Chill Track Friday

In this two-part episode we interview Stuart Calderwood about track racing and coaching runners. Stuart has been a coach for over forty years. During his 11 years as a head cross-country coach in California, his Laguna Beach High School boys’ team won the 1989 State Championship and his Orange Coast College men’s team won the 1988 South Conference championship. In 2003 Stuart won the age 45-49 bro...

Laura Rodriguez runs with a strength and a determination that is unstoppable, fiercely passionate, and incredibly inspiring. Laura is motivated by a love of the sport, yet this is just the beginning. Laura has a huge heart and she bravely allows it to lead the way in her training and her racing. Listen as she describes transforming from a smoker to a sub-elite marathoner. This is a marvelous and e...

In this two-part episode we interview Gordon Bakoulis. Gordon is an athletic force who has dominated the running world since she began racing competitively in the 1980s. To this day she races with purpose, fierce talent, and a pure love of the sport. This is an inspiring story of accountability, nurturing a talent, and courage to gracefully follow the road that it paves. From a 3:40:03 first-time...

In this two-part episode we interview Gordon Bakoulis. Gordon is an athletic force who has dominated the running world since she began racing competitively in the 1980s. To this day she races with purpose, fierce talent, and a pure love of the sport. This is an inspiring story of accountability, nurturing a talent, and courage to gracefully follow the road that it paves. From a 3:40:03 first-time...

Somewhere in the mind of any athlete is the question, “did I just run my fastest race? Is this the top of the mountain for me?” Progress is not linear, nor is it guaranteed at the moment we want it, yet we are told to be steadfast, that consistency and patience will reap rewards we never thought possible. Though we hear this repeatedly, it is challenging to truly trust that we will not be the exce...

A tibial stress fracture diagnoses at the outset of marathon training didn’t stop Ali from running a 3:15 at the Berlin Marathon, 2018. Listen as Ali explains his training cycle, from how he translated a marathon training plan into a marathon cross-training plan, to devising a race strategy that would fully honor his journey. This is an incredible story of persistence, patience, creativity, and de...

Jim knew something needed to change when he stood on the sidelines, a sedentary 41-year old, watching his 70-year old father run past him in the Vienna Marathon in 2009. Inspired by his father’s post-retirement lifestyle changes, Jim and his brother, Tom vowed right then and there to run a marathon with their father within a year. Listen as Jim describes his journey from Northampton, England to Ne...

How do you train for a race that you’ve set your sights on, quite possibly for years and which is notoriously challenging due to its elevation variations? In this episode, Ann Restak discusses her training cycle for the 2018 Boston Marathon, offering tips and suggestions. Nothing, however, could have prepared her, or any runner, for the weather conditions in Boston on April 16, 2018. Listen as our...

In Part II of this two-part episode, Roberto Mandje discusses the circumstances surrounding his decision to retire from professional running and the joys born from this decision. This segment contains countless training tips for athletes of all levels.

In Part I of this two-part episode, Roberto Mandje describes his journey from 4:58 miler in the 8th grade to representing Equatorial Guinea in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. This is a thoughtful reflection on lessons learned during more than a decade of professional running.

In our introductory episode we discuss the originations of the podcast, what to expect on the show, and how we hope to inspire.