Are you getting ready to run the Boston Marathon? Whether it is your first time lining up in Hopkinton, or you have made the Beantown journey many times, this episode is for you! Coaches Andrew Simmons, Zach Baker, and Lexi Miller take a deep dive into the course, starting with the buses in Boston Commons to the dreaded finish shoot. They discuss what they love, what they hate, and what to expect from this historic race.

This episode also marks the release of our new Teams Program. If you want access to a 16 week Boston Training Plan, training and travel guide, cookbook, monthly webinars and (Colorado local) supported long runs, one 1:1 call with a coach to discuss training and the race, and access to a training community; sign up here.

Does adventure stop when you have a career and kids? Not according to the pedal power couple, Chris and Marni Plesko. They discuss how they succeeded as the first team to complete the Colorado Trail Ride on a Tandem bicycle; scraping together training between raising two boys and working as teachers during the Covid 19 Pandemic. 

You can follow Chris and Marni's adventures on Instagram.

Are you pushing yourself to finish on the podium, or to beat your old time in the middle of the pack? Are you bitting a sub-6 mile consistently, or happy when you run a little more than you walk? Either way, your body deserves to heal. In this episode, Andrew Simmons speaks with fellow engineer and founder/owner of Roll Recovery, Jeremy Nelson. Jeremy tells Andrew of his journey to start his own business and why supporting others (like the Defining Endurance Podcast) is important to him.

Jeremy Nelson is a product designer, family man and avid endurance athlete residing in Boulder, CO.  He is Founder & CEO of ROLL Recovery, a company specializing in developing performance recovery tools for athletes.  Jeremy studied Mechanical Engineering at CSU and Product Development at Stanford University and has multiple U.S. & International Patents under his name.  He uses his passion for cycling and running to fuel the invention of new ideas.

Hosts Andrew Simmons and Lexi Miller share there favorite moments from each other's episodes while reflecting on growth and goals.

Featured in this episode, Addie Bracy, Jake Swart, Sollita Lucero, Jessica Joiner, and Bill Wright.

Have you ever wondered what it would require to successfully complete a 200 mile race? Kevin Goldberg discusses his experience of running the Bigfoot 200 three times in consecutive years (once, as part of the Triple Crown of 200s.) Kevin was coached, crewed, and paced by Andrew Simmons, who conducts this interview.

Kevin considers himself an ultra distance adventure athlete and is best known for running 200+ miles races for 'fun'. When he's not running or riding offroad he's standing in a river fly fishing. He works at TrainingPeaks as the main matchmaker for coaches and athletes. If you need a coach for your next big adventure, get in touch!

Trained artist and self-propelled athlete, Justin Simoni speaks with host Lexi Miller about what it takes to go on his big mountain adventures, such as bike-backing to, and completing, all of the Colorado 14ers in a record setting time. Justin discusses the creativity needed to find adventure and how his background as an artist inspires him to push himself

Justin Simoni is a 40 year old bikepacker, mountain runner, and fastpacker living in Boulder, CO. Simoni’s favorite adventures include the Tour 14er: a month+ long self-supported bikepacking adventure riding to all the trailheads of the 58 Colorado 14ers, then summiting them by foot, as well as the Tour of the Highest Hundred: a similar trip, but summiting the highest 105 summits of Colorado in two months. Simoni has also completed long-distance unsupported fastback ridge traverses, including the entire Mosquito/Tenmile range, the Sangre de Cristo Range, as well as the very ridge of the Continental Divide outside of Boulder, between Milner Pass and Berthoud Pass. Every once in a while, Simoni dips his toes back into gravel bike and trail running races to keep things legit. Justin’s been car-free for the last 15+ years, having re-discovering bicycles as an adult, and falling in love with long-distance rides.

His is sponsored by

LaSportiva

Ultimate Direction

Honey Stinger

Nowhere 380

WS: https://justinsimoni.com

IG: http://instagram.com/longrangerjustin/

TR: https://twitter.com/justinsimoni

FB: https://facebook.com/longrangerjustin/

YT: https://youtube.com/c/TheLongRanger

SA: https://strava.com/athletes/980622

LN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinsimonimoves/

Do you have a healthy relationship with food? In this episode, Registered Dietitian and professional runner, Maddie Alm talks with Andrew Simmons about appropriate fueling through your training cycle. Not only does she discuss the importance of adequate fueling in training, but also dives into the mental and emotional reasons why people have trouble giving themselves permission to eat enough.

Maddie Alm is a Colorado native, an All-American runner from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a 2x USA Championships qualifier. Her passion for sports nutrition began when changing her nutrition led to drastic improvements in her performance. She is the founder and owner of Fueling Forward.

She hopes to help other elite athletes learn how important it is to prioritize nutrition so they can reach their full potential. Maddie still runs at an elite level and trains in Boulder, Colorado under coach Joe Bosshard.

SPORTS NUTRITION EXPERIENCE

Maddie

• Olympic athletes at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA

• D1 collegiate athletics

• University of Colorado Boulder

• San Diego State University

• Lipscomb University

• High school athletes

AFFILIATIONS & MEMBERSHIPS

QUALIFICATIONS

• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

• Collegiate & Professional Sports Dietetics Association

• Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition

• Colorado Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Is the outdoor industry "male first?" In this episode, Sunny Stroeer discusses the outdoor gender gap with Lexi Miller. They discuss the expectations that are placed on women, and how representation can increase equality. Sunny discusses her work with AWExpeditions, which works to take all female trips out mountaineering.

Sunny Stroeer is an accomplished professional endurance athlete, sponsored by Lowa, Leki, Gu Energy, and Ultimate Direction. She is also the owner of Dreamland Safari Tours and founder of AWExpeditions. Be sure to follow along with her adventures.

What are your goals worth to you? How much time, energy, and money are you willing to spend to reach those goals and be the best version of yourself? In this episode, Andrew Simmons speaks with Dr. Jake Swart Physical Therapist and president of Athlete's Potential- a specialized physical therapy for amateur to elite athletes. Andrew and Jake discuss the art of acknowledging what value you hold in different areas of your life, and how "buying into" the values can help realize your goals.

Dr. Jacob Swart is a physical therapist, coach and athlete. In addition to receiving his doctoral degree in Physical Therapy from Ohio University, Jacob is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist and CrossFit Level 1 coach. Prior to physical therapy school, Jacob completed an internship at an athletic performance enhancement facility where he helped develop specific training programs for various levels of field, court, and strength athletes as well as helping general population reach their health and wellness goals. Since that time, Jacob has worked with the men and women of the United States Air Force, current and former NFL players, US Olympics, multiple collegiate sports, CEOs, and desk jockeys alike. 

Welcome to Defining Endurance, the podcast from Lifelong Endurance Coaching. I am your host, Andrew Simmons, I am a  youth and adult coach based in Denver, Colorado.  I work with athletes across a range of abilities from beginner to elite. My specialty is with distance and ultra distance runners.

I do not run this podcast alone; co-host Lexi Miller and myself meet with experts in the endurance world to unlock some of the greatest mysteries in training and performance. On this podcast we take a deep dive into the more technical aspects of endurance. Each episode is dedicated to exploring the more vulnerable human side of sport; tackling topics like sports psychology, human behavior, nutrition and more.

Our podcast comes to you every Wednesday at 6am (so you can tune in for your early morning run or commute into work). Defining Endurance is available through Apple, Spotify, Google, and most major podcast platforms, completely free of charge.