Start Where You Are Running and Ultrarunning

Episode 20: DIY Ultra Training Camp Ever wish you could afford a fancy training camp to prep for your next ultramarathon? Coach Erin Quinn breaks down exactly how to build your own — no expensive retreat required. In this episode, Erin walks you through the architecture of a DIY ultra training camp: how to structure your three (or five) days, how much volume to target based on your race distance,...

Zone 2 is everywhere right now — but what does it actually mean for your running? In this episode, coach and ultramarathon finisher Erin Quinn breaks down the zone 2 "revolution" and explains why it's really just a rebranding of the most fundamental principle in endurance training. Erin covers the full five-zone model, why zone 2 looks completely different depending on your experience level, and h...

Episode 18: Manitou's Revenge Race Report Erin Quinn, ultrarunning coach, USA swim coach, award-winning journalist, and now 15-time ultramarathon finisher, takes you inside one of the most demanding 50-mile races in the Northeast — Manitou's Revenge. This 53-mile beast winds through the rugged Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, packing 15,000 feet of climbing into every mile. Erin breaks down...

**Episode 17 Beat the Heat: Ultrarunning Tools for Summer Training Summer running is hard — and if your legs have felt like lead, your effort through the roof, and your water bottles empty way too soon, you're not imagining it. Host and professional ultrarunning coach Erin Quinn breaks down exactly what heat does to your body (spoiler: it's not personal, it's physiology) and why those...

Episode 16. Hit Override Ever find yourself lying in bed, running through a mental Rolodex of reasons why today just isn't the right day for a run? Host Erin Quinn — ultra running coach, USA Swim coach, and 14-time ultramarathon finisher — gets real about the resistance we all feel, even when running is something we love. In this episode, Erin breaks down what she calls the Override Principle:...

Host Erin Quinn, a professional ultrarunning and USA Swim coach and 14-time ultramarathon finisher, unpacks the “aging athlete” conversation by reframing it as the adult or “forever” athlete and arguing that age is one limiting factor—not the factor—while attitude is often the biggest limiter. She shares her own journey through chronic injury, pregnancy and postpartum years, raising three kids, an...

Erin Quinn has finished 14 ultramarathons — including the Moab 240 and Cocodona 250 — but race number 15 is the one she doesn't like to talk about. In this raw and deeply personal episode, Erin shares the full story of her DNF at the Tahoe 200: a 200-mile race around Lake Tahoe that she trained for despite recovering from a femoral stress fracture, battling severe altitude sickness starting at...

Episode 13: The Underrated Advantage — Working Your Weaknesses What if the thing you avoid most in training is exactly what will make you a stronger runner? In this episode of Start Where You Are: Running and Ultrarunning , host and professional ultrarunning coach Erin Quinn dives into one of the most overlooked aspects of endurance training: working your weaknesses. It's easy to default to wh...

**Spicy Takes on the Cocodona 250 | Bonus Episode In this bonus episode, host Erin Quinn digs into the historic 2025 Cocodona 250 — a 250-mile ultramarathon from Black Canyon City to Flagstaff, Arizona — and she has a lot to say. Rachel Entrekin won overall with a new course record of 56 hours and 9 minutes, becoming the three-time Coco Queen and making headlines on ESPN, CBS News, and the BBC. Er...

Episode 11: Embrace the Suck Ever have one of those runs where nothing goes right — and it never gets better? Coach Erin Quinn is here to tell you those are the runs that matter most. In this episode, Erin breaks down the bad run — what it actually is, why it's different from a hard workout, and why every ultrarunner needs to collect a few of them. From legs that feel like cement pillars to bargai...

Episode 10: The 5 C's of Ultrarunning What does it really take to become an ultrarunner? In this finale of the Beginning Ultrarunning series, host and professional ultrarunning coach Erin Quinn breaks down the five big dial movers she calls "The 5 C's" — Consistency, Comparison, Curiosity, Coaching, and Commitment. Erin gets real about what ultrarunning actually looks like: the b...

Podcast Host, Erin Quinn, also an ultrarunner and ultrarun coach takes you through her Cocodona 250 race experience in 2024 while also previewing the 2026 course for runners, pacers, crew members and everyone who is interested in learning more about his 250-mile foot race from Black Canyon City to Flagstaff Arizona. This is a fun, unfiltered race preview and report that will get listeners edified...

In Episode 9 of Start Where You Are Running & Ultrarunning coach Ultra Run Coach Erin Quinn delivers a complete beginner's guide to trail running. Topics include: how to find trails using apps like AllTrails, understanding trail types (rail trails, carriage roads, single track.) Managing pace expectations off-road, measuring progress on trails, gear (and why you probably don't need new shoes),...

Episode 8: The Case for Running & Racing Local — a ~24-minute episode of Start Where You Are , hosted by Erin Quinn, an ultra running coach and 14-time ultra marathon finisher. Erin makes a case for putting local races on your calendar for 4 specific reasons. Dollars & Cents (Sense)) — Race fees stay in the community, supporting local race directors, trail maintenance, land conservation, a...

Episode 7: TheNon-Geek Gear Guide for Ultrarunning In this episode, Ultrarunning Coach and Journalist, Erin Quinn, breaks down the 10 key pieces of gear she recommends for ultrarunners who are attempting to tackle 50K distance up to a 100-miler. Erin delivers these recommendations from the perspective of a "non-gear geek" who prefers buying used and keeping things simple. The 10 gear ite...

Erin goes into the terminology that is specific to the ultrarunning niche and gives listeners some funny insights into what these words or acronyms actually mean and how they can be applied to your training and your race. Follow Erin on social media @erinquinnultraruncoach Email her at erinmaryquinn@gmail.com To learn more and apply for her 1:1 online ultrarunning coaching services go to www.erinm...

On this episode Erin dives into the pros and cons of utilizing the Strava app as both a fitness app and a social media platform. She also references some recent controversies the company has gotten embroiled in. Whether you Strava or not, Erin is, as always, supportive of people getting out and moving and hitting the trails and wanting them to Start Where They Are, but to Start! If you'd like to r...

In this episode Erin discusses the intersection between running and art. She goes into simple ways in which runners can use art to enhance not only their runs, but their lives as well. It's compelling, fun and inspirational. Erin discusses three mediums: 1. Photography 2. Writing 3. Drawing/Painting/Sketching That any runner can introduce into their life. This is a passionate episode that is j...

In this episode, Erin breaks down mental skills training for runners and ultrarunners into 5 categories. She provides a simple, but effective exercise athletes can do to help improve their mental fortitude in each one of these categories including, identity, self-talk, writing, directing attention and gratitude. Don't miss this one. It will have you strengthening the biggest muscle in your bod...

In this episode, Erin goes over the START Methodology that she in her 1:1 online run coaching that can help prepare a runner for their first or next ultramarathon. The methodology includes 5 Pillars including: 1. Base Building 2. Speed 3. Hill Workouts 4. Back-to-Back Long Runs 5. Running Logs Erin provides a sample workout for all 5 that listeners can put into practice immediately. If you want to...

Ultrarunning Coach, Erin Quinn takes listeners through what exactly an ultramarathon is, where and how to choose and sign up for one and what they will need to get started. To learn more about Erin Quinn's 1:1 Coaching go to www.erinmaryquinn.com To read her published articles on the world of ultrarunning to to www.erinmaryquinn.com To follow her on Instagram go to @erinquinnultraruncoach