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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