In the second episode of Chronicles of K2, Steve, Martin and Jon discuss Jon’s specific training for the mountain and his background before coming to work with Uphill Athlete. The three breakdown Jon’s progression from unstructured gym work to establishing an elite endurance base. They also work through an injury Jon sustained prior to his K2 training block and how he mentally dealt with the training progression from injury. Martin discusses his approach to acclimatization with Jon and how Jon managed to accomplish the climb without supplemental oxygen. This episode reveals the hard work and progression of a climber from beginner to elite athlete.

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We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Uphill Athlete Membership Program. In this episode, Alyssa, Steve and coach Alexa Hasman, reveal details about the program and what new members can expect. They break down the three tiers of the membership as well as the vision behind creating this new offering from Uphill. The three discuss training plan updates, the cost of the programs and best of all, what they are most excited about for the community. Check out the membership options on uphillathlete.com or visit our social channels to find out more.

In our second episode of Voices of the Mountains, Steve and coach Martin Zhor, speak with one of their athletes, Jon Lawrie, who recently summited K2 without supplemental oxygen. Jon chronicles his experience on the mountain, from the trek to base camp, to the jeep ride back to a warm bed. Steve and Jon relate over the odd experience of life above 8000 meters and a tragedy Jon witnessed on the mountain. The discussion shows a glimpse of the difficulty of this type of climb and the precarious nature of humanity on the ledges of a mountain known for death. This is the first of a two-part episode around Jon’s experience training for and ultimately summiting K2 without supplemental oxygen.

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In April 2018 Steve House and another mountain guide were the first to discover a massive tragedy that ultimately took the lives of seven skiers.  Swiss National Television recently released a documentary on the incident, Todesfalle (Death trap) Haute Route, a film directed by Frank Senn. Steve recounts his experience of the catastrophe and digs into what it means to be a first responder, guide and most of all a human, when faced with the loss of human life. Alyssa and Steve grapple with the questions of luck, human error, preparedness and individual responsibility. They dissect the judgment often associated with accidents and attempt to reconcile how to learning from these tragedies and supporting a community often faced with devastating losses.

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Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBbtfX16UFE&t=125s

In the final episode of our Training for Trail Running Series, Alyssa and return guest, coach Will Weidman, address race strategies and preparation for trail running success. The two discuss common mistakes in racing, developing a realistic time goal and race strategy, and how to focus on process vs outcome. They further break down organizing gear in drop bags and for your crew as well as setting time goals and expectations for your crew when coming in to aid stations. Will and Alyssa offer their advice on handling race day nerves and remembering that consistent training and hard work will lead to positive outcomes.

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In this episode of Training for Trail Running, Alyssa sits down with one of the Uphill Athlete Physical Therapists, Pete Dickinson. The two discuss common injuries Pete sees in trail runners and how to avoid the training errors that lead to injury. They also break down treatment options, recommendations for strength training and the importance of recovery for runners. They tackle tendon injuries and why they occur along with differences between road and trail running. Pete gives his recommendations for recovery techniques and how to stay happy and healthy on the trails. Tune in for a great episode with many suggestions from a top notch physio.

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In this episode, Alyssa sits down with coach Martin Zhor to discuss running in extreme conditions like altitude, heat and cold. They kick off with recommendations for acclimatization before racing, and different strategies to utilize depending on time and finances. They break down the higher caloric and hydration needs at altitude as well as the changes the body goes through at altitude. They then tackle running and racing in heat and heat training strategies that can help the body adapt more smoothly to the stress. They also touch on nutrition and hydration factors in heat as well as cold. Finally they wrap up with proper preparation and gear management for cold weather running to stay safe. For those reaching for higher and more complex races, this is the podcast for you.

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On this episode, Alyssa catches up with Registered Dietician, Rebecca Dent, to discuss proper race fueling strategies and how to perform your nutrition best in trail running. The two break down how to set up a race nutrition strategy as well as how to test this strategy in your training. Rebecca emphasizes the importance of proper carbohydrate consumption throughout the race and how it can turn a DNF into a Personal Best. They continue with considerations for multi-day races, gut training and common GI issues runners face. The two wrap with hydration and sodium requirements as well as the top three common mistakes Rebecca sees trail athletes make in nutrition. Rebecca shares a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience in this podcast and it will help you achieve your trail running goals.

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Sweat Loss Calculator: https://www.precisionhydration.com/performance-advice/hydration/how-to-measure-your-sweat-rate/

Alyssa welcomes fellow coaches Alexa Hasman and Brian Passenti to a coaches round table to discuss in race fueling strategies. They break down using aid stations, planning race nutrition, as well as fueling considerations for different distances. With all three having experience running distances from 50km to over 300 miles, each discusses how they individually approach a race, mistakes they have made and how they have learned to deal with ups and downs in their own careers. They also give advise on managing nausea and their ride or die must bring nutrition. Lastly, the three discuss what to do when it seems like everything is going wrong, and how to dig yourself out and keep moving forward. You do not want to miss this lively discussion on managing your race fueling.

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Alyssa is joined by two special guests this episode on pacing and crewing, her pacer from the Canyons 100 miler, Nic Erol, and her husband and long time crew chief, Codi Clark. The first part of the episode focuses on pacing where Nic and Alyssa discuss the history of pacers, their purpose in races as well as where in the world pacing is allowed or disallowed. They go on to talk about what to look for in a pacer, the pacer’s role for the runner, and discussions to have pre-race. In the second half of the episode, Codi and Alyssa break down the role of a crew, especially how a crew chief operates and delegates tasks to help the runner. They also discuss packing essentials for crew, how to mentally and physically prepare for the race and wrap up with Codi’s key takeaways from crewing for the past six years. This is a great episode to share with your pacers and crew to help prepare for success in racing and beyond.