Dirt Nap Diaries

This one's a deeper episode, and I'm not dancing around it. A few seconds of a basketball play turned into a suspension, death threats, and racial slurs aimed at Alyssa Thomas... and it says everything about how black women get treated in the spaces they built. I'm connecting what just happened in the WNBA to what I see at every trail race start line, because representation isn&apos...

Nobody signs up for coaching to get judged. But a lot of us show up bracing for it anyway. In this episode, I'm breaking down what coaching actually is, what people get wrong about it, and what your job is as an athlete versus what mine is as your coach. Why so many women brace for judgment before a coaching relationship even starts The difference between sugarcoating a hard week and being ho...

Your watch doesn't know you. It doesn't know you had a rough night of sleep, that you're in your luteal phase, that you've been stressed all week, or that you're climbing in 90-degree heat. It just spits out a number. And yet somehow, that number has the power to make or break a run. In this episode, I'm going deeper on one of my favorite coaching topics: why your bod...

I didn't build a love for climbing. I just finally stopped being surprised that it was already there. In this episode, I'm answering a question from one of my athletes and friends — how did I actually build my capacity for vert? Were there numbers that scared me? How did I get here? How I fell in love with climbing before I even knew what vert was Rim to rim in the Grand Canyon three wee...

You asked, I answered. This episode is a full Cocodona 250 Q&A — your questions about training, gear, crew, the mental game, recovery, and everything in between. If you've been curious about what actually goes into running 253.4 miles, this one's for you. In this episode: How long my training block actually was and what peak weeks looked like Heat prep, shoe swaps, and nutrition that...

Made it! The final stretch. Mile 176 to the finish line at Heritage Square in Flagstaff. This episode covers the solo section through the Foxboro habitat where I was navigating a tracker scare, chatting with a woman from the UK named Jen, and trying out AirPods for exactly 30 minutes before deciding music just isn't my thing out there. Then Amanda, my very first athlete and longest client, sh...

Mile 75 to mile 176 — and this stretch had everything. In this episode, I'm taking you from Whiskey Row through Watson Lake, across Fain Ranch, up and over Mingus Mountain in the dark, down into Jerome, across the Verde River, through red rock country, and up the Hangover Trail into Schnebly Hill. We cover 18 hours of puking, a sodium crisis caught mid-climb, dirt naps on cold ground, halluci...

Day one of Cocodona 250 covered 75 miles — through the Sonoran desert, up into the Bradshaws, through the first night, and into Whiskey Row in Prescott. And honestly? It still feels like it happened in a completely different race. Maybe that's what 27 hours on your feet alone does to your brain. In this episode, I'm taking you from packet pickup and a pre-race cry-and-puke in the van all...

This week’s episode isn’t a full race recap yet because my brain still feels a little scrambled from five days across Arizona. But after sitting with the experience, I wanted to talk about the things that mattered most once the finish time goal slipped away. We’re talking about adapting when things change, the privilege of getting to do something like this in the first place, and the overwhelming...

You trained for it. You showed up. And somehow…you’re still telling yourself it wasn’t enough. In this episode, I’m talking about something I see all the time—runners finishing races (or not) and immediately going to what went wrong. Missing the point entirely. Yes, goals matter. Finish lines matter. But if that’s the only thing you’re celebrating, you’re ignoring everything that actually made you...

Training isn’t random—even if it sometimes feels like it when you’re in the middle of it. In this episode, I’m breaking down how a training block actually builds over time so you can stop second-guessing every shift in your plan. From early intensity to later volume, from general fitness to race-specific prep, this is the big-picture view of what’s happening and why it matters—especially when life...

You hit your last long run and now you’re just…supposed to back off? Yeah. That’s taper. And if you’ve ever felt weird during this time—physically, mentally, emotionally—you’re not alone. I’m in it right now heading into Cocodona 250, so this episode is real-time. What’s actually happening in your body, why your brain starts questioning everything, and how to not blow it by trying to do more when...

This episode came straight from a run and a voice memo I actually remembered to record. We’re talking about 75 Hard program, why it’s so appealing, and why it might not be the answer for most of us…especially the women already juggling a full life. Because a lot of you are already living in “hard.” So what if instead of adding more rules, more pressure, and more all-or-nothing thinking…we tried so...

This week on Dirt Nap Diaries, I’m talking about eating for performance and why trying to lose weight while training for an ultra can backfire fast. We get into underfueling, heavy legs, poor recovery, brain fog, and why carbs are not the enemy. I also talk about the pressure, especially on women, to shrink themselves while asking their bodies to do really big things, plus a quick Cocodona trainin...

This week I’m talking about something I see all the time in online running spaces: people asking the internet last-minute race questions that should’ve been figured out way earlier in training. I get it—especially if it’s your first race or a new distance. You’re nervous, you want to do it right, and you’re looking for reassurance. But social media will give you a flood of answers from people who...

In this episode of Dirt Nap Diaries, I’m breaking down my big Cocodona 250 training weekend where I did 3 back to back to back long runs on course, including the first section out of Black Canyon City, Hangover Trail in Sedona, and the climb up Elden near the end of the race. Some things went really well. Some things got weird. And all of it gave me exactly what I needed. I talk about what happens...

What actually matters in training? Honestly…not your pace. In this episode, I’m talking about the three things I care about more than pace when it comes to trail running and coaching: consistency over perfection, effort over pace, and joy over comparison. I get into what consistency really means when life doesn’t go to plan, why so many runners go too hard on easy days, and how comparison can quie...

The internet has been losing its damn mind over the LA Marathon shortening their course because of heat. Suddenly everyone’s an expert on “integrity.”  People arguing about medals.  People deciding whether runners should even accept them. Which led me to one very simple question: Why the hell do we care so much about someone else’s medal? Because if you look a little closer, this conversation isn’...

Today we’re talking about effort over pace because if you don’t understand the difference, you’re way more likely to plateau, overtrain, or mentally spiral (and I don’t want that for you). Effort is the stimulus. Pace is the result. If you chase the result instead of managing the stimulus, that’s where you get diminishing returns… in training, at work, and in life. This episode is equal parts educ...

Pacers…they can be the best thing that happens to you at mile 80…or the reason you’re suddenly redlining, annoyed, and questioning every friendship you’ve ever had. In this episode, I’m breaking down what pacers are actually for (hint: not to turn you into an elite robot), when they help the most, and when they can quietly mess with your race in ways you don’t see coming until it’s too late. We’re...

Aid stations can be a lifesaver… or a total time-suck spiral where you stand there eating random stuff, forget your poles, and walk away somehow less prepared than when you arrived. In this episode, we’re talking aid stations. Not in a “here’s what to eat” generic way… but how to use them intentionally based on your distance, your stomach, your sweat rate, and your actual goals. Because aid statio...

Crew can be an incredible asset on race day and it can also quietly make things harder if expectations aren’t clear. In this episode, we’re talking about what crew is actually for, when it makes sense to have crew and how to use support in a way that helps instead of overwhelms you. We get into: what crew should and shouldn’t be responsible for how crew roles change as race distances get longer wh...

Confidence is something a lot of runners think they’re missing. Especially in trail running. Especially when things feel hard, messy, or inconsistent. In this episode, we’re talking about the difference between borrowed confidence and earned confidence . Borrowed confidence is the kind that shows up after a good run, a PR, or external validation. It feels great… but it’s fragile. Earned confidence...

This is not a normal episode. I recorded this on release day because staying quiet felt worse than showing up imperfectly. I didn’t have fully formed thoughts. I still don’t. And that’s the point. This episode isn’t about trail running, workouts, or performance. It’s about what’s happening right now in our country, how it feels to live inside it, and why silence is not neutral. I talk openly about...

We’re taught that if training doesn’t feel hard, exhausting, or leave us sore, it must not be working. And that belief sneaks into everything…strength training, running, and honestly, life. In this episode, I’m talking about why hard is a tool, not a requirement. Why always pushing can backfire. And how building strength, endurance, and consistency actually comes from doing work you can repeat…not...