Chill Track Friday

David Alm is a Brooklyn-based writer, an editor, and a professor of journalism at Hunter College of the City University of New York. His work has appeared in GQ, Running Times, The Daily Beast, Forbes, and Runner’s World. His 2021 story for GQ, "The Marathon Men Who Can't Go Home," was named one of the six best features of the year by Longreads and helped two men receive political asylum. David in...

Dr. James Kinderknecht, MD is a physician of Primary Sports Medicine at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City. Dr. Kinderknecht has 30 years of experience caring for athletes of all ages and levels. He is a team physician for the New York Giants; the current medical director for the HSS outreach program for high schools participating in the Public School Athletic League in New Yo...

You asked, we answer. Join us for a special episode in which Ann and Ali answer all of your training questions. We cover topics such as stretching and tapering, the benefits of caffeine, as well as offering a few mental tricks for race day performance. This episode is filled with experience and suggestions, a few gaffes and even some unedited bloopers. We hope you enjoy this special edition show.

Artist, teacher, Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, and now mother, Megan Foster returns to the podcast. A lot has happened since we first interviewed Meg in October 2019 (see Episode 29: "The Artist at Work"): two knee surgeries, one c-section, and a pandemic. Meg has resumed toeing the line, however, getting to that line has not been easy. We talk about it all in this beautiful episode. This is...

When Stephanie Shiau moved to South Orange, New Jersey in the autumn of 2019 she left her New York running community behind. Having trained with a group for several years, Stephanie knew the magic and transformation that comes through training with others. Not wanting to miss out on this camaraderie and growth, Stephanie immediately searched for a running community in her new neighborhood. What sh...

Part of the elite field at the 2021 New York City Marathon, Ana Johnson has been a talented runner from her very first race. At this year’s marathon, which was not only the 50th Anniversary of the New York City Marathon, but also a five-borough celebration of the city itself, Ana ran 2:44:11 - thirty seconds faster than her time on the same course in 2019. Ana moved to New York from Torreon, Mexic...

Chill Track Friday is back with legendary coach, Greg McMillan, M.S. Greg holds a masters degree in exercise physiology with a research focus on the determining factors of distance running performance. Greg is one of the best running coaches around, using his expertise in exercise science to create scientifically-based training programs that are individualized to runners of all abilities, from new...

In November 2020 Sean Hamilton went to secluded Dunn Lake, British Columbia looking for something. What that something was he did not know, but he followed the strong pull that was begging him to retreat into nature. Sean remained alone in the woods until the end of December. The lessons gained from his solitude may only ever be fully known to him, but while spending this time by himself, Sean ran...

Jason and Duy are professional photographers who became friends through social media. When COVID-19 paralyzed the globe, they decided to collaborate on a project that would memorialize the moment while providing work for their photographer colleagues. Thus "Long Distance" was born. “'Long Distance' is a collection of stories and photographs, told and taken by runners across the world during the pa...

Victor Diaz and his business partner, Bolota Asmerom, recognized that something very important was missing from their Oakland, CA, running community: representation for people of color. They founded Renegade Running with the mission of creating a welcoming space that’s responsive to the diverse population it serves. Located among retail stores and artists’ work-spaces, Renegade Running is much mor...

Jen St. Jean has been running since she was 12 years old. She joined the middle school cross-country team with only three meets left in the season and came in third at that year’s league meet. Jen went on to achieve All-New England status by the end of high school. She subsequently ran track and cross-country at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she was Conference Champion in severa...

Chris Forti, also known as “40” is an integral member of the New York City running community. As a Team Coach for the Dashing Whippets Running Team, and in his capacity as a USATF official, Chris helps to enrich the lives of so many people in New York City, and beyond. Chris is a true leader, understanding that teamwork is about inclusivity, both in background and in pace, and that coaches have ce...

Massage therapy is a crucial ingredient for reaching peak performance. Runners are good at running. We are disciplined and dedicated. We pound miles and miles on the roads and trails hoping that our body will perform at its best on race day. When our dedicated workout time ends, however, we often rush off to jobs, families, and other responsibilities. In all the hustle and bustle, recovery and inj...

Judy Stobbe is a dynamic individual and a world class runner. On the track she is steady, strong, and at the top of her game, regularly producing race times of 90 percentile and above. Judy specializes in the 800m, the 1500m and the mile. In August, Judy was named the USATF Masters Track Athlete of the Month. Off the track, Judy is similarly engaged and successful. She is kind, nurturing, informed...

From a shy kid to a courageous risk-taker, Ann Restak’s journey is full of stories that personify the ideals of grit and hard work. Listen to Ann as she unpacks the various stages of her life with an appreciation of the journey and its teachings along the way. Whether it be on the tennis court at the age of 10, as a student of art history, or running the best race of her life, Ann is a competitor...

A few hallmark values at Chill Track Friday are: hard work, the pursuit of excellence, enjoying the journey, and using the process of training and racing to learn about the sport, and ourselves. The running career of today’s guest perfectly exemplifies these values. _ Enzo Amara is a recreational runner who began his running journey as a result of observing those of others. Ever since, Enzo choose...

“Great mentors help others understand why they do what they do, and urge them on. Through the ups and downs of life, motivation can be gained from setting a good example for others. Knowing that people look to me for advice inspires me to explain why it is that I get out the door to run. Some days its simply better than sitting on the couch. Other days it may be to test the limits of my body and s...

Mark Williams is one of the nicest people we’ve ever met. He is also one of the fastest. An elite masters track and field middle distance runner, Mark holds many New Jersey state and national titles in the 800m, the 1500m and the mile, both indoors and outdoors. He is the USATF Masters 2019 Middle Distance Athlete of the Year and he is a member of the world record indoor M40-49 4 x 800m team (7:49...

We’re honored to share this thoughtful conversation with our friend, who is also one of our very first coaches, Mike Scher. Mike is a post-collegiate runner who specializes in the mile and the 5K and who has since tested the waters of longer distances.   This episode deviates slightly from our usual format - we’re not the only ones asking questions! Join us as we discuss running, life, coaching ph...

Running is a great outlet for a broad spectrum of emotions. It can be the foundation of a beautiful life, helping us learn and grow and heal. Sometimes, however, when things are particularly challenging, we may need more than just the rhythmic and comforting sounds of our own footfall. Sometimes we need to learn skills and insights from a professional who can help us navigate stressful times. Thes...

Thousands of businesses all over the world are trying to navigate the current COVID-19 public health crisis during government-mandated closures of “non-essential” businesses. How do you serve your clients though, when your business is all about physical touch, and manual therapy and manipulation? Custom PT is a leading physical therapy business in the heart of New York City…and the heart of the ru...

Lauren Antonucci is a nationally recognized nutrition expert and Registered Dietitian who founded her private practice, Nutrition Energy, in 2003. Lauren and her team provide practical, scientifically proven nutrition advice to thousands of clients in the New York City area and beyond. Lauren is a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (C.S.S.D.) and a Certified Diabetes Educator (C.D.E.)....

We are in the middle of a scary and unprecedented time. Under normal circumstances we would flock to in-person social interactions: a hug, a run, a shared meal, a night out on the town in order to cope with stress and uncertainty. Connection, togetherness, and touch are human instincts. Our training partners and running community are family, and instrumental parts of our support system. What happe...

Lindsay Crouse is the Senior Staff Editor and OpDocs Producer at The New York Times. In 2016, two weeks before the U.S. Olympic Team Marathon Trials in Los Angeles, Lindsay asked 'New York Times Sports' to send her to Los Angeles to cover the race. She took a vacation day to do it and credits this trip with helping her to shape a career covering women's sports. Four years later, Lindsay is breakin...

This episode is the audio from our first ever LIVE recording of the Chill Track Friday podcast on Sunday, February 9 at Custom Performance, with four women from the all-female, New York City based running collective, Distance Project NY. Angela Ortiz, Megan Foster, Lauren Perkins, and Ana Jonson have all qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the marathon and they sat down with us and Gordo...