Hurdle with Emily Abbate

Season two, episode one! Latoya Shauntay Snell calls herself a “recovering self defeatist.” Today, she’s thriving as a freelance chef, sponsored athlete, and writer. In episode 90, the Brooklyn native tells me about how she found a life drenched in sweat, leaving behind her days as an alcoholic in favor of running. We also chat about what it was like when she became viral sensation after speaking...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HURDLE! Two years ago, Hurdle hit iTunes. In this combo anniversary/new year's episode, I’m giddily recapping eight of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from the past 365 days behind the microphone, including some gems from fan-favorites including Joe Holder, Dorothy Beal, Tia-Claire Toomey, and more. A huge, huge thank you to all of the listeners, guests, and everyone else wh...

Take a quick peak at Robin Arzon’s Instagram, @robinnyc . It’s hard to imagine a time when activity wasn’t a part of her everyday life. After a near-death experience at age 20 when Arzon was held hostage at gunpoint in New York City’s East Village, she leaned into movement and running for the first time to help her process the trauma. Soon enough, the then-lawyer turned away from her conventional...

A Christmas morning car accident was the #hurdlemoment that changed Andy Puddicombe’s life forever. Looking to process sudden loss, he went to Asia to study as a Buddhist monk. After 10 years of practice, Puddicombe wanted to help others understand the benefits of meditation. That’s when he met co-founder Rich Pierson, and Headspace was born. What once started as an events company, Headspace now h...

I did something last week that really made me think. This is that thing . In today's #hurdlemoment, I'm chatting all about what I'm letting go of in the new year. After you listen to this episode, hit me up on Instagram @emilyabbate or @hurdlepodcast, and share with me what it is that you want to release in 2020.  SOCIAL @hurdlepodcast @emilyabbate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Sit down next to Katie Sturino, and you’ll instantly feel like you’ve got a new best friend. The body positivity advocate, Megababe founder, and creator of the blog The 12ish Style has a way about her that’s entirely charming, which is no wonder why 419K people are following her on social media. In episode 87, we chat about the divorce #hurdlemoment from a few years ago that lead to a life-changin...

I ask it to my guests week after week, and for this episode — I'm answering the question myself. The idea came from a lot of time spent reflecting on a recent trip away in Hawaii. TBH, the question provokes a lot of feelings, and makes me realize that I'm just a woman trying to her best self every single day. The goal for this week's #hurdlemoment? To be honest, and to encourage you to be honest,...

I could listen to Knox Robinson talk for a while, which is no wonder why this is my longest Hurdle to date. The Brooklyn resident writer and runner has his fair share of how-did-that-even-happen stories, from his days logging miles in Ethiopia with Mo Farah and running with Eliud Kipchoge in Kenya to heading up Fader Magazine and writing Kanye West’s first cover article. Upon sitting down with the...

It's the holidays, which means a whole lot of festivities (wahoo!). With festivities, come food, drink, and a shift in your typical routine. Listen, this stuff comes around once a year. And while you certainly don't need to go for a run or work out to "earn" a meal (I'll take seconds of apple pie, please), it's OK to admit that when you may have overindulged a little bit. Maybe you're already ther...

The biggest lesson I was reminded of talking to The North Face’s Vice President of Global Product Kelly Cortina? You have to put your oxygen mask on first before you can help others. That, and there’s true value in being vulnerable. Excited to bring you my conversation with the Connecticut native in episode 85 of Hurdle, where she gives me the lowdown on her career path — starting at Abercrombie &...

It's chilly out there! On today's #hurdlemoment, I'm dishing with Nike+ run coach Jes Woods about how to best-handle running come the cooler months. We talk about everything from best practices to what you should be wearing (plus—what you shouldn't), as well as when is the appropriate time to trade in outdoor miles for a date with the tread. Plus, our top gear picks! SOCIAL @jeslynnyc @hurdlepodca...

This was some of the most fun I’ve had recording an episode of Hurdle. This week, I’m sitting down with Brendan Dunne, a Deputy Editor at Complex, co-host of the wildly popular weekly talk show Full Size Run , and a good friend of mine. In episode 84, he tells me how he managed to make a career creating content about sneakers (he’s got 60 pairs alone at his desk, nevertheless his Brooklyn apartmen...

This feels awkward. But, it also feels necessary. In today's #hurdlemoment., I'm talking about something that a lot of people don't want to, and that's mental health. Just over a month ago, at age 31, I finally started going to speak to a therapist. It's without-a-doubt, the biggest investment (financially, for sure) that I've ever made in myself, and it feels really really special. I give you the...

Nina Williams didn’t exactly have a smooth start to her climbing career. At age 13, she felt an intense, overwhelming pressure to win. That, plus a lack of confidence, lead her to cheat in a series of climbing competitions. She reflects on the #hurdlemoment of getting caught as “lucky,” saying that she wouldn't be the climber she is today if she had stayed in that dark place. In episode 83, the fa...

Robin Arzon. Jaclyn Johnson. Lauren Abedini. D’ana Nuñez . To say that these four women are inspirational would be a total understatement. If you’re in a rut. If you’re in the middle of trying to make a big decision. If you’re starting something new. Maybe, you’re just commuting on the subway. Wherever you happen to be when you listen to this episode, prepare to be motivated. I sat down with these...

“The relationship you have with yourself is the longest relationship you’ll ever have; make it a good one.” To say this episode with runner Dorothy Beal is special would be a total understatement. With more than 75,000 people following along with her day-to-day body positive insights on Instagram as @mileposts, it’s difficult for the Virginia-born RRCA and USATF-certified run coach to remember a t...

Well this was pretty fun! Last week, I had the pleasure of sitting down live with three other female rockstar podcasters, including Tina Muir ( Running for Real ), Angie Spencer ( Marathon Training Academy ), and Carrie Tollefson ( C Tolle Run ). We shared a slew of laughs and chatted all things podcasting and marathoning, how we got in to both, and the myriad of lessons we've picked up along the...

Spoiler alert: This may be one of my favorite episodes to date. When Charlie Dark ( @daddydarkrdc ) started running, he was in a bad place. Dropped by his record label, the DJ and poet was teaching a poetry and creative writing class in east London and had recently lost a friend of his. It began under the cover of darkness. Between 1 and 3 a.m., he’d leave the recording studio in the early hours o...

Let's. GO! Would you expect anything else from me this week? I've run it four times, after all. In today's #hurdlemoment, I'm offering up some tricks to tackling the November 3 #NYCMarathon. From how to handle the starting village to whether or not runners should really be freaking out about the hills — this is the rundown you've been waiting for.  SOCIAL @hurdlepodcast @emilyabbate See omnys...

“Call me G,” was the first thing Gilad Jacobs told me when I met him, and that’s pretty indicative of the kind of guy he is. Personable. Friendly. Also — hardworking. For almost eight years now, Jacobs has been the CEO of Boston-based recovery favorite NormaTec — best known for their Pulse 2.0 Recovery system, which hooks up to the big compression boots you see everywhere from NFL sidelines to the...

Now what? It’s the inevitable question we all ask ourselves after we complete any race — whether it’s a 5K or a marathon. Often times, crossing that finish line is a gateway to all sorts of feelings, many of them difficult to handle. In today’s #hurdlemoment, I talk about what I call the “post-marathon blues” (PMB). Those hard-to-handle emotions that come once you’ve tackled your big crazy goal, o...

Lisa Hayim, MS, RD, is a breath of fresh air. The registered dietician and founder of The Well Necessities shoots it straight and isn’t afraid to speak candidly about the journey that’s brought her to where she is today. In episode 79, she opens up about dealing with disordered eating herself when she was younger, and the jarring #hurdlemoment that had her questioning the way she speaks to her aud...

I am a 3:28:08 marathoner. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be saying that sentence. In today’s #hurdlemoment — a recap of last weekend’s Chicago Marathon — I give the rundown on how the 21:08 PR happened, from the prep and what I did differently for my eight marathon to how I got my mind right walking to the starting line. I get emotional (surprise) reflecting on the highs and lows of t...

The CrossFit Open is here, which means now is the perfect time to bring you my conversation with Katrin Davidsdottir. The Iceland native got into CrossFit because her mom thought that she’d be good at it. Fast forward two years, and she was already competing on an international stage at the CrossFit Games in 2012. Now, she’s a 2x Games champion, but she’s also had her fair share of hardships along...

What should I eat when I’m training? What about the night before a race? What about DURING? Plain and simple: This episode has been a long time coming. In this week’s #hurdlemoment, I sit down with registered dietitian and nutritionist Keri Glassman. She gives us the lowdown on all the things runners need to know about fuel, touching on topics from carbo-loading to energy gels. Plus: What’s up wit...