This is the first episode in a monthly series we are calling the “Coaching Call”.

For context - In April, I will be lining up for the Canyons 100k. Ryan Ghelfi, the Head Coach at Trails and Tarmac, is going to help me prepare.  We decided to take it a step further by working in total transparency. Our calls will be recorded and the training log will be viewable 24/7 for you to analyze.

Here is how these episodes will work.

At the beginning of each month, we will hop on a call to recap and analyze the training from the previous 4 weeks. It will be like any normal check in call of ours, except it will be recorded. Nothing will be held back. You will get total insight into my goals, how the workouts are going, what’s working, what isn’t working, what I'm concerned about, and questions I have.  There will be 6 total episodes including a pre-race and post-race call through the end of April.

Hopefully you can see yourself in these conversations and apply some of the topics that we cover to your own training.

In future episodes we will be entertaining audience questions, so reach out on social with topics you’d like us to cover. I will also link in the show notes to Ryan's social channels as well as the Trails and Tarmac website in case you want to get in touch.

In this first episode we kick off our coaching relationship that officially starts on January 3rd. We look into how I’m feeling, how training will be structured, strategies to stay focused, how to think about goal setting and more. Enjoy!

Timestamps

• (3:05) - why we are publicizing these coaching calls
• (4:16) - a rundown of Finn's running history, the coaching relationship
• (8:09) - the performance benefits of public accountability
• (11:10) - why Finn chose the Canyons 100K
• (13:25) - the challenges to producing a consistent training block over multiple months
• (28:07) - training learnings to date
• (38:18) - what listeners can expect in future episodes

Links

• Get coached by Trails and Tarmac
• Email Ryan ([email protected])
• Follow Ryan Ghelfi on Instagram
• Follow Singletrack on Instagram
• Follow Finn on Strava
• See the Canyons 100K training log here

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy: 

• #41 - Coaching Call #2 | Canyons 100K Progress, Training Partners, Coaching A Trail Team
• #17 - Ryan Ghelfi | Post Sponsorship Athlete Life, Trail Running Teams, UTMB, FKT Scene
  
  

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 Sabrina Stanley is a professional Mountain Ultra Trail Runner for Adidas Terrex. 

In this episode, we talk about her recent race at Madeira Island and position in the sport, the focus on UTMB in 2022, how she thinks about race preparation and recovery, and life on the Adidas trail team. 

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Additional episodes you might enjoy:

#42 - Sarah Cummings
#39 - Hillary Allen
#37 - Corrine Malcolm
#31 - Dani Moreno
#23 - Abby Hall

Support the show

Joe Vennare is the co-founder of Fitt Insider, a platform for fitness and wellness operators that includes a podcast, newsletter, jobs board, and early stage fund that invests in related companies. 

We spend the first part of the conversation exploring Joe’s background in the industry, how he is building the business, and how he thinks about the intersection of media and entrepreneurship. 

We then transition into a discussion of relevant companies in the fitness and wellness space that trail runners might be interested in like wearable technology, supplements, and stuff like that. 

We conclude the conversation with advice Joe has for listeners interested in building media, e-commerce, and event businesses in our sport.

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Dave Dombrow and Kevin Fallon are the co-founders of Speedland, a new trail running brand on the market. 

In this conversation, we explore their backgrounds in the running industry at Nike, Under Armour, and Puma and how those experiences informed the mission at Speedland. 

We then get into the work they are doing at Speedland and how they are re-positioning their primary product (the SL:PDX) as a piece of equipment, instead of a shoe. 

We also get into their general philosophies on differentiation and communicating value, how they determine their target persona, the advantages and disadvantages of starting a new brand in our sport, and the lessons of the entrepreneurial journey so far. 

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Sam Parsons is one of the co-founders of Tinman Elite, a professional running team based in Boulder, CO.

We spend the vast majority of this episode going through the playbook for how to build a running team and what that model would look like in the world of mountain ultra trail running.

For Salt Lake area listeners, you know we’ve tried this before. And for fans of the sport, you know we’ve had forms of this before like with the Coconino Cowboys. There is still a gap to fill though.

I hope this conversation fires up someone somewhere to try again. Let's go!

Timestamps

• (1:46) - the story of Tinman Elite
• (4:01) - speculating on the potential for trail running teams 
• (7:09) - the Tinman playbook for recruiting team members
• (12:17) - how Tinman coordinates training, racing schedules
• (17:34) - why aspiring pro runners still default to the roads and track
• (22:54) - how Sam would grow the sport of trail running
• (26:47) - Adidas internship
• (32:17) - brand marketing inspirations for running teams
• (34:08) - how Tinman creates content for social media
• (46:08) - lessons from Tinman for the next trail running team

Links

• Watch the episode on Youtube
• Follow Singletrack on Instagram
• Follow Sam Parsons on Instagram
• Tinman Elite

Additional Episodes You May Be Interested In:

• #49 - Reid Coolsaet | Olympic 2:10 Marathoner Switches To Mountain Ultra Trail Running
• #40 - Lee Sackett | Brooks Running, Running Industry Careers, Running Culture Talk
• #19 - Ask Me Anything | Golden Ticket Series, Professional Trail Runners, Ultra Training
  
  
  

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Kyle Richardson is a musician and professional mountain athlete for Black Diamond and La Sportiva based in Boulder, CO.

In this conversation, Kyle shares interesting perspectives on Boulder, the FKT scene,  and the intersection of music and movement. We talk philosophy. We go back and forth on a sort of artistic wishlist for trail running. And way more. It's all rolled into one big conversation about the cultural direction of our sport.
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Additional episodes you might enjoy:

#40 - Lee Sackett
#18 - Moe Lauchert
#16 - Logan Williams

Support the show

Karl Meltzer returns to the podcast to discuss the details of the new Speedgoat-UTMB race partnership. We also talk about his latest 100 mile victory and speculate on whether there will ever be a golden ticket race in Utah. Enjoy!

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In this episode, we meet Abby Hall. Abby is a professional trail runner for Adidas Terrex based in Flagstaff, AZ. 

We talk about the intersections between running and her previous career in design, her decision to become a full-time athlete, sponsored life and the changing relationship between athlete and brands, her move from Boulder to Flagstaff, some non-running topics like DIY housing and van projects, and then look forward to what’s on tap in 2022. 

I was a fan of Abby before this conversation. I’m an even bigger fan now. I think you will be too. 

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Additional episodes you might enjoy:

#42 - Sarah Cummings
#39 - Hillary Allen
#37 - Corrine Malcolm
#31 - Dani Moreno
#29 - Sabrina Stanley
#23 - Abby Hall

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We don’t always do emergency podcasts, but when we do it’s because something big has happened in the ultra running world.

In this episode, we talk with Nick Coury. Nick is less than 48 hours removed from setting the American 24 hour running record of 173.015 miles at the Desert Solstice event down in Arizona.

While the intention of this episode was to do a deep dive on Nick’s record performance at Desert Solstice, we actually only touch on it briefly. Early on in the conversation, we started following threads on Nick’s mental training strategy and negative splitting philosophy, as well as his role building Aravaipa Running that were too compelling to gloss over.

I mention it towards the end of the episode, but I’m genuinely glad this episode went the way it did. Nick will give you a lot to think about in your training after listening to this one. Enjoy!

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Dave Stevens is a trail runner based in Nelson, British Columbia.

In this conversation, we cover:

-  The Nelson, BC trail running scene
- Dave's background in the sport and his training philosophy
- His Run Rabbit Run experience
- whether he would entertain life as a full time athlete
- Some of the constraints on being a Canadian runner trying to compete in the states

This was one of the first conversations we’ve had on this podcast really focusing on the athlete and the performance side of the sport. I hope you like it. 

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