Noah Droddy, from Indianapolis, Indiana, never qualified for the state meet in high school but decided to continue his running career at Division III DePauw University anyway. He ran well but was no collegiate star. After a few years of soul-searching post grad, Noah moved to Boulder, Colorado to pursue becoming a professional distance runner. Since doing so, he has improved vastly in distances from 5k to the marathon. So much so that he is now one of the top 10 marathoners in American history. ...
Jun 14, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Sometimes the road to the Olympic Trials takes a detour and that is exactly what has happened for Keira D'Amato. Keira, one of the favorites in the 10k at the start of 2021, has been battling a hamstring injury for a few months. That injury seemed to be a minor hiccup - until it wasn't. Ultimately, it simply wouldn't allow Keira to do the hard training necessary to compete at the highest level. In this episode Keira opens us about injury, her thought process over the last six weeks, what it feel...
Jun 11, 2021•50 min
Resilience can present itself in many forms and situations. It's a quality that is necessary to achieve great things. Or sometimes even the most mundane. Sarah Wiliarty is overflowing with this essential quality. Sarah started running after giving birth to her two children. Like so many of us, she quickly eyed the marathon and, despite it's challenges, fell in love with the sport and the distance. After one fateful race she headed to Germany as part of her work as a college professor. While ther...
Jun 08, 2021•1 hr 21 min
Steve Kirkwood is here and he has an amazing story to tell. A self-described food addict, Steve had always been a bigger guy. Type 2 diabetes started to affect him at an early age his friends did what they could to help him turn it around be couldn’t seem to change his ways. At a high of 360 pounds Steve knew he needed a change. As a pastor, it’s fitting that he found the light on a Sunday at church. In this episode you will learn about his incredible transformation into a avid runner, how he sh...
Jun 04, 2021•48 min
I love following Natacha Scherf's running journey. She is pure excitement and enthusiasm. For running. For others. For the running community at large. For the possibility of improvement and continuing to get better and better. Natacha started running three years ago and promptly fell in love with a sport that she used to hate. She didn't merely love running but also the feeling of accomplishment that running gave her. In this episode Natacha puts her enthusiasm on display. We talk about how she ...
May 31, 2021•1 hr 6 min
With running on the shelf since February 9 (except for a brief two week return that was quickly discontinued) it is time to do a full review of the first 10 months of Mastering 40. I didn't pull any punches in this solo episode. Fist we go through things that I feel good about that happened this year. Then we dive into the many things that I don't feel good about. I'm categorizing them that way on purpose. I don't want to say things went well or poorly - no need to judge, just here for the learn...
May 28, 2021•39 min
Sleep. We all need and most of want (read: need) more of it. That's why I was eager to speak with Dr. Shelby Harris. She is board certified in Behavioral Sleep Medicine (BSM) by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and treats a wide variety of sleep disorders (insomnia, nightmares, circadian rhythm disorders, narcolepsy, apnea treatment noncompliance) using evidence-based non-pharmacological treatments. Before going into private practice, Dr. Harris was the longstanding director of the Behavio...
May 24, 2021•1 hr 4 min
I'm elated to welcome elite professional runner Taylor Ward to the show. One of the main reasons I love having pro's on the show is when they can share info about topics that directly relate to amateur runners. With that in mind, I was eager to speak with Taylor about her recovery from hip surgery that sidelined her for months something she continues to rehabilitate. Recovering from injury is something that nearly every runner has, or will, experience. The road back to health is almost never a s...
May 21, 2021•1 hr
Rhandi Orme is back. Get your pen and pad out and be ready to take plenty of notes. As you may have heard in Rhandi's previous appearances on the show (episodes 35 and 112) she is a serious badass with five kids in tow. A year ago Rhandi gave birth to baby number five. After deliberately progressing through her post-partum life Rhandi was ready to try one of the only challenges she had yet to tackle - a 100 mile race. She had already completed an IRONMAN, a 24 OCR race, marathons, ultras, and so...
May 17, 2021•1 hr 8 min
Can you imagine turning your 5K racing speed into your half marathon speed? How about finally mastering the marathon after you’ve given birth to two kids? What about becoming the runner you always wanted to become despite having a family and a challenging full-time job? Katie Rey has been able to all of this, and more. Not only that, she is one of the most supportive members of the running community that I’ve ever met. Today I’m so excited to share this conversation with a person I’ve admired fo...
May 14, 2021•57 min
Lauren Antonucci, RDN, CSSD, CDE, CDN, is the owner and director of Nutrition Energy, where she creates individualized plans that fit the lifestyle of each client, helps them develop a healthy relationship with food and their bodies, and guides them to reach their nutrition and health goals. She is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), is certified by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as a specialist in sports dietetics (CSSD), and is certified by the National Certification Board for D...
May 10, 2021•57 min
Claire Bartholic wasn’t always a runner. She started running in her mid-30s simply to get in shape for her high school reunion. It wasn’t about getting faster or racing; it was, to be honest, mainly about vanity. But something changed in her as the miles slowly added up. The reunion came and went and she kept running. Already plant based, she finished her first marathon at age 38 in 4:02 and was immediately hooked. She became a student of the marathon using Jeff Gaudette’s training philosophy an...
May 07, 2021•1 hr
In our last Mastering 40 episode (ep. 12) my conversation with my running coach and sports psychologist were overwhelmingly positive. It appeared as though I had finally gotten my left knee healthy and was running again. All that changed a few days after that episode was published. The knee pain returned just as suddenly as it mysteriously arrived in the first place. In this episode Adrienne Langelier and I have a full therapy session on dealing with my worst inner dialogue and where I go from h...
May 03, 2021•48 min
Stefanie Flippin is back and, my goodness, what a return. I'll simply quote her Strava page as it says it all: Going home with the US 100 Mile National Title! 14:35:21: 1st woman, 3rd OA, 40 minute CR, 6th fastest all-time 100 mile for an American woman and the race of a lifetime. This was an hour and twenty minute PR for me, with 20 minute 50 mile and 100k PRs along the way. The field was the deepest pro field I've ever had the honor of lining up with. I got the absolute best out of myself by p...
Apr 30, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Yes, you read that title correctly. As a teenager John Verhagen was a 300lb high school football player with an eye on playing in college. After getting recruited to several small schools in the Upper-Midwest, John was forced to give up his dream. His health was in jeopardy due to his weight and diet. Football was gone - as was the soda, pop, and many of John's staple foods. And, that's when running entered the picture. John's first marathon turned into a bit of a ordeal. He crossed the line in ...
Apr 26, 2021•54 min
Cheryl Miller is one the most interesting people we've had on the show with an absolutely fascinating story. Cheryl grew up in a challenging situation with almost all of her family members dying when she was young for a variety of reasons. After relocating to Long Island to live with her grandparents she started to excel at running just when her life needed to be put on the right track. After several New York state titles she decided to run at Georgetown. She quickly moved on from running while ...
Apr 23, 2021•1 hr 31 min
Jessica Dorsey in back on the show and my goodness, she is a force of nature. When she was first on the pod, episode 181, her toughness, endurance, raw athleticism, and grit made her a listener favorite. She brought all of that, and more, to this episode mixed in with an equal amount of humility and pragmatism. Jessica is a 2:53 marathoner who worked through some significant injuries and life changes over the past year. She rebounded and attacked a new challenge - obstacle course racing (OCR). A...
Apr 19, 2021•1 hr
As nearly everyone in the running world knows by now, we saw history in the making this week. Des Linden broke the world record and Nicholas Thompson set the 45-49 American record in the 50k. In addition, Adriana Nelson and Chirine Njeim raced the marathon along the semi-secret Oregon ground that has seen many top runners in the COVID era. Peter Bromka was invited to be a part of history less than 24 hours before the starting gun went off and made the most of the invite. In this episode, Peter g...
Apr 16, 2021•1 hr 13 min
Melissa is back on the show and it is a delight hear about what she has been able to do over the past year. Like so many of us, her professional and personal life was thrown upside down. Melissa is a woman of many talents, and just as many jobs, and having to re-work them into the new paradigm was a significant challenge. Even with all of that on her plate she still managed to keep running. At first her miles were for mental and emotional preservation. Then they slowly returned to marathon build...
Apr 12, 2021•58 min
In the first part of this episode we from Alex Elizabeth about her story of finding identity and healing from trauma, through running. Alex penned an extraordinarily powerful essay for Runner's World and hearing her speak about these topics made her writing even more powerful. Alex is a dedicated and successful ultra trail runner. She is also a shoe reviewer for Believe in the Run so, of course, we had to end our conversation with some shoe talk. After Years of Trauma, Running Is My Home. Here's...
Apr 09, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Theresa Hailey, a runner for Oiselle, is well known for her positivity and strength as a runner and person. In the lead-up to the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials she fell just one second short of qualifying. Then, after a successful build-up to Boston in 2019, her race that didn't live-up to her training nor fitness. A feeling so many of us have experienced. In preparation for the 2020 Olympic Trials she prepared her body with strength training like never before. Her Marathon Olympic Trials race to...
Apr 05, 2021•1 hr 1 min
In this two-part episode we have a feature story with official badass Gabby Wennerstrom and we catch-up with writer/runner/coach David Roche to learn more about a recent article he wrote for Trail Runner Mag. Gabby Wennerstrom has steadily worked her way down from a 5:40 marathon all the way down to a 3:23. A remarkable feet that required nearly a decade of work and a boat-load of optimism. Gabby was committed to her goal of getting a BQ and, as she proved, it was simply a matter of when and not...
Apr 02, 2021•1 hr 29 min
Five week after my last pain free run my knee is finally in working order. It took a couple weeks of no running nor cross-training followed by three days of easy run/walks. Now I've run three days in a row and it appears as though my knee has turned the corner. Next up, doing the same thing with my training. In this episode, coach James McKirdy details what's next and addresses my concern that maybe my goal of breaking 40:00 is too tall a task. Adrienne Langelier and I talk about how the recent ...
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Michelle Baxter is a dedicated runner from Anchorage, Alaska with two young kids a drive to go sub-3:00 in the marathon. She has run 10 marathons including the Boston Marathon in 2013 and the NYC Marathon in 2018. Michelle has come a long way in just a few years, working her way up to 100 miles in a week, winning the 2013 Kenai River Marathon, placing 19th at the Twin Cities Marathon where she ran her current PR of 3:02, and placing 1st at the Moose’s Tooth Marathon at 9.5 months postpartum. You...
Mar 26, 2021•51 min
In this two part episode we meet Kevin Duffy and speak with Sarah Lorge Butler about her recent article for Runner's World entitled Why Aren't More Female Coaches in Charge of Pro Teams? Kevin is Fireman in Yonkers, NY, 5 x Ironman, 50 miler finisher, plant-based athlete and cook. Here's a intro to Kevin in his own words: "For most of my life I ate the standard American diet. This typical days, weeks and years full of meat, cow’s milk, eggs, cheese, sugary cereals, too much pizza (like 3 days a ...
Mar 22, 2021•1 hr 26 min
Have you ever had a goal that you worked for years to accomplish only to fall short by the slimmest of margins time and time again? It takes a strong person with a sense of mission to keep getting up and striving for that goal instead of giving in. That is exactly what Meaghan Murray-Neuberger did when she broke the 3:00 at the Woodlands Marathon two weeks ago. Meaghan is a three-time marathon winner with a previous marathon PR of 3:00:19. At Woodlands she ran a blistering fast 2:56:33 - 6:44 pa...
Mar 19, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Kim Sundling is an avid marathoner, cross-trainer, pharmacist with a focus on mental health, a bundle of energy - and someone who continues to work through depression and lupus. Not only that, but she is back on the show to detail her completion of the brutal Goggins Challenge. She ran four miles every four hours for 48 hours. Kim didn't merely complete this amazing test of endurance she nearly set a 5k PR over the final three miles. I've had the privilege of coaching Kim through my work with Mc...
Mar 15, 2021•55 min
When I first had the idea for Mastering 40 I knew that one of the major steps I would need to take was a detailed blood analysis. A mirror, scale, and workout data can provide insight but it doesn’t tell the whole story. I needed to know my exact starting point then track my biomarkers throughout the year. I reached out to InsideTracker, the leader in this space, and they agreed to help me out. Stevie Smith MS, RDN, CSSD, CDN, a registered dietitian at InsideTracker, and ten time IRONMAN finishe...
Mar 12, 2021•58 min
Tommie Runz is making big moves with his own running and within the broader running community. Several years back Tommie was the picture of ill-health. He had an alcohol problem, was eating poorly, and was doing little exercise. They one-by-one he addressed all of these issues until he became the man and runner he is today - fast, fit, vegan, host of the Run Eat Sleep Show, and owner of Chip Time Running. A truly magnificent transformation for a man who's an even better person than he is a runne...
Mar 08, 2021•1 hr 9 min
Erica Sara discovered her passion for jewelry design at just 10 years old, using scraps of leather to craft fabulous leather pins, earrings, and hair pieces for her family and friends. Two decades later, all grown up and armed with a degree in business and years of fashion experience from Barneys NY and Coach, Erica set out to design a jewelry line for today’s modern, driven, fashion savvy, and influential woman. Erica Sara Designs was born out of a dream to help others wear their dreams. The li...
Mar 05, 2021•1 hr 7 min
