Early Miles with Steve Gonser

Most race recaps you hear are the highlight reel — the PRs, the podiums, the "everything clicked" days. This one isn't that. In this episode, I walk through a 50-mile mountain ultra in Ithaca's gorge country that I'd trained hard for — the best shape I've been in in a decade — and the day it came apart anyway. I DNF'd at mile 35 with 7,200 feet of climbing already in my legs, then spent the night...

Dr. Kate Ackerman, co-founder and president of the WHSP Institute (Women's Health, Sports & Performance) and head doctor for US Rowing, joins the show to walk through one of the most important and least understood topics in women's endurance sport: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, or RED-S. When Dr. Ackerman made the US national rowing team during her first year of medical school o...

Saucony pro runner and NYU medical student Felicia Pasadyn returns to Early Miles for the conversation no one wanted to record. Months after signing her first pro contract, Felicia ran a 32:04 PR to win The TEN in late March… and days later was diagnosed with a calcaneal stress fracture. Boston was off the calendar. In this episode, Steve Gonser sits down with Felicia to walk through the full time...

Bill Armstrong, co-founder of Neversecond, joins the show to break down one of the biggest shifts happening in endurance sports today… fueling. For years, endurance athletes were told to take in minimal carbohydrates during training and racing. That approach shaped how runners fueled for decades. But as the sport has evolved, so has the understanding of how much fueling actually impacts performanc...

We recorded this episode at 5 a.m. to catch Ethan Shuley while he’s in Japan living and training. Before running 2:07 and landing one of the top 10 fastest U.S. marathon times, Ethan’s start in the sport wasn’t what you’d expect. He talks through the early days of struggling to keep up, skipping races, and not enjoying running… and the moments that shifted his mindset. In this conversation, we get...

Running a 2:30 marathon while attending medical school is a rare balancing act. In this episode, Steve Gonser sits down with Elle Orie to explore the path from multi-sport athlete in Orchard Park, New York, to Cornell distance runner, Colorado steeplechaser, and emerging elite marathoner. Gabrielle reflects on her late start in competitive running, her development through collegiate track and cros...

In this episode, we sit down with registered sports dietitian Shannon Wilson to break down the most common fueling mistakes runners make—starting with chronic underfueling. Together, they outline practical ways runners can match intake to training load, recognize red flags of low energy availability, and shift away from weight-loss goals during a marathon build to reduce injury risk and protect pe...

Joe Whelan’s path to 2:09 was not linear. From breaking his kneecap in college to battling recurring stress fractures, he spent years navigating setbacks, under-recovery, and training imbalances. After stepping away from the sport and later returning through self-coached marathon builds, Whelan steadily rebuilt his engine—learning how fueling, sleep, controlled volume progression, and smarter inte...

In this conversation, Jeffrey Durmer discusses his journey from athlete to sleep expert, explores the evolution of sleep medicine, the impact of consumer technology on sleep tracking, and the significance of heart rate variability (HRV). He emphasizes the effects of sleep deprivation, cultural attitudes towards sleep, and strategies for optimizing sleep for athletic performance, including the impo...

Keira D'Amato joins Early Miles to unpack one of the most unconventional journeys in American distance running. From five-time Virginia state champion to collegiate All-American at American University, her early trajectory pointed toward elite competition—until injuries, burnout, and an insurance-denied surgery led her to step away from the sport entirely. Nearly a decade later, after marriage...

In this episode, we break down how to structure half or full marathon training so we can build fitness without breaking down . We use the idea of three training “levers” — duration, frequency, and effort — and explain why pulling more than one at the same time is where many runners get hurt. We talk about giving ourselves a long enough training runway, spending the first 50–70% of a plan focused o...

Anne shares her journey from a childhood filled with outdoor adventures in Cincinnati to becoming a record-breaking ultramarathon runner. She discusses her experiences in various races, including the Leadville 100 and Tunnel Hill, and how her background as an ER physician influences her approach to running and training. Anne emphasizes the importance of balancing her professional life with her pas...

Felicia Pasadyn is a 2:35 marathoner, former Olympic Trials swimmer, and current NYU medical student who returned to elite-level running by doing almost everything differently than the standard marathon playbook. In this conversation, Felicia talks about growing up in Brunswick, Ohio, competing at Harvard and Ohio State, and how her background in swimming shaped her approach to training, strength...

Steve Gonser shares his journey from a reluctant runner to a passionate marathoner, discussing his experiences, challenges, and the evolution of his training methods. He highlights the importance of context in research, the role of strength training, and his personal health discoveries. The episode sets the stage for future conversations with athletes and experts in the running community.

Most conversations about running focus on performance. Times. Results. The highlight reel. Early Miles is a long-form conversation podcast about how runners are shaped over time, not just how they perform on race day. Some episodes center on personal stories. Others dive deep with experts. And some are driven by questions from the running community. Hosted by physical therapist and runner Steve Go...