Today we dive into the incredible journey of Ryan Gehman, a 30-year-old post-collegiate runner and the 103rd finisher at the 2023 Boston Marathon, with an impressive time of 2:27 (an 11 minute PR).
Ryan describes in detail how running helps him navigate life on the autistic spectrum and is propelling him pursue his dream of qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the marathon. Beyond personal achievement, Ryan uses running to navigate life and inspire hope for other neurodiverse individuals. Join us as we rewind the clock to Ryan's formative years, from being nonverbal to thriving with the support of his parents.
We also explore the impact of Peter Bromka's written pieces on Ryan's Boston Marathon preparation, leading to his extraordinary PR.

Mental Endurance Training Course
The mental aspect of training is more important than every other aspect of training combined. Your mind is the greatest performance enhancer, or performance restrictor, depending on how you utilize it. We tend to spend a lot of time focusing on the tangible things that we feel give us a great deal of control, and little time focusing on the intangible recesses of our mind, that ultimately give us the most power and strength to endure.
Strengthen your mental game and join me in Allie Caminiti's Mental Endurance Group Training Course here: www.mindrunnercoaching.com/mental-endurance-course
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#565 - Ryan Gehman: Autism, Running, and Olympic Trials Dreams

A podcast about dedicated and motivated amateur runners who are working hard to get better and achieving inspirational results.

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Running

Welcome back to our bi-weekly "My Favorite Workouts" series.
For the remainder of 2024 I'll be speaking with coaches and elite athletes about the workouts they love the most, why they love them, the distances/races they are best for, and alterations that can be made for people of differing abilities and fitness levels.
In this episode I am joined by Allie Caminiti.
Allie has been running for over 20 years, both competitively and recreationally. She is a sub-3 hour marathoner and her first marathon was the TCS NYC Marathon in 2014 where she unexpectedly qualified for Boston. She has completed 12 marathons ranging from large city races to small town courses with small fields and few spectators. She has run five of the six World Marathon Majors, including NYC, Boston, Chicago, Tokyo, and Berlin.
If you want to hear more from Allie she was featured in episode 585 in which she provided valuable information what is "micro-quitting," how to recognize it it is affecting us, why we can all be susceptible to this form of self-sabotage, and how we can stop ourselves from falling into a pattern of micro-quitting.
You can follow Allie at www.instagram.com/tinybutmightyrunner and visit her website at www.mindrunnercoaching.com.

Sponsors
ASICS - Check out my favorite footwear brand, and the new Metaspeed Sky and Edge Paris racers that are out and they are amazing! Check them out at www.asics.com.
Are you looking to work with a running coach? I am here for you! I've been working with runners of all ages and abilities for five years - from newer runners, masters runners looking to PR, and folks hoping to break 3:00 in the marathon. You can learn more by going to www.mckirdytrained.com, where I coach, or by emailing me at ramblingrunnerpodcast@gmail.com.
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#614 - Allie Caminiti - My Favorite Workouts

In this episode I talk with my friends and Relay co-hosts Laura Thweatt, Peter Bromka, and Lindsey Hein about my decision to jump back into marathon training and document the entire process. After years of regret and feelings of shame about different aspects of my running life, I finally told myself to knock it off and become the person that you most want to be. What will come of it, who knows... but I'm excited to step back into the arena. 

Sponsors
ASICS - Check out my favorite footwear brand, and the new Metaspeed Sky and Edge Paris racers that are out and they are amazing! Check them out at www.asics.com.
Are you looking to work with a running coach? I am here for you! I've been working with runners of all ages and abilities for five years - from newer runners, masters runners looking to PR, and folks hoping to break 3:00 in the marathon. You can learn more by going to www.mckirdytrained.com, where I coach, or by emailing me at ramblingrunnerpodcast@gmail.com.
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#613 - Stepping Back into the Arena

Kelly Vigil in on the show to talk about a few topics that she has written eloquently about in the past: Mindset, imposter syndrome, using your fears to your benefit, and getting over perceived failures.
Kelly is mom of three young kids, runner, certified V.02 run coach, and certified health mindset coach. She has run three 50ks, seven marathons, and close to 30 half marathons. She is also a mother of three young kids and has shared her post-partum journey back to running openly even when (read: especially when) it hasn't gone smoothly or as predicted/hoped for.
You can follow Kelly at www.instagram.com/moremilesmorefun.

Sponsors
ASICS - Check out my favorite footwear brand, and the new Metaspeed Sky and Edge Paris racers that are out and they are amazing! Check them out at www.asics.com.
Are you looking to work with a running coach? I am here for you! I've been working with runners of all ages and abilities for five years - from newer runners, masters runners looking to PR, and folks hoping to break 3:00 in the marathon. You can learn more by going to www.mckirdytrained.com, where I coach, or by emailing me at ramblingrunnerpodcast@gmail.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#612 - Kelly Vigil: Getting Over/Through Fear, Imposter Syndrome, Perceived Failure

Welcome back to our bi-weekly "My Favorite Workouts" series.
For the remainder of 2024 I'll be speaking with coaches and elite athletes about the workouts they love the most, why they love them, the distances/races they are best for, and alterations that can be made for people of differing abilities and fitness levels.
In this episode I am joined by Jess McClain.
Jess McClain recently finished fourth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials with a nearly four minute PR of 2:25:46. Jess recently re-signed with Brooks and works a full-time job as the executive director of the Love Up Foundation. In addition to being one of America's best runner, Jess is also self-coached.
Earlier in her career, when she was known as Jess Tonn, she raced primarily as a 5k athlete and earned All-America honors at Stanford. In this episode she not only details her two favorite workouts, she also goes into the proper mental frameworks necessary to run your best.
Sponsors
ASICS - Check out my favorite footwear brand, and the new Metaspeed Sky and Edge Paris racers that are out and they are amazing! Check them out at www.asics.com.
Are you looking to work with a running coach? I am here for you! I've been working with runners of all ages and abilities for five years - from newer runners, masters runners looking to PR, and folks hoping to break 3:00 in the marathon. You can learn more by going to www.mckirdytrained.com, where I coach, or by emailing me at ramblingrunnerpodcast@gmail.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#611 - Jess McClain: My Favorite Workouts

Katie Arnold is back on the podcast and I couldn't be more excited!!!
Katie was first on the show in 2019 when we talked about her amazing book Running Home.
In this episode, Katie returns to talk about her new book that is out this week, Brief Flashings in the Phenomenal World. It’s about many things—love, friendship, running, mountains, rivers—and how to how to apply timeless Zen teachings to running/endurance.
Much like Running Home, Brief Flashings is not a prescriptive, how-to book but a rather personal narrative that includes wisdom and offerings that can be applied to running and life. Katie uses anecdotes from her own experiences - suffering and recovering from a devastating wilderness accident, healing, and going on to win Leadville 100 - to illustrate your unlimited potential (and resulting happiness) when you run with the mind of Zen. 
This is not an overtly Zen proselytizing book. You can apply these teachings even if you’re not religious (Katie's not), no matter what your spiritual tradition or where you are in the pack. Like Running Home, it goes way beyond running. 
You can buy Katie's new book here: www.amazon.com/dp/1952692695?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_G3DABZR2ZPA7AG39TH16.
You can also subscribe to her Substack, https://katiearnoldauthor.substack.com, and learn more about Katie at https://katiearnold.net.

Sponsors
ASICS - Check out my favorite footwear brand, and the new Metaspeed Sky and Edge Paris racers that are out and they are amazing! Check them out at www.asics.com.
Are you looking to work with a running coach? I am here for you! I've been working with runners of all ages and abilities for five years - from newer runners, masters runners looking to PR, and folks hoping to break 3:00 in the marathon. You can learn more by going to www.mckirdytrained.com, where I coach, or by emailing me at ramblingrunnerpodcast@gmail.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#565 - Ryan Gehman: Autism, Running, and Olympic Trials Dreams

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