Runners of The Bay

On today’s episode we chat with Arman Soleimani and Patrick Hynes of the Golden State Racing Collective. This was a great conversation exploring the why behind GSRC and talking about the gaps they hope to fill in both racing and running culture. We learn more about Arman and Patrick’s journey as athletes and as runners and talk about how running is way more than just an activity. Stay tuned for some exciting announcements about upcoming races!

Some highlights include:

📘What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

👟Accessibility in racing and the running community

🎽The evolution of running culture

🔁Coming to running at different times in life 

🌠The importance of focusing on more than just time and distance

🎨Running events as a complete experience

🍕Team Pizza 4-ever

You can find the Golden State Racing Collective on Instagram and on Strava at goldenstateracingcollective.

You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @runnersofthebay

Check out our website www.runnersofthebay.com and send us an e-mail at [email protected].

Music is California by The Spectacular Fantastic.

Mixing and editing by Brian Walters at Singletrack Sound.

This week we are sharing our conversation with Cindy Smith, runner, mother, and founder of Pen and Paces. Cindy started running to manage burnout while working in tech and the challenge and process immediately resonated with her. In this episode we talk about how her love of running has guided her, developing her artistic talent, founding Pen and Paces, becoming a mother, and how running is one thing AI can’t replace! 

Some highlights from our conversation:

❤️‍🔥 How professional burnout inspired her to go on her first run

🎽 Discovering her creativity in her 30s 

🤸 Founding Pen and Paces in 2020 and how it’s grown

⚙️The story behind what inspired her to develop a customizable race bib 

🪩 Her new and ambitious mission for her company!

🤝‍Falling in love with the puzzle of racing 

💡Why AI can’t replicate the magic of running

You can find Pen and Paces on Instagram @penandpaces and visit her store https://penandpaces.com/

You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @runnersofthebay

Check out our website www.runnersofthebay.com and send us an e-mail at [email protected].

Music is California by The Spectacular Fantastic.

Mixing and editing by Brian Walters at Singletrack Sound.

This week we talk to Dr. Jason Tso, a board-certified cardiologist with the Sports Cardiology Program and the Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease and Stanford’s Medical director of the Sports Cardiology Program. We talk about his path from road cycling to sports cardiology and advancing research to learn more about heart health in endurance athletes. Dr. Tso shares research on endurance sports and longevity, how heart rate data can inform training, and his own experiences as a marathoner! In addition, we talk about the Stanford Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease’s 5k race on April 21st and we encourage all of our listeners to sign up! 

Some highlights from our conversation:

🧬What the research tells us about heart health in endurance athletes

🤷Is there such a thing as too much exercise

🫶How fast and how long to run to optimize for longevity

🩻Maintaining cardiovascular health when you have to take a break from running

🫀What HRV can and can’t tell us

⌚️What metrics to pay attention to

🎽Spots are going fast for the  My Heart Counts 5k race. Sign up now! 

You can find us on Instagram and X @runnersofthebay

Check out our website www.runnersofthebay.com and send us an e-mail at [email protected].

Music is California by The Spectacular Fantastic.

Mixing and editing by Brian Walters at Singletrack Sound.

This week we are sharing our conversation with 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻, a road and trail runner, member of the Impalas, OTQ 2020, and 2022 Team USA Gold Medalist in the 100K. We have a fun and fascinating conversation about the power of teammates, going all in on running this year, training with a coach, and going after big goals when the fire is stoked!⁣

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Some highlights from our conversation:⁣

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👟Training for Black Canyons and doing her first 115 mile week! ⁣

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🎽 Taking a year off from work to focus on running⁣

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🥳 Finding the right coach and how she’s keeping training fun⁣

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🦌Learning about the Impalas while at a bar in SF⁣

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🤩 The power of running with a team and believing in others as a way to believe in yourself⁣

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📈How she went from a lifetime goal of breaking 3 hours in the marathon to qualifying for the Olympic Trials in 2020⁣

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🌎Falling in love with ultrarunning and learning about new goals and bucket list races⁣

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🏋️‍♀️How fueling and strength training have been her superpower!⁣

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You can find Anna on Instagram @akacius and follow her training on Strava⁣

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You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @runnersofthebay⁣

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Check out our website www.runnersofthebay.com and send us an e-mail at [email protected].⁣

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Music is California by The Spectacular Fantastic.⁣

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Mixing and editing by Brian Walters at Singletrack Sound.⁣

In this episode we talk to Abbie McNulty just a few days after she ran the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando! Abbie is a former Stanford Track & Field and Cross Country Athlete. After college, Abbie ran for the Reebok Boston Track Club (based in Charlottesville, VA) before making her way back to the Bay Area. Abbie overcame injuries and other challenges to toe the line at CIM this past December to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials in her first marathon. Abbie works full-time and trains with other talented runners in San Francisco.

Some highlights from our conversation:

💪 Staying tough during the last few miles of the trials when things started to get hard

💫 Expectations of what being a professional runner was supposed to look like when she graduated college

🌉 Training in San Francisco with some of the most talented runners in the country

🩷 Meeting, training, and competing with her partner, fellow runner, Colin Bennie

🌲 The ultimate Stanford Cross-Country team

🎽 Her future marathon plans

You can find Abbie on Instagram.

You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @runnersofthebay

Check out our website www.runnersofthebay.com and send us an e-mail at [email protected].

Music is California by The Spectacular Fantastic.

Mixing and editing by Brian Walters at Singletrack Sound.

In this episode we talk to Cal Calamia fresh off their win at the New York City Marathon! Cal is a marathoner, educator, poet, and an inclusivity activist for trans and nonbinary athletes. In November, Cal became the first trans nonbinary athlete to be granted a therapeutic use exemption for testosterone by the US Anti-Doping agency. This trailbreaking first is a complicated story that Cal generously shares with us. Cal recently got their masters in creative writing from USF and talks about the interplay between creativity and running. They share their work to get races to include nonbinary divisions and how important it is to make everyone feel recognized and celebrated and included!

Some highlights from our conversation:

✍️ How Writing and running allow them to connect with themselves and feel connected to others 

😅 Finding joy in running and competition in high school

🤩 A sneak peek of the name of their upcoming collection of poems!

⏩️ How running may have accelerated their understanding of their gender identity 

🌉 How Spain and San Francisco showed them the joy and connection within the trans community

🎓 The beauty and honesty of transitioning while teaching

✊ What pushed them to apply for the therapeutic use exemption

🏆 The joy of racing authentically and winning the nonbinary division at the San Francisco Marathon, New York City marathon, and Bay to Breakers

🥳 Making sure that we celebrate the winners for all divisions at races

You can find Cal on Instagram, Strava, and check out their website!

You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @runnersofthebay

Check out our website www.runnersofthebay.com and send us an e-mail at [email protected].

Music is California by The Spectacular Fantastic.

Mixing and editing by Brian Walters at Singletrack Sound.

In this episode we talk to Emily Oster, fresh off her run at CIM! If you have a kid or are expecting, you know of Emily. Emily is an Economist, Professor, Writer, Podcaster, Parent, and now, a MARATHONER! Emily is the founder of the podcast and newsletter, Parent Data. Parent Data, along with her books Expecting Better, Cribsheet, and The Family Firm, takes a data-driven approach to questions around pregnancy and parenting. She blends economics, statistics, and common sense to make the journey of parenting just a little easier. Emily is also an avid runner and a huge fan of the sport. If you follow her on Instagram you get to see Emily at the end of her runs most mornings, dishing out the parenting advice we so crave. 

Some highlights from our conversation:

🎽 Why Emily went from running for enjoyment (and mental health) to racing

🌟 What makes Emily a fan of the sport

🍩 What it’s like to run with Molly Huddle (and Shane Quinn)

📊 How working experts has changed how she approaches her training and fueling

💨 Why a bad workout impacts us more than a bad email or bad day at work

🏁 Her determination to finish CIM and who, in particular, was following along

😬 Why agreeing to give a talk the day after a marathon is a very bad idea

You can find Emily on Instagram @profemilyoster and make sure to subscribe to the Parent Data podcast and Newsletter. And check out the Parent Data website which also links to everything!

You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @runnersofthebay

Check out our website www.runnersofthebay.com and send us an e-mail at [email protected].

Music is California by The Spectacular Fantastic.

Mixing and editing by Brian Walters at Singletrack Sound.

This week we are sharing our conversation with Zach Litoff, runner, artists, and Santa Clara Alumni. Zach ran a 14:13 at Tracksmith’s Twilight 5000 in San Francisco this summer and paced a blistering heat 1 at the Oakland Twilight 5000.  We had a fascinating conversation about his experience falling in love with running, building team culture, creativity and taking chances to pursue the things he loves. 

Some highlights from our conversation:

❤️‍🔥 Loving running first and learning how to be competitive

🎽 Helping build Santa Clara’s track and XC programs

🤸 How trampoline tricks made him into a steeplechaser 

⚙️Finding balance between running and other parts of his identity

🪩 Useful delusion to manage the pain of racing

🤝‍How his running and creativity go hand-in-hand

💡Starting and growing his design firm Litoff Studio

🤩Holding on to the things that brought him child-like joy 

You can find Zach on Instagram @zachlitoff, his deign studio @litoffstudio and follow his training on Strava

You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @runnersofthebay

Check out our website www.runnersofthebay.com and send us an e-mail at [email protected].

Music is California by The Spectacular Fantastic.

Mixing and editing by Brian Walters at Singletrack Sound.

Jay Holder is back! We talked to Jay fresh off three very important events: the New York City Marathon; the announcement that he will be the new Executive Director of Running USA; and of course, 1989 (Taylor’s Version).

We kick things off by talking about the New York City Marathon and what his role was at the race. We then get into some exciting career news and what Jay’s future being front and center in the running industry will look like. There’s also some trials talk. We wrap it up getting to the real reason we came back together - 1989 (Taylor’s Version). We talk not only, Taylor, but about the impact of pop music in general, and about Jay’s love for the band Guster.

Some highlights from our conversation:

📈Why getting older as a runner is actually a great thing 

🗽The New York City Marathon, specifically the women’s race

🇺🇸Why we’ll all watch the Trials, no matter what time they’re held (update: as of 11/15 they will be at 10am ET), and the amazing job the Orlando LOC does with their races

👋 Knowing when it’s time to make a change in your career and being ok taking risks

🩵Why 1989 is one of the best pop albums ever made

🕛The importance of nostalgia in music

💽 How Jay found Guster and his love (and commitment) for the band

You can follow Jay on X @@jauntingjourno, on Instagram @jayholderruns, and on Strava. Also be sure to check out Running USA.

This week we talked to Reisel Berger, runner, mother, and psychiatric clinical pharmacist. Reisel shares her experience with running, developing tools and an integrative approach to cope with mental illness, motherhood and running, her work as a psychiatric clinical pharmacist, and starting her own consulting business. 

Some highlights from our conversation:

🥇How high expectations impacted her running performance

🌿 Her experience with an eating disorder

🔨 The downside of using running as therapy

💫 How a bigger life made her mental illness smaller

🐣 How motherhood has changed her relationship with running

♾️ Developing an integrative approach to mental health

Check out Reisel’s website for more information about her and her work. You can find us on Instagram and X @runnersofthebay

Check out our website www.runnersofthebay.com and send us an e-mail at [email protected].

Music is California by The Spectacular Fantastic.

Mixing and editing by Brian Walters at Singletrack Sound.