Climb Your Mountain

So your work meeting went over and cut your workout time in half. Should you even bother? FY! In this episode, I'll share how little workouts add up to big results over time, plus some tip to keep you moving under even the crappiest life circumstances. Resources Mentioned: How to Be an Imperfectionist book by Stephen Guise (aff. link) Get my weekly emails (it's like a bonus podcast episo...

Are you spinning in confusion trying to choose the perfect training plan for your next ultramarathon, hike, or mountain climb? Awesome, because in this episode I cut through the perfectionist crap and show you why MANY training plans will work great for you.  We'll talk about how all training plans are actually guesswork, how most things about endurance training are made up, and why you shoul...

My best time hack for busy athletes? It's not a calendar. It's not an app. It's something that's completely free and available to all. It's called trusting yourself. And that's simple, but far from easy. In today's podcast, I'll share three ways that trusting yourself can help you get more done with less struggle — plus tips on how to make it happen. Resourc...

Do you believe you have to be mean to yourself to excel at endurance training, running, or mountaineering? You probably beat yourself up because it's worked in the past. But here's a secret: there's something that will work even better. And in this podcast, I'm going to share it with you. And even better, I'm going to walk you through a process to teach your brain to think...

Does your training plan have seven heart rate zones that are driving you nuts? Are you completely confused about whether you're in the superthreshold or the subthreshold or something completely different? Or do you simply feel like your current heart rate zone system isn't working for you? If so, you need this episode! I'm going to bust through all the heart rate zone bullshit and m...

Are you feeling stuck in any area of your life? Maybe it's a habit, a relationship, or a goal that you just can't move the needle on. Friend, if this lands, this episode is for you! You'll learn common thought errors that keep us stuck and helpful thoughts to help you make decisions, commit to change, and move forward. No more spinning in confusion and overwhelm! Coach With Sarah Sa...

Want to get more out of your endurance training — not to mention your relationships, job, and life? Friend, you gotta rest more. And that starts with thinking differently about time, rest, and productivity. In this episode, we'll challenge common thoughts that get in the way of physical and mental rest. And we'll also look at some new beliefs to help you rest more so you can get more don...

2022 is winding down and 2023 is coming fast. This would normally be the time you set goals, sign up for event, and plan trips. But what if you're dealing with an illness, injury, or other life problem that's keeping everything up in the air? Well as someone who has been out of training for 11 weeks due to long COVID, I totally get it. And that's why on today's episode, I'...

On this episode, I chat with my friend and fellow coach Becki Rupp from Trailblazer Wellness.  Becki is an adventure travel specialist, and today she'll share how she works with clients to get them physically and mentally ready for amazing trips all over the world. Her clients have successfully summited Kilimanjaro, tackled the Inca Trail and the Salkantay Trek, and even completed the Camino...

Sooner or later, every athlete gets forced out of training by an illness, injury, or other circumstance beyond their control. For goal-oriented endurance athletes, sitting on the sidelines can be painful and take a toll on our mental health. So for those of us who are out of training and feeling at loose ends, I've created this handy to-do list. Follow it to make the most of down time and com...

Is there a part of you that believes that once you climb the mountain, you'll finally feel worthy? Or once you get the promotion at work, you'll finally feel secure? Or that you need to lose the weight in order to finally feel desirable? This common thought error, which is called the arrival fallacy, is shared by most humans. And it can real mess with our enjoyment of life — and even mak...

Not every endurance athlete needs to lose body fat to perform well and enjoy their climbs, hikes, and races. However, if you'd like to get leaner, here's a super simple process you can follow. I also answer some common questions about fat loss/weight management and show you how to measure your progress. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Total Daily Energy Expenditure Calculator MyFitnessPal Full Body...

As athletes, we're bombarded with messages telling us to get leaner. But is leaner always better? In this episode, I share my thoughts on the benefits and costs of fat loss and why it's sometimes better to work with the body you have right now. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Article on Rachele Schulist Coach With Sarah Sarah offers a 6-month nervous system coaching program for humans who are neuro...

Getting older doesn't mean giving up on your mountaineering, ultrarunning, and long-distance hiking dreams. But you may need to train differently than you did at 30. In this episode, I talk about how your body's need for rest increases with age and show you some simple ways to optimize your recovery. Under 40? You can also benefit from these tips, especially if you tend to overtrain. Res...

Has an illness or an injury got you feeling like you’re down in some kind of fitness hole? Not sure you’ll ever be able to dig yourself out? Than this short video is for you! Here are three tips that are helping me cope during long COVID. You can also watch the video on Instagram right here . Coach With Sarah Sarah offers a 6-month nervous system coaching program for humans who are neurodivergent,...

Afraid of heights? Nervous about bears on trail? Does fear of failure hold you back? Here's my simple, three-step process to overcome fears and feel less afraid in the outdoors. Plus tips to help you do it all with self-compassion and while protecting your central nervous system. Coach With Sarah Sarah offers a 6-month nervous system coaching program for humans who are neurodivergent, sensiti...

Friends, I have some bittersweet news. After 74 episodes, the Climb Your Mountain Podcast is coming to an end. Yes, I was super surprised by it too. In this week's episode, I'll (briefly) share my reasons for winding down the show, what I'm up to next, and how to keep in touch. I'll also share the 3 "big ideas" I want you to remember from the podcast. If you can live...

A whole podcast about hydration? That's not a very sexy topic, you might be thinking. What if I told you that proper hydration could boost your endurance by 50%? Imagine going twice as long and feeling strong without grueling workouts. Yes, it really gets to be that simple. But the funny thing is, pretty much every hiker I know is walking around semi-dehydrated. And that is not the fate I wan...

When you're at your fitness peak after a summer outdoors, the arrival of fall can provoke anxiety. You may be wondering ... NOW WHAT? Like all good things, the training season must come to an end. And a lot of athletes struggle with this. They fight like mad to hold on to gains that are not sustainable. They train all the time like they are about to climb a mountain — and end up physically an...

Does fear hold you back from your mountaineering dreams? Me too! But here's the thing. Everything you want in life is on the other side of fear. Learning how to manage fear and anxiety will supercharge your mountaineering life — and every part of your life. So in today's podcast episode, we're going to lean into fear. (Sound scary? It will be OK, I promise!) We'll talk about wh...

There's no way around it. Endurance training involves discomfort. A LOT of discomfort. First there's the physical and mental strain of training. Let's face it. The kind of exercise that gets results doesn't exactly feel like a massage! There's a lot of gasping and sweating and burning and feeling like you want to stop. Then you need to change your eating habits. You can st...

What's more important – strength training or cardio training? As a coach, you wouldn't believe how often I get this question. And my extremely aggravating answer is: IT DEPENDS. Asking whether you should focus on strength or cardio to prepare for a trip is a little like asking whether you should go to college or start your own business. There are just so many variables to consider. And t...

Could your healthy lifestyle actually be making you tired? The answer is yes. As humans, we absorb a lot of misinformation about healthy diet and behavior. Endurance athletes are especially vulnerable, because we really do need excellent nutrition and exercise habits in order to reach our goals. But a lot of conventional wisdom about healthy lifestyle is actually wrong. And let's be honest. H...

How do the world's greatest endurance athletes eat? Sports journalist Matt Fitzgerald wanted to know. So he asked distance runners, triathletes, cyclists, and rowers from every continent to share their food diaries. The results were shockingly consistent. Endurance athletes at the Olympic and world championship levels share several simple, easy-to-follow nutrition practices. But do you know w...

Overtraining for mountaineering? Some of you who struggle with motivation might think, "How is that even a problem? If there's an overtraining curse, smite me with it!" But the truth is, overtraining can actually be more damaging to your goals than undertraining. And as we'll see, it's not uncommon for undertrainers to evolve into overtrainers if they don't work on th...