This week on the podcast, I'm doing a solo episode.

Going into my junior year, my confidence was sky-high after the summer training block of my life. As I have documented on the show, I got hit with major adversity and sickness multiple times throughout September and October.

While I didn't realize it at the time, I had it in my head that my performance would be the deciding factor in how the team performs in the postseason.

And while this could have been true, that mindset created a toxic, self-centric mental outlook. I tried to take so much control, refusing to surrender to my body and the season, that I fell. Multiple times.

It was only after we won Metro for the program's 4th-straight time that I truly internalized and shifted my mindset from myself to the team.

Not only did this take pressure off slightly, but I oddly enjoyed the process of training and racing so much more. No longer was I working out and racing to hit splits and run a major time. I was executing the training and racing to drag my teammates along and chase greatness collectively.

Varsity racing teaches you so much.

I tell of that lesson and many others on the show today.

250 meters to go. One move left. The underdog from Portsmouth finally takes his shot.

Rhode Island’s Sean Gray has spent years quietly sharpening his tools, building speed, endurance, and belief from the ground up.

The Portsmouth High School senior has been unstoppable this fall, going undefeated and capturing two major titles. At the Rhode Island State Championships, Sean delivered one of the most thrilling finishes in meet history, surging past Hendricken’s Colby Flynn in the final 250 meters to win in 15:16.1 and become the first boy from Portsmouth to ever claim the individual title.

Just a week later, he followed it up with another win at the New England Interscholastic Championships, clocking 15:53.1 against some of the best runners in the Northeast.

But Sean’s rise wasn’t effortless. After missing time with achilles tendinitis last year, he rebuilt from the ground up, learning patience, trust, and precision. With personal bests of 8:27 for 3K, 14:36 for 5K on the track, and 14:55 for 5K in cross country, along with Rhode Island state records in both the indoor and outdoor 5K, Sean has proven that steady, deliberate work can create something special.

In this episode, we unpack the mindset, strategy, and quiet fire that turned Sean Gray from a calculated racer into a state champion and a potential national contender.

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What happens when patience finally pays off?

Sean Fries isn’t just another name on a leaderboard. He’s a senior out of Minnetonka High School — the newly crowned Minnesota state champion, Stanford commit, and the #2-ranked runner in the nation. Just yesterday, he won his first state title in 14:50 on grass, breaking the meet record and finally claiming the race that had eluded him for years.

But what makes Sean’s story special isn’t the time, it’s the journey. Missing NXN last fall. Swimming through an entire winter instead of doing the traditional grind. Learning that you don’t have to be great at something to grow from it. And slowly, quietly, trusting that consistency would do its work.

In this episode, we dig into the mindset behind his breakout year: how pain became perspective, how patience became power, and how staying true to himself led to the biggest win of his career.

Tap in.

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What do you do when the race that broke you is now the opportunity to cement your legacy?

Kellen Williams, a senior at Jesuit High School in Portland, has lived both sides of greatness. Two years ago, as a sophomore, he watched his team’s NXN dreams slip away in the final kilometer. Today, he’s the #1 guy on the #2 team in the nation, leading Jesuit’s chase for a national title.

We unpack Kellen’s rise to stardom over the last 12 months, including a victory at the Oregon Relays Mile, two 2nd-place finishes at the Oregon State Meet, and a stunning breakout win at the Mook Invitational, beating top regional contenders, and shattering the course record in a time of 14:28.

We also dive deep into how Kellen rebuilt himself after hitting rock bottom due to irony deficiency, and what it took to move from shame to self-belief, failure to a final dance.

Finally, Kellen and I explore what it means to lead a powerhouse team without losing yourself in the rankings — to chase history while staying grounded with your boys.

So many nuggets of wisdom. So many stories. Worth your listen.

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Today on the podcast is Lily Alder.

Lily is a senior out of Timpview High School in Provo, Utah, and is committed to run for the legendary BYU Cougars in 2026. One of the most decorated high school athletes to come on the show, Lily has put together an incredible resume over the past year—she’s the Nike Outdoor Nationals Mile Champion, Brooks PR Mile Champion, Utah State Champion in the 800, and the 44th Woodbridge Invitational XC Champion. As we head into November, Lily stands as one of the top contenders not only in Utah, but on the national stage.

In this episode, Lily and I go deep on her training philosophy, which focuses on longevity and long-term development. Interestingly, she splits her workload evenly between running and cross-training, a balance that’s helped her stay healthy and perform consistently at the highest level. We also dive into her breakout spring season, how she handles pressure in championship moments, and what’s next as she gears up for the biggest races of her senior year.

Lily brings an incredible mindset and maturity to the sport, and her story is one that every young athlete can learn from.

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I hope you enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout with Lily Alder.

The October Rundown.

This week, I did not plan for a guest. I have been wanting to do a genuine solo episode for a while now.

To put it lightly, my junior cross-country season has not gone to plan. Today, I reflect upon my season so far, and the challenges and unexpected turns so far this fall.

Historically in my running career, when I don’t run well, I can usually pinpoint injury or illness as the culprit, causing either a decline in fitness or reduced performance. For the first time in my career, I am not running well, but cannot pinpoint a specific reason. Nothing is making sense right now. Sometimes, this sport doesn’t make sense. Running is hard, but that’s what makes it rewarding. You have to stay self-aware and keep believing and persevering through tough times. Because, ultimately, championship season is what truly matters. The greats in every walk of life face slumps; it’s part of the process. That’s what I have to remind myself during the struggle.

Takeaways:

1. Embrace the journey, even when it doesn't go as planned.
2. Mental focus is key to overcoming physical challenges.
3. Every athlete faces slumps; it's part of the process.
4. Trust in your training and preparation.
5. Learn from past experiences to improve future performances.
6. The importance of self-awareness in sports.
7. Championship season is what truly matters.
8. Keep believing and persevering through tough times.
9. Adjusting race strategies can lead to better outcomes.
10. Running is hard, but that's what makes it rewarding.

I hope you enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout!

Shoutout to the team at the Battle of 509 who told me they are fans of the podcast. Y’all are real ones.

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Today on the podcast is Ty Cirino.

Ty is the #2 returner in Oregon 5A cross country, out of Central High School in Independence, Oregon. With the graduation of Tayvon Kitchen and Josiah Tostenson this past spring, the door is open in Oregon high school XC

Ty Cirino is a possible heir to the throne.

As a junior, Ty won the The Mook XC Invite at Alderbrook in a new course record of 14:43 (which was just recently broken by Kellen Williams in 14:28). Ty also finished 2nd at the Rose City Invitational in 14:35. After finishing 4th at Oregon 5A State Cross Country as a junior and placing 3rd in both the 1500 and 3K this past track season, many have been expecting Ty to rise to the occasion this cross-country season.

But, it hasn’t been without struggle. Despite a groundbreaking summer of training, Ty sustained a tiny flare-up that has temporarily sidelined him for a couple weeks to end his September. However, as we head into October, and as you will learn today, Ty believes that this setback could be his strength.

Aside from a minor setback, Ty and I go in-depth on his thoughts on the competition in the northwest this cross-country season, as well as his thoughts on the change of the NXR location, why a state title would mean more than an NXN birth. We also discuss his preferences and insights tactical racing vs. front running and we run the gauntlet on the recruitment process.

Ty definitely has a bright future. I think we all have to remember, that as you will here Ty say today, “championship season is all that matters”. People don’t remember who sets a course record in September. But people do remember the clutch moments, whether that be winning a state title, winning NXR, or even winning a national title.

It was a refreshing perspective to hear, and I hope you enjoy my conversation with Ty today.

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I hope you enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout!

Today, I got to chat with Isaac Benjamin.

Isaac is a senior out of South Kitsap high school in Washington. He is #2 returner in the Northwest and one of the top high school athletes in the nation going into this season.

He holds PRs of 4:13 for 1600, 8:52 for 3200, 14:35 for track 5K, 15:01 for cross country 5k, and 30:18 for track 10K. He is also a Brooks NIL Athlete.

Isaac is one of the most fun guys you will ever meet at the top. I talk a lot about how chill a lot of my guests are, but Isaac is just like such a genuine, funny, chill guy. He says he doesn’t get nervous before races and I can see why. He keeps it real, down to earth, and I think he sees our sport in a way that I think a lot of people can benefit from.

Don’t wanna spoil too much. We talk about his junior track season and racing through sickness. We talk double threshold, 8-minute pace easy days, race nerves, the track 5K and track 10K he did this summer, and so much more.

But before we get into the show, please—if you haven’t already, and if you’re enjoying this podcast—I would really appreciate a follow and a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever platform you’re listening on. That goes a long way in supporting the growth of The Sunday Shakeout. That’s all I ask.

Other than that, sit back, relax, and enjoy my conversation with Mr. Isaac Benjamin.

Today on the podcast I am sick once again!

This is not the news I want to share today; however, this is part of the back-to-school process. Grateful that I still get to sit down this week to discuss some major topics, such as the 2025 World Track & Field Championships in Tokyo, my thoughts on the current state of Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and the Men's 10,000m with a shocking American absence from the medals.

I also discuss how my own training is going and how belief is going to be the deciding factor in how I perform this season, given the hard summer of training and the need to step up to become a prime-time athlete for SPXC in Novemeber.

Thanks for tuning in this week! Y'all are the real ones for listening to these solo episodes. Blessed to be doing this week after week.

Please consider leaving a follow and a five-star review if you enjoy the show!

I hope you enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout!

Today on the podcast is Asher Oates!

Asher is the #1 returner from Tennessee, ranked 24th in the nation by Milesplit.

Asher is a senior out of Independence High School in Tennessee. Just yesterday, he ran 14:44 for 5K XC, soloing a PR gun to tape in only his second meet of the season.

He is the defending Tennessee state champion for cross-country in Division 1 Class AAA. He also got 20th at Footlocker Nationals in 2024.

Even more exciting though, is that Asher is on the U20 U.S. Mountain/Trail Team, where he will represent the United States at the World Mountain & Trail Championships in Spain later this month. Such an amazing opportunity. We talk all about what that means for him. And, really, overall, my chat with Asher today was one of the deepest I have ever had on the show.

We talk so many things, from what it means to have the opportunity in Spain, to going to altitude camp in Boulder for 6 weeks with Paul Stafford this past summer, where he got to meet some of the top pros and mental performance coaches in the running space.

We also talk a little bit about the exit of Footlocker Nationals and the new era of high school national meets at Balboa Park.

One key theme in our chat today was definitely the mental game. As you will pick up on in our conversation, there is a level of poise and confidence that Asher carries with himself. He is surgical in the way that he approaches the process of training, the process of racing. Today, we truly peel back the layers of how he has developed such a mindset over his career. And, get some pen and paper out because, man, there were so many good insights. The man is a philosopher, for real.

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Other than that, sit back, relax, and enjoy my conversation with Mr. Asher Oates.