In today's episode I speak with a longtime friend who morphed into the one of the most consistent and best masters runners I know. Mike Carroll and I played at rival high schools yet bonded over off-season hoops. 20 years later he decided to dip his toe into endurance running. Then, the week of his father's passing, he made a promise to his Dad that he'd run the Boston Marathon in his honor. Since that day Mike has been on a mission. That mission culminated in a 3:18 marathon, and a BQ, at the S...
Nov 17, 2023•1 hr
In this far-ranging conversation, WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) TV host Megan Connolly Morant talks about it all. We made sure to discuss her recent 3:02 NYC Marathon a few months removed from being a living kidney donor, and the domino effort of that donation. We also talked about: Growing up with big running dreams Balancing elite college running with new goals/priorities Her shifting relationship with running post-college Connecting within local running communities Going after big runni...
Nov 16, 2023•1 hr 16 min
In the first of a two episode partnership with the California International Marathon, we are exploring the famous CIM Olympic Trials qualifying pace groups. In 2019 Katrina Spratford-Sterling and Henry Sterling made their marathon debuts at CIM with the dream of qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Trials. Their 2019 experiences were very different but they both reached their goals. In this episode, Katrina and Henry do a deep dive into every logistical and running related decision of the weekend and...
Nov 07, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Gabi Rooker has made one of the most unique athletic transformations at the top of the American women's marathoning field - All-American college gymnast to elite marathoner. Gabi eased into running post-college while she tried a handful of other sports. Her talent and hard work soon elevated her to high-level local runner in Minnesota. Her potential started to become apparent with a 2:56 debut marathon at Grandma's in 2021! But, she was still 32 minutes away from her amazing PR of 2:24 at the 20...
Nov 03, 2023•56 min
Jereny Rivera is back on Road to the Trials and she has an important story to share. At the beginning of this year Jereny was experiencing significant physical symptoms that were impacting her training and her life. Extreme fatigue, hair loss, brittle finger nails, and loss of motivation were among them. These physical symptoms soon began weighing on her mental and emotional wellbeing. After months of searching for an answer she finally found one - low ferritin. In this episode, Jereny details t...
Oct 31, 2023•38 min
In another evergreen coaching episode we talk about how best to race a marathon in the heat. We recorded this episode because this the Marine Corps Marathon will be held this weekend in less than desirable conditions and we want everyone to be at their best on race day! In this episode we cover pacing adjustments, cooling strategies, and nutrition recommendations. Sponsor : Janji - Save 15% on the best running apparel, that includes a five year guarantee, with code “rambling” at www.janji.com . ...
Oct 27, 2023•23 min
Polly Moody is one badass runner. The full-time teacher and mother of two suffered a massive knee injury two years tearing her ACL and meniscus. The surgery to repair both left her wondering how she'd rebound from a serious surgery as a masters runner. Little did she know that she'd return better than ever! Polly just ran a huge PR of 2:46 at the Chicago Marathon, placing 9th in the 40-44 age group in one of the most competitive marathons in the world. You can follow Polly at www.instagram.com/m...
Oct 23, 2023•57 min
Last weekend I had the immense privilege of watching nearly 40 athletes earn an OTQ marathon time at the McKirdy Micro Marathon. One of those athletes was Alex Burks. In one of the most insightful and powerful conversations we've ever had on this this, Alex describes the last four years in which he persevered through challenges, worked is butt off, fell short many times, and eventually earned his lofty goal of qualifying for the Olympic Trials. Below is the text from an Instagram post that Alex ...
Oct 20, 2023•57 min
It was a honor (and a blast!) to have Danni McNeilly on the show! She became the 31st U.S. born African-American women to break 3:00 in the marathon at Chicago two weeks ago. It was a result ten years in the making and one that put her in the history books. She also became the fourth women in the Black Roses running club to make The List - an incredible achievement for a single club. Here is a what that day meant to Danni in her own words (via her Instagram): "I’ve been struggling to find the wo...
Oct 17, 2023•54 min
When Bridget Chamberlin ran her first two marathons in her early 20's she was confident that there were two types of runners: The fast runners (which included her college running friends) and slower runners (like her). She was happy and content with that segmentation and loved running for what it was and how it made her feel. However, over the next decade her ability and preconceived notions of what was possible started to change. Her marathon times, her race of choice, started to get faster and...
Oct 13, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Mike Obara is a tough and fast masters runner who has run over 20 marathons in the last seven years and a number of ultramarathons. He also has type 1 diabetes. Mike was diagnosed when he was a college soccer player who suddenly lost 25 without explanation. Since then Mike has learned to manage his disease, become an endurance runner around the age of 40, learn how to manage the tricky fueling process, and power his way to some extraordinary results. The first 15 minutes of the episode Mike desc...
Oct 10, 2023•1 hr 5 min
In this coaching minisode I dive into the factors necessary to run your best marathon, the "dream day" fallacy, and what is the biggest hurdle to racing up to your fitness and potential on race day. Sponsor : Janji - Save 15% on the best running apparel, that includes a five year guarantee, with code “rambling” at www.janji.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Oct 07, 2023•15 min
Omar Stanley Posadas started running three years ago as a masters runner. In that very short time he went from novice to a 3:01 marathoner! I couldn’t wait to get Omar on the show to talk all about his incredible improvement, love for the sport, and lessons he’s learned along the way. You can follow Omar on Instagram at www.instagram.com/omar.runs.napa . Sponsor : Janji - Save 15% on the best running apparel with code “rambling” at www.janji.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone....
Oct 04, 2023•46 min
Today I am joined by Laura Galeazzo to talk about how athletes can handle the Boston Marathon qualifying process. This evergreen episode is for athletes who failed to reach the qualifying standard, those who met that standard but were not accepted into the race, and those who qualified were accepted to run Boston. This year we saw the second largest qualifying buffer ever - 5:29. Over 22,000 runners were accepted into the race and just over 11,000 qualifiers were denied admission. When the news ...
Oct 01, 2023•57 min
The Road to the Trials series is back with Sara Vaughn! Sara will be running the Chicago Marathon where she finished 7th with a marathon PR of 2:26 last year. The Chicago elite field is absolutely LOADED and it's sure to be one heck of a race. We also talk about her recent coaching change, the differences in this marathon cycle, her reaction to the new women's marathon world record, and her thoughts about the amazing accomplishments of Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan over the summer. Learn more ...
Sep 27, 2023•37 min
Today on the podcast we are joined by two legends: Megan Roche, M.D. and Jacob Puzey. In this episode we discuss what marathoners can learn from ultra runners and what closely held beliefs in the marathon road running community aren’t necessarily gospel in the ultra world. Here are some topics we discuss: Running on pavement versus various types of trail Lengths of long runs and/or weekend doubles Embracing fun and exciting challenges Effort focused versus time/pace focused Nutrition on the run ...
Sep 06, 2023•1 hr 4 min
After Nell Rojas finished the Boston Marathon her running life has been a whirlwind. In this episode, she bring her trademark honesty and dives into all of it: Getting back to top fitness after Boston, investing in her health by working with nutritionist and upping her carb intake, and the onset of a stress fracture in her foot that altered her plans and left her with plenty of uncertainty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Sep 01, 2023•34 min
Today we dive into the incredible journey of Ryan Gehman, a 30-year-old post-collegiate runner and the 103rd finisher at the 2023 Boston Marathon, with an impressive time of 2:27 (an 11 minute PR). Ryan describes in detail how running helps him navigate life on the autistic spectrum and is propelling him pursue his dream of qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the marathon. Beyond personal achievement, Ryan uses running to navigate life and inspire hope for other neurodiverse individuals. Join u...
Aug 28, 2023•47 min
Dani Moreno continues her Road to the Trials mini-series as she prepares for the biggest 50k in the world - OCC during UTMB weekend. Last year Dani finished third at this iconic race to cap off a fantastic summer. In this episode we talk about where her fitness is compared to last year, the historic field of women who will be at the starting line (including an amazing group of American women), and a short race course breakdown. Finally, Dani shares some thoughts about who she is excited to watch...
Aug 25, 2023•37 min
Jacquie Mannhard didn't just win the 2023 Leadville 100, she put on a historic performance that very few saw coming. Jacquie, the quintessential dedicated amateur runner, won this iconic race by two hours and did so with the kind of joy that we can all aspire to. Jacquie's journey to the start line was filled with many challenges over the past 20 years. In fact, over the last two years she encountered back-to-back stress fractures in her femur! With the help of her coach, David Roche, she devise...
Aug 24, 2023•1 hr 6 min
The World Championships are almost here and Nico Montañez is ready. In his fifth appearance in the Road to the Trials series, Nico provides a full download on all things World Champs. First we talk about the selection process and his reason for accepting the offer after turning it down in 2019. Nico provides some context to how decisions like this can get tricky when weighed against the possibility of potentially larger paydays at other marathons. Then we go into full training and racing talk h...
Aug 18, 2023•45 min
My good friends Tina Muir and Zoë Rom are back on the podcast to help all of us improve our running performance for the longterm, improve our personal communities, and our planet. This week their new book Becoming a Sustainable Runner is launching and it is EXCELLENT. This approachable book contains training tips and takeaways for beginner runners and elites alike, teaching them how to approach their own practice in a more sustainable way. It also serves as a useful guide to help runners take me...
Aug 17, 2023•59 min
Today on the show we have an intellectual powerhouse - Dr. Kevin Stone. The episode is on the shorter side for this podcast but it is jam packed with high level expertise that you won't want to miss. Dr. Stone of The Stone Clinic is a leading orthopedic surgeons, Ted Talk Speaker, founder of the Stone Research Foundation, and author of Play Forever: How to Recover from Injury and Thrive . He’s been featured in The New York Times, Triathlete Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Well + Good and many oth...
Aug 11, 2023•39 min
In this episode I sit down with Dr. Tommy Martin. Tommy, who first appeared on the show in episode 235, is a doctor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, a husband to a fellow endurance athlete and doctor, and a father to Oliver, who has rare condition called Lamb Shaffer Syndrome. I invited Tommy back on the show to talk about how he balances and organizes he crazy life, going after big endurance goals on a busy schedule, how his power lifting goals work alongside his running/triathlon goals, fo...
Aug 07, 2023•48 min
Erica Weitz is on her third Olympic Trials Qualifying cycle - a remarkable goal/achievement for a dedicated amateur runner. Her first attempt in 2016 fell short by the slimmest of margins. She was able to reach her dream goal in 2019 in a remarkable performance after a year of injuries. Now, she is working her tail off in order to try and go under 2:37. She's doing all of this with her trademark high-energy style. I've wanted to get Erica on the podcast for a long time and the wait was certainly...
Aug 04, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Wow! Six years since the start of the Rambling Runner Podcast. Thank you to everyone for listening to the show - it means more than I can express. In this episode, I do an Ask Me Anything to a bunch of questions that were submitted on Instagram. The questions focused on the motivations behind the show, how it started, what's changed in the industry, lessons learned, and so much more! Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by UCAN nutrition which is powered to deliver steady, long lasting energy with...
Aug 03, 2023•34 min
Carmen Graves returns to Road to the Trials to detail her exciting summer. Carmen locked down a new sponsor (Oiselle), made a emotionanal decision to enter a meet and hurt her foot in the process, limited her training, and ran a PR in the 3000m steeplechase at USA's. An eventful three months, that's for sure! You can follow Carmen at www.instagram.com/carmenpelar and read her writing on her website https://carmenpelar.com/ . Sponsors: Thank you to Lagoon for sponsoring this episode and for their...
Jul 28, 2023•59 min
Dr. Jess Mena, doctor of physical therapy, coach at Lift, Run, Perform, and longtime podcast favorite, is back! In this episode, Jess and I talk about the "Good Enough" zone. First we discuss what it is, how it's different for each person, and how it can change over time. Then the podcast is broken into two parts: When to embrace "good enough" and when to strive for more. Follow Jess at www.instagram.com/tempo_with_jess . Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by UCAN nutrition which is powered to d...
Jul 26, 2023•1 hr 3 min
Ramiro "DJ Curly" Guillen is back for his latest installment in the Road to the Trials series. Last month Ramiro and his amazing wife Melissa welcomed a baby girl into the world! We dive into the specifics of how that went for him and Melissa before diving into training talk. The birth of their daughter led to Curly cancelling his Grandma's Marathon experience and altering his summer training and racing plans. As he continues to build and gain fitness, Ramiro is showing signs that he is close to...
Jul 21, 2023•49 min
Jon Levitt is back on the show and it couldn't have come at a better time. Over the last year Jon experienced significant lows in his high running life. He battled back from them by stepping away from hard core training and it made all the difference. Now, Jon is revitalized, back training at a high level, and about to embark on a wild summer of racing and pacing that fits him perfectly. In this episode Jon details all of it with his trademark candor and thoughtfulness. You can listen to Jon's p...
Jul 17, 2023•55 min
