Getting After It

People love to say "you just wait." You just wait until the baby comes. You just wait until the honeymoon phase is over. You just wait until you have no time, no sleep, and no ambition left. Since Winston was born six weeks ago, I've heard some version of it more times than I can count. So I decided to put it to the test.

In this episode, I talk about what these first six weeks of fatherhood have actually been like. The 3 a.m. diaper changes where Winston poops again right after I change him. Watching Ally become a mom and falling even more in love with her. Crying like a baby the moment they put him on her chest. And yes, the running. I've logged about 290 miles since he was born, including 50-mile weeks, and some of the best running I've done in my life. Has it been hard? Absolutely. But hard isn't the same thing as miserable.

We also get into why our expectations shape our experience so much. Marcus Aurelius wrote that the judgments we make about our circumstances determine our outlook, and fatherhood is a perfect example. Two dads can wake up at 3 a.m. to the same crying baby. One sees misery, the other sees gratitude. Same circumstances, completely different experience.

I also have a message for anyone who's about to get married, have a kid, or start a new chapter. Listen to people with experience, but don't let someone else's frustration become your expectation. And if someone tells you "you just wait," ask them: for what?

If this one hits, share it with someone who's expecting or newly married. And as always, keep getting after it, my friends.

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Welcome to the first episode of Running on Empty, a new series on Getting After It with my good friends Brayden Galbraith and Jace Skidmore.

We're three dads with full-time jobs, busy schedules, and an obsession with endurance sports. Between raising kids, being a good husband, working, and trying to find time to train, we're usually running on a lot less sleep than we'd like.

The idea behind this series is pretty simple. Every few weeks, we're going to get together and talk about running, life, fatherhood, and whatever else comes up. Nothing overly structured. Just three friends having a conversation.

In this first episode, we cover quite a bit of ground.

We talk about Brayden's 577-day running streak and how it came to an accidental end, Jace's training for a 2:53 marathon, and some of the ridiculous things we've done to keep running when life gets busy. We also get into strength training, HYROX, close encounters with wildlife, and the unbelievable performances happening in the backyard ultra world.

But my favorite part of this conversation comes toward the end.

I'm only about six weeks into being a dad, and I've already learned how much more intentional I need to be with my time. I still want to chase big goals. I want to run ultras, build businesses, and see what I'm capable of. But I also want to be a present husband and father.

So I asked Brayden and Jace how they manage it.

Both have more experience with fatherhood than I do, and I loved hearing their perspectives on making time for training, communicating with their wives, and setting an example for their kids.

One thing I've always believed is that running prepares us for life. The early mornings, the difficult workouts, and the races where everything seems to go wrong teach us how to keep moving when things get hard.

And now that I'm a father, I have another reason to keep pushing myself. I want my son Winston to grow up knowing that he can do hard things, too.

We had a blast recording this one, and I'm excited to make it a regular part of the show.

Thanks for listening, and as always, keep getting after it.

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Brayden came back on the podcast after finishing one of the hardest races in the country: the Leadville Trail 100.

What makes his story crazy is that he wasn't expecting to get into Leadville this year. He entered the lottery thinking it might take 3–5 years. Then the acceptance email showed up, and suddenly he had to figure out how to prepare for 100 miles through the Colorado mountains.

We walk through the entire experience.

Brayden talks about training for his first 100 miler, dealing with the altitude and heat, climbing Hope Pass, relying on his crew, watching other runners drop from the race, and eventually reaching the point where every mile became a fight against the cutoff.

One part of the conversation stuck with me.

Before the race, Brayden had already decided when he would allow himself to stop. A missed cutoff. A serious injury. Something medically wrong.

Being tired wasn't on the list.

So when things got bad, he didn't have to decide whether he wanted to keep going. That decision had already been made.

By mile 80, his Achilles was hurting, his knees were cooked, his quads locked up after sitting at an aid station, and the clock was becoming a real problem.

He kept moving.

This episode is obviously about Leadville. But it's also about commitment, preparation, friendship, suffering, and finding out what you're capable of when quitting would be much easier.

Brayden's story made me want to run Leadville even more.

Although after hearing the full story, I'm not sure that's the rational response.

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I believe in hard work. This podcast is called Getting After It, after all. But the older I get, the more I realize that hard work by itself isn't enough.

In this episode, I break down a few lessons from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jocko Willink, and Tony Robbins that changed the way I think about effort, discipline, and success.

We talk about having a clear vision for where you're going, doing the work when you don't feel like it, controlling your impulses, staying positive when things get dark, and most importantly, being willing to change your approach when the work isn't working.

Because being exhausted doesn't always mean you're making progress.

I've worked incredibly hard at things and still failed. I've missed goals in running, struggled professionally, and put hundreds of episodes into this podcast without it becoming a massive show. But I don't think that work was wasted.

Sometimes the goal isn't just about what you achieve. It's about finding out what you're capable of along the way.

Have a vision. Do the work. Pay attention to the results. Adapt when you need to. And keep getting after it.

Questions to ask yourself:

1. What am I trying to accomplish?
2. What evidence would tell me I'm getting closer?
3. Is my current strategy producing that evidence?
4. If not, what am I willing to change?

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My wife Ally is back on the podcast, and this episode felt a little different.

We’re only a few weeks away from becoming parents for the first time. As excited as we are, we’ve been thinking a lot about what life will look like once our son is here.

• Can we still chase big goals and be present parents?
• Can I train for races, build businesses, work on this podcast, and still make sure my family never feels like they come second?
• Can Ally continue chasing the things that make her who she is while becoming a mom?

We obviously don’t have all the answers. We haven’t even met our son yet. There’s a good chance we listen to this episode a year from now and laugh at some of the things we thought.

But I don’t believe becoming a parent means giving up everything that made you who you were before having kids. We think our son should see us working toward things that matter to us. I want him at finish lines. I want him to see us working hard. I want him involved in the things we love.

And more than anything, I want him to grow up knowing that no goal was ever more important than being there for him.

Ally and I talk about what we’ve learned from our own parents, staying present in our marriage, adjusting goals during different seasons of life, protecting time for family, and the kind of example we hope to set for our son.

We’re about to enter a completely new chapter of our lives. We have no idea exactly what it’s going to look like. But we’re excited to figure it out together.

Keep Getting After It.

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Nine years ago, my mom started a business with an idea and a willingness to try. This year, she closed the doors and we talk about all the lessons learned. 

In this episode, we talk about what it was like to build Snug from the ground up, why it came to an end, and the lessons she learned from running a business for nearly a decade. We also talk about her first marathon, raising four kids, becoming a grandmother, faith, and what it really means to keep getting after it through every season of life.

This conversation reminded me that success isn't always measured by how long something lasts. Sometimes it's measured by having the courage to start, giving it everything you have, and walking away knowing you gave it your best.

I hope this episode encourages you to keep trying, even when the outcome is uncertain.

If you enjoyed this conversation, I'd really appreciate it if you subscribed, left a review, or shared it with someone who needs the reminder that it's never wasted when you have the courage to try.

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You're not lazy. You're not lost. You just know there's a gap between the life you're living and the one you're capable of — and that gap is getting harder to ignore.

Every week, I pull apart the mental patterns that keep capable people stuck — comfort disguised as patience, avoidance disguised as strategy, mediocrity dressed up as balance. I bring in philosophy, personal stories from the trails and the trenches, and conversations with people who decided to stop waiting.

This isn't a show about hacks. It's about the harder work: getting honest with yourself, building the discipline to act on that honesty, and becoming someone you'd actually respect.

Keep getting after it.

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Jace Skidmore ran a 4:05 marathon. Years later he ran a 2:53. I wanted to know what actually changed in between, so I sat him down and asked.

Jace is one of the best follows I have in the running space, and today he breaks down the real engine behind his jump, the mental game. We get into the two voices that show up mid-race (one supportive, one straight out of a David Goggins video), his 570+ day run streak with his buddy Brayden, and what it actually looks like to train for a sub-3 marathon while working night shifts as a nurse and raising two kids under three.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How Jace's brain splits into two competitors mid-race, and how he uses both
• What actually changed between his 4:05 and his 2:53 marathon
• How he and his wife communicate around training so nobody feels abandoned while raising children
• His recovery protocol on five hours of sleep a night
• What his 570-day run streak taught him about showing up when you don't want to

I walked away from this conversation more locked in than I've been in months. Jace doesn't perform toughness. He just keeps showing up, and the results speak for themselves.

If this episode hits, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and leave a rating on Apple or Spotify. It helps more than you know.

Follow him on Instagram @jacerunsmore

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Every week, I pull apart the mental patterns that keep capable people stuck — comfort disguised as patience, avoidance disguised as strategy, mediocrity dressed up as balance. I bring in philosophy, personal stories from the trails and the trenches, and conversations with people who decided to stop waiting.

This isn't a show about hacks. It's about the harder work: getting honest with yourself, building the discipline to act on that honesty, and becoming someone you'd actually respect.

Keep getting after it.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, I talk about something I’ve been learning the hard way: you can’t rush adaptation.

Whether it’s health, running, work, podcasting, or becoming a father, some things just take time. You can show up. You can do the work. You can adjust the plan. But you can’t force your body or your life to change on your exact timeline.

I’ve been frustrated with slow progress lately, especially with low testosterone, fitness, energy, and rebuilding momentum. But this season has reminded me that slow progress is not the same as no progress.

This episode is about patience, honest effort, and learning how to keep going without pretending the process is easy.

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Website: Keepgettingafterit.com

Follow on X: @bcrossell
Subscribe on YouTube: @gettingafteritpodcast
Follow on Instagram: @bcrossell
Follow on TikTok: gettingafterit_podcast

You're not lazy. You're not lost. You just know there's a gap between the life you're living and the one you're capable of — and that gap is getting harder to ignore.

Every week, I pull apart the mental patterns that keep capable people stuck — comfort disguised as patience, avoidance disguised as strategy, mediocrity dressed up as balance. I bring in philosophy, personal stories from the trails and the trenches, and conversations with people who decided to stop waiting.

This isn't a show about hacks. It's about the harder work: getting honest with yourself, building the discipline to act on that honesty, and becoming someone you'd actually respect.

Keep getting after it.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, I talk about something I've been thinking about a lot lately: what excellence actually means.

For a long time, I thought excellence looked the same every day. Wake up early. Train hard. Work harder. Stay disciplined. Keep pushing.

Then life changed.

My health changed. My energy changed. I'm preparing to become a father. And I realized something that I hadn't fully understood before.

Excellence isn't one fixed standard that stays the same forever.

Every season asks something different of you.

That doesn't mean lowering your character or making excuses. It means being honest about the season you're in while continuing to keep promises to yourself.

In this conversation, I share what I've learned from running, marriage, disappointment, my parents, and the challenges I've faced over the last year. We also talk about why discipline still matters, how to avoid letting your identity become tied to performance, and why your standard should be built on character instead of circumstances.

I don't think the goal is to become someone who impresses other people.

I think the goal is to become someone you respect.

If you've been in a season where life feels different than it used to, I hope this conversation gives you something to think about.

Thank you for listening, and if you enjoyed the episode, I'd really appreciate it if you subscribed, left a review, or shared it with someone who might need to hear it.

Keep Getting After It.

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Website: Keepgettingafterit.com

Follow on X: @bcrossell
Subscribe on YouTube: @gettingafteritpodcast
Follow on Instagram: @bcrossell
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You're not lazy. You're not lost. You just know there's a gap between the life you're living and the one you're capable of — and that gap is getting harder to ignore.

Every week, I pull apart the mental patterns that keep capable people stuck — comfort disguised as patience, avoidance disguised as strategy, mediocrity dressed up as balance. I bring in philosophy, personal stories from the trails and the trenches, and conversations with people who decided to stop waiting.

This isn't a show about hacks. It's about the harder work: getting honest with yourself, building the discipline to act on that honesty, and becoming someone you'd actually respect.

Keep getting after it.

Send us Fan Mail

Episode 201 feels like the beginning of a new season for Getting After It.

After 200 episodes, I've been thinking a lot about what growth actually costs. We spend so much time talking about becoming stronger, healthier, more disciplined, better spouses, better parents, and better people. But we don't talk enough about what has to be left behind.

In this episode, I share some lessons I've learned from marriage, running, moving to Utah, starting this podcast, and preparing to become a father. I've realized that every meaningful change asks something from us. Sometimes it's comfort. Sometimes it's old habits. Sometimes it's an identity we've held onto for years.

I also talk about why I think the phrase "just wait" gets marriage and parenthood wrong, how obsession can help us grow but also pull us away from what matters most, and why the future version of ourselves is being built in the small choices we make today.

You don't become someone new without saying goodbye to someone old.

I hope this conversation encourages you to take an honest look at what you're holding onto, what you're willing to sacrifice, and who you're trying to become.

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear your thoughts. And if you know someone with a story worth sharing, send them my way. I'm excited for this next chapter of the podcast and for more conversations with people who are trying to grow, struggle, and get after it right alongside us.

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Website: Keepgettingafterit.com

Follow on X: @bcrossell
Subscribe on YouTube: @gettingafteritpodcast
Follow on Instagram: @bcrossell
Follow on TikTok: gettingafterit_podcast

You're not lazy. You're not lost. You just know there's a gap between the life you're living and the one you're capable of — and that gap is getting harder to ignore.

Every week, I pull apart the mental patterns that keep capable people stuck — comfort disguised as patience, avoidance disguised as strategy, mediocrity dressed up as balance. I bring in philosophy, personal stories from the trails and the trenches, and conversations with people who decided to stop waiting.

This isn't a show about hacks. It's about the harder work: getting honest with yourself, building the discipline to act on that honesty, and becoming someone you'd actually respect.

Keep getting after it.

Send us Fan Mail