th in the 10,000m at the 2019 world championships in Doha, and won a national 15K title on the roads in 2020. This episode came to be a few weeks after I was introduced to Marielle last month in Mammoth Lakes, California, where she’s been training at altitude in preparation for her half-marathon debut later this fall.  

In this conversation, Marielle and I talked about how she’s using this training camp as an opportunity to re-center herself and set the tone for the year ahead. She told me about traps that she’s gotten stuck in over the years and how she’s trying to maintain focus and keep the main thing the main thing. We discussed how she’s feeling now versus a year ago when she left the Bowerman Track Club, and when she knew it was time to change her training environment. Marielle talked to me about moving up in distance over the years and the differences between racing on the track and on the road, how she sees herself now that she’s out of the hole of injury and uncertainty, and what she thinks she’s capable of when she’s healthy and firing on all cylinders. We also discussed the ways in which her relationship to running has evolved over the years, what she hopes it looks like moving forward, and so, so much more.

This episode is brought to you by:

— The Monterey Bay Half Marathon. The Monterey Bay Half Marathon is BACK! Registration is now open for this fast, scenic course along the beautiful Monterey Bay coastline. If you’re looking for a fall race with a high potential for a PR, this is your course! Sign up to #runthiscoast on November 13 at montereybayhalfmarathon.org. Use the code MARIO at checkout to save $10 on your registration for the half marathon or the Ocean View Challenge.

— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for free shipping on your order. Look good, run goodr!

Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Episode cover photo of Marielle Hall by David Bracetty for the 4 Years Ago Project used with permission.

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