Community Trail Running

When Gary Robbins and Eric Carter seek you out to work with them, you’re probably a pretty good athlete and an even better person. The two of them operate Ridgeline Athletics and added Jeanelle Hazlett as their first outside coaching hire in 2018. She’s been helping people become better trail runners and athletes as a Ridgeline coach ever since. Getting better at anything requires practice and discipline. A coach can focus your practice so you are taking the most direct route to your goal. Jeanelle tells us about providing that focus for her athletes who are looking to become better trail runners. “The most exciting thing has been really getting to know my athletes. What makes them tick and trick. They’re like, “I didn’t even mention this to you and yet you knew.” It’s the coaches intuition that gets to become the primary thing which is pretty exciting.” Spotify: Click HereGoogle Podcasts: Click HereApple Podcasts: Click HereThe conversation was a lot of fun and provided some great insight into what a trail running coach thinks about. I’m also certainly looking forward to the PNW Trailrunners group runs. I hope to see some of you out there! Jeanelle’s InstagramRidgeline Athletics WebsitePNW Trailrunners WebsiteI trained with Ridgeline Athletics in 2021 for the Squamish 50/50. I absolutely loved it and I feel that I learned more in 9 months of full-time coaching with them than I had in the previous 7 years of running. Obviously, you can reach out to Jeanelle with any questions you have, and feel free to comment below if you have any for me as well!If you enjoy the podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :) Get full access to Community Trail Running at communitytrailrunning.substack.com/subscribe

Erick Thompson is the creator of “Fifty”, a trail running documentary. He told me the challenges of making a great documentary. The doc is about his journey to, and completion of, his first-ever 50 miler, along the HBC Heritage Trail: “I Love this trail. It’s really interesting and it’s just beautiful. There are some great spots on it.”Erick has a great connection with the HBC Trail and really enjoyed running and showcasing it.He was a great guest and it was fun to hear what a challenge it can be to run and document at the same time. I loved how Erick mentioned Monet painting the same scene multiple times and how he feels the same way attempting to showcase the HBC Heritage trail. Erick had a great crew and it really motivated him to stick to his training. He didn’t want to let them down on the big day! Check out Erick’s Twitter and Youtube. If you listen to your podcasts elsewhere, here are some links:Spotify: Click HereGoogle Podcasts: Click HereApple Podcasts: Click HereIf you enjoy the podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :) Get full access to Community Trail Running at communitytrailrunning.substack.com/subscribe

This trail running podcast is fun and inclusive. It features interviews with wonderful people who will share helpful and entertaining information. I promise it will be 15 minutes well spent and you will look forward to the next episode!I wanted to create a trailer for the podcast as some of the players have the option to highlight one. My wife Sheena (she’s also a makeup and hair superstar!) was kind enough to take me out for a photoshoot recently as well. So now I have a new logo for the podcast and some promotional material to milk a whole “post” out of ;) I certainly appreciate all of you being here and supporting the newsletter. It’s been really fun so far as the writing side and the podcast side start to find their feet. Spotify: Click HereGoogle Podcasts: Click HereApple Podcasts: Click HereListen to the first episode about who I am here. The podcast has been a lot of fun for me. I love the opportunity to chat and learn from all of the guests, and the challenge of keeping the interview short is also enjoyable. You’ve all been incredibly kind with your feedback and I could not be more grateful. I appreciate every bit of it so always comment on anything you are thinking.I have to once again thank Mimi Jamieson, Kylie Morgan, Myke Labelle, Ty Holtan, and Carl “Professor” Stanfield for chatting with me. Every one of these people has been so kind to give up their time and eager to share some information with all of us, and I think we’re all a bit happier that they did!If you enjoy the podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :) Get full access to Community Trail Running at communitytrailrunning.substack.com/subscribe

Have you ever thought of a goal that was utterly ridiculous, but just “real” enough to want to go for it? Carl “Professor” Stanfield is going for it. Well, he’s hiking for it. Just how many miles is he looking to cover? Does that matter if he literally can’t stand up in the morning?What a goal he has. 11,000 miles (17,703km). Carl joined me for a conversation while hiking (that’s what happens when you need to cover 30 miles (48.5km) a day (recorded Monday February 28, 2022) and he was feeling great. I have to thank his cousin Nathan Franklin, who I met on Reddit, for pointing out the crazy quest Carl is on. What a great tip! I’m so happy that I was able to have this conversation and share it with all of you. Follow Carl along on his Instagram page. Spotify: Click HereGoogle Podcasts: Click HereApple Podcasts: Click HereThe chat was fantastic, however, due to the fact he was hiking beside a road while he had reception, there is a bit of background noise here and there. I don’t think it distracts from Carl’s awesome story at all, but you all deserve the heads up.If you enjoy the podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :) Get full access to Community Trail Running at communitytrailrunning.substack.com/subscribe

Ty Holtan stood in the rain at the 2021 Squamish 50 for an absurd amount of time, and covered a ridiculous amount of distance to take great photos of you trail running. He does this all the time! Why would he do that? He is an ultra trail running photographer.Ty has a couple of degrees (Kinesiology and Exercise Science and Human Kinetics) and he’s taken photos for a bunch of big companies you know (like Lululemon and Redbull). His Instagram page is a great follow and I think you will find our conversation interesting!I met Ty at a Coast Mountain Trail Running event and quickly realized he is an easily approachable and friendly photographer. I was super happy when he was willing to chat and tell us a bit more about what it’s like to be a trail running photographer. I loved that he mentioned his gear is not that heavy and then reveals it’s about 40lb. Good thing he’s packing all kinds of “highly crushable” food to keep him going! Ty talked about the 2021 Squamish 50 being a recent highlight for him, and it certainly was for me as well!Spotify: Click HereGoogle Podcasts: Click HereApple Podcasts: Click HereIt goes without saying, but all the photos in this post are Ty’s. They are awesome! If you are interested in working with him, reach out.Ty was a great guest and I hope you enjoy our conversation. I’d love to hear what you think in the comments. It’s been really nice to interview people about things they are passionate about and knowledgeable about. I’m having so much fun learning from everyone and producing these podcasts. I’m grateful for my guests to have spent some time chatting with me, and to each and every one of you who has tuned in and listened. Thank you.If you enjoy the podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :) Get full access to Community Trail Running at communitytrailrunning.substack.com/subscribe

Create a tough course and memorable trail running event for all that take the start line. That’s what Myke Labelle manages to do, year in and year out. He’s a race director extraordinaire! How does he create those memorable events?Myke directs the Vancouver Island Trail Series and the Finlayson Arm (or Finny) Races. With registration opening today for the series (Monday, February 14, 2022), Myke was kind enough to join me and chat about the race. I went longer than I’m aiming to, and we certainly could have kept going! But I’m trying to keep to a style idea here so my apologies for going slightly long.Spotify: Click HereGoogle Podcasts: Click HereThe most important thing (to me) is greeting every finisher. It is vitally important that I spend that 5, 10, 15 seconds with someone when they cross the finish line, because they’ve just had whatever expereince that they may have had, but they’ve also take the time out of their weekend, out of their lives to train for your event, and it’s important for me to recognize that. - Myke LabelleMyke is a wonderful guy and is out to make his event as amazing for everyone as humanly possible. This race is a favourite of mine and really feels like a unique event to take part in. I can’t recommend it enough. Click to read more about coaching services from Myke, as well as the Finlayson Arm races and the Vancouver Island Trail Series!I was also excited to take some questions from Twitter for the first time: Thanks to all of you that submitted and I apologize if I couldn’t get to yours. Time goes so fast!As mentioned in the introduction of the podcast, I’m still taking submissions for “What does trail running mean to you?” Check that post out after if you haven’t submitted it already, and let me know! Finally, Human powered is a documentary by Matt Cecill about the 2018 version of the Finlayson Arm races and is a super fun watch. Whether you are running the race or not, the video is a great use of your time. Myke and I flew through our conversation so fast, we didn’t even get to talk about it! You’ll be ready for a run after you watch :)If you enjoy the podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :) Get full access to Community Trail Running at communitytrailrunning.substack.com/subscribe

Kylie Morgan of the Morgan Method hits me with some incredible facts about strength training. One 30-minute workout each week can reduce our risk of heart attack or stroke by a crazy percentage! Just how much do you think it is?Kylie was super fun to chat with and had all kinds of great notes like this prepared for our chat. She has a Bachelors's and a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science with a particular interest in cardiovascular physiology. She’s worked in the fitness industry for a long while and she absolutely loves trail running, yoga, snowboarding, and strength training! I think you’ll find her informative and the conversation fun. I certainly did! Spotify: Click HereGoogle Podcasts: Click HereApple Podcasts: Click HereYoutube: Click HereYou should check out her website here. She has a free yoga program for trail runners you can check out here. And you can keep up to date on her informative IG feed here.If you enjoy the podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :) Get full access to Community Trail Running at communitytrailrunning.substack.com/subscribe

Mimi Jamieson of “Answers Within Hypnotherapy” talks about how we can literally reprogram our trail running mind. Flip the switch and turn off the pain. Can it be that simple?!Mimi is the very first guest on the podcast! She is a BA graduate of Psychology, and a Hypnotherapist and Sex therapist from Victoria, BC. I know Mimi from a few years back, as I was having trouble sleeping and decided to give hypnotherapy a try. I learned a lot and found it very helpful, and also was intrigued by what it might do for a runner. Mimi was kind enough to indulge me, and I think you’ll enjoy the information.She explains what is actually going on during a hypnotherapy session, in particular, tapping into our subconscious mind. I hope you enjoy the show as much as I enjoyed my conversation with Mimi!Listen on Spotify hereGoogle Podcasts hereIf you enjoy the podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :) Get full access to Community Trail Running at communitytrailrunning.substack.com/subscribe

This trail running podcast will be fun and inclusive. It will feature interviews with all kinds of guests (think hypnotherapy to world record hiking attempts) and always be around 15 minutes. The idea is to leave everyone wanting more.I’m trying something new today! Episode 1 of the podcast is up, and I hope you’ll indulge me and take a listen. I also hope the rookie behind the microphone won’t send you frantically clicking the close tab screen…This episode is a natural follow to the first newsletter post, as I just tell a bit about myself and what I’m hoping to cover on the podcast. The podcast will have the same idea as the newsletter of being inclusive and fun, as I hope to involve as many of you as possible. The podcast will usually be about 10 minutes as well, short and to the point. I’m hoping it will just be a little reprieve through the week.Google podcasts click hereSo please, take a listen and comment below what you would like to hear, or anything else you can think of. Thank you again for stopping by and I’m pumped to keep this thing growing.Music by Skilsel from PixabayIf you enjoy the podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :) Get full access to Community Trail Running at communitytrailrunning.substack.com/subscribe