The Rambling Runner Podcast

Mike Obara is a tough and fast masters runner who has run over 20 marathons in the last seven years and a number of ultramarathons. He also has type 1 diabetes. Mike was diagnosed when he was a college soccer player who suddenly lost 25 without explanation. Since then Mike has learned to manage his disease, become an endurance runner around the age of 40, learn how to manage the tricky fueling process, and power his way to some extraordinary results.

The first 15 minutes of the episode Mike describes his condition then we dive into his training and racing.

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Janji - Save 15% on the best running apparel, that includes a five year guarantee, with code “rambling” at www.janji.com

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In this coaching minisode I dive into the factors necessary to run your best marathon, the "dream day" fallacy, and what is the biggest hurdle to racing up to your fitness and potential on race day.

Sponsor:

Janji - Save 15% on the best running apparel, that includes a five year guarantee, with code “rambling” at www.janji.com

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Omar Stanley Posadas started running three years ago as a masters runner. In that very short time he went from novice to a 3:01 marathoner! I couldn’t wait to get Omar on the show to talk all about his incredible improvement, love for the sport, and lessons he’s learned along the way.

You can follow Omar on Instagram at www.instagram.com/omar.runs.napa.

Sponsor:

Janji - Save 15% on the best running apparel with code “rambling” at www.janji.com

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Today I am joined by Laura Galeazzo to talk about how athletes can handle the Boston Marathon qualifying process. This evergreen episode is for athletes who failed to reach the qualifying standard, those who met that standard but were not accepted into the race, and those who qualified were accepted to run Boston.

This year we saw the second largest qualifying buffer ever - 5:29. Over 22,000 runners were accepted into the race and just over 11,000 qualifiers were denied admission. When the news broke on Friday, September 29 it was the news of the running world and I'm thankful that Laura, a sub-elite runner and running coach at McKirdy Trained, shared her insight to help runners in all three categories.

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The Road to the Trials series is back with Sara Vaughn! Sara will be running the Chicago Marathon where she finished 7th with a marathon PR of 2:26 last year. The Chicago elite field is absolutely LOADED and it's sure to be one heck of a race. We also talk about her recent coaching change, the differences in this marathon cycle, her reaction to the new women's marathon world record, and her thoughts about the amazing accomplishments of Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan over the summer.

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Today on the podcast we are joined by two legends: Megan Roche, M.D. and Jacob Puzey. In this episode we discuss what marathoners can learn from ultra runners and what closely held beliefs in the marathon road running community aren’t necessarily gospel in the ultra world.

Here are some topics we discuss:

Megan Roche, M.D.: Megan was the 2016 USATF Trail Runner of the Year at the ultra and sub-ultra distances. She is a five-time national champion, a North American Mountain Running Champion, and a six-time member of Team USA. She graduated from Duke University with a degree in Neuroscience and received her M.D. from Stanford Medical School. Megan and her husband, David Roche, created the Some Work All Play Adventure Team where they coach some of the best athletes in the world and dedicated amateur runners.

Jacob Puzey: Jacob coaches runners from all over the world of all ages and abilities — from newbies to national champions — and loves helping his athletes reach new heights in their running performance. Jacob is revered for his unique ability to understand family and work demands and address those challenges within a training cycle. Jacob is just as accomplished as a runner. As part of a marathon buildup in 2011, Jacob signed up for a trail 50K, accidentally won that race, and has since set numerous course records on both road and trail courses throughout North America.

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After Nell Rojas finished the Boston Marathon her running life has been a whirlwind. In this episode, she bring her trademark honesty and dives into all of it: Getting back to top fitness after Boston, investing in her health by working with nutritionist and upping her carb intake, and the onset of a stress fracture in her foot that altered her plans and left her with plenty of uncertainty.

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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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Dani Moreno continues her Road to the Trials mini-series as she prepares for the biggest 50k in the world - OCC during UTMB weekend.

Last year Dani finished third at this iconic race to cap off a fantastic summer. In this episode we talk about where her fitness is compared to last year, the historic field of women who will be at the starting line (including an amazing group of American women), and a short race course breakdown. Finally, Dani shares some thoughts about who she is excited to watch during UTMB and some of the storylines that surround this runners.

Sponsors:

Thank you to Lagoon for sponsoring this episode and for their truly amazing pillows! Take their two minute quiz and learn which pillow is perfect for you and the way you sleep at https://lagoonsleep.com/rambling and save 15% by using code RAMBLING at checkout.

Vacation Races is a running and travel company that helps people explore and enjoy the most scenic places on earth. They host half marathons, ultramarathons and trail running festivals at national parks around the country and multi-day running adventures all over the world! Use our codes to save serious money at www.vacationraces.com on these incredible adventures:

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Jacquie Mannhard didn't just win the 2023 Leadville 100, she put on a historic performance that very few saw coming. Jacquie, the quintessential dedicated amateur runner, won this iconic race by two hours and did so with the kind of joy that we can all aspire to.

Jacquie's journey to the start line was filled with many challenges over the past 20 years. In fact, over the last two years she encountered back-to-back stress fractures in her femur! With the help of her coach, David Roche, she devised a lower mileage plan to keep her healthy without sacrificing the kind of training (typically 45-55 miles per week) that would allow her to dream big. It's a difficult needle to thread but she did it beautifully. And now, she's the champ!

In this episode we talk about that journey, training on lower mileage for ultra races, energy availability, and shooting your shot when the opportunity arises.

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