The Teenagers

Jared and Ashley are both 19, both live in Colorado, and both are extremely fast.  Jared’s got a solid resume of ultramarathons behind him, and even though Ashley’s only been at this since last year, she’ll be running as a contender for the podium.

 

Ethan and I spoke with Jared first, followed by Ashley. In the talk, we discuss:

* “Dropping down” to 100 miles per week.

* What’s it like being raised by two ultrarunning parents?

* Why aren’t you at Spring Break right now?

* What kind of race strategies we’ll see on Saturday.

* Ethan and I discuss Sarah’s recent piece about mandatory gear in ultras.

Episode Notes:

Outro music: Incinerate by Sonic Youth

Ashley runs for Altra, V-Fuel, and Simple Hydration, Jared is unattached.

Sarah’s piece in Trailrunner Magazine about mandatory gear requirements.

 

After a funky finish at his first attempt at a 100 mile ultramarathon, Mike Daigeaun targeted Umstead for not just a finish, but a win.  He assembled a team, made a bunch of matzo balls, and “went dark” as he prepared for the big race.  Then he found out Hal Koerner was racing too.

Not to worry.

Mike stuck to his plan, had some horrible laps, some great ones, ate his matzo balls, and ultimately came out on top.

Episode Notes:

Mike’s race report

Race website

Outro music: Paralyzed by In Flames

Jen Benna talks to us live from the hospital while she’s currently caring for her sick baby.  We expected to chat with her about balancing family life, but we certainly didn’t expect it to be so real. Yikes.

In this talk, we cover:

* How she’s bounced back after having her second baby last year.

* Why she (and Sarah) choose such a gross beer to drink.

* How to adapt to a full time job family, kids, running, etc.

* She and husband JB are around the MUT industry constantly. Do they ever burn out?

* How teams and “new” runners are affecting the sport.

* Top five clicked-on stories from this week’s Daily News.

Episode Notes:

Jen runs for Hoka One One and Lulu Lemon

She blogs here: A Girls’ Guide to Trail Running

Referenced story: Western States disaster

Referenced story: Getting shot at on a training run

This is her husband’s film company.

Outro Music: Tubthumbing by Chumba Wumba

 

In this first ever couples edition, I chat with both Tim and Lindsay Tollefsen and David and Megan Roche…two extremely fast couples who will be at Cool this weekend.

In the interviews, I learn about how nervous Lindsay is to run on the trails (this is her first 50k), and Tim talks about who’ll be up at the front of the fella’s race.

David is DNSing due to an injury, but he’ll be there cheering Megan on. She’s only done a few ultras, but she’s got some serious leg speed and has a strong chance of winning the race. This is certainly her type of course.

I ask both couples who’s better at grocery shopping, whether we should expect any super-fast kids soon, and of course, we have some beer (and, ahem, cider) talk.

Episode Notes

Outro music: You’re the First, My Last, My Everything by Barry White

 

 

 

 

Two women will be lining up at Way Too Cool on Saturday with two very different backgrounds.

 

Stephanie Howe won Western States last year and is widely considered a top contender for any event she enters. I ask her about her honeymoon, skimo, and her busy busy life.

Serena has won Vermont 100 and a variety of other races on the East Coast, but she’s only using Way Too Cool as a primer for an attempt to best her time at Western States this year.

They say the trails in Vermont are rocky, but you’ll have to listen to Serena’s story to hear just how rocky they’ve been.  Truly an amazing story of perseverance.

Episode Notes:

Stephanie runs for The North Face and blogs here.

Outro music: Born To by Jesca Hoop

You’ve heard talk about the new breed of runner entering 50ks.  These two guys are examples of what we’re talking about.  Though neither has much experience at this distance, they’re each widely expected to stand atop the podium on Saturday.

Ryan Bak has a 2:14 marathon PR with hopes of running a 2:10 in the near future. He’s also finished a few ultras.   And though Pat has never finished a 50k (he’s only tried once, at Speedgoat, no less), he’s got a 62 minute half marathon. Both Ryan and Pat have years of experience in mountain running, cross country, and shorter-distance trail events and it should be awesome to see them combine those talents at Cool.

I talk to each of them about converting from short distances to 50ks, what they expect on Saturday, and what they’ve learned from their last race.

Episode Notes:

Ryan Bak’s personal and coaching site is here.

Pat tweets here.

Way Too Cool 50k site is here.

Outro music: Steal my Sunshine by LEN

 

 

Competing in ultramarathon at a high level for an extended time is tough to do in this sport, and Rod Bien seems to have mastered it.  He’s been running ultras for 15 years–ten of those near the top.  Sarah and I chat with him to find out what he’s doing to stay in shape–at a time when many of us start to lose fitness.

Known as one of the nicest and thoughtful guys on the trails, we ask Rod:

* How he got started in this sport and how he’s stayed near the top.

* What was it like growing up in the shadow of a running-obsessed Navy SEAL father in Hawai’i?

* What does he do to stay in shape?

* Why does he switch coaches so often?

* What’s it like owning a Patagonia store in the trail mecca of Bend, Oregon?

* Will running dresses ever make it big stateside?

* What does he think of the state of the sport?

Episode Notes:

Rod’s blog.

Sarah’s piece on Tarawera 100k

Outro music: Forever Young by Rod Stewart

 

Two years ago, Caroline Boller was on occasional runner at best, sitting by and reading running magazines while her husband hit the trails.  Then at 38, she started running and in a quick 14 months has run her first 50k, first 50miler, and first 100k–with all top ten finishes.

She  knocked an hour off her marathon PR, got picked up by Nike, and is now heading to Western States, courtesy of her most recent win at the competitive Black Canyon 100k. Whew!

I was anxious to learn more about this “forty year old newbie mother runner who nobody’s ever heard of” and find out how she’s handling this sudden success

In this podcast, we talk about:

* Going from an observer of races to a top athlete.

* What Sage and Sandi have her do for workouts.

* What’s her emotional and competitive state like before a race?

* How she balances two kids, a husband, and all of her running.

* What’s next on her plate?

Podcast Notes

Caroline’s blog

Her ultrasignup page.

Outro music: Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond

 

Drew Mikita is an addiction specialist, a trail runner, a beer geek, a psychology professor in a hippie town in Colorado, and co-owner of the highest running store in the country.  Sounds qualified to enter the URP studio and chat about what makes so many of us crazy? Yep!

In a sometimes personal discussion, we talk about:

* Why are so many ultrarunners former drug/alcohol addicts?

* What makes us so susceptible to overdoing things?

* What are the red flags (no, not trail markers!) to look out for in identifying a problem.

* Why can’t we be happy with our accomplishments, instead looking to bigger, longer, and harder events?

* Are we addicted to running?

Add these questions to a major life change for me, and you have one of the most important discussions I’ve had with a guest.

Episode Notes:

Drew’s running store: Vertical Runner Breckenridge

Breckenridge Running Camp

Use the code Pod15 for 15% off any store purchases, including camp registration. Sweet!

Outro Music: Heavy Things by Phish.

 

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What does it take to run a hundred miler each month for a year? Lots of experience, a slow pace, an understanding family, tons of luck, great friends, and a positive attitude.

Cory’s got all that, in spades.

I chat with him about all these aspects of his journey, including finding time to balance his family and job, and why he’s taken a particular liking to self-supported runs and Hostess products.  We finish up with an 80’s themed Fartlek round.

Episode Notes:

Cory’s site.

The post about his dad.

Outro music: Working on the Highway (Live) by Bruce Springsteen

Sorry about the quality. I’m using some new equipment and the guest audio is acting up.  I strive to put out a good product and am not happy with the current results. My apologies.