Trail Runner Nation

Film-maker Billy Yang joins The Nation to introduce the characters of his recent film, "Life in a Day", an inspirational story four women running the 2016 Western States 100. Billy, Magda, Anna Mae, and Devon join us to talk about the race and the film. Magdalena Boulet Anna Mae Flynn Devon Yanko Kaci Lickteig (unable to join us) After screening his film in many locations, Billy will be making it available to watch on his web site and youtube channel.

The word "vulnerability" has traditionally had a negative connotation; only the weak are vulnerable. Andy Jones-Wilkins and Candice Burt join The Nation to discuss an alternative definition: a definition of power and ownership. AJW's articles on vulnerability: "Becoming Vulnerable" and "Vulnerability: Strength or Weakness" Brené Brown's book, "The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings on Authenticity, Connection and Courage" Brené Brown's Ted Talk video The movie, "In and Out" trailer Guarantee yourself some vulnerability at one of Candice Burt's races: Destination Trail Run

Recently, Travis Macy underwent a battery of tests at eNRG Performance in Boulder, Colorado. We were intrigued to see what these tests were, why he decided to undergo them, and how he can use this information to change his diet and training to be an efficient endurance runner. Dina Griffin, MS, RDN, CSSD, METS II & Leadville 100 finisher, joins the conversation to help us understand. Here are the tests that they did: Metabolic Efficiency (ME) testing Lactate Threshold (LT) testing Sweat Sodium Concentration Testing VO2max Testing In this podcast, we dive into the ME testing. We will cover the other tests in upcoming podcast episodes. If you have more question please email Dina at [email protected]

To quote Mr. Warren Pole, "If you fall in Fall running Fell, now you have something!" Nicky Spinks is an accomplished fell runner out of northern England. Nicky and Warren Pole join The Nation to discuss what Fell running is, its origins, and where it fits with trail and ultra running. We discuss one of the famous fell run challenges, the Bob Graham Round. Named after Bob Graham, who in June 1932 broke the Lakeland Fell record by traversing 42 fells within a 24-hour period, at the age of 42. Each summer around 100 of the most highly tuned ultra-distance fell runners will attempt the 66-mile, 27,000 ft of ascent within the allotted 24 hours. Only one in three will succeed. To date approximately 2055 people have completed the single round in 24 hours. Nicky has set records on the Bob Graham Round in previous years. In 2016, on her 10th anniversary of overcoming breast cancer, the 49-year-0ld bested the record for the DOUBLE Bob Graham Round. This covers over 132 miles, 52,000' of ascent over 84 summits. She did this in an amazing 45-1/2 hours! Video about the Bob Graham Round with Salomon Running athlete Ricky Lightfoot Nicky Spinks article re. her Double Bob Graham. Video of Nicky completing the Double Bob Graham. We also added a few words to our glossary: Tussic Moore Heather Jelly Babies Tops Clag Peet And finally, to quote Mr. Warren Pole, "If you fall in Fall running Fell, now you have something!"

Cory Reese, AKA Fast Cory, started running later in life and has become obsessed. He has an entertaining way to share his experiences from the "back of the pack" via his BLOG, his column in Ultrarunning Magazine, and his social media pages. Cory shares his life journey in his new book, "Nowhere Near First".

Billy Yang and Jimmy Dean Freeman join The Nation to discuss trail running adventures. They can take all forms and can be very complex or simple weekend affairs. Do more than a routine training runs this year. Have a running adventure! See more of Billy Yang's film on Youtube Mt. Gaoligong Video

Sally McRae and Warren Pole join the nation to review the newest volume of the TRN Audio Magazine. Here is a list of the articles we discuss: Tipping Point Blinded by the Light I may be Having a Heart Attack Goal!!!! This Season's Must Have Color is Orange Motivation: What is Your Goto Mantra? Brake or Break? Is that English? In the Long Shadow of Mont Blanc Now Jacko Willink "Good" video 33 Shake weekly winners: ejb74 https://www.instagram.com/ejb74/ Getting high in boise foothills Staffsergeantrichardallan https://www.instagram.com/p/BPBnUw3DQA6/?taken-by=staffsergeantrichardallan Running the sights in DC Todd Chandler Snowy trails https://www.instagram.com/p/BPP_lBHDxHw/?taken-by=toddchandler

We jump in the TRN time machine and travel back to 1988 to compare how trail running has changed. Tim Twietmeyer, 25-time, silver buckle owner and 5-time champion of Western States 100, join The Nation to discuss. Winners of the 33shake photo promotion. Each will receive 10 Satchels of the chia energy gel. Post your photo/video on social media and tag #fuledby33shake and #inspiredbytrn to enter the weekly drawing. Kristian Bak (Twitter @kristianbak79) from Denmark https://twitter.com/KristianBak79?lang=en-gb, great Danish trail shot Laurie Nakauchi for a rocking team run shot https://www.instagram.com/p/BPAffSPjhVO/?taken-by=nakasmooch&hl=en Sebastien Durandeau for this moody winter trail shot https://www.instagram.com/p/BPBLI6Rhiqy/?taken-by=oregoncoastrunner&hl=en

Matt Fitzgerald (sports nutritionist, writer, athlete, coach) hits another home run with his latest book, "The Endurance Diet: Discover the 5 Core Habits of the World's Greatest Athletes to Look, Feel and Perform Better". (Whew, that was an endurance title). Matt took the last two years to do in depth with the top endurance athletes from different sports and from around the world. 3 winners of the 33 Shake promotion: 1 Liz Morgan McGarraugh- bagged her goal of 1700 miles in a year, which - rather brilliantly - is 33 miles a week. What an excellent number. PHOTO 2 Benfitz1.0 - for some great slow-mo trail action videos and an Instagram feed that is, basically, nothing but trail running. Apart from a few posts of trail running injuries…VIDEO 3 Lisa Fogg-Evans - awesome first night time solo trail run, hard core! VIDEO You can win too. Just post a photo or video showing how you enjoy the trails and tag it with #fueledby33shake and #inspiredbytrn. A chance to win 10 satchels of 33 Shake energy gels and a chance to be the first (in the USA) to receive the 33 Shake All-in-one shake.

Don and Scott look back on the last 5 years of podcasts and revisit the great guests and topics from 2016. Top downloaded TRN Podcasts since 2011 Top downloaded TRN Podcasts in 2016

This is our second annual holiday game show edition! We pinned the European Union against the East Coast of the USA.This year Andy Jones-Wilkins and Warren Pole rejoin with team mates Donna Ní Cuarta and Ashley Walsh. The Nation goes rogue and kicks it game show style. We adapt the 1970's game show, "100,000 Pyramid" to create a trail running version. Listen to last year's game show

Dr. Mihály Csikszentmihályi describes flow as being "completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one...Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost". Wow! How do we bottle that and release it on race day? AJW's article on Flow "The Pleasure of Flow" Podcast with Phil Maffetone, "How can Rhythm Improve Your Efficiency?" Dr. Mihály Csikszentmihályi's book, "Flow: The Psychology of Happiness: The classic Work of How to Achieve Happiness" AJW's mother's best selling book, "A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman" If you want to read ahead, here is the basis of an upcoming podcast on Vulnerability.

Eric Byrnes retired from major league baseball with a batting average of .259, 109 home runs, 396 RBIs, and an OBP or .320. Now what does he do? One thing that is taking up some of his time is trail and ultra running. Eric explains how his experience in MLB has helped him in becoming a passionate trail runner. Diamond to the Rough video Learn more about the Pat Tillman Foundation

"The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire". Malcolm Gladwell's best-selling book published in 2000, "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference" can translate in to our sport. Andy Jones-Wilkins and Zach Bitter join The Nation to discuss what some of these little things are and some of the people that have been influential in making trail and ultra running more popular.

Pam Reed recently broke her leg. Our East Coast Executive Producer and Headmaster, Andy Jones-Wilkins, joins The Nation to discuss what it takes to make a comeback from injury, in a race, from professional setbacks, personal relationships, etc. Pam's previous podcast: "Visualization and Leaping Out of Your Comfort Zone with Pam Reed" Pam Reed's book, "The Extra Mile" Check out the TRN Store for great holiday gifts for you or your runner.

Gary Dudney is a prolific writer and can be seen in "Ultra Running Magazine", "Trail Runner", "Runner's World", "Running Times", and others. He has run over 200 ultras and 50 Hundreds. He joins The Nation to explain what he has learned over the years, especially how to find joy in the journey of running. The Tao of Running Website The Book: "The Tao of Running: Your Journey to Mindful and Passionate Running"

Gary Robbins has won the HURT 100-mile trail race 3 times and many other races. He is also a coach and race director. Gary joins The Nation to talk about his experience at Barkley Marathons "scraping" his "10 essentials for safe backcountry adventures, trail running style" pacing and fueling "fade-rate" Check out Gary's coaching site Gary's Coast Mountain Trail Series The Squamish 50 The Red Bull 400 m at Whistler photo credit Brian McCurdy

Sally McRae is busy. She called, we agreed to hit record and now we have the first ever TRN "Phone-Cast" with Sally. Photo Credit: Billy Yang

Dr. Joe Uhan is a physical therapist, Board­-Certified Orthopedic Specialist, coach.....oh, and he can run! Joe can be seen and read regularly on IRunFar and UltraRunning Magazine. He joins The Nation to talk about running efficiency and bio-mechanics. Running efficiently is very simple, but NOT EASY. Here are some links to what we discussed: Joe's Ultrarunning Magazine's November article, "Central Governor and Stride" Joe's IRunFar article, "The Western States Killing Machine, Part Two: The Marble in the Groove" 100 -ups video with Joe Additional 100-up video Shaggy from Scooby Doo running model How to learn more from Dr. Joe Uhan Performance - get a running gait analysis! Joe's blog

Dr. Phil Maffetone has changed the way most of us eat, train, run and live our lives. He joins The Nation to talk about the social stress of the "No Pain, No Gain" philosophy, hydration, getting enough vitamin D, using fish oils, and much more. Here are some links to things we discussed: "Social Stress of 'N0-Pain No-Gain'" article HR threshold test The MAF Test Dr. Maffetone's Books Phil's Music

Coach Travis Macy and Andy Jones-Wilkins join The Nation to discuss why trail running is more than just logging miles and how it becomes part of who we are. In TRN style, we approach this topic by throwing out words that spark these ideas: Faith Calm/Stillness Therapy Nook Community Failure Technology/gear Grain

TRN regular and running guru, Dr. Mark Cucuzzella joins The Nation to do a brief recap of this years Freedoms Run, a race he has directed for the past 8 years. We then talk about the "pendulum swinging back to minimalist shoes" and how it is important to have good running form. Check out the 3 Efficient Running Training Modules that Dr. Mark and the U.S. Air Force created. Here is the most popular 8:26-minute running video that demonstrates proper running form. Here is the Coach's Eye APP that Dr. Cucuzzella talked about. Here is the blog post, "Two Week Running Natural Running Tour of Duty", that was discussed. Here is more information about Amazing Correct Toes available at Two Rivers Treads Don't forget to check out The Natural Running Center Get some shoe advice and buy some shoes at Two Rivers Treads or call them at 855.878.7323

Meghan Arbogast has been running for over 30 years and continues to be competitive with other runners that are 1/2 her age. She seems to be getting faster! She joins The Nation to discuss how she got into running, her training regime, love for running, race strategies and her favorite Taco Bell menu item. Hire Meghan to Coach you HERE New Yorker article, "Meb Keflezighi, Bernard Lagat, and the Secret to Running Forever" Wally Hesseltine video. 72-year-old Western States 100

This is Part 2 of the Tahoe 200 Endurance Run just finished up a week ago. There were over 100 people that started this race of 205.5 miles, including our own Don Freeman. We are doing a tw0-part podcast devoted to the race report (because this is twice as long as a 100-mile race, duh). Andy Jones-Wilkins and Jimmy Dean Freeman join this podcast to cover the experience of running the race from the eyes of Don Check out Candice's other races at Destination Trail

The Tahoe 200 Endurance Run just finished up a week ago. There were over 100 people that started this race of 205.5 miles, including our own Don Freeman. We are doing a tw0-part podcast devoted to the race report (because this is twice as long as a 100-mile race, duh). Race creator and Director, Candice Burt, joins us with Donna Ní Cuarta, a volunteer that flew over from London. In Part 1 we will cover The Race Course Special Equipment The Volunteers Part 2 will cover the experience of the race through the eyes of a racer....Don :) Check out Candice's other races at Destination Trail Registration for the 2017 Tahoe 200 opens on November 5 at 9:00pm PST at Ultra Sign Up or link to the registration page from the Tahoe 200 web site.

USA Track & Field certified coach, elite athlete, and author of "Running For Happiness and Health: A Beginners Guide to Faster Pain-Free Running", Jason Fitzgerald joins The Nation to discuss some of the basics of running. Whether you are a beginner or seasoned veteran, Jason's book will give you practical advice and drills that can help you become a more fit, faster runner while reducing the chance for injury. We discuss: How to prevent injuries Strength and core workouts Goal oriented motivation for fun Discipline vs. motivation Is the 10% rule for everyone? Consistence is the "secret sauce" From from the beginning Short Hill repeats are the secret for injury prevention What are Strides? and how can they help you? Visit his Website Strength Running or visit his blog Contact Jason HERE

That is one of John Wooden's quotes. He would have been a great ultra running coach. John's great niece, Kelley Puckett, joins The Nation to discuss Jimmy Dean Freeman's race report from the 2016 Badwater 135 mile race.

Lee McKinley, a well-accomplished ultra runner and tri-athlete, lends his wisdom to the podcasts as we discuss why we choose to go to the next level. Lee is competing in his third Ironman Kona in this October and talks about how his training has changed over the years. We also pressure Don into signing up for the Tahoe 200 mile race in September. Race Director of the Tahoe 200 Candice Burt joins the discussion. Running 200 or Directing 200 which one is easier. You will have to decide after listening.

Mark Johnson has been around the endurance community as a participant and as a reporter and photographer. He shares with The Nation his new book, "Spitting in the Soup - Inside the Dirty Game of Doping in Sports". In this book, Mark teaches us about the history of performance enhancing drugs in sports. Doping has been around for a long time, for many reasons, but only recently banned. Take a listen to this podcast and then go read the book. It will give you a much more informed perspective about drugs in sports.

Victor Ballesteros is an accomplished trail runner that has evolved into starting his own business, Victory Sport Design. Victor has developed some strong opinions on how to be a good pacer from his experience as a racer and pacing many of his friends. A few years ago he penned a great article on pacing, "The heART of Pacing". He joins The Nation to discuss his experiences and wisely teaches us how we can prepare to help our runners perform at their best. Check out Victor's Band, Voodoo Switch! This podcast closes with one of their songs. FUNK OUT!

Endurance athlete and coach, Travis Macy, rejoins The Nation to expound on his book, Ultra Mindset. We take the lessons learned from ultra running and translate them in to life: business, relationships, parenting, etc. Our original podcast with Travis Check out the course, Ultra Mindset For Endurance Athletes. The cohort begins on October 29, 2016 The book is available at most book outlets including Amazon and available to listen on Audible.

Andy Jones-Wilkins and Scott Mills join The Nation to talk about their 2016 finishes at Hardrock 100. This was AJW's second finish and Scott Mills' ninth finish. They talk about their different training strategies and race day strategies and how it unfolded: Training: How to avoid overtraining Pain vs. aches Heart Rate training Breathing training Altitude training Race Day: Phases of a race Avoiding the negative chatter How to pull yourself back from a DEEP funk Strategies for steep climbs and descents Trekking poles Andy's Race Report in the Tap Room Scott Mills is the Race Director for the San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run

Coach Jimmy Dean Freeman, founder and coach of the SoCal Coyotes running group, joins The Nation to do a preview of the 2016 running of the Badwater 135 mile race. JDF talks through the history of this race that routes from the lowest elevation to the highest elevation in the contiguous U.S. This will be Jimmy's second running of the grueling run. He teaches us about his training plan and his crew and pacer strategies. Follow the race HERE Check out JDF's podcast, "Do Inspiring Sh*t"

Dr. Stephanie Howe Violett recently finished her PhD in Nutrition & Exercise Physiology at Oregon State. She has taken her passion of running and transformed it into a career as an exercise physiologist, coach and sports nutritionist. She joins The Nation to discuss How to fuel during a run or race Apetite hormones Pallet fatigue She then shares her Simple Rules: Eat real food Chill out the day before a race Be nice Check out her blog HERE: with some really good recipes Check out her new Web Page HERE: posts about nutrition and coaching Endurance by Stephanie HERE

Jim Walmsley was attempting his first 100 mile race at Western States in 2016. Shortly after the start, he captured and maintained the lead for the first 92 miles extending his lead by nearly 50 minutes AND on pace to break Timmy Olsen's course record. But then the unthinkable happened, he missed a turn and ran 2-1/2 miles in the wrong direction. Jim joins The Nation to talk about his preparation for the race, his strategy, his execution and how he finished the race. His splits (courtesy of John Medinger) Red Star to Robinson Flat, 1:54 - Fastest ever Robinson Flat to Last Chance, 1:35 - Fastest ever Last Chance to Devils Thumb, 0:48 - 3rd fastest Devils Thumb to Michigan Bluff, 1:14 - 2nd fastest Michigan Bluff to Foresthill, 0:51 - Fastest ever Foresthill to River crossing, 2:10 - 3rd fastest Photo courtesy of Gary Wang

2016 Western States is in the books. Like every year the race treats us to a number of stories. The trail is the stage for tales of racing for the Top Ten positions, racing the cut off or simply completing an epic challenge. Join Andy Jones Wilkens and Bethany Patterson (F7) as we discuss some of the moments that make this 30 hours so special.

This year's Western States 100 is a few short days away. Andy Jones-Wilkins joins The Nation to talk about the field of runners that have been training hard and will be toeing the line on June 25 His 9-month journey from hip surgery to his lean preparation for Hardrock 100 in less than 1 month. How to train and race in the heat "Master Carnage Sweeper" AJW's tips for racing on a HOT day AJW's "Intriguing Stories at the 2016 WS100" iRunFar's Western States 100 Women Preview iRunFar's Western States 100 Men Preview Rob Krar's Ultra Training Camp

Tim Tollefson is joins The Nation to talk about his rise from a local cross country athlete to 2014 USA 50K Trail National Champion, finishing 2nd at the 2015 Courmayeur Champex Chamonix (101K) and team member of the Nike Trail Team. He leaks his Simple Rules to performing at a high level and his success. Tim's 2nd Place Finish at CCC 101K Mammoth Sports Center Tim on Twitter Tim on Instagram

Sally McRae sets out on the WS100 trail for a simple 15 mile out and 15 mile back and ends off course. Crawling through brush, standing an a ledge with a 50 foot drop, melting snow to hydrate, rock climbing and riding a tram was NOT part of the original plan. Fresh off the trail and straight to the microphone we hear first hand of "What happened out there Sally?!!"

Wish you were tougher mentally? Tough enough to achieve some goals that may throw mental or physical road blocks in your way? Dr. Duncan Simpson is Assistant Professor in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology and is the Coordinator of the Undergraduate Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology Program. He joins The Nation to explain how research has uncovered 10 ways you can become mentally tough. Here is our first podcast with : "Getting in Your Head"

Keira Henninger is a Mom, elite ultra-runner, race director, nutritionist, coach and amateur chef. Whew! She joins The Nation to talk about her struggle, diagnosis and recovery from adrenal fatigue. You can read more about her story HERE. She praises her Doctor, Dr. Alex Tuggle for listening and showing her a path to repairing her adrenal glands and return to the activity level she loves. Find out more about Divas & Dudes Running Club Women's Trail Running & Nutrition Join her at one of her many RACES

This is the first in the series of podcasts talking about SIMPLE RULES. Let's face it, trail and ultrarunning can be very complex, especially when the adrenaline is pumping, the legs and mind are weary, or the sun sets on a early morning start. Kathleen Eisenhardt, a professor of management science and engineering at Stanford, explains the advantages of developing simple rules for life and business in a podcast that we recently listened to. We extrapolated her premise to the sport we love. Get the Book Get the Audio Book

iRunFar.com has been entertaining and educating trail and ultrarunners for 11 years. Founder, Bryon Powell, joins The Nation to discuss his latest book, co-authored by Meghan Hicks, "Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trail Running" Meghan and Bryon rely on their decades of trail experience to help the beginner and the veteran trail runner excel and enjoy the trail more. Meghan and Bryon working hard at Western States 100 Find more information about "Relentless Forward Progress" Check out the photos on TrailPorn.com Warren Pole reporting on his 3.3 Lessons Learned from the 33 Shake American Tour.

The Nation's East-Coast producer and favorite headmaster, Andy Jones-Wilkins, joins a lively discussion on over training. How to recognize it (in yourself and your friends) How to avoid it How to come back from it Some key words that we talk about: Puddle of Muck Eeyore-ish Blitzkrieg Brain Housing Group Conditioning Blubber Join AJW in his Taproom here

Author, nutritionist, endurance athlete and coach,MattFitzgerald, joins The Nation again. Mattrecently competed in the grand daddy of them all, Boston Marathon,again just a few short weeks after completing his first 50-milerace, American River50, We discuss his transition to 50 and itrolls into what is different between a marathon and 50 miler.Check out Matt's DQS App.Here is the link to his latest book, if you haven't read hislatest book, "How Bad Do you Want It?Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle"

Warren and Erica Pole, co-founders of 33Shake (no, not a European dance move), join The Nation on their North American adventure tour to educate us on the nutrition industry and introduce us to their revolutionary new gel. This face to face interview in Studio G to talk about their tour, how 33 shake can help your performance, and some of their experience on the tour thus far. Follow the tour HERE and the latest from 33 Shake on social sites: Facebook and Twitter

Every runner has a mentor. Dan Williams is a mentor for more people than he realizes. Imagine your training partner is Ann Trason, as you work through strategies to negotiate a 100 Miles through heat, hills and miscellaneous chaos. After countless miles, mishaps and success you end up with some serious trail knowledge. Now imagine sitting down and talking to them. One wearing a 2000 mile silver buckle and the other, owner of a a-one-of-a-kind 1000 Mile silver buckle converted by WS into a bracelet. Dan and Ann drop some of this knowledge on this podcast. This is one for the archives. Thank you Dan and Ann! Special co-hosts Sally McRae and Ann Thilges.

We start with the premise, "There must be more to this, it can't be just exercise." We hear takes from guests Ann, Zach, Mike and Karis. We love to run. What else do we love about our sport?

Has your crew or pacer ever stretched the truth to get you to perform better? Have you ever wondered if you could push yourself just a little bit more? Matt Laye is an endurance athlete and PhD in medical physiology and an assistant professor of health and human performance at The College of Idaho. In his recent article in Ultrarunning Magazine, Matt explains that our mental potential might still be underestimated. Visit Matt's Blog: Laying It Down Follow Matt on Facebook and on Twitter Here is the Working Memory and Spacial Attention Training Game

Trail Runner, Model, film maker, adventure seeker, Whitney Powell joins The Nation for a rookie stab at our favorite podcast: Drop Bag. As you will see, she quickly passed us and lead the pack to a strong finish. Don also brings a new spin to the podcast. Some of the topics covered: Funniest things you've seen on the trail Fasted Runs Prink, Haphazard, Doer Pet Peeves A "picture is worth a thousand words" Music You can hear Whitney on her podcast, Women In Sports Podcast (WISP) or after April 1st on Jimmy Dean Freeman's new podcast - stay tuned for more information. Follow Whitney on Instagram, Facebook Photo of Whitney competing in the Antarctica Marathon. for more adventure races go to http://marathon-adventures.com/