Off The Couch

When a 15-year-old Hayden Hawks first learned about the Western States 100, he knew that he would someday get into running ultras, and it became his dream to race Western States. Fast forward 14 years later, and the now-29-year-old Hayden Hawks is a world-class runner, he’s just won the Black Canyon 100k, and he’s qualified to race Western States this June.

So we talked to Hayden about his Black Canyon 100 win and the specific lessons he learned there. And we discuss his trajectory from running track in high school to where he is today. But the biggest takeaway from our conversation with Hayden is just how driven he is to test himself and see what is possible for him. It is a very infectious energy, and a great reminder to approach life with passion, drive, and joy.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Post-Race Vacations (1:57)
• Training vs. Racing (5:19)
• Getting a ticket to Western States (7:12)
• Black Canyon: what went right & wrong? (12:27)
• How & why did you get into ultras? (22:20)
• Avoiding burnout (25:20)
• When did you start running trails? (31:56)
• Do you feel more like a veteran or a newbie? (36:49)
• Preparing for Western States (40:50)
• Life outside of running (43:53)
• Environmental advocacy (46:07)

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While most of us know the explorers, Lewis & Clarke, the exploits of John Colter (who was a member of Lewis & Clarke’s famous expedition) might be a bit less familiar, but they are arguably even wilder. And in their short film, Colter: A Legacy of Adventure, Sawyer Thomas and Riis Wilbrecht set out to venture through the territory John Colter had explored two centuries ago, across some of the most remote terrain in the lower 48 states.

So we talked to Sawyer and Riis about John Colter and why they chose this particular adventure; the (serious) difficulty of running, skiing, and trekking through this terrain; the logistics of shooting this film; and more.

• Watch the Trailer
• Watch the Full Film

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Sawyer and Riis’ Background (6:58)
• Who is John Colter? (9:02)
• The Logistics of the Route (17:00)
• The Skiing Element of the Adventure (23:37)
• The Best Moment of the Expedition(29:39)
• The Running Portion of the Project (39:20)
• Biggest takeaways from the adventure? (46:14)

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By some measures, Eric Walker is a pretty normal guy. He lives in Minnesota, he’s not a professional runner, he’s 38 years old, and he’s a husband and a dad.

But at some point in 2018, Eric found himself committed to the goal of running 5 kilometers every day for 365 days, and a year later … he’d done it.

So Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talked to Eric to find out what motivated him to do this? How did the idea come about? How did he actually pull it off? What did he learn in the process? And is this something he thinks the rest of us should try? And as you’ll see, there’s a lot that each of us could learn from this pretty normal (but pretty charming) guy.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Balancing life and running (10:00)
• Did you tell others about your goal? (22:39)
• The significance of the challenge (27:44)
• Biggest takeaways from running 5k for 365 (30:50)
• Day 366 & Beyond (38:37)
• Varying intensity? (49:04)
• Would you recommend this challenge to others? (52:02)

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Nell Rojas is fascinating. And fast. So fast that on February 29th, she’s got a shot at making the USA Marathon team, despite the fact that she didn't compete in her first marathon until 2018. But she then won her second marathon (the very competitive Grandma’s Marathon), and now, the Olympic Trials are just around the corner. So we talked to Nell about her unique background; the dynamics of being coached by her dad (Rick Rojas, a very accomplished runner himself); her uncommon emphasis on strength training, low-mileage, and speed work; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Growing up & playing basketball (3:18)
• Coaching young runners (8:30)
• Being coached by her dad (14:40)
• Speed work & avoiding overtraining (21:11)
• Nell’s interval training: the details (30:10)
• Race strategy & splits (32:05)
• Strength training for marathons (37:00)
• Feb. 29th: US Marathon Trials (51:10)
• Life outside of running (59:38)

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Liza Howard is smart, funny, accomplished, humble, and by her own account … is extremely susceptible to peer pressure. She’s run marathons to impress a guy, still runs marathons for donut money, has won the Leadville 100 (and other big races) multiple times, is a coach, a parent, a NOLS Wilderness instructor, and the director of the terrific non-profit, Band of Runners. Her energy and enthusiasm are infectious, and you are in for a treat.

This conversation between me, Brendan Leonard, and Liza ranges from the absurd to the profound; upsets a lot of preconceived notions and conventional wisdom; and will make you laugh and think in equal measure.

In short, Liza is a joy, and this conversation is a gift.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Donuts & Donut money (2:10)
• Winning the USA FIT Marathon (4:28)
• Getting into running to impress a boyfriend (9:54)
• Winning Leadville (13:00)
• Ultrarunning vs. Parenting (17:04)
• Trail running in San Antonio (24:22)
• Training in a flat region (30:00)
• Band of Runners (bandofrunners.org) (31:30)
• Training in heat for elevation? (43:12)
• Wilderness courses & trail running (45:50)
• Aging & Expectations (49:25)
• Liza’s goals for 2020 & 2021 (56:58)

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Duncan Callahan is one of our favorite people, so we’re excited to have him back on the show to catch up. We had Duncan on last July (Episode 9 of Off the Couch) and it was a very compelling and very honest conversation about some huge successes of his, but also about some of Duncan’s struggles and doubts and questions.

In this conversation, Duncan and I talked about the increasing amount of coaching he’s doing with Carmichael Training Systems (including coaching our own Maddie Hart); thoughts on winter training; his working through the logistics of being a coach versus being an athlete, and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Duncan’s work with CTS (3:57)
• Best practices for winter training (5:25)
• Coaching Maddie Hart (7:47)
• Are there more injuries in the winter? (12:43)
• Staying motivated (13:51)
• Balancing coaching & training (18:18)
• What big race interests you the most? (29:00)

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Trail Sisters is a trail running community for women and an online journal that offer lots of great resources — including articles and stories, grants, retreats, directories for female coaches, trail locations, and races that meet the trail sisters standards for gender equity. 

So Brendan Leonard and Maddie Hart spoke with Gina Lucrezi, the founder of Trail Sisters, about the unusual way in which Gina got into running; her impressive accomplishments as a runner; the remarkable things happening at Trail Sisters; the ways you can get involved with and support Trail Sisters; and Gina shares an exciting development for a brand new Trail Sisters project.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Started running b/c of a bet with her mom (1:45)
• Competing in running (6:10)
• The story behind Trail Sisters (24:35)
• Thoughts on 50/50 male-female lottery (33:00)
• Joining the Hardrock 100 Board of Directors (35:35)
• Standards for “Trail Sister Approved” races (39:01)
• Trail Sisters local groups (47:00)
• How to get involved (50:25)
• Trail Sisters’ very first race (55:10)
• Upcoming women’s retreat (59:20)

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In 2019, Grayson Murphy won the US Mountain Running Championship; the World Mountain Running Championship; and the Xterra Trail Run World Championship. But there were many twists and turns along the way in getting there, and first and foremost, Grayson’s story is really about her constant push to evolve. Grayson is 24 years old and has already racked up some seriously impressive results. But perhaps even more impressive and instructive is her willingness to experiment, adjust, and explore new ideas and practices, and we discuss all of this and more in this conversation.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• From soccer to xc & steeplechase (1:34)
• Signing with NAZ Elite (18:09)
• Getting into trail running (25:36)
• Trail running vs. road running culture (29:52)
• Navigating generalized anxiety (38:19)
• Working with coach Kameron Ulmer (42:29)
• Winning the World Mountain Running Championship (47:15)
• Grayson’s Planners (52:41)
• Interests outside of running (54:53)
• Experiments with diet & food (55:57)
• Goals for 2020 (1:03:46)

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Sanjay Rawal was our first guest on Off The Couch, and we are pleased to have him back on for our first episode of 2020. We invited him back to ask about his rather spectacular performance — and even more spectacular meltdown — near the end of the California International Marathon this past year. But in addition to getting a fantastic first hand account of that race, we touch on a number of important topics that go way beyond some race report.

Sanjay talks about the concepts of running dumb; training slow; finding joy through exertion; and whether it is possible to run a great time by not caring about running a great time. We also talk about the urban roots of ultrarunning, Sanjay’s latest film project, the future of podcasts, and more. I assure you, there is an abundance of food for thought packed into this episode.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• The future of podcasts? (2:00)
• Lessons from 3100: Run & Become (9:20)
• The urban roots of ultrarunning (14:06)
• Beyond Bonking: Sanjay’s experience at CIM (17:05)
• Running Dumb (32:29)
• Boston Marathon this April? (37:32)
• Training Slow (38:45)
• Sanjay’s take on personal resolutions (50:55)
• Inspiration vs. Aspiration (54:45)
• Finding Joy through Exertion (57:10)
• Sanjay’s next film: Patti Dillon (59:40)

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What’s the best way to eat to feel good and perform well? The fields of nutrition and diet are massive topics, as are all of the related issues surrounding them. So on our latest Off The Couch podcast, we talk with Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Kylee Van Horn, about the various diets out there; whether certain diets are prone to help or hurt training recovery; athletes & eating disorders, and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Kylee’s running background (2:35)
• Her background in nutrition (19:40)
• Low-carb, High-fat diets (24:27)
• How does sleep affect appetite? (33:30)
• Fatigue & food (35:46)
• Supplements (39:37)
• Athletes & eating disorders (48:27)
• Adapting to seasonal changes (57:25)

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