Yesterday was an attempt at a 3-peat.

Seattle Prep XC Boys Team was attempting to be one of the few teams in Washington XC 3A state history to win back-to-back-to-back state titles. The favorites going into today were the boys from Mercer Island High School. In our minds, however, we were the favorite.

Today, I review a very disappointing and emotional loss at the State meet that we faced. This includes my whole experience from Monday-Saturday of this past week, the trip itself, and some of the lessons that we are using moving forward.

The phrase we said to each other was "you are bigger than the moment".

But sometimes, it doesn’t go the way you planned. Legs feel heavy, the gaps start to form, and all the expectations we carried on our shoulders start to weigh us down. The finish line came, but the result—well, it wasn’t what we had fought for. Not this time.

That’s when the phrase truly matters. Because it’s not just something you say when things are going your way. It’s a belief, a mindset, a call to rise above, especially when you fall short. It’s about understanding that when everything comes down to one race, one chance, one defining instant, you are not defined by that moment.

Yes, we stumbled, and yes, we felt the sting of disappointment. But those moments don’t take away the months of grinding workouts in the rain, the countless miles logged in the early morning darkness, or the brotherhood forged through shared struggle. All the work, all the pain, all the sacrifice—that’s what defines you.

The moment doesn’t make you; you make the moment

And this moment, while a failure, is only a short chapter in our book on SPXC. We still have a lot more book to write.

Today on the podcast is Manny Putz!

Manny is a senior in Wisconsin who just yesterday won his third consecutive state title, becoming only the third person in his division to three-peat in the history of Wisconsin State Cross Country History. According to DyeStat, Manny is also ranked as the third best individual male in the U.S, and going into NXR and NXN over these next few weeks, he is the #1 returner, having finished 5th at the meet last year.

Manny is also the Wisconsin 1600 and 3200 State Champion. He holds PRs of 4:12 for 1600, 8:53 for 3200, and is committed to run at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, in 2025.

Today, Manny and I talk all about the experience and emotions of winning back-to-back-to-back state titles, his thoughts on how to effectively run hills in cross country, being one of the favorites going into NXN this year, why he thinks high school rankings are a double-edged sword, and much more.

If you haven’t already, please consider giving this podcast a follow and a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. That goes a long way in supporting the growth of this podcast so we can inspire more people in the world of running and in that process grow this great sport that we all know and love. Along those lines, if you thought this episode was impactful or left a mark in any way, please share this with a teammate, a friend, your grandma, someone who you think could get a smile or a learning from today’s show.

Without further delay, please enjoy my conversation with Manny Putz.

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This week on The Sunday Shakeout is a training review!

I am a firm believer that the process of reflection is something that is crucial to getting better in the sport of running. This is not only from the standpoint of running, but also staying injury-free, making more intelligent training decisions, and having better "Running IQ" as my cross-country coach would call it.

I talk all about my Sophomore XC season starting in June with summer training, some of the injuries and sicknesses I faced and how I responded, and how I can improve some of the systems in my training in order to mitigate setbacks. I also go over some of the varsity races I competed in and how I set almost a 100-second PR in the 5K.

The idea of mental skills and mental acuity is something that I also talk about today. With sickness, I find that I lose not only physical fitness and ability, but my mental skills and focus declines quite a bit. I have found that racing after sickness has been quite poor and my ability to push through pain and process moves in the middle of races is poor. It takes much more time to build that back up after being injured.

So many stories. So many tips. So many reasons to tune-in!

I hope you all enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout.

Please consider leaving a follow and a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

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This week on a pod is Sam Kurtz!

Sam Kurtz is a senior captain on the Seattle Prep XC team. As a freshman, Kurtz was one of the slowest guys on the time, typically running in the 27- and 28-minute range for 5K, with a PR of 26:40. Having dealt with calf problems, asthma, running alone, and tons of adversity, hardship, and disappointment, Kurtz has made an incredible story and shares it on today's podcast.

We talk all about Kurtz's high school journey and transformation, his thoughts on the importance of team culture, and the inherent greatness that community can bring on an individual and team-level, as well as some of the most defining moments in his career, a preview of his final cross country race in high school, and more!

This episode was one of my best ever!

So much wisdom. So much gold.

Tune into the Sam Kurtz Special!

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I hope you all enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout!

This week on the podcast is Adrian Macdonald!

Adrian Macdonald is a two-time Leadville 100 Winner. He finished second at this year's Leadville 100 with a time of 15:56:34, behind David Roche, who set a new course record of 15:26:34.

Adrian inititally had ambitions of becoming a professional football player, but instead turned to running in high school. While only running a 4:40 mile in high school, Adrian continued to pursue running in his adult life. He trained for many road races, including the Boston Marathon. However, during COVID, he began to train for ultramarathons. In this first attempt at the Leadville 100 as an unsponsored athlete, he won.

Adrian later signed with On and is now a professional athlete.

Adrian and I talk all about mental toughness and the mental skills required to be successful in an ultramarathon, his experience in the Leadville 100, why he thinks running is such a special sport, some of the biggest lessons that he has learned, and much more!

I hope you all enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout!

This is my 100th time writing an episode description.

It's crazy how far this podcast has come. I want to thank all of you so much for the support. Sometimes all it takes is committing and acting upon one dream. You don't have to have it all figured out for you to just start. Just pick up a mic, start posting, and the rest will come.

The Sunday Shakeout has come a long way over these last couple years and I could have never dreamt to be in this moment right now. This reaches far above the number of subscriber I have. This is about the journey and the relationships I have built and the growth that I have witnessed of myself along the way.

Today on the podcast, I reflect upon my journey as a podcaster, as well as my old voice back from 2021 when I was in eighth grade (boy oh boy).

Special shoutout to my parents, to SPXC boys, Rene, and everyone who has supported me to this point.

This week on the podcast is the return of Rene Aldrich!

Rene was the fourth guest I ever had on the show and this week she returns to the podcast. Just eight days ago, Rene raced the Berlin Marathon along the streets of Germany in a time of 4:38:34. While the time might not sound impressive, Rene suffered a grade two calf strain just three weeks earlier and did not run until the day before the race.

So today's conversation is more than just about the times. In her forties, Rene is still running marathons and half marathons, having completed over 240 total. We talk all about the experience of running the Berlin Marathon, Berlin's unique cityscape, the calf injury and subsequent recovery leading into the marathon, how she overcame doubt, the importance of joy and finding your why in the sport, and much more!

Please consider leaving a follow and a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

I hope you all enjoy this week's episode of The Sunday Shakeout!

Today on the podcast is Adam Foley.

Adam is a freshman and Laramine Prep High School in North Carolina, and he has been ranked as high as the 6th fastest freshman in the nation. In his first indoor 3200 in middle school this past winter, Adam ran 9:47. He also ran 2:00.9 in the 800, coming off an injury, as well as 4:13 for 1500.

Adam is definitely one of my more articulate guests that I have had on the show, so I highly recommend tuning in to my conversation with him today. So many great insights and ideas that I think, really anyone, from high school, collegiate, runner in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, doesn’t matter. Adam had a lot of amazing things to say at such a young age and I know you will find value from today’s episode.

We talk all about Adam’s early success and journey in the sport of running, the importance of becoming a better person, not just a better runner, how Adam finished last at his middle school conference meet, and then came back the next year a completely different runner, his thoughts on the idea of talent, and much more.

If you haven’t already, please consider giving this podcast a follow and a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. That goes a long way in supporting the growth of this podcast so we can inspire more people in the world of running and in that process grow this great sport that we all know and love. Along those lines, if you thought this episode was impactful or left a mark in any way, please share this with a teammate, a friend, your grandma, someone who you think could get a smile or a learning from today’s show.

Without further delay, please enjoy my conversation, with Adam Foley.

This week on the podcast is Brent George.

Brent is a physical therapist who has been involed in the physical therapy community for over 32 years. She is the co-owner of G4 Athlete, along with her wife. Brent has worked with professional sports teams, such as the Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Mariners. He has also worked with big name shoe brands, such as NIKE and Brooks, in order to optimize the biomechanical design of their shoes. So, in short, Brent has had a lot of experience in the world of physical therapy.

So on this episode, Brent had a lot of amazing things to say and I have to say, if I was a runner who I was injured or maybe just wanting to learn about what I can incorporate into my training, I would find this episode to be pure gold, or even if you are an advanced runner and want to take your ancillary work to the next level, this episode is for you.

Brent and I chat about his thoughts on the evolution of physical therapy and injury treatment, the importance of strength and mobility for runners, why you should make strength and mobility work event specific, the role of shoes in injury prevention, his thoughts on minimalist shoes, and much more.

A little disclaimer before we get into the shoe, I apologize if my voice is a bit nasal. I’ve been sick for the past few days, so apologize for any sniffles or just sounding a little iffy. But ayy, I’m here, and nothing can stop The Sunday Shakeout.

If you haven’t already, please consider giving this podcast a follow and a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. That goes a long way in supporting the growth of this podcast so we can inspire more people in the world of running and in that process grow this great sport that we all know and love. Along those lines, if you thought this episode was impactful or left a mark in any way, please share this with a teammate, a friend, your grandma, someone who you think could get a smile or a learning from today’s show.

Without further delay, please enjoy my conversation, with Brent George.

This week on the podcast is Ben Nagel!

Last December, Ben graduated from Virginia Tech as a sub 4 miler and 1:47 800 guy. He trains under Ben Thomas with guys like Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker. But what is most impressive about Ben, is that in high school, his fastest mile that he ran was 4:40, which, on most competitive times, would be a solid JV time in high school. But having that huge transformation from running 4:40 to sub-4 was incredible to hear.

Some of the stories and lessons that he shares today were incredibly inspiring for me personally, as I am in the mid 17s for 5K cross country my Sophomore year, and hearing Ben and his journey shows that we can do so much more than we think we can achieve and it’s up to us as to whether or not we want to chase it. So, I had a blast chatting with Ben today. He had a lot of amazing things to say and I know that you will enjoy it as well.

We talk all about what it is like to be coached under Ben Thomas, transitioning to running post-collegiately, the journey to the sub-4 barrier, his experiences with setting and achieving goals, his best advice for runners who want to be great, and much more.

If you haven’t already, please consider giving this podcast a follow and a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. That goes a long way in supporting the growth of this podcast so we can inspire more people in the world of running and in that process grow this great sport that we all know and love. Along those lines, if you thought this episode was impactful or left a mark in any way, please share this with a teammate, a friend, your grandma, someone who you think could get a smile or a learning from today’s show.

I hope you enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout!