The Rambling Runner Podcast

Hello marathoners! Now is your time and it's very exciting. The marathon majors are around the corner and loads of other marathons are also upon us. So let's talk tapering. In this episode coach James McKirdy gives us all the information we need. We discuss: Purpose of a taper Tapers for experienced marathoners Tapers for first-timers who peaked at ~40mi/w Folks who had a hiccup in training during...

Josh Alderfer is a Marine Corps Veteran with over 15 years of leadership experience, with a focus on positivity, and the founder of Mastermind Performance. Positive coaching is a scientifically based, intentional approach to coaching that empowers young athletes to prepare and perform at their best, both on and off the playing field. Positive coaching empowers young athletes to achieve success whi...

We have a new bi-weekly segment on the podcast - "Fail" Forward Friday. Yes, you read that correctly - the "Fail" in quotes. For so many of us there have been times in our lives when we thought we had failed, or worse, that we were failures. Those moments can leave of questioning everything that came before and whether or not we should continue down our chosen path. Then, if we persist we may real...

Big news: We are launching our first mini-series! The Marathon Milestone mini-series featuring Alexis McCoy. Alexis McCoy is a dedicated amateur runner who is taking a big leap this fall. She is running the Boston, New York, and California International Marathons. Not only that, we will be following her every step of the way. In this episode, Alexis sets the stage for her audacious fall by talking...

Marathon season is a about to begin. That means for runners all over the world it's also fueling season! In this episode Lisa Braden, RD is here to give us all the information we need fuel or long run training and marathons so we can perform at our best and enhance our fitness/potential. Lisa is a Registered Dietitian and runner dedicated to helping people improve their lives and athletic performa...

Mike "Kofuzi" Ko entered 2021 with a simple and fantastic idea: go after all of the races and adventures on his bucket list. As 2020 taught all of us, deferring our intentions to an undetermined future can leave us wanting. Instead, Mike completed his first trail ultramarathon, steeplechase, Falmouth Road Race, and triathlon. He will also be running the Chicago and California International Maratho...

Races are upon us and there is no better way to prepare for the mental rigors that come with pushing our ourselves to the limit than to learn from Roisin “Ro” McGettigan-Dumas (LMHC)! Ro is a sports psychology coach, licensed mental health counselor and Olympian from Wicklow, Ireland (now based in Providence, RI). She competed at Providence College and then professionally with the "RunProvidence"...

In today's episode we are putting out a conversation that I had with Jason Fitzgerald for episode 204 of his very popular Strength Running Podcast. Jason's show is one of the most popular running podcasts in the world. He also consistently puts out great information on becoming a better runner on YouTube, his website, and his newsletter. Strength Running: https://strengthrunning.com. Strength Runn...

Brian Schroy is on the show and what a fascinating guy! When Brian was a snowboarder growing up and even went to a ski/snowboarding focused high school. He’s now a member of the Boulder Underground and has run a 2:30:14 marathon. He ran his first marathon in 3:18 just four years ago and improved remarkably fast from there. Since then he’s had a bevy of amazing experiences including pacing the mile...

Today we welcome my friend and constant source of inspiration, both as an athlete and as a person, Carolyn Su to the show. First, Carolyn is a force of nature who has made an indelible impression on the running community through Diverse we Run and her ever-present championing of runners of color and folks from marginalized communities. She is also one of the nicest people I've ever met. In this ep...

Shannon Booker, a living and breathing lighthouse, is on the show! Shannon came to running several years ago as a way of deal with depression and anxiety. He found success at a spontaneous 5k after having successful high school track career. After going all in on running he realized that he was merely running away from his problems which exasperated the situation. Shortly thereafter, Shannon moved...

Brodie Sharpe is on the show and he brings his years of running physio experience with him! The host of the Run Smarter podcast, Australian native, and an experienced physio with a running specialty, Brodie is well positioned to give us all advice on how we can be healthier and smarter runners. In this episode, Brodie and I discuss what new runners need to know, working through injuries without pa...

In this episode of the podcast we connect with Jon Levitt of InsideTracker and the For the Long Run podcast. I was so excited to talk with Jon about moving to Boulder, CO and training on some of the best trails in the country. Especially since Jon used to live in Metro Boston and train almost exclusively on the roads. We take a deep dive into the that conversion, how his training has changed in re...

Becky Vander Heiden is a busy mother runner of two wild boys, a nurse, military vet, and sub-3:00 marathoner. She has been an LPN for 18 years and just finished up her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Before that, she served as a medic in the Army National Guard for eight years. Becky has been running since high school then continued running to stay in shape and relieve stress. She didn't st...

Our Road to the Trials recaps continue with the extraordinary Olivia Baker. Olivia didn't have the lead-up to the Trials that she had hoped for but was holding out hope that it would all come together in Eugene. The women's 800m was maybe the deepest event at the entire meet and it was amazing to witness each round. Unfortunately, Olivia was unable to make the final after running well in a stacked...

After months of following along with eight athletes as they prepared for the Olympic Trials, we are rounding out the series with recap episodes. First up - Frank Lara. Frank competed in the 10k gunning for top three and the Olympic standard. It was a daring run and one that showed the grit and toughness for which Frank is known. Since the Trials, Frank has stayed in top form. He just got runner-up...

Ashley Paulson is an accomplished ultrarunner, triathlete, and marathon runner who is a favorite among iFit members on both treadmill and stationary bike workouts. She is also one of most energetic and positive people every to be on the show! Paulson has won over 20 marathons, has been a professional triathlete for five years, and placed first in an Ultra Ironman—twice the distance of a standard I...

Andi and Zach are a West Michigan couple who love coffee, lawn games, adventuring, family, and…. running. Zach's career highlights include the US Road Racing Championships, being part of Team USA running cross country in Jamaica, and running at the US Olympic Trials Marathon. Andi recently ran the Chicago Marathon in 2:43:41 which qualified her for her first-ever Olympic Trials Marathon. They pass...

Katie Spotz is an endurance athlete, charitable ambassador, author and world-record holder. The list of accomplishments to her name is long, and includes five Ironman triathlons, cycling across the country, a 325-mile river swim, running 100 miles nonstop in under 20 hours, and a solo row across the Atlantic Ocean. But this wasn’t just any row; when Katie arrived in Guyana, South America, after 70...

Molly Bookmyer is back on the show and for a great reason. During her first appearance on the show, episode 175, Molly detailed her two brain surgeries in 2015 - the first to remove a benign tumor that had grown since first diagnosed in 2013 and second to alleviate side effects that included paralysis on her left side. Then, Molly's husband, Eric, was diagnosed with cancer in 2017 two weeks after...

It's been a long year and one that also feels like it flew by (at least from a running perspective). In the final episode of the Mastering 40 series I detail the past six weeks and the ways in which I've been able to go from almost zero running for three months to quickly building up to a 40 mile week. My first in well over a year. Then the episode shifts to talking about the future, both short te...

Have you every met someone who seems to go full Men in Black mode by doing as much in 24 hours as you would do in 36? Jen Jordan is exactly that kind of person. And it is freaking awesome. From doing a full Ragnar event as part of two person team, to running in ultra's nearly all the time, averaging a marathon a month for an entire year, to re-making her body after all of that while still running...

The summer is in full effect and one thing that so many of us struggle with in this season is fueling properly. Whether it's nutrition or hydration, the summer months can provide several challenges. That is especially true for those of us who are preparing for a fall marathon by stacking up some serious long runs. With that in mind, Holley Samuel RD, CPT is here to drop all sorts of knowledge on h...

Dr. Anh Bui ran in high school and at the collegiate level where she found herself injured often. She grew up in San Leandro, CA and was raised in a first-generation immigrant family. San Leandro was a melting pot of low-to-median income households with pockets of crime, and under-resourced and underprivileged youth. Dr. Bui recalls few resources being available to her to manage running injuries a...

In this episode we welcome Whitney Heins, the founder of The Mother Runners, a VDOT-O2 certified running coach, 2:56 marathoner, freelance writer, a former award-winning TV news journalist…& most importantly, a mom of two beautiful, crazy kids. She has been featured in Runner’s World, The Huffington Post, US News & World Report, & more. Running is such an individual sport but when you become a mot...