Off The Couch

Noah Brautigam just won the Speedgoat 50K — a very tough race that includes nearly 12,000 feet of total climbing and takes place mostly above 9,200 feet on a rocky, rooty, steep course.

A few days after winning, Noah sat down with us in Blister HQ to provide a very fresh and very fun recap of the race, and describe what tweaks were made to allow the event to happen in these times of COVID. We also discuss his background and a surprising discovery that has him feeling great, performing at a high level, and recovering really well.

This is a fun conversation with a thoughtful and self-deprecating guy, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy it.

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Martinus Evans is the founder of 300poundsandrunning.com, the founder of the Slow AF Run Club, a marathon runner, a DJ, the host of the 300 Pounds And Running podcast, and more. And this week, Brendan Leonard and I talk to Martinus about modern media, being a Black runner in 2020, DJ-ing, motivation, Detroit pizza vs. Chicago pizza, the Slow AF Run Club Martinus started, and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Getting into Running (5:52)
• 1st marathon (11:50)
• Music (19:14)
• Masters Thesis & Media Today (24:37)
• Police & being a Black runner (34:33)
• Slow AF Run Club (49:18)
• Pizza & Carrot Cake (56:57)
• What’s Next? (1:03:00)

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Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk to Amelia Boone about being a world champion obstacle racer; transitioning into trail running & racing; mental health & eating disorders; ElliptiGos, mtn lions, & more.

TOPICS & TIMES 

• Mtn Lions, Bears, Snakes, & Sharks (2:24)
• Amelia’s background (7:24)
• Intro to Tough Mudder (10:35)
• Competing & Practicing Law (18:03)
• Getting into Ultras (24:16)
• The pressure of competition (29:58)
• Results vs. Process (35:31)
• Biggest sacrifices you’ve made? (39:21)
• Mental Health & Eating Disorders (41:56)
• ElliptiGos & FKTs (53:20)

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Addie Bracy is an accomplished runner who thinks hard about the psychology of sports performance. So we talk to Addie about her background and how it led her to the study of sports performance psychology; the book she is now writing on the topic; and OUTrun, the organization she founded with her partner, Corey Conner, to empower and connect LGBTQ+ individuals within the running community and to create an environment that is encouraging, supportive, and inclusive to all.

TOPICS & TIMES 

• Addie’s intro to running (3:43)
• Highlights from college racing (9:41)
• Life after U of North Carolina (10:50)
• Coaching & Getting into Ultras (14:25)
• Addie’s book on sports psychology (22:12)
• Competition & Culture: trail running vs road running (29:02)
• What is the mission of OUTrun? (39:14)
• The importance of doing what you love (51:00)

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The Skid Row Running Club is “an unusual running club that uses the power of running to improve the lives of those who are at risk of homelessness and addiction” in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, California. And this week we talk to the club founder, Judge Craig Mitchell, about why he started the club; his background as a runner, highschool teacher; the duty of police officers to protect and serve; the need for minimum sentencing reform; and much more.

TOPICS & TIMES 

• The judge’s running background (2:40)
• The Midnight Mission & the running club (5:37)
• What / where is Skid Row? (7:54)
• Who are the club members? (11:29)
• The club’s international marathons (12:58)
• Stories of specific members (18:10)
• Police & the duty to Protect & to Serve (27:30)
• Mandatory minimum sentencing reform (33:03)
• The importance of jury duty service (37:24)
• Best ways to support the running club? (39:26)
• Do you have a dream race for the club (42:04)

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Abby and Cordis Hall are both very good runners who both run for Adidas TERREX and who both recently set FKTs for the Cottonwood Marble Loop in Death Valley. And Abby and Cordis are soon going to both be going after another FKT, this time, on the rather gnarly Pfiffner Traverse.

So we discuss all of that, plus the benefits and challenges that arise when your partner is also a competitive runner. And we also talk about a current rule that is in place specifically for women’s FKTs that deserves to be re-considered.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Something about observability? (3:10)
• Setting dual FKTs for the Cottonwood Marble Loop (7:33)
• FKT rule that ought to be reconsidered? (12:17)
• Their running backgrounds & approaches (14:18)
• Relationship Dynamics & Couple Goals (35:47)
• Upcoming FKT attempt of the Pfiffner Traverse (47:43)
• Running plans after that? (1:00:21)
• Cooking recipes & advice for lazy people (1:04:21)

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Our guest this week is Shaun Martin, who we’ve talked about before on this podcast in our conversations with Sanjay Rawal, since Shaun appeared in Sanjay’s film, 3100: Run and Become. But this time we’re talking to the man himself, and Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk to Shaun about his background, heritage, coaching philosophy, and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Shaun’s background (2:23)
• Shaun’s father’s upbringing as a Navajo native (4:09)
• How relatable is your father’s experience to your own? (10:55)
• Getting into competitive running (16:47)
• Running in college (21:13)
• Pursuing a career in education & coaching (22:48)
• Shaun’s coaching techniques & philosophies (33:31)
• Getting into ultras / starting the Canyon De Chelly Ultra (38:44)
• Sharing running with your kids (54:01)
• Your ultra running career (57:12)

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Faith E. Briggs is a filmmaker and a runner, and this week, Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk to Faith about her latest film, This Land; growing up and running track & cross country and transitioning into long distance running & trail running; and our current / not-merely-current circumstances here in America.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Faith’s film, This Land (2:52)
• Boarding school & the ‘nonchalance of wealth’ (10:22)
• College & running track (15:02)
• Getting into documentary filmmaking? (23:36)
• When did you consider yourself a distance runner? (26:42)
• Getting into trail running (32:26)
• Inspiration & Influence for your writing and films (38:24)
• Our current situation (46:31)

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A few weeks ago Brendan Leonard and I talked to the legend himself, Buzz Burrell. In the first part of our conversation, we talk about Buzz’s background, including his first ever long-distance run; starting the first organic farm in Colorado; the time he delivered a baby; inventing the hydration pack; and more. And then we discuss Buzz’s role in establishing the concept of the Fastest Known Time; creativity and FKTs, the process of approving FKT submissions, and some of the trends he’s seeing in the world of FKTs.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Buzz’s first long distance run (1:45)
• Starting the 1st organic farm in Colorado (11:20)
• Delivering a baby? (13:06)
• Going to Asia, biking in Tibet (16:56)
• Mountain Running (26:31)
• Running the John Muir Trail (36:36)
• Inventing the hydration pack (47:06)
• Giving yourself a promotion (48:36)
• Establishing ‘Fastest Known Time’ (52:36)
• Creativity & FKTs (58:25)
• The process of approving a FKT submission (1:02:24)
• Trends in FKT submissions (1:07:06)

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On Saturday, August 25th, 2019, Zach set a new world record for the fastest time that a human being has run 100 miles. He did it on a track in Wisconsin in 11:19:13. And once he hit the 100-mile mark, Zach preceded to just keep on running, and he then set another world record: longest distance run in 12 hours (he went 104.8 miles). These are two mind-blowing feats, and you can listen to our conversation with Zach about this on episode 15 of Off The Couch.

Fast forward to May 16, 2020, and Zach just set another 100-mile world record: fastest 100 miles ever run on a treadmill. So we spoke to the 34 year old runner just a couple days after his most recent feat to discuss when he first got the idea to attempt this; the biggest differences between running 100 miles on a treadmill vs a track; and his preparation, strategy, and goals for this event.

We also have a great discussion about Mike McKnight’s Zero-Calorie 100.

And if you’d like to hear more of Zach talking about issues related to peak performance, you should check out his own podcast, Human Performance Outliers.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• When did you first get this idea? (4:03)
• 100 miles on a treadmill vs. track? (6:50)
• What was your strategy for pace? (12:42)
• What were your goals? (15:09)
• Putting on a media event during the run (17:14)
• Lowest moment during the effort? (19:36)
• What was the hardest mental aspect? (24:00)
• Food & fluids consumed (27:10)
• Advising Mike McKnight on his ‘Zero-Calorie 100’ (34:50)
• Current Interest: Exogenous Ketones (51:13)
• Other plans for 2020? (56:28)

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