the morning shakeout podcast

I’m traveling this week and don’t have a new episode of the podcast for you but I want to take this opportunity to re-run one of my favorite conversations that I’ve ever had for the show. It’s with Diljeet Taylor, who is the head women’s cross-country coach and the Associate Director of Track and Field and field at BYU, which is one of the top collegiate programs in the country. We recorded this episode nearly two years ago when we were in the thick of the pandemic and it’s a great one to revisit or maybe check out for the first time. In this conversation, which is really a masterclass is coaching and team building, Coach Taylor talked to me about the culture she’s helped build at BYU, why gratitude is so important to the strength of that culture, the importance of investing in people and not performances, and so, so much more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The new Fresh Foam X More v4 is a maximum cushion shoe with a responsive ride that I’m really enjoying for recovery runs right now. It’s super plush but also incredible light. It's available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your favorite run specialty retail store.— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s episode is with Ruben Sança. Ruben and I go back a ways: When I was a senior at Stonehill College we recruited him pretty hard to come run at our school. He ultimately ended up going to our rival, UMass Lowell, where he went on to have a great collegiate career as a 4x All-American and three-time New England champion. It turned out to be the right choice for him as Ruben now works at his alma mater as the Director of Student Life & Well-Being. After college, Ruben made some big jumps as an athlete. In 2011 he represented his home country of Cape Verde in the marathon at the World Championships in South Korea and the following year he competed in the 5000m at the Olympic Games in London. In fact, it was during those Olympics that I first spent some meaningful time with Ruben and got know him a little bit. Ruben has also finished in the top-25 of the Boston Marathon twice and still competes regularly on the New England road racing scene. In August, he and his five-year-old son Greyson broke the Guinness World Record for running a mile with a stroller, clocking a 4:32.2 at the High Street Mile in Newburyport, Massachusetts.Even though he’s five years younger than me, Ruben is someone I look up to for the example he sets through his actions. He works incredibly hard, makes time for the people and pursuits he cares most about, and he does it all with humility. In this conversation, we talked about his recent Guinness world record and how he shares running with his son. Ruben told me about growing up in Cape Verde, moving to the U.S. when he was 12 years old, and what it was like settling into the Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods of Boston. We discussed his experience running in high school and some of the challenges of being a distance runner in the inner city, why he chose to run at UMass Lowell and his relationship with coach Gary Gardner, and how he was thinking about his pursuit of competitive running after college. Ruben also explained to me how his relationship to running has evolved over the years and how he fits in training at a high level around family and a full-time job, establishing his nonprofit foundation that focuses on integrating sports and academics to make a sustainable impact in Cape Verde, and so much more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The new Fresh Foam X More v4 is a maximum cushion shoe with a responsive ride that I’m really enjoying for recovery runs right now. It’s super plush but also incredible light. It's available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your favorite run specialty retail store.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I am super excited to share this episode with all of you. It’s with Brendan Leonard, an ultrarunner, writer, award-winning filmmaker, speaker, and creator of one of my favorite websites on the internet, Semi-Rad.com. On top of all that, he’s also a new dad, which we talked quite a bit about in this conversation.Brendan is someone whose work I’ve admired for quite a while now. He’s got an unmatched ability to tell stories, use humor, and share drawings that convey many of the things we all feel and experience as runners, and as human beings in general. In this conversation, we bounced all over the place, covering topics like ultrarunning, creativity, storytelling, self-employment, parenthood, where and how all these things overlap and intersect, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The new Fresh Foam X More v4 is a maximum cushion shoe with a responsive ride that I’m really enjoying for recovery runs right now. It’s super plush but also incredible light. It's available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your favorite run specialty retail store.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m excited to bring you the 7th installment of Common Ground, a monthly podcast co-hosted by me and Dinée Dorame of the Grounded Podcast. In this episode, we catch up on what we’ve both been up to of late personally, professionally, and athletically, we talk marathons, discuss music, and a whole lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The FuelCell SuperComp Trainer from New Balance is something else! This shoe is so fun to run in. It’s got 47 plush millimeters of foam underfoot and a super comfortable rocker profile that encourages efficient forward motion. It’s also got a carbon plate in there that helps smooth the transition from footstrike to toe-off. It's available on newbalance.com or at your favorite run specialty retail store.— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Grounded Podcast theme music by Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo, NM) and used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I am on a little bit of a hiatus from recording new episodes of the podcast so I’m taking this time as an opportunity to re-run some of my favorites from years past that some of you may want to revisit and others might be hearing for the first time. This week, I’m bringing back an incredible conversation I had a little over three years ago with Katie Arnold. Katie is mom, a heck of an ultrarunner, and a great writer, whose memoir, Running Home, really spoke to me on a number of levels. In it, we talked about “smile” and “flow” and why those words are important to her when she races, reverse goal-setting and how this strategy sets her up for success, and balancing competitive running with the rest of her life. We also discussed the importance of observation and paying attention, how death can wake us up to the powerful realization that everything is changing all the time, and how her book came to be and what she hopes readers take away from it.This episode is brought to you by:— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s re-run episode is an incredibly special one to me. It’s with my college cross country and track coach, Karen Boen, who is someone that’s had a profound and lasting impact on my life. Coach saw qualities and abilities in me 20 years ago that I didn’t know I had, and she helped me to not only become a better runner, but she taught me a lot about hard work, leadership, caring for other people, and what it means to be a good teammate and human being. A lot of how I think about training, and coaching, and life in general is due to her influence and I am incredibly grateful to have run for her during my time at Stonehill College.We recorded this episode in June of 2020 and it’s an awesome conversation that goes through Coach’s life growing up in the projects of South Boston, to how she got into track and field in college, to accidentally falling into collegiate coaching at the age of 40. She also told me how she took a small team that was on the brink of extinction and developed it into a nationally ranked program, what it’s like being a full-time female coach at the collegiate level while having a family and maintaining a social life, why she’s always focused on surrounding herself with fantastic people, the importance of setting boundaries, the biggest barriers facing female coaches today at the collegiate level and elsewhere, and so much more.This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith is an independent running brand inspired by a deep love of the sport. Their Summer Collection is now available and features staples ready for your next adventure, including the Run Cannonball Run Shorts, the Off Roads Shorts, the Run Cannonball Run Tee, and more. By using code Mario22 at checkout, you can receive free shipping on your order and 5% of your purchase will go to support the Brave Like Gabe Foundation to fund rare cancer research.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I do not have a new conversation to share with you this week but I am going to re-run a previous episode of the podcast with Lindsay Flanagan that was recorded in early 2020, just a few weeks before the Olympic Trials Marathon, where she ended up finishing 12th. Since that day in Atlanta, Lindsay has made some huge breakthroughs in the marathon and as a fan, it’s been super fun to watch. This past April she was 11th at the Paris Marathon in a personal best 2:26:54, and then, just a few months later in July, she won the Gold Coast Marathon in Australia, breaking the tape in a new course record, and another personal best, 2:24:43.It was fun to revisit this conversation and hear Lindsay’s thoughts on the marathon and what she’s learned from it over the years, dealing with injuries throughout her career and navigating periods of time when she couldn’t run, what she’s learned as a coach of age-group athletes, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith is an independent running brand inspired by a deep love of the sport. Their Summer Collection is now available and features staples ready for your next adventure, including the Run Cannonball Run Shorts, the Off Roads Shorts, the Run Cannonball Run Tee, and more. By using code Mario22 at checkout, you can receive free shipping on your order and 5% of your purchase will go to support the Brave Like Gabe Foundation to fund rare cancer research.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s episode is a long one but it’s a pretty special conversation with one of my first post-collegiate running heroes, Peter Gilmore—who, incredibly and ironically enough, is now my teammate on the West Valley Track Club Masters racing team. In the early 2000s Peter was one of the top marathoners in the U.S. He finished 10th at the 2005 Boston Marathon and later that year represented the U.S. in the marathon at the world championships in Finland. The next year he finished 7th at Boston in a personal best 2:12:45. I didn’t know him at the time but I looked up to Peter from afar because he was everything I wanted to be in the sport: a scrappy underdog, a guy who wasn’t a star in college, he didn’t have a shoe contract, but he busted his butt and became really good. In this conversation, we talked about all of that but what I was really interested in was his path back to the competitive side of the sport a few years ago after an 8-year break from serious training and racing. We got into how and why he came back in 2018, as well as why he retired in 2010 in the first place, and that part of the conversation went in a direction I didn’t expect it to go. We also talked about what’s different for him now as a Masters athlete now versus when he was younger, what it was like spending six weeks training in Kenya right after college and what he learned from that experience, and a whole lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith is an independent running brand inspired by a deep love of the sport. Their Summer Collection is now available and features staples ready for your next adventure, including the Run Cannonball Run Shorts, the Off Roads Shorts, the Run Cannonball Run Tee, and more. By using code Mario22 at checkout, you can receive free shipping on your order and 5% of your purchase will go to support the Brave Like Gabe Foundation to fund rare cancer research.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the sixth installment of Common Ground, a monthly podcast co-hosted by me and Dinée Dorame of the Grounded Podcast, we shared our respective personal updates before geeking out on all things World Athletics Championships, which just wrapped up over the weekend. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The FuelCell SuperComp Trainer from New Balance is something else! This shoe, which comes out in August, is so fun to run in. It’s got 47 plush millimeters of foam underfoot and a super comfortable rocker profile that encourages efficient forward motion. It’s also got a carbon plate in there that helps smooth the transition from footstrike to toe-off. It will soon be available on newbalance.com or at your favorite run specialty retail store.— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Grounded Podcast theme music by Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo, NM) and used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s guest, making his second appearance on the podcast, is Steve Magness. Check him out back on Episode 156 if you haven’t already as it’s a good primer for this conversation, one which centered around the subject of his new book: Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness. Now I’ll say this: Steve has been on a lot of podcasts doing promotion for his book and I did not want to rehash many of the conversations he’s already had to date. I can tell you that this episode is very different and we covered a lot of new ground. Steve opened up about his struggles with OCD, which isn’t something he’s ever talked about publicly before. We talked about the idea of toughness, and “tough love,” and how his perceptions of both have changed over time. We also discussed different leadership styles, what works and what doesn’t, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. If you’re looking for a workhorse to run most of your miles in, look no further than the FreshFoam X 1080 v12. This shoe has the perfect blend of cushioning and responsiveness, it’s lightweight, it transitions smoothly, it has the most streamlined fit to accommodate a wide variety of foot types, and it holds up to heavy mileage week in and week out. The FreshFoam X 1080v12 is available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your local run specialty retail store.  — Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s conversation is with Diane Nukuri, a three-time Olympian for Burundi whose career I’ve been following for 22 years now. Diane is an incredible athlete—she’s competed in three Olympic Games in three different events—and she’s one of the most versatile road racers of the past decade. In this episode, we talked about her childhood in Burundi and how running came into her life. She told me how she’s used running as a vehicle for exploration and opportunity from the time she was a teenager and also what it was like to leave her home country for track meet when she was 16, knowing she wasn’t going to go back. Diane talked openly about adjusting to life in Canada and then the U.S., she me told some good stories about her partner, five-time U.S. Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, we discussed how having a good “off” switch has helped her have a long competitive running career, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. If you’re looking for a workhorse to run most of your miles in, look no further than the FreshFoam X 1080 v12. This shoe has the perfect blend of cushioning and responsiveness, it’s lightweight, it transitions smoothly, it has the most streamlined fit to accommodate a wide variety of foot types, and it holds up to heavy mileage week in and week out. The FreshFoam X 1080v12 is available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your local run specialty retail store.  Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s conversation is with Marquis Bowden, who you may remember from Episode 132 back in the fall of 2020. Since that time nearly two years ago Marquis and I have kept in close touch and make it a point to catch up with one another every couple of weeks. His life has undergone a lot of changes since we recorded that first podcast: he moved from the only place he’d ever known, Los Angeles, California, to the mountains of Boulder, Colorado. He’s embedded himself into the running and cycling communities there and put himself on a path to chase his professional, athletic, and personal dreams. In this episode, we talk about that transition and what it’s been like for him. We discuss trauma, hardship, reaching out for help, and prioritizing mental health. Marquis told me about trying to take his running to the next level, navigating injuries from both a physical and emotional standpoint, the importance of leaning into his community, especially during tough times, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. If you’re looking for a workhorse to run most of your miles in, look no further than the FreshFoam X 1080 v12. This shoe has the perfect blend of cushioning and responsiveness, it’s lightweight, it transitions smoothly, it has the most streamlined fit to accommodate a wide variety of foot types, and it holds up to heavy mileage week in and week out. The FreshFoam X 1080v12 is available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your local run specialty retail store.  Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the fifth installment of Common Ground, a monthly podcast co-hosted by me and Dinée Dorame of the Grounded Podcast, Dinée tells us all about her experience at the recent New York Mini 10K, we talk about which events we were most looking forward to at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, we discuss music, of course, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. If you’re looking for a workhorse to run most of your miles in, look no further than the FreshFoam X 1080 v12. This shoe has the perfect blend of cushioning and responsiveness, it’s lightweight, it transitions smoothly, it has the most streamlined fit to accommodate a wide variety of foot types, and it holds up to heavy mileage week in and week out. The FreshFoam X 1080v12 is available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your local run specialty retail store.  — Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Grounded Podcast theme music by Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo, NM) and used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is Sid Baptista. Sid’s a lot of things: he’s a husband and a father, a runner, a community builder and leader, and also an entrepreneur. He’s the founder of the PIONEERS Run Crew, which is based in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, and he’s also the creator of PYNRS performance streetwear brand, an apparel line with a focus on serving diverse people, with diverse body types from diverse communities.I’m super excited to share this week’s conversation with you as it’s one of my favorite ones I’ve had for the podcast to date. Sid and I covered a lot of ground: We talked about growing up as the sons of entrepreneurial minded immigrants in Massachusetts and how those experiences have shaped our career trajectories. He told me about his hometown of Dorchester, which is Boston’s biggest, most populous, and most diverse neighborhood, and how he’s seen it evolve over the past three decades. We got into running, Sid’s experience as a sprinter in high school, and how he found distance running as an adult. We also discussed culture and community, how Sid is trying to make running more inclusive and accessible through his work, what he sees happening industry wide that both excites and worries him, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith is an independent running brand inspired by a deep love of the sport. Their Spring/Summer Collection is now available and features staples thoughtfully designed for training and racing hard in warm weather. If you buy anything on Tracksmith.com in the month of June, you can get free shipping on your next order, and support the Tracksmith Foundation, which helps give more people the opportunity to participate in Track & Field, by using the code Mario22 at checkout.— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week, making his second appearance on the podcast, is Simon Freeman. Simon is the co-founder, editor, and publisher of my favorite running magazine, Like The Wind, a beautiful, quarterly, coffee table-style publication for runners, by runners. (Check out the conversation Simon and I had for Episode 13 here and learn about his professional and athletic background, as well as the origins of Like The Wind, which he and his wife Julie launched back in 2014.)In this conversation, we mostly geeked out about all things publishing and media. Simon told me about how Like the Wind has evolved over the past four years, the exciting position the magazine is in right now, and where he and Julie hope to take it moving forward. We also talked about the current running media landscape and how it’s changed since our last conversation, the current state of Simon’s relationship with running (and the big goal he has on the horizon), and a lot more. Learn more about LtW, buy a back issue or two, or sign up for your own subscription here. Enter the code MARIO in the discount code box at checkout and you won’t get a discount but you will receive a free set of Like the Wind postcards featuring some cool illustrations. In the interest of transparency, I am not getting compensated in any way if you use the aforementioned code. It is simply a thank you from my friends at LtW for checking out their awesome magazine.This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith is an independent running brand inspired by a deep love of the sport. Their Spring/Summer Collection is now available and features staples thoughtfully designed for training and racing hard in warm weather. If you buy anything on Tracksmith.com in the month of June, you can get free shipping on your next order, and support the Tracksmith Foundation, which helps give more people the opportunity to participate in Track & Field, by using the code Mario22 at checkout.— Open is a digital mindfulness platform combining Breathwork, Meditation, and Movement. Let’s take a class together! Open is giving listeners of the morning shakeout 30 days free when you visit withopen.com/MARIO. Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is Tommie Runz. I met Tommie back in April at the Racers Roundtable that I hosted and he participated in a few days before the Boston Marathon. After talking with him for just a little bit that day, I knew that I needed to sit down with him for the podcast. That brief encounter led to this nearly two-hour conversation and it’s a really special one. In this episode, Tommie talks to me about the period of time he lived in Massachusetts, his troubled relationship with alcohol, and the journey he’s traveled to sobriety. He told me about when and how running came into his life and the path he followed to qualifying for the Boston Marathon. We discussed identity and how that’s shifted for him over the course of his life, what it’s like being a Black runner in his hometown of Detroit, and so much more. This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith is an independent running brand inspired by a deep love of the sport. Their Spring/Summer Collection is now available and features staples thoughtfully designed for training and racing hard in warm weather. My personal favorites are the Session tee and Allston half tights. If you buy anything on Tracksmith.com in the month of June, you can get free shipping on your next order, and support the Tracksmith Foundation, which helps give more people the opportunity to participate in Track & Field, by using the code Mario22 at checkout.— Open is a digital mindfulness platform combining Breathwork, Meditation, and Movement. I do a 5-10 minute breathwork class most days to get away from my desk and clear my head. Let’s take a class together. Open is giving listeners of the morning shakeout 30 days free when you visit withopen.com/MARIO. Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the fourth installment of Common Ground, a monthly podcast co-hosted by me and Dinée Dorame of the Grounded Podcast, Dinée has a lot of exciting updates as they relate to her professional life and athletic pursuits, we talk a little bit about a few of the high school track athletes that are exciting us right now, we discuss National Running Day, which is coming up on June 1, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. If you’re looking for a workhorse to run most of your miles in, look no further than the FreshFoam X 1080 v12. This shoe has the perfect blend of cushioning and responsiveness, it’s lightweight, it transitions smoothly, it has the most streamlined fit to accommodate a wide variety of foot types, and it holds up to heavy mileage week in and week out. The FreshFoam X 1080v12 is available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your local run specialty retail store.  — Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Grounded Podcast theme music by Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo, NM) and used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we’re kicking it back to Episode 64 with Frank Gagliano, one of the greatest track coaches of all-time, which was recorded three years ago at his home in Rye, New York. Gagliano, who is now 85 years old, has coached at every level of the sport over the past 60 years—high school, college, and professionally—and he’s had great success at all of them. He’s coached 15 Olympians, 140 All-Americans, multiple national champions, and a world championships medalist. More importantly than that, however, the lessons he’s taught his athletes extend far beyond the track. He has a love for the sport, his family, his athletes, and his country that is unmatched. This is a conversation about coaching and life that had a profound impact on me—and I know it will do the same for you. This episode is brought to you by:— Open is a digital mindfulness platform combining Breathwork, Meditation, and Movement. I do a 5-10 minute breathwork class most days to get away from my desk and clear my head. Let’s take a class together. Open is giving listeners of the morning shakeout 30 days free when you visit withopen.com/MARIO.— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’ll be re-running a couple of my favorite episodes from years past in the feed this week and next and we’ll start by kicking it back to Episode 100 with Laura Schmitt, which was recorded in February of 2020 right before the world shut down. It’s one of my favorite conversations that I’ve ever had for the podcast and I’m excited to rerelease it. Laura was the longtime cross country and track coach at Redwood High School in Larkspur, California, where she was at the helm for 35 years and led some of the best teams and athletes in the state. She’s also a wife, a mom, and now a grandmother since we had this conversation over two years ago—not to mention an entrepreneur who founded a play-based preschool that’s still going strong today as well as the first treadmill studio on the West Coast. In short: she’s an incredible woman and someone I respect and admire immensely. In this conversation, we talked about running, community, coaching, family, parenting, and entrepreneurship—all things Laura knows a lot about and has had a lot of success in over the years.This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. If you’re looking for a workhorse to run most of your miles in, look no further than the FreshFoam X 1080 v12. This shoe has the perfect blend of cushioning and responsiveness, it’s lightweight, it transitions smoothly, it has the most streamlined fit to accommodate a wide variety of foot types, and it holds up to heavy mileage week in and week out. The FreshFoam X 1080 v12 is available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your local run specialty retail store. Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jinghuan Liu Tervalon is a mother and a runner from Southern California. She started running 14 years ago to deal with heartache and to do something for herself before she eventually found a community that she connected with and started training in earnest for races. She’s also a writer whose work has been published in Runner’s World and Women’s Running. In fact, last year she won a creative grant through the Brooks RunFulness Project to create a multimedia book project that showcases runners from the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. She serves on the board of Bras for Girls, and is an advocate for creating social change through running. Jinghuan is someone I’ve corresponded with over email for a few years now and in this conversation I got to learn more about her journey as a runner, and her work as a writer and an advocate. We also talked about identity, the role and importance of community, using her voice to tell stories and generate awareness, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. If you’re looking for a workhorse to run most of your miles in, look no further than the FreshFoam X 1080 v12. This shoe has the perfect blend of cushioning and responsiveness, it’s lightweight, it transitions smoothly, it has the most streamlined fit to accommodate a wide variety of foot types, and it holds up to heavy mileage week in and week out. The FreshFoam X 1080 v12 is available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your local run specialty retail store. — The WineShine Half Marathon & 3.9-Miler. The inaugural event, which starts and finishes at the Silverado Resort & Spa in Napa, will be held on July 16, 2022. Not only will you run by some of Napa Valley’s most storied vineyards along the Silverado Trail, you’ll also get the chance to sample some of the area’s best varietals at the post-race festival. Registration is now open at wineshinehalfmarathon.org. Use the code MARIO when you check out and save $15 on your registration fee.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m not even sure how to set up this episode with Tommy Rivers Puzey so I’ll just tell you that it’s a long, winding, and at times heavy conversation with someone I deeply respect and admire about life, death, cancer, identity, hope, potential, love, gratitude, and more that I feel privileged to have had in person and that I am honored to share here with all of you. We recorded this episode the day after this year’s Boston Marathon, which Tommy finished in 6:31:54. For those of you who don’t know, Tommy wears a lot of hats: he’s a husband and a father, a philosopher and physical therapist, and mentor and inspiration to so many, myself included. He’s also an incredible endurance athlete with a resume that’s too long to list here but, for context, in 2017 Tommy finished 16th at Boston in 2:18:20. Fast forward to the summer of 2020, and Tommy was fighting for his life in an Arizona hospital after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of lymphoma. He spent weeks in a medically induced coma, endured multiple surgeries and numerous treatments, and lost 75 pounds over the course of several months, but he survived. Not only that, he’s now in remission, regaining strength every day, and living a very full life, all of which we talk about in this episode. Note from Mario: Please check out the Team Rivs collection from Tommy's sponsor, Craft. All proceeds from this collection go to support Tommy, his wife Steph, and their two daughters. I bought a hat and a t-shirt a while ago, both of which I wear with pride. Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the third installment of Common Ground, a monthly podcast co-hosted by me and Dinee Dorame of the Grounded Podcast, we catch up on all things Boston Marathon, talk a little bit about the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album, look ahead to what’s exciting each of us in the month of May, and more.This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. If you’re looking for a go-fast shoe for workouts and maybe even racing, look no further than the FuelCell Rebel v2. It’s lightweight, low to the ground and incredibly lively. It’s available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your local run specialty retail store.— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Grounded Podcast theme music by Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo, NM) and used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m excited to share the Racers’ Roundtable I hosted at Tracksmith’s Trackhouse this past Friday with guests Tommie Runz, Erica Stanley-Dottin, Mick Iacofano, Caroline Williams, Ken Rideout, Katie Kellner, and Colin Bennie. A mix of first-timers and veterans, elites and age-group competitors, locals and out of towners, we talked all things Boston Marathon: how the Boston mindset is different from other marathons, dealing with pre-race excitement, lessons learned from past Boston experiences, what they were most looking forward to on race day, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith crafts performance running apparel, inspiring publications, and distinct experiences that allow runners to indulge in the sport’s rich culture. When you shop at tracksmith.com and use the code Mario22 when you check out, you’ll get free shipping on your order and 5% of your purchase will go to the Tracksmith Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to give more people the opportunity to participate in Track & Field. — Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I sit down with Chris Douglas, my right-hand man and sponsorship director for the morning shakeout, and he interviews me for the 200th episode of the podcast. In this conversation we take a trip down memory lane and discuss some notable episodes, we talk about how the show has evolved and grown over the past 4+ years, I explain how the pandemic has affected the past 100 episodes for better and for worse, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith crafts performance running apparel, inspiring publications, and distinct experiences that allow runners to indulge in the sport’s rich culture. When you shop at tracksmith.com and use the code Mario22 when you check out, you’ll get free shipping on your order and 5% of your purchase will go to the Tracksmith Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to give more people the opportunity to participate in Track & Field. — Precision Fuel & Hydration. I’ve been a devotee to Precision products for the past 4 years and my last few marathons wouldn’t have gone as well without them. Go to precisionfuelandhydration.com and take their free online Sweat Test or use the Carb Calculator to get a personalized hydration and nutrition strategy to test in training. As a listener of the show you can get 15% off your first order by using the code TMS22 when checking out.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast I had an awesome conversation with Ben Rosario, head coach of HOKA Northern Arizona Elite, and Matt Fitzgerald, co-founder of 80/20 Endurance and prolific author of endurance sports titles, about their new book, Run Like A Pro (Even If You’re Slow), which was recently published. This was more of a Coaches Corner discussion than my typical interview-style show and in it we discussed what amateur runners can learn from their professional counterparts while covering topics like training volume, recovery, nutrition, having a champion’s mindset, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith crafts performance running apparel, inspiring publications, and distinct experiences that allow runners to indulge in the sport’s rich culture. When you shop at tracksmith.com and use the code Mario22 when you check out, you’ll get free shipping on your order and 5% of your purchase will go to the Tracksmith Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to give more people the opportunity to participate in Track & Field. — Precision Fuel & Hydration. I’ve been a devotee to Precision products for the past 4 years and my last few marathons wouldn’t have gone as well without them. Go to precisionfuelandhydration.com and take their free online Sweat Test or use the Carb Calculator to get a personalized hydration and nutrition strategy to test in training. As a listener of the show you can get 15% off your first order by using the code TMS22 when checking out.— The WineShine Half Marathon & 3.9-Miler. The inaugural event, which starts and finishes at the Silverado Resort & Spa in Napa, will be held on July 16, 2022. Not only will you run by some of Napa Valley’s most storied vineyards along the Silverado Trail, you’ll also get the chance to sample some of the area’s best varietals at the post-race festival. Registration is now open at wineshinehalfmarathon.org. Use the code MARIO when you check out and save $15 on your registration fee.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are back with the second installment of our monthly cross-cast series that I’m co-hosting with Dinee Dorame of the Grounded Podcast, and in this episode we…well, we cover a lot of ground! We talk about music we’ve been enjoying, discuss some recent events that excited us, like the world indoor championships in Serbia, the NYC Half Marathon, as well as the the upcoming Boston Marathon. We talked about where we’re each at in our respective running journeys right now, brought up some recent developments in the running industry, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. If you’re looking for a go-fast shoe for workouts and maybe even racing, look no further than the FuelCell Rebel v2. It’s lightweight, low to the ground and incredibly lively. It’s available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your local run specialty retail store.— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!— The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. Member and lottery registration is GOING ON NOW. The race will take place on Monday, July 4. Atlanta Track Club members receive guaranteed and lowest price entry. Non-members must enter through the lotter. In-person registration is ONLY open until March 31. Virtual registration is open until May 31. You can register today at ajc.com/peachtree.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Grounded Podcast theme music by Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo, NM) and used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I recently had a conversation with Nell Rojas, 6th-place finisher and top American at last fall’s Boston Marathon. She’s currently getting ready to line up for this year’s race on April 18. We covered a lot in this one. Nell filled me in on where she’s at in her Boston prep and how it’s differing from her approach last fall. We talk about the role running has played in her life and how that’s evolved over the years. We discussed identity and why “runner” isn’t even one of the first ways Nell introduces herself. She told me about her relationship to her dad and coach, the legendary Ric Rojas, we talked coaching and what she’s learned from the amateur athletes she’s worked with, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. If you’re looking for a go-fast shoe for workouts and maybe even racing, look no further than the FuelCell Rebel v2. It’s lightweight, low to the ground and incredibly lively. It’s available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your local run specialty retail store.— Precision Fuel & Hydration. I’ve been a devotee to Precision products for the past 4 years and my last few marathons wouldn’t have gone as well without them. Go to precisionfuelandhydration.com and take their free online Sweat Test or use the Carb Calculator to get a personalized hydration and nutrition strategy. Get 15% off your first order by using the code TMS22 when checking out.— The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. Member and lottery registration is GOING ON NOW. The race will take place on Monday, July 4. Atlanta Track Club members receive guaranteed and lowest price entry. Non-members must enter through the lotter. In-person registration is ONLY open until March 31. Virtual registration is open until May 31. You can register today at ajc.com/peachtree.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This conversation with Phil Shin is one of the most meaningful and impactful exchanges I’ve ever had for the podcast. Please listen to it—all 2 hours of it. Phil is 51 years old, he’s a husband a a father, he’s a Boston Marathon qualifier, and he is out-running cancer one mile at a time. He’s actually going to run this year’s race on April 18 with his liver donor and friend Mark Murphy, who will be running his first marathon. Phil’s story is incredible, his message is inspiring, and I feel so honored to have the opportunity to share this episode with you. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The Fresh Foam 1080 v11 is an absolute workhorse and has been been my go-to trainer for some time now. When I want to go fast, the FuelCell Rebel v2 finds its way on my feet. Recovery days? Fresh Foam More v3 all the way. Race day? FuelCell RC Elite v2. Check 'em all out at your local run specialty store or on newbalance.com and consider adding a pair (or two!) to your rotation today.— Precision Fuel & Hydration. I’ve been a devotee to Precision products for the past 4 years and my last few marathons wouldn’t have gone as well without them. Go to precisionfuelandhydration.com and take their free online Sweat Test or use the Carb Calculator to get a personalized hydration and nutrition strategy to test in training. As a listener of the show you can get 15% off your first order by using the code TMS22 when checking out.— The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. Member and lottery registration is GOING ON NOW. The race will take place on Monday, July 4. Atlanta Track Club members receive guaranteed and lowest price entry. Non-members must enter through the lottery and will be notified if selected on April 4. In-person registration is ONLY open until March 31. Virtual registration is open until May 31. You can register today at ajc.com/peachtree.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where for as little as a buck a week, you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, the occasional “emergency pod,” and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’ve been waiting to have this conversation with Russell Dinkins for a while now and it did not disappoint. Over the past couple of years this man has helped saved the men’s track and field programs at Brown University, Clemson, the University of Minnesota, and William and Mary. He’s now the executive director of the Tracksmith Foundation, where he will continue that work while also helping create more opportunities and inspire broader participation in track and field through various forms of advocacy and assistance. Russell is also an incredible athlete: he competed at Princeton, where he was a 400- and 800-meter runner and a five-time Ivy League individual champion, and he’s still getting after it and competing on the track into his 30s.In this conversation we talked about the path he’s followed in the sport, track and field as a vehicle for diversity and educational access, how his relationship to running has evolved over the years, what he hopes to achieve through his work moving forward, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The Fresh Foam 1080 v11 is an absolute workhorse and has been been my go-to trainer for some time now. When I want to go fast, the FuelCell Rebel v2 finds its way on my feet. Recovery days? Fresh Foam More v3 all the way. Race day? FuelCell RC Elite v2. Check 'em all out at your local run specialty store or on newbalance.com and consider adding a pair (or two!) to your rotation today.— Precision Fuel & Hydration. I’ve been a devotee to Precision products for the past 4 years and my last few marathons wouldn’t have gone as well without them. Go to precisionfuelandhydration.com and take their free online Sweat Test or use the Carb Calculator to get a personalized hydration and nutrition strategy to test in training. As a listener of the show you can get 15% off your first order by using the code TMS22 when checking out.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where for as little as a buck a week, you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, the occasional “emergency pod,” and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Photo of Russell Dinkins by Molly Seltzer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m super excited to share the first episode in what will be a monthly series I’m co-hosting with Dinée Dorame of the Grounded Podcast. I met Dinée a little over a year ago through the Tracksmith Fellowship Program and I’ve been serving as her mentor ever since. In that time we’ve become good friends, I’ve hosted her on my show, she’s had me on hers, and this new series feels like a natural evolution of what we’re both doing in our respective spaces. We’re calling it Common Ground and it will be a little bit of everything from two people who come from very different backgrounds and upbringings but share a mutual love of all things running (and podcasting, and music, and plenty of other stuff too). In these episodes we’ll catch up with one another about where we’re at in our respective podcasting and running journeys, we’ll discuss what’s exciting us in the sport, we’ll talk about issues in the community and industry, we’ll riff on music that we’ve been enjoying, take listener questions, and a lot more. Common Ground will be released monthly in both the morning shakeout and Grounded podcast feeds so there’s no need to subscribe to a separate show. Please let us know what you think by sending us a message via social media: @theAMshakeout or @groundedpod on both Instagram and Twitter. We hope you enjoy it!This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The Fresh Foam 1080 v11 is an absolute workhorse and has been been my go-to trainer for some time now. When I want to go fast, the FuelCell Rebel v2 finds its way on my feet. Recovery days? Fresh Foam More v3 all the way. Race day? FuelCell RC Elite v2. Check 'em all out at your local run specialty store or on newbalance.com and consider adding a pair (or two!) to your rotation today.— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where for as little as a buck a week, you'll also gain access to exclusive content and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Grounded Podcast theme music by Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo, NM) and used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hellah Sidibe is a former pro soccer player turned runner who strives to inspire and change lives through sharing his life experiences. Last year he became the first Black man to run across the United States, which he did in a quick 84 days, and he’s been running every day since May 15, 2017. His HellahGood YouTube channel has nearly 275 thousand subscribers, of which I am one of, and his energy and enthusiasm for running, life, and tackling big challenges is incredibly infectious. In this conversation, I got to know Hellah a bit better and hear more about his story. He told me about coming to the U.S. from Mali as a kid and what it was like settling into his new country. Hellah told me about playing soccer throughout his life and how running, until just a few years ago, was something that he viewed as a form of punishment. He explained how making the commitment nearly five years ago to run 10 minutes a day for 2 weeks snowballed into something bigger than he could ever imagined, he told me about giving himself permission to quit if he’s just not enjoying it anymore, and how he’s used YouTube and social media to inspire others through his example and bring awareness to initiatives that are bigger than himself. We also talked about his relationship to pressure and how that’s changed over the years, why it’s important to be intentional with your running, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith is a brand for committed runners like you and me. They aim to celebrate, support and contribute to running’s distinct culture in everything that they do, from offering considered and original products for training, racing, and recovery, to creating experiences that make running more rewarding, more connected, and more meaningful. When you shop at tracksmith.com/mario and/or if you use the code Mario22 when you check out, you’ll get free shipping on your order and 5% of your purchase will go to the Tracksmith Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to give more people the opportunity to participate in Track & Field. — the morning shakeout Patreon community: This is where shakeout superfans can support my work directly, interact, and also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, which I co-host with Billy Yang, a monthly "Coaches Corner" discussion, and other fun perks. You can join for as little as a buck a week at themorningshakeout.com/support.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where for as little as a buck a week, you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, the occasional “emergency pod,” and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amy Leedham is my friend, she’s one of my athletes, she’s a wife and a mom, and a badass runner to boot. We recorded this conversation in-person a couple weeks ago and I’m excited to share it with you. Amy told me about her nickname, The Punisher, and how it came to be, we dig into different elements of her personality and how they manifest in various aspects of her life, and we discuss how her relationship to running has evolved over the years, in particular the past two. Amy also describes the challenges she faced in returning to running after giving birth to her daughter Aila, she shares her best advice for other mothers who might find themselves in a similar situation, she told me how she’s developed a renewed sense of gratitude for being able to run, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith is a brand for committed runners like you and me. They aim to celebrate, support and contribute to running’s distinct culture in everything that they do, from offering considered and original products for training, racing, and recovery, to creating experiences that make running more rewarding, more connected, and more meaningful. When you shop at tracksmith.com/mario and/or if you use the code Mario22 when you check out, you’ll get free shipping on your order and 5% of your purchase will go to the Tracksmith Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to give more people the opportunity to participate in Track & Field. — the morning shakeout Patreon community: This is where shakeout superfans can support my work directly, interact, and also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, which I co-host with Billy Yang, a monthly "Coaches Corner" discussion, and other fun perks. You can join for as little as a buck a week at themorningshakeout.com/support.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where for as little as a buck a week, you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, the occasional “emergency pod,” and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ted Metellus is my former Competitor Group colleague, current race director for the New York City Marathon, and just one of the best people in the entire running industry. Ted, who was born and raised in the Bronx, is the first Black race director of an Abbott World Marathon Majors event. He’s also an avid runner with 34 half marathons and two marathons to his credit. In this episode, we cover all sorts of ground. I learned when running first came into Ted’s life, how his relationship to it has evolved over the years, and what it’s meant to him over the past two years that we’ve been navigating a pandemic. Ted told me about the path he’s followed in event operations, logistics, and management, what it’s like being a Black man in an overwhelmingly white sport and industry, what he means when he says that “you can’t teach care,” and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith is a brand for committed runners like you and me. They aim to celebrate, support and contribute to running’s distinct culture in everything that they do, from offering considered and original products for training, racing, and recovery, to creating experiences that make running more rewarding, more connected, and more meaningful. When you shop at tracksmith.com/mario and/or if you use the code Mario22 when you check out, you’ll get free shipping on your order and 5% of your purchase will go to the Tracksmith Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to give more people the opportunity to participate in Track & Field. — the morning shakeout Patreon community: This is where shakeout superfans can support my work directly, interact, and also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, which I co-host with Billy Yang, a monthly "Coaches Corner" discussion, and other fun perks. You can join for as little as a buck a week at themorningshakeout.com/support.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where for as little as a buck a week, you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, the occasional “emergency pod,” and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast I’m answering listener questions in the first and last Ask Mario Anything episode of 2022. (Fear not! You can still submit questions for me to answer on the podcast but this monthly installment of the show will be taking on a new format the rest of the year, which I go into more detail about at the beginning of this episode.) On the other side of the mic for this one, once again, is Chris Douglas, my right-hand man and sponsorship director for the morning shakeout.In this episode, I answered questions about some of the more challenging guests I’ve had on the podcast, strength training, drills, long runs, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The Fresh Foam 1080 v11 is an absolute workhorse and has been been my go-to trainer for some time now. When I want to go fast, the FuelCell Rebel v2 finds its way on my feet. Recovery days? Fresh Foam More v3 all the way. Race day? FuelCell RC Elite v2. Check 'em all out at your local run specialty store or on newbalance.com and consider adding a pair (or two!) to your rotation today.— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where for as little as a buck a week, you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, the occasional “emergency pod,” and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the first podcast Luis Grijalva has ever been on and he’s got a great story to tell. Luis is a 22-year-old Olympian for Guatemala and finished 12th in the 5000m final in Tokyo, running a personal best of 13:10.09. He now runs professionally for HOKA and recently graduated from Northern Arizona University, where he was a multiple time All-American. In this conversation, Luis tells his story of coming to the U.S. as a baby, growing up in Fairfield, California, and how getting into running at the age of 14 changed the course of his life. He told me about his experience qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, navigating the challenges of traveling outside the country as a DACA beneficiary, and what it meant for him to represent not only his home country, but over half a million other Dreamers on the world’s biggest stage. We also discussed his relationship with coach Mike Smith, where he he draws his confidence from, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— Recover Athletics. Recover Athletics has worked with the world's best sports physicians and Olympians like Meb Keflezighi to design an app that makes prehab fun and easy. In 90 seconds, the app will customize a program for your body and your training with different resistance exercises, plyometrics, and mobility work—100% evidence-based exercises that are easy to follow on your iPhone or iPad. It’s available only in the iOS app store by searching "Recover Athletics" or at this link.— the morning shakeout Patreon community: This is where shakeout superfans can support my work directly, interact, and also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, which I co-host with Billy Yang, a monthly "Coaches Corner" discussion, and other fun perks. You can join for as little as a buck a week at themorningshakeout.com/support.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where for as little as a buck a week, you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, the occasional “emergency pod,” and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bolota Asmerom is an Eritrean-American who has called the United States home since the age of 10. The 43-year-old represented his home country of Eritrea in the 5000m at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. In 2004, he finished third in the 5000m at the U.S. Olympic Trials but couldn’t go to the Games because he didn’t have the Olympic A standard, and in 2008 he finished fourth in the 5000 at the Trials after some last lap contact. All these years later, running is still a huge part of Bolota’s life: he still trains and races locally in the Bay Area where lives, he coaches and advises a handful of athletes, and he’s also the co-founder and co-owner of Renegade Running, a specialty running shop and community hub in Oakland, California—which is actually where we recorded this episode. In this conversation, which is one of my favorites that I’ve ever had for the podcast, we talk about opening a retail space during the pandemic, creating an inclusive community, and making running and running apparel more appealing and accessible to minorities and people of color. Bolota shared his earliest memories of immigrating to the U.S., he told me how running came into his life and how his relationship to the sport and activity has evolved over the years, he took me through his ups and downs as an athlete and shared some of his thoughts on the state of the sport, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith crafts performance running apparel, inspiring publications, and distinct experiences that allow runners to indulge in the sport’s rich culture. Go to tracksmith.com/mario to check out some of my favorite apparel picks and use the code MARIO at checkout to get free shipping on your order while also helping support #LASAVESTRACK. — Recover Athletics. Recover Athletics has worked with the world's best sports physicians and Olympians like Meb Keflezighi to design an app that makes prehab fun and easy. In 90 seconds, the app will customize a program for your body and your training with different resistance exercises, plyometrics, and mobility work. No pills, no potions, no BS, just 100% evidence based exercises that are easy to follow on your iPhone or iPad. It’s available only in the iOS app store by searching "Recover Athletics" or at this link.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where for as little as a buck a week, you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, the occasional “emergency pod,” and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate Grace is a lot of things, not least of which is 2016 Olympian in the 800m and one of the top middle-distance runners in the U.S. for much of the past ten years. At the age of 33 she’s running faster than ever and isn’t showing signs of slowing down anytime soon. But there’s so much more to Kate than just her speed: I’ve always respected her for her individuality and outlook on the sport, I appreciate her attitude and longevity as an athlete, and I’m inspired by her confidence but also the fact that she doesn’t try to take herself too seriously. In this episode, we talk about all of those things and then some, including how she keeps her emotions in check, why she thinks American women have been running so fast in the middle distances the past few years, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith crafts performance running apparel, inspiring publications, and distinct experiences that allow runners to indulge in the sport’s rich culture. Go to tracksmith.com/mario to check out some of my favorite apparel picks and use the code MARIO at checkout to get free shipping on your order while also helping support #LASAVESTRACK. — Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon, 10K & 5K: Join me at the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon, 10K & 5K on February 6, 2022. This is one of my favorite races and there’s something here for everyone. Register today at getfitkpsf.com/race and use the SHAKEOUT when you check out before January 31 to save 10 bucks on your registration fee.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where for as little as a buck a week, you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, the occasional “emergency pod,” and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I recently got on the mic with my friend Dylan Bowman, who first appeared on the podcast back on Episode 14 in 2018, and we caught up with one another about all sorts of stuff. In this episode, we talk about where we’re at in our respective lives right now, what we both have going on athletically and professionally, where we see certain parts of the industry going in the next few years, and a lot more. For those of you who don’t know, Dylan is one of the top ultrarunners in the U.S., if not the world. Last year he finished second at the Hardrock 100 Endurance Run, running under the previous course record time, and he’s won or been on the podium at Transgrancanaria, TDS, Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji, Tarawera, and other big races. He’s also the founder of FreeTrail, a training and media platform dedicated to the life changing sport of trail and ultrarunning, and he also hosts the FreeTrail podcast.This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith crafts performance running apparel, inspiring publications, and distinct experiences that allow runners to indulge in the sport’s rich culture. Go to tracksmith.com/mario to check out some of my favorite apparel picks and use the code MARIO at checkout to get free shipping on your order while also helping support #LASAVESTRACK. — Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon, 10K & 5K: Join me at the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon, 10K & 5K on February 6, 2022. This is one of my favorite races and there’s something here for everyone. Register today at getfitkpsf.com/race and use the SHAKEOUT when you check out before January 31 to save 10 bucks on your registration fee.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where for as little as a buck a week, you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, the occasional “emergency pod,” and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 50th episode of the year is a “best of” compilation of highlights from 12 of the most impactful conversations that I’ve had over the past 12 months. It’s an honor and privilege to be in conversation each week with athletes, coaches, advocates, and others who teach me something about running, coaching, or living a better life. In this episode you’ll hear from 13 people whose experiences, insight, and/or advice stood out to me: Alexi Pappas (0:03:25), Craig Curley (0:10:51), Dinée Dorame (0:19:31), Nathan Martin (0:27:21), Keith Kelly (0:32:30), Jorge Maravilla and Stephanie Howe (0:42:08), Mark Coogan (0:51:16), Christine Gould (0:59:31), Alison Mariella Désir (1:05:56), Jon Green (1:14:07), George Hirsch (1:22:53), Alex Varner (1:32:05). I hope these conversations help you see what’s possible for yourself through the lens of running.This episode is brought to you by:— Recover Athletics. Recover Athletics has worked with the world's best sports physicians and Olympians like Meb Keflezighi to design an app that makes prehab fun and easy. In 90 seconds, the app will customize a program for your body and your training with different resistance exercises, plyometrics, and mobility work—100% evidence-based exercises that are easy to follow on your iPhone or iPad. It’s available only in the iOS app store by searching "Recover Athletics" or at this link.— the morning shakeout Patreon community: This is where shakeout superfans can support my work directly, interact, and also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, which I co-host with Billy Yang, a monthly "Coaches Corner" discussion, and other fun perks. You can join for as little as a buck a week at themorningshakeout.com/support.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re taking the next couple weeks off to recharge so we’re re-running one of my favorite episodes from the early days of the podcast, a conversation I had in May of 2018 with Aliphine Tuliamuk. It was episode 15, I am fairly certain it was Aliphine’s first podcast, and at the time not many people knew her story despite the fact that she was nine-time national champion! Since then she’s added another national championship to her resume—the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials title—and now she’s a household name in American distance running. This is a great episode to revisit if you listened to it a few years ago and certainly one to check out if you didn’t. You’ll learn all about Aliphine’s upbringing in Kenya, how she got into running, what it was like coming to the United States and assimilating to a new country and culture, how she deals with pressure, and a lot more. (You might also want to listen in to episode 102 with Aliphine, which we recorded shortly after she won the Olympic Trials in Atlanta.)This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith crafts performance running apparel, inspiring publications, and distinct experiences that allow runners to indulge in the sport’s rich culture. Go to tracksmith.com/mario to check out some of my favorite apparel picks and use the code MARIO at checkout to get free shipping on your order while also helping support #LASAVESTRACK. — Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon, 10K & 5K: Join me at the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon, 10K & 5K on February 6, 2022. This is one of my favorite races and there’s something here for everyone. Register today at getfitkpsf.com/race and use the SHAKEOUT when you check out before January 31 to save 10 bucks on your registration fee.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where for as little as a buck a week, you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, the occasional “emergency pod,” and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I think that that’s one of the most important or significant traits that you can have—as a runner, an athlete, a human, a colleague, a dad, a husband—is to be dependable if nothing else. I know I can depend on myself. When I wake up on a race day and I’m like, ‘Man, I really don’t wanna do this, the weather stinks, I don’t feel like I’ve done enough,’ there’s like two voices in my head: that Alpha and Beta, and the Beta’s like, ‘Go back to bed dude, this is crazy. No one gives a crap about this. You’re the only one that cares.’ And then the Alpha’s like, ‘Oh, hell no. We made a commitment to ourselves to show up and show out and deliver the goods and win or die trying and lay it all on the line.’ And it works. Some days you think, ‘Today’s not my day for a race.’ Like I said, the Beta starts telling the Alpha, ‘It’s not our day, we’re not ready,’ and the Alpha’s just like, ‘Dude, we’re going through the routine, we’re warming up, we’re getting on the start line, and we’re going for it.’” Ken Rideout is the most requested return guest in the history of the podcast. He first appeared on the show almost exactly two years ago on Episode 91 and before you listen to this conversation I recommend going back to check that one out if you haven’t already to get Ken’s backstory, which will help set the foundation for this second go-around. So who is this guy? In a lot of ways, Ken is a real average dude—he’s a husband and dad to four kids, he works full-time and then some, and like the rest of us he loves to run—but at the age of 50, he’s running faster than ever before and his approach to life is anything but average. This past year Ken won the Myrtle Beach Marathon in 2:30, he finished second in the 50-54 age group at the Abbott World Marathon Majors championship in London, running 2:29, a few weeks after that he won the Masters division at New York, running 2:33, and then he finished off his racing season with a 1:10 personal best in the half marathon in Nashville. I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Ken for a little over two years now and not only is he one of the most driven athletes I’ve ever coached, he’s just one of the best, biggest-hearted people I’ve ever met. We covered a lot in this conversation—and in it, Ken shares some personal details about his life that he hasn’t talked about publicly elsewhere before—but the main theme to come out of it has to do with the stories we tell ourselves, the inner dialogue many of us have every time we lace up our shoes, step on the starting line, or sometimes when we’re just trying get out of bed in the morning. Ken and I also talk about responsibility versus pressure, the importance of being dependable to yourself and others, cultivating confidence in everything you do, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith crafts performance running apparel, inspiring publications, and distinct experiences that allow runners to indulge in the sport’s rich culture. Go to https://tracksmith.com/mario to check out some of my favorite apparel picks and use the code MARIO at checkout to get free shipping on your order while also helping support #LASAVESTRACK. — Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to https://goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-186-with-ken-rideout/Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: https://themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“To me, what grit is is not despairing and not giving up just because things are really hard or because things are going really, really poorly. The courage to be like, ‘Man, things have fallen apart, this is awful, but I’m going to figure it out, I’m going to keep going.’ To me, hope is one of the most courageous things there is, to continue on, to keep going, to try again after one has failed. There’s almost an element of irrationality in it. I think what runners do—and I forget which runner said this but I’ve always loved the quote—‘it doesn’t always get worse.’ So it’s really bad, you’re on mile 30 or whatever it is of the race, and it feels like your body is about to fall apart and you can’t go on, part of what your mind does is extrapolate out, ‘if it’s bad now, it will obviously get worse from here,’ and that’s actually not the case. You push forward and often it gets better.” Ryan Holiday is a runner and #1 New York Times bestselling author whose books have sold more than 4 million copies worldwide. I’ve long been a fan of Ryan’s writing, most of which centers around Stoic philosophy, and his work has personally had a huge impact on me and how I live my life. His latest book, Courage Is Calling, was one of my favorite reads of 2021 and served as the basis for the conversation we had for this episode of the podcast. What is courage? Is it a choice? Can we make it a habit? What’s the difference between being scared and being afraid? How does fear of what other people think of us influence behavior and decision making? These are just a few of the questions I explored with Ryan in this episode and the takeaways are widely applicable for us not only as runners, but as people just making our way through the world. I took a lot away from this conversation and I know that you will too.This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith crafts performance running apparel, inspiring publications, and distinct experiences that allow runners to indulge in the sport’s rich culture. Go to https://tracksmith.com/mario to check out some of my favorite apparel picks and use the code MARIO at checkout to get free shipping on your order while also helping support #LASAVESTRACK. — Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to https://goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-185-with-ryan-holiday/Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: https://themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I’m not a high mileage advocate. I’m not a low mileage advocate. I’m a right mileage advocate. Find the right mileage that works for you—the most miles that you can run without compromising your performance in workouts or races, without compromising your recovery, without compromising your life outside of running, your relationship with your family and friends, work, etc. Find out what that is for you. It’s going to be a little bit different for everyone. There's a huge misnomer out there that, ‘Oh, if I want to be good at the marathon I've got to run over 50 miles a week. Or over 70 miles a week. Or over 100 miles a week,’ whatever it is. Everyone’s got a different idea in their head what they need to be doing; find out what that peak is for you and try to run as many weeks as possible at that volume in the 12-16 weeks leading up to a marathon—not every week, you should cycle, build in rest weeks, that sort of thing—but find that highest sustainable volume for you.”This week on the podcast I’m answering listener questions in the final Ask Mario Anything episode of 2021. (You can check out the first three here, here, and here.) On the other side of the mic for this one, per usual, is Chris Douglas, my good friend and sponsorship director for the morning shakeout. Some exciting news before we get into this one: These AMA-style episodes will become a more regular thing in 2022! We’ll be producing them on a monthly basis in the new year in addition to the usual interview-style show. This week, we talked about my New England roots, getting over mental blocks in marathon training, transitioning to trail racing, coaching trail and ultrarunners, creating multiple race plans, and more. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions and apologies for all the ones I wasn’t able to answer in this episode.This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The Fresh Foam 1080 v11 is an absolute workhorse and it’s been my go-to trainer for most of my non-workout runs in 2021. It’s got great cushioning underfoot that’s protective but not too soft, providing a responsive ride that I really enjoy and appreciate. Check it out at newbalance.com and consider adding a pair to your rotation today.— Recover Athletics. Recover Athletics has worked with the world's best sports physicians and Olympians like Meb Keflezighi to design an app that makes prehab fun and easy. In 90 seconds, the app will customize a program for your body and your training with different resistance exercises, plyometrics, and mobility work. No pills, no potions, no BS, just 100% evidence based exercises that are easy to follow on your iPhone or iPad. It’s available only in the iOS app store by searching "Recover Athletics" or at this link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/recover-athletics-run-healthy/id1488347465 Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-184-ask-mario-anything/Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: https://themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“It’s hard to look back and see what resulted despite your best efforts. You know, sh*t doesn’t go the way you want it to all the time. You can’t do anything about that. OK, you can feel down—that’s natural—but if you can look back and say, ‘I did my best,’ you shouldn’t have any regrets around that. If you have strong regrets around it, it probably means you weren’t doing your best. There are screw-ups, that happens—that’s being human and living—but if you can forgive yourself for those and overall [say] I put my best for forward, what else can you ask for? What else can you do? That’s all you can do.” It’s both a privilege and a pleasure to share this week’s episode with you. It’s with my friend and sometimes training partner, Alex Varner, and we recently sat down at his kitchen table to continue a conversation that started a few months ago on some runs together about moving on from the sport of running, or at least reevaluating our relationship with it. Alex has been running competitively since high school and has done some pretty amazing things in the sport: he’s won a national title in the 50K, he’s been top 10 at Western States, he’s won and broke the course record at Lake Sonoma, he’s put up the fastest time at the Dipsea Race a record 9 times, he’s run a 2:21 marathon, and he’s also won the Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh, NC. After 20+ years of being a competitive athlete, Alex’s relationship to the sport is in an interesting place and we spent this entire episode talking about identity, motivation, letting go, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The Fresh Foam 1080 v11 is an absolute workhorse and it’s been my go-to trainer for most of my non-workout runs in 2021. It’s got great cushioning underfoot that’s protective but not too soft, providing a responsive ride that I really enjoy and appreciate. Check it out at newbalance.com and consider adding a pair to your rotation today.— Recover Athletics. Recover Athletics has worked with the world's best sports physicians and Olympians like Meb Keflezighi to design an app that makes prehab fun and easy. In 90 seconds, the app will customize a program for your body and your training with different resistance exercises, plyometrics, and mobility work. No pills, no potions, no BS, just 100% evidence based exercises that are easy to follow on your iPhone or iPad. It’s available only in the iOS app store by searching "Recover Athletics" or at this link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/recover-athletics-run-healthy/id1488347465 Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-183-with-alex-varner/Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: https://themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“It’s possible to have a dysfunctional, unhealthy relationship to anything, right? So I would invite people to look at their own relationship to whatever it is they’re doing, whether it’s running or anything, and say, ‘How is this serving me? Or not serving me? Am I doing this to the exclusion of my responsibilities to my family, friends, loved ones, community? Or, in fact, is this practice of running actually foundational in helping me do that?’ My sense is that overall for the majority of runners and athletes it’s the second scenario which is true: that running actually tends to cultivate connection and gratitude and love and the ability to be of service to others. If it stops being that then maybe you want to look at that but I think it’s usually the case that it’s a positive force in people’s lives.” This week’s episode is with J.M. Thompson. He’s an ultrarunner, a clinical psychologist, and author of the new book, Running Is A Kind of Dreaming, a powerful, mind-bending memoir about how running saved him from a life of depression, drug addiction, and suicide attempts. This conversation was fascinating and one of my favorites that I’ve had for the podcast to date. In it, we discuss J.M.’s book, how it’s structured, and how it came to be, but also what it’s been like for him, as a mental health professional, to open about his own issues so publicly. We talked about ultrarunning, his evolving relationship to it, and the types of personalities the sport tends to attract. Jason told me about what he called the “waking dream state” that he experiences in long races, the process of reorganizing our past experiences with trauma so that we can move forward, the importance of learning to ask for help, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith crafts performance running apparel, inspiring publications, and distinct experiences that allow runners to indulge in the sport’s rich culture. Go to tracksmith.com/mario to check out some of my favorite apparel picks and use the code MARIO at checkout to get free shipping on your order while also helping support #LASAVESTRACK. — Recover Athletics. Recover Athletics has worked with the world's best sports physicians and Olympians like Meb Keflezighi to design an app that makes prehab fun and easy. In 90 seconds, the app will customize a program for your body and your training with different resistance exercises, plyometrics, and mobility work. No pills, no potions, no BS, just 100% evidence based exercises that are easy to follow on your iPhone or iPad. It’s available only in the iOS app store by searching "Recover Athletics" or at this link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/recover-athletics-run-healthy/id1488347465 Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-182-with-j-m-thompson/Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: https://themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. When I was a little girl I was selling lollipops at school. I had this relative who had these big lollipops, the 8-inch ones that were really colorful but not healthy to eat, but I would go to school—as long as they let me—selling lollipops until they said no. But I’ve always liked to be a groundbreaker and the thing about me is I don’t operate out of a mode of fear. I just don’t operate out of fear. I never have. And you have to have that to be an entrepreneur—you can’t have a lot of fear. Success is going to be hard to come by.” This week’s episode is with Jenny Maxwell. She’s the founder and CEO of JAMBAR, an energy bar for promoting community and eating healthy organic nutrition. This isn’t Jenny’s first foray into the energy bar market: she and her late husband Brian practically created it in the mid-1980s when they launched Powerbar, which they worked on together for 15 years until it was acquired by Nestle in 2000. Jenny is also a runner, a drummer, a nutritionist, and a mom of 6 kids—in full disclosure, I coach one of them, her son Chris, who is a heck of a marathoner in his own right. In this conversation, we talk about launching JAMBAR after 20 years away from the energy bar industry, how the space has evolved and grown over the past two decades, and what she’s doing to make her new company and product different from the rest. Jenny and I also discuss playing the long game and taking a patient, sustainable approach to both business and life, aligning yourself with the right people, the similarities in how athletes and musicians approach their respective crafts, and a lot more. As a thank you for listening to this episode, Jenny would like to extend a 10% discount on JAMBAR products to morning shakeout listeners. Simply place an order at Jambar.com and use the code JAMBARFUEL at checkout. And just to be fully transparent, I am not getting paid by JAMBAR, I am not an affiliate of the company, and I get nothing out of you using this discount code. It’s a gift from Jenny and an invitation to try out her latest culinary creation.This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith crafts performance running apparel, inspiring publications, and distinct experiences that allow runners to indulge in the sport’s rich culture. Tracksmith is offering new customers $15 off your first purchase of $75+. Just use code MARIO15 when you check out at tracksmith.com/mario.— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-181-with-jenny-maxwell/Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: https://themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“The thing that I’ve realized I like about competitiveness is that, yes, it’s fun to beat other people in a soccer game and that’s one measure, but the real thing that’s rewarding is continuously getting better at something, or continuously working at something and putting in this work and seeing what the outputs are and continuing to try to do better. And even now I think I’m hopefully not at a permanent stage where I’m going backwards—but recovering from an injury—and I’m not running any of the same speeds that I have run in the past, but I’m working at it and I find it really rewarding to be better than I was last week.” This week’s conversation is a little different from the ones I usually have for the show. It’s with Leidy Klotz, a professor at the University of Virginia who studies how we transform things from how they are to how we want them to be. He’s the author of the book Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less, which is the spark that set off this conversation, and he’s also a runner himself.In this episode, we talked about Leidy’s relationship to running and the place it holds in his life before getting into a discussion about subtraction and why it often gets neglected in favor of addition in so many aspects of our lives, including running. We talked about subtraction as it relates to coaching, writing training programs, and even running shoes, how to overcome our instinct to add to things all the time, looking at life through an editor’s lens, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith crafts performance running apparel, inspiring publications, and distinct experiences that allow runners to indulge in the sport’s rich culture. Tracksmith is offering new customers $15 off your first purchase of $75+. Just use code MARIO15 when you check out at tracksmith.com/mario.— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-180-with-leidy-klotz/Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: https://themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“If there’s stressful stuff, and who doesn’t have that, the run eases it. It absolutely does. We hear this, of course, from lots of people, and more and more people are figuring out what’s going on in terms of brain chemistry—it eases anxiety and stress, I’m talking about serious stress with people, clinical anxiety—but I feel that. And so years and years ago I kind of assumed a mantra, if you will, and that is you come home from work and haven’t run, and it is, ‘When in doubt, do it.’ And it’s served me well, and it still doesn’t mean I haven’t missed some days, but if I’m kind of on the fence, I’m a little tired, I don’t feel up to it, a lot on my mind—get out the door, get in some miles, and I always find that I’m better off for it.” The 50th running of the New York City Marathon is just a couple weekends away and who better to talk to about it than George Hirsch, chairman of the New York Road Runners, and someone who has been involved with the event to one degree or another since its beginnings. This conversation was a real treat for me. We spent half of it talking about the New York City Marathon, its history, its stories, its allure, and more. We also discussed how all of those things went into a new book called The New York City Marathon: 50 Years Running, which is a coffee table keepsake that I’m really enjoying right now. I also got George to tell me more about himself, his legendary career in publishing, which included a stint at Runner’s World during its heyday, how he got his start in running back in the 1960s, what keeps him running six days a week at the age of 87, how his relationship to it has evolved over the decades, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— Runderwear. Runderwear's mission is to eliminate the discomfort caused by ill-fitting underwear and to create seamless performance running underwear, base wear, bras and socks that are supremely comfortable, moisture wicking and chafe-free. Take a look at Runderwear.com and use the code TMS20 at checkout for 20% off your purchase. — Precision Hydration. I’ve been a devotee to PH products for the past 4 years and my last few marathons wouldn’t have gone as well without them. Go to precisionhydration.com and take their free online Sweat Test or use the Carb Calculator to get a personalized hydration and nutrition strategy to test in training. As a listener of the show you can get 15% off your first order by using the code TMS15 when checking out.Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-179-with-george-hirsch/Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: https://themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“My goals and expectations when I joined the team was committing to the Olympic Trials…but we were all changed through the pandemic. Who I am as a 24-year-old joining a professional team versus me as a 27-year-old kind of living through this high-end running thing, one of my number one goals is I don’t want to just be stuck on the domestic mile circuit. If I’m going to do this, I want to do it right. And I was pretty bummed that my body tipped the other end of the scale and couldn’t quite figure it out…I think if I committed to keep going and training in the environment that I was in, it kind of would have been the same cycle, so I was like, ‘You know what, this might not be the most prudent move, but I’m going to end this and start a new chapter,’ so that’s kind of what I’ve been doing this summer, is figuring out what that chapter looks like.” My conversation this week is with Dana Giordano. She’s a top middle distance runner on the track who competed in the 5000m at this summer’s Olympic Trials. She also hosts the popular podcast More than Running with Dana, where she sits down and talks with some of the most inspirational and insightful women in running from athletes and coaches to insiders and advocates. In this episode, we talked about where she’s at right now and rediscovering the love for running after feeling distraught following the Olympic Trials. She told me about living in Singapore as a kid and developing a love for travel. We spoke about the professional side of the sport and the challenges of making it as a top-level athlete today. We also discussed her podcast, connecting with people, sharing untold stories, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The Fresh Foam 1080 v11 is an absolute workhorse and it’s been my go-to trainer for most of my non-workout runs in 2021. It’s got great cushioning underfoot that’s protective but not too soft, providing a responsive ride that I really enjoy and appreciate. Check it out at newbalance.com and consider adding a pair to your rotation today.— Precision Hydration. I’ve been a devotee to PH products for the past 4 years and my last few marathons wouldn’t have gone as well without them. Go to precisionhydration.com and take their free online Sweat Test or use the Carb Calculator to get a personalized hydration and nutrition strategy to test in training. As a listener of the show you can get 15% off your first order by using the code TMS15 when checking out.Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-178-with-dana-giordano/Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: https://themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Talent is an interesting question. What is it really? It means, can you avoid injuries? It means, can you back off? When you get crushed, will you come back? I didn’t like that part. I think it’s a lot of different things. It’s not maybe a physical thing, but it’s a mental thing. When you see a lot of these athletes—a lot of you are here because you have that wherewithal. And maybe you got beat up, because we all get beat up in this sport—it’s part of it, it’s like a rite of passage. It’s just part of it. But it’s OK, it’s good.”This week on the podcast I’m excited to share a wide-ranging conversation I had this past Saturday with the legendary Bill Rodgers at Tracksmith’s Trackhouse in Boston. Bill is a hero of mine and I’ve long wanted to have him on the show and Boston Marathon weekend turned out to be the perfect opportunity for it. In this conversation, we talk all things Boston, of course, but also get Bill’s thoughts on his career, talent, training, how his own relationship with running has evolved over the course of his lifetime, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. Tracksmith crafts performance running apparel, inspiring publications, and distinct experiences that allow runners to indulge in the sport’s rich culture. Tracksmith is offering new customers $15 off your first purchase of $75+. Just use code MARIO15 when you check out at tracksmith.com/mario.— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO at checkout for 15% off your order. Look good, run goodr!Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-177-with-bill-rodgers/Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: https://themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.