Trail Talk by Rock Creek Runner

By Doug Hay | Trail and Ultra Running Advice | Training Tips and Strategies

Sports & Recreation Fitness & Nutrition

What's Trail Talk by Rock Creek Runner about?

Trail and Ultra Running Made Easy

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Want Ultra Success? Focus o...

01.16.2020

If you want to improve upon a previous ultramarathon, you have to look critically at yourself and your training. In today's episode, that's exactly what I did, putting together a plan for a stronger, faster 2020.

Trail Talk by Rock Creek Runner episodes:

01.16.2020 Want Ultra Success? Focus on Your Weaknesses If you want to improve upon a previous ultramarathon, you have to look critically at yourself and your training. In today's episode, that's exactly what I did, putting together a plan for a stronger, faster 2020.
01.09.2020 Everything I Know About Ultrarunning I Learned from my 98-Year-Old Grandmother Last year I lost my grandmother, one of the people I admired most. Over the years she taught me a lot about how to live life - much of which is key to being successful in the sport of ultrarunning. ...
01.03.2020 A Different Approach to the "Why" Question (and Lessons Learned from the 2019 Hellbender 100) "Why do you run ultramarathons?" During last year's Hellbender 100, my answer to that common question completely changed.
01.02.2020 The Seasons of Life (and a New Season of Trail Talk) Trail Talk is back... with an update episode mostly about me - where I've been, why I quit the podcast, and the season of life I've been going through for the past year. But... it's also about you, and what ...
02.14.2019 Training and Relationships: A Candid Conversation with my Wife Training for a big race is hard, not just on you, but on your family and friends. Today I sit down with my wife Katie to talk about how better to work with your partner leading up to and on ...
01.21.2019 Adapting: The Key to Ultra Success Let me tell you a little story about the recent South Mountains 50K...
01.01.2019 Embracing the Seasons We're runners, we love to run. So what happens when we suddenly don't find that joy in logging miles anymore? In today's episode, I share my story of getting lost, and how I've embraced the season of being lost.
12.31.2018 The New Trail Talk Welcome to the new and improved Trail Talk. Here's a quick intro.
03.21.2018 The 3 Stages of an Ultramarathon (And Why an Ultra Might Not Be For You) -- How to Run an Ultra, Part 4 From my experience, there are three stages to every ultramarathon, one of which is why so many runners don't finish. Here's what to expect.
01.05.2018 Training the Mind: The Mental Side of Training for and Running an Ultramarathon They say that running an ultramarathon is 90% mental, so what does it actually take? To me, the mental game starts before you even sign up for the race. Here are my tips for staying mentally focused and strong throughout ...
11.28.2017 Ultrmarathon Training: What it Really Looks Like (How to Run an Ultra, Part 2) Want to run an ultramarathon? Here's what to expect when you start training, and the main differences between training for a marathon and training for an ultra. This is part two of the How to Run and Ultramarathon series. Check ...
11.09.2017 How to Run an Ultramarathon Part 1: Choosing Your Race Want to run an ultramarathon? It starts with selecting the right race for your goals, inspirations, and abilities. In part one of this four part How to Run and Ultramarathon series, we'll explore the types of races out there, and ...
11.02.2017 New Series, Updates, and What I've Been Up To Where have I been and what happened to Trail Talk? Here's your answer. Plus, a new mini-series starting next week! Woo!
08.18.2017 How to Run a "Training" Race Most plans for endurance events include training or practice races of a shorter distance ahead of your main goal race. In my opinion, these are the most important runs on your schedule. But how do you attack a race... that ...
07.18.2017 No Time to Run (Plus, Who You Are) I have no time to run. Or at least that's the excuse I tried to pull on my wife the other day. In today's episode I share her response, and what it means for us as runners. Plus, results from ...
06.22.2017 Confession: I Ran Just 24.5 Miles in the Past 4 Weeks Real talk with Doug Hay. What to do when running is no longer fun.
05.25.2017 Evaluating My Training: What I Learned from the Past 5 Months of Running Back in January I wrote a post called "How I'm Training for a 100K Ultramarathon with a Newborn," where I outlined five strategies that would keep me on track while significantly reducing time spent on the trail. So, did it ...
05.11.2017 Bill Sycalik on Running a Marathon in all 59 US National Parks Can you imagine visiting all 59 US national parks in the span of just over a year? Now how about running a full marathon in each one of them? When I first heard about Bill Sycalik's Running the Parks project, ...
04.13.2017 4 Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Trail Run Looking back, there are a number of things I wish I had known going into my first trail run. Lessons or advice that would have saved me a lot of time, energy, and frustration. Here are the top four.
03.31.2017 What I Carried on a 32 Mile Adventure, Evaluation, and the Spring Summits Challenge Today's episode is split into three parts, (1) a look at my recent 32-mile Art Loeb run, (2) the value of self-evaluation, and (3) a new 7-day spring challenge. Will you join me?
03.16.2017 My Secret Tool: The Running Mantra Words are powerful. They can rally crowds, inspire greatness, and get you out of a terrible funk halfway through a run. Several years ago, while out on a 30-mile training run, I found myself repeating the phrase, "You can do ...
03.02.2017 Racing on Little Training: How to Salvage Your Race Last weekend I ran my first race of the year, and my first race as a father, which meant my training has been ... let's just say less than ideal. How did it go? Not that bad actually, and in ...
02.10.2017 When Running Failures Turn Into Lessons Sometimes a race just doesn't go as planned. That's the hard reality of training for and racing an ultramarathon. And it's what you do with those failures and setbacks that make or break you as a runner. In today's episode ...
01.25.2017 Why Your Next Big Run Should be a Self-Supported Adventure (Not a Race) Tired of the increasing entry fees? Didn't get into your dream race's lottery? No worries, run a self-supported adventure instead. Today I talk about why I'm moving some races off my calendar this year and instead focusing on epic adventures. ...
12.13.2016 The No Plan Approach to Ultramarathon Training with Sid Garza-Hillman (But does it work?) Today's episode pretty much goes against everything I've ever said on Trail Talk. It's an interview with Sid Garza-Hillman, race director of the Mendocino Coast 50K and recent North Face Endurance Challenge San Francisco 50K finisher. We talk about his ...
11.28.2016 Trail Q&A: Running Shoes and Everyday Nutrition At the end of each episode of Trail Talk, I invite listeners to submit questions or topics. Usually I respond quickly on Twitter or email to any questions, but sometimes they're topics I believe most runners could benefit from discussing. ...
11.17.2016 Coach Greg McMillan and Rebecca Shultz on Running Form and the Lumo Run Running form ... incredibly important for efficiency, injury prevention, and endurance, but difficult to measure and evaluate on your own. In today's episode I chat with Coach Greg McMillan and Rebecca Shultz, the Product Researcher and Designer, and Biomechanist at ...
11.03.2016 How to Train for and Race a Multi-Day Stage Race with Heather Hart A few months ago I got a tweet from a listener asking, "About to start training for my first stage race. What tips do you have for training and racing for multiple days?" Not confident enough to answer it without ...
10.20.2016 How to Have Your Best Winter of Training Yet Winter is coming. The dreaded dark, cold, damp days of winter. After a summer of long miles and race goals, your body and mind start to crave a break from running. Add travel, holidays, and cold to the mix, and ...
10.06.2016 The Highs and Lows of a First 50K: Paul's Recap Last week we heard Paul Gwynn Garrity's transition from never running to training for the Table Rock 50K, his first ultramarathon. This week I've asked Paul back on to recap his race. To share what went right, what went wrong, ...
09.22.2016 Paul Gwynn Garrity on Becoming a Runner and Training for His First 50K Ultramarathon Less than two years ago -- at a family Christmas gathering -- I was approached by my cousin's husband Paul. "I want to train for a half marathon," he said. Music to my ears. I responded with the usual questions ...
09.01.2016 S4\|E4 How to Finish Strong (And Fast) In Your Next Ultramarathon Continuing along with the season of speedier ultramarathons, this week we talk about finishing strong and fast during your next big race. Finishing strong means running smart for the first half, and training well for a tough second half. Both ...
08.17.2016 S4\|E3 Aid Station Best Practices: How to be Efficient and Effective During Your Next Ultramarathon Aid stations are your lifeline during an ultramarathon. They're where you restock, refuel, and rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit. But if you're not careful, they can also be a major time suck. In today's episode I discuss how to ...
08.04.2016 Can You Cram For a Race? Last Minute Training Advice Have you ever found yourself just a few weeks out from a race without having done the full training? I know I have. So what do you do? You could sit it out ... or you could cram. Just like ...
07.21.2016 S4\|E1 The Need for Speed: An introduction to Season 4 And we're back with the first episode to Season 4! This season is all about speed, speed, and more speed. Being a speedy runner is about more than just learning how to run quickly, and in today's episode, you'll find ...
07.07.2016 What I Eat During a Marathon, 50K, 50-Mile, 100K, and 100-Mile Ultramarathon "What do you eat during a race?" That's a question I get all the time, but the answer is never straight forward. In an attempt to give a basic understanding of my approach to mid-race nutrition, I share my strategy ...
06.18.2016 Coach Jeff Gaudette on Strength Training for Injury Prevention Ask a runner what they fear most and chances are it will be injury. Injuries can derail training and bust up a race goal before you even toe the line. Who wants that? But for some reason the majority of ...
06.01.2016 S3\|E6 Racing Lessons from a 100 Mile Ultramarathon Sometimes the best way to learn about racing is to run a race, and after the recent Thunder Rock 100 miler, I have plenty of advice to share. In this episodes I share what went right, what went wrong, and ...
05.10.2016 S3\|E5 Stephanie Marie Howe on Race Nutrition and Fueling 10 days! That's how long I have before my next 100 mile attempt. With race day fueling and nutrition on the brain, I decided to reach back to an older interview with elite ultrarunner Stephanie Marie Howe, which I recorded ...
05.03.2016 S3\|E4 Surviving the Racing Dip Today I tap into a lesson learned from studying abroad, of allthings, and get down and dirty on how to survive the dreaded RacingDip. You know, that low point each race when you swear off everracing again...
04.26.2016 S3\|E3 What the Race Director Wants You to Know Before Running an Ultramarathon: An Interview with Sid Garza Hillman of the Mendocino Coast 50k Last weekend I ran the Mendocino Coast 50k in California, and had the rare opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at what goes in to putting on such a long race. In today's episode I sit down with ...
04.14.2016 S3\|E2 5 Tips to Master Race Week Preparations In my opinion, the race starts well before runners take off from the line. The preparations you make during the days leading up to the race have a direct effect on your race day performance. In today's episode, I give ...
04.06.2016 S3\|E1 Creating Your Own Luck (A Season 3 Introduction!) Welcome to Season 3 of Trail Talk! This season is all about racing: Racing strategies, nutrition, pacing, and so much more. In today's episode, we kick things off by talking about luck. More specifically, how to create your own luck, ...
02.26.2016 S2\|E7 The Truth About Training (And How to Move Forward from Setbacks) On this final episode of season two, we're wrapping up the topic of training with a doozy... I reveal what I believe to be the truth about training (and it's kind of depressing, I must admit), how to make running ...
02.16.2016 S2\|E6: How to Avoid the Mid-Training Slump And no, this is not just another "mix up your routine" list. There's nothing worse than the mid training slump ... you know, when the excitement fades and you still have weeks until race day. In today's episode, I share ...
02.11.2016 S2\|E5 Crowdsourced Training and Racing Advice What happens when you ask the internet for training and racing advice? Well, have a listen and you'll find out. In today's episode I crowdsourced advice from all my online running networks, and have a good time sharing some of ...
02.02.2016 S2\|E4: What it Means to Treat a Long Run Like a Practice Race We've all heard the advice to treat long runs as a practice for race day. But what does that really mean? In today's episode I explore exactly what you should "practice" for race day, and how to go about doing ...
01.19.2016 S2\|E3: The 6 Parts of Your Training You Should Quit Ignoring Let's face it, there are certain aspects of our training that we focus on more than others. It's only natural to put more importance on certain tactics. But I've noticed a disturbing trend that runners are ignoring a few key ...
01.12.2016 S2\|E2: Why Trail Runners Should Run Roads Yup, that's right. This episode is all about road running, and why trail runners shouldn't be afraid of a few road miles. I talk the benefits of road running for trails runners, and 4 road workouts you should incorporate into ...
01.05.2016 S2\|E1: How to Support Your Running Goal (And Why Talk Talk was a Bust) Yes! Trail Talk is back with season 2, and this season is all about training. More specifically, How to Take Your Training to the Next Level. In this first episode, we talk about how I screwed up the last season ...

Older episodes

Trail Talk by Rock Creek Runner

What's Trail Talk by Rock Creek Runner about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Trail Talk by Rock Creek Runner episodes:

Want Ultra Success? Focus on Your Weaknesses

Everything I Know About Ultrarunning I Learned from my 98-Year-Old Grandmother

A Different Approach to the "Why" Question (and Lessons Learned from the 2019 Hellbender 100)

The Seasons of Life (and a New Season of Trail Talk)

Training and Relationships: A Candid Conversation with my Wife

Adapting: The Key to Ultra Success

Embracing the Seasons

The New Trail Talk

The 3 Stages of an Ultramarathon (And Why an Ultra Might Not Be For You) -- How to Run an Ultra, Part 4

Training the Mind: The Mental Side of Training for and Running an Ultramarathon

Ultrmarathon Training: What it Really Looks Like (How to Run an Ultra, Part 2)

How to Run an Ultramarathon Part 1: Choosing Your Race

New Series, Updates, and What I've Been Up To

How to Run a "Training" Race

No Time to Run (Plus, Who You Are)

Confession: I Ran Just 24.5 Miles in the Past 4 Weeks

Evaluating My Training: What I Learned from the Past 5 Months of Running

Bill Sycalik on Running a Marathon in all 59 US National Parks

4 Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Trail Run

What I Carried on a 32 Mile Adventure, Evaluation, and the Spring Summits Challenge

My Secret Tool: The Running Mantra

Racing on Little Training: How to Salvage Your Race

When Running Failures Turn Into Lessons

Why Your Next Big Run Should be a Self-Supported Adventure (Not a Race)

The No Plan Approach to Ultramarathon Training with Sid Garza-Hillman (But does it work?)

Trail Q&A: Running Shoes and Everyday Nutrition

Coach Greg McMillan and Rebecca Shultz on Running Form and the Lumo Run

How to Train for and Race a Multi-Day Stage Race with Heather Hart

How to Have Your Best Winter of Training Yet

The Highs and Lows of a First 50K: Paul's Recap

Paul Gwynn Garrity on Becoming a Runner and Training for His First 50K Ultramarathon

S4|E4 How to Finish Strong (And Fast) In Your Next Ultramarathon

S4|E3 Aid Station Best Practices: How to be Efficient and Effective During Your Next Ultramarathon

Can You Cram For a Race? Last Minute Training Advice

S4|E1 The Need for Speed: An introduction to Season 4

What I Eat During a Marathon, 50K, 50-Mile, 100K, and 100-Mile Ultramarathon

Coach Jeff Gaudette on Strength Training for Injury Prevention

S3|E6 Racing Lessons from a 100 Mile Ultramarathon

S3|E5 Stephanie Marie Howe on Race Nutrition and Fueling

S3|E4 Surviving the Racing Dip

S3|E3 What the Race Director Wants You to Know Before Running an Ultramarathon: An Interview with Sid Garza Hillman of the Mendocino Coast 50k

S3|E2 5 Tips to Master Race Week Preparations

S3|E1 Creating Your Own Luck (A Season 3 Introduction!)

S2|E7 The Truth About Training (And How to Move Forward from Setbacks)

S2|E6: How to Avoid the Mid-Training Slump

S2|E5 Crowdsourced Training and Racing Advice

S2|E4: What it Means to Treat a Long Run Like a Practice Race

S2|E3: The 6 Parts of Your Training You Should Quit Ignoring

S2|E2: Why Trail Runners Should Run Roads

S2|E1: How to Support Your Running Goal (And Why Talk Talk was a Bust)

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