The Rambling Runner Podcast

Ben Rosario, the head coach of the prestigious NAZ Elite and one of the best coach's in the country, is back on the show! In this episode we discuss his new book Run Like a Pro (Even if You're Slow) that he co-wrote with Matt Fitzgerald. They take a deep dive into mileage, running skill, running intensities, racing, recovery, nutrition, and mindset. Ben and Matt first started working together six...

In a few short years Emma Zimmerman has made a name for herself in the world of running media and has done so on her terms. I couldn't wait to have Emma on the show to learn more about her rapid rise. Emma is a Brooklyn-based writer and journalist who explores topics of women in endurance sports, sport and social change, and environmental justice. Her journalism has appeared in Outside, Runner’s W...

We've all done it. We've stalked the weather app on our phones as race day nears hoping that the terrible weather will somehow disappear. We hope and pray that we will have the race weather that we envisioned when we pressed submit on our race registration. Sometimes our prayers are answered the weather is on our side. Other times crazy weather is there to great us at the starting line no matter w...

Coach's corner is back and we feature two stud coaches and athletes: Dr. Stefanie Flippin and Adam Merry. Stefanie is a professional runner for HOKA, specializing in ultrarunning. Stefanie was the 2021 USATF 100 Mile National Champion. Her 100 mile PR of 14:04, set at Tunnel Hill in 2021, is 5th all-time for an American woman. She is the 2020 and 2021 Tunnel Hill 100 female champion, and has raced...

Jereny Rivera is back and she is absolutely crushing it! Jereny was first on the show for episode 276 back in October, 2020. At that time she had just set a 5k PR of 19:07 and had dreams of going for a sub-3:00 marathon. Heady stuff for someone who five years earlier had never run before and didn't grow up with an athletic background. Now Jereny is once again at a whole new level and she is contin...

In this episode Matt takes a deep dive into achieving aerobic breakthroughs, visiting the gray zone and the good that can come from easy+ pace, and introducing doubles into training. Follow Matt: Instagram - @rambling_runner Twitter - @rambling_runner YouTube - www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ83E0U8M4V7klqZB8BF3wA Rambling Runner Podcast Community Corner private Facebook group - www.facebook.com/groups...

Nicole Rauch is a certified personal trainer who's business took off over the last two years as she showed folks everywhere how to do challenging workouts in their own homes. A concept that became more relevant than ever. Her engaging videos, along with her positive and infectious attitude, propelled her following to 15x growth as Nicole helped folks alter their workout routines to fit the changin...

Victoria Polk is speed personified. This dedicated amateur runner has reached a new stratosphere over the past year and I couldn't wait to get her on the show to hear all about it! Victoria was a strong high school runner and had dreams of running in college. Her plans changed after her freshman year when running didn't go as planned and she decided to leave school to get married. After giving bir...

Marathon recovery is a topic that faces every marathoner but it can be a tricky situation. Many factors can influence how a runner's recovery may go. In this episode, Tanya Lerch and I talk through our wildly different California International Marathon training, races, and recoveries. Tanya smashed the race to the tune of running 3:05 and a PR. As fast as she is, she's an even better person who br...

The amazing Deirdre Keane is on the show! Deirdre is a pediatric ICU nurse practitioner at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She has run 35 marathons and 1 ultra-marathon (soon to be 2!). Deirdre loves to race but also uses running to support philanthropic causes. For example, during the peak of the pandemic in NYC, she ran 1000 miles in three months to raise money for food insecurity relate...

Dr. Jess Mena DPT is on the show and she brings it! Jess is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, marathoner, and a super fun person. In this episode we talk about how she worked through her own injury prior to the 2021 Boston Marathon and bounced back to set a PR at the California International Marathon. Jess also gives us a preview of the upcoming Speed Project - a relay race from L.A. to Las Vegas. In...

Although she spent her childhood with her nose in a book, ducking when any ball was thrown in her direction, Vanessa is now a 2-time Boston Marathon finisher, and has run over 100 road races. Currently an advising dean at Georgetown University, Vanessa earned her Ph. D. in medieval history from The Catholic University of America. Vanessa lives in Washington D.C. with her husband Patrick and their...

Kiese Laymon, a southern writer born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, is one of the best writers in the country and someone I got to know during my time as Vassar College. Recently there have been towns across America banning books by some of the country's greatest writers. Books by Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Kiese, and others have been removed from libraries and banned from schools. I'm re-a...

Marc Quiñones is one of the best chefs in America. He has appeared on Hell's Kitchen, Chopped, and Cutthroat Kitchen, been named 2017 New Mexico Chef of The Year and three time Best Chef in Albuquerque, and been featured in Forbes and many other publications. He is also one heck of a runner. Just like in his cooking career, Marc built himself from the ground up as a runner. He did so in an unconve...

We are back with another solo episode focused on reaching new levels in training. This episode dovetails with a recent drastic uptick in miles in my own training as I prepare for the Eugene Marathon. It's very exciting for me and there a lots of information to be gained by breaking it down. Here are some of the points that are covered: Believing 100% in an imperfect training plan is better than th...

So many of us have wanted to invest in a top of the line race shoe but aren't sure to start. With so many of these shoes only available online, we need to go to the experts for assistance on what shoes can work for us. And, which shoes to avoid. In this episode I'm joined by Tommie Runz and Aaron Barnett who break down their top five carbon plated races shoes. They also include a bonus "hell-no" t...

Cate Barrett is a star. Enormously talented, tough, and brilliant. It was an honor to speak with Cate about her post-college running life (she was a six time all-conference at Baylor University) during which she had a some amazing highs, like qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials, and several challenges. Cate was able to carve out a niche in the running world as an elite yet not quite pr...

Veronica Goebel started running in 2016 when her cousin, Aracely Richardson, convinced her to run a marathon. That's right, a conversion from non-runner to embarking on a marathon training cycle. Not only was that a big task to take on, when raceday came around she ran several weeks pregnant. By that point she had caught the running bug and it was there to stay. Six years later, Veronica has run a...

Jocelyn Rivas from South Central Los Angeles is a 24 year old force of nature. She broke the Guinness World Record for the youngest woman to run 100 marathons at the 2021 Los Angeles Marathon. It was perfect symmetry as the LA Marathon was also her first when she was a mere high schooler. Jocelyn also broke the Record for Youngest Latina to run 100 marathons by four years. In 2013, Jocelyn decided...

The first Coach’s Corner episode of 2022 is here and it features two legends: Megan Roche, M.D. and Jacob Puzey. In this episode we discuss what marathoners can learn from ultra runners and what closely held beliefs in the marathon road running community aren’t necessarily gospel in the ultra world. Here are some topics we discuss: Running on pavement versus various types of trail Lengths of long...

Today on the show I am joined my good friend, and super successful host of the I'll Have Another podcast, Lindsey Hein. We had a fun conversation about what we would change and what we learned from 2021, what we want to do differently in 2022, what we want to double down on, and much, much more. Our entire conversation was inspired by a post from Justin Su'a - a mental performance coach for profes...

When it comes to taking on audacious challenges Nikki Cannon is an amateur runner like no other. An experienced racer at distances from 5k to ultramarathons, and a full-time teacher, Nikki is always game for a challenge. When she turned 40 in 2021 she decided to run 40 marathons in 40 days during the heat of a Houston summer. She got over halfway but had to pull-out after sustaining an injury. Nik...

Alexis McCoy is back for the final episode of the Marathon Milestone mini-series. After back-to-back personal bests at Boston and New York, Alexis had some of her best training of the year. Then tragedy struck her family. In this episode we take a deep dive into what transpired in Alexis's life after Thanksgiving, what she learned from this challenge, and her ambitious plans for 2022. Background:...

Maurice Lowman, the Marathon Panda, is back!!! In this episode, Maurice talks about how he has busted through a fitness and speed plateau. Two years ago he was doing amazing things in the running world but he was stuck in a bit of a rut. He wasn't getting faster and, even with his constant positivity, was a little frustrated by his lack of improvement. Then, he made some key changes and is now bet...

Tracie Hunter is on the show fresh off a marathon PR and learning that she has qualified for the Abbott Wanda Age Group World Championships. What a combo! Tracie has been running marathons for nearly 20 years. Yet, she is faster now than ever. In this episode we talk about how she made that happen. We also take a deep dive into the new Age Group World Championships, what it means, how to qualify,...