Off The Couch

Today we’re putting our Off The Couch co-host, Brendan Leonard (semi-rad.com) in the interviewee seat to hear about his recent FKT; his review of his FKT route and whether you should do it; movies; his current running program; gas station donuts; how well he deals with deadlines; some of his current and upcoming projects, and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Brendan’s new FKT (7:27)
• Interlude: movie talk (9:42)
• Brendan’s review of his FKT (12:16)
• Gas station donuts (17:18)
• Are you a heart rate monitor? (19:12)
• Running as a couple (29:02)
• The deadline dungeon (33:31)

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Six months ago, professional skier, Cody Townsend, hated running. Now he loves it. So what happened?? And will his current training program really get him ready to ski tour up and down some of the gnarliest peaks in North America for his ongoing Fifty Project? If you have ever found yourself in the “I hate running” camp, you should listen to this episode.

• WATCH THE CONVERSATION ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

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Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk to Kaytlyn Gerbin about her work as a bioengineer, the Rainier Infinity Loop; running ultras vs mountaineering; why scientists make good ultra runners; cheating on snowboarding; and a whole lot more. 

TOPICS & TIMES

• Kaytlyn tries to remember the name of her dissertation (2:21)
• Describe the Rainier Infinity Loop? (6:35)
• Choosing projects / running ultra vs mountaineering (10:30)
• How much do you tailor training for specific events? (14:03)
• Is your brain on or off while exercising (15:57)
• Why scientists make great ultra runners (19:59)
• Rock climbing vs. ultra running (21:23)
• What was your introduction to running? (26:11)
• Growing up in Wisconsin (32:30)
• Imposter syndrome & start line at Western States (35:09)
• Snowboarding / cheating on snowboarding (37:50)
• Ultra runner couples & pacing your partner (51:42)
• The rest of 2020? (57:41)

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Last Saturday, Blister reviewer & accomplished ultrarunner, Maddie Hart, ran the Emma Coburn Elk Run 5k with Blister founder & very unaccomplished runner, Jonathan Ellsworth, and they recorded the experience. Hilarity (and embarrassment) ensued, but it was all for a great cause: Living Journeys. Check it out.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Running attire (5:50)
• Maddie’s FKT attempt(10:33)
• 5k Update: how’s Jonathan feeling? (13:21)
• Converting miles to kilometers (17:52)
• Listening to music while running (21:15)
• Maddie’s FKT training (23:32)
• Finishing! (26:39)
• Closing thoughts (30:06)

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Coree Woltering is definitely one of the most interesting ultrarunners out there, so Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talked to Coree about the one time when a catcall actually worked; why the running world needs to stop overlooking midwestern athletes; Quick Trip burgers and how to remove ticks and deal with bird-sized mosquitoes; and the injury and the miracle that happened while he was setting a new FKT on the Ice Age Trail.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Quick Trip Burgers & FKTs (5:32)
• Catcalls, skydiving & a white minivan (12:31)
• Start of Trail Running and Biology (29:17)
• Ice Age FKT, Ticks, Mosquitos (40:30)
• The injury & the miracle (51:27)

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Ryan Hall is a two-time Olympian, holds the U.S. record in the half marathon, and is the only American to run a sub-2:05:00 marathon. But these days, Ryan has cut back quite a bit on his running, and is currently far more focused on lifting — and his transformation from a ~130 lb. worldclass runner to ~180 lb. bodybuilder is wild.

But that’s not the only wild thing Ryan’s got going on — he just completed his first ultramarathon, The North Face Grand Traverse here in Crested Butte — and he did it in the most ‘Off The Couch’ way possible.

So I sat down with Ryan in Blister HQ to talk about his first ultra; some of the incredible highs and some painful lows in his running career; weight and performance and his own struggles as a professional runner to find the right balance; the importance of finding proper perspective; and his current work as a running coach where others can benefit from what he’s learned over the years.

Check out runfreetraining.com to learn more about working with Ryan.

TOPICS & TIMES:

1. Welcome to Crested Butte! (3:31)
2. Running after retirement? (10:10)
3. Performing ‘off the couch’ (17:13)
4. Developing a proper perspective (23:54)
5. Coaching (26:47)
6. Weight & disordered eating (29:33)
7. Ryan’s podcast, book, & documentary (1:01:47)
8. On aging / getting older (1:16:08)
9. On setting goals & excellence (1:16:11)

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Ever feel like you aren’t — or couldn’t ever possibly be — a “real” runner? Most of us have, which is why most of us need to meet Kelly Roberts. Kelly is good at making us feel fine about the fact that we sometimes hate running. And she’s equally good at helping us continue to run — or walk, or bike, or just keep moving. So we talk to Kelly about her moving (and hilarious) entrance into running; her Badass Lady Gang; angel ghosts; and more.

TOPICS

• Life currently in Brooklyn (8:05)
• Best motivating tips / tricks (18:24)
• Kelly’s origin story & getting into running (21:44)
• Kelly’s first half marathon (30:08)
• From first half to first full marathon (39:23)
• Badass Lady Gang (46:27)
• Coaching (52:08)
• Current personal goals? (101:50)

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This week we take a look at the trends in running shoes for 2020. Jonathan Ellsworth is joined by Maddie Hart and Gordon Gianniny to talk about knit uppers on trail shoes (??), massive heels, marketing copy, and we even design our own ‘Blister Pro’ shoe. Then we wrap up by talking about a few current events and get Maddie and Gordon’s upcoming plans.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Current Running Shoe Trends (2:40)
• Brand Marketing (8:36)
• Carbon? (17:00)
• The Blister Maddie Pro (18:03))
• Minimalist Shoes (25:05)
• Heavier Shoes? (29:00)
• Massive Heels (31:50)
• Some Current Events & Trends (36:44)

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What do Taco Bell, the Harlem Globetrotters, a twisted femur, & Rocky Balboa have in common? They’ve all played a role in the journey of Camille Herron to become a world champion runner and a multiple world record holder — and Camille still has some very big plans. So Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk with Camille about all of the above, including her unusual path to trail running, and what her sites are set on next.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Taco Bell update (3:16)
• Early basketball aspirations (5:16)
• Track & cross country background (12:21)
• Marathons & the Olympic Trials (15:27)
• Getting into Ultras, breaking world records (17:43)
• Next Up: Trail Running (22:25)
• Telling Nike to Just Do It (23:53)
• Winning the 2017 Comrades Marathon (28:19)
• The advantage of a twisted femur (36:01)
• How Camille trains (41:15)
• Sponsorships & Gender Equality (49:04)
• Rocky Balboa & the IAU 24-Hr World Championship (55:59)
• Camille’s upcoming plans & goals (1:02:56)

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