The Rambling Runner Podcast

Bryan Green is on the podcast he brings an incredible amount of hard earned knowledge that all runners can benefit from. His new book, Make the Leap, is absolutely tremendous and is a must read for runners who know they can improve and are looking to tap into their potential. In this episode Bryan and I dive into his book and have an engaging conversation about several of the primary topics in his...

It is great to get professional triathlete, OTQ marathoner, and accomplished coach Sarah Bishop back on the show for Coach's Corner. Sarah and I talk about the importance of racing, practicing that skill set, how to approach the starting line and pacing plan with control and excitement, and an open discussion about the long layoff from races that most people have had and how it could affect them i...

It is an honor to have Amy Natalini back on the show! I couldn't wait to have her back on to talk about her remarkable past year. Especially her work on combat motivation and how it can relate to those in civilian life. To quote Amy: "Over the last eleven months, I’ve been working towards my third Masters degree, reading a book a day, writing papers for finals exams, spending hours arguing/defendi...

Dr. Duane Scotti, DPT, PhD, OCS is a running physical therapist, run coach, host of the Healthy Runner podcast, and founding owner of SPARK Physical Therapy and has been a leader in the rehab and running community for over 18 years. He is passionate about helping runners feel strong and confident so they can stay healthy and become a lifelong injury free runner! Dr. Duane truly believes that anyon...

Noah Droddy, from Indianapolis, Indiana, never qualified for the state meet in high school but decided to continue his running career at Division III DePauw University anyway. He ran well but was no collegiate star. After a few years of soul-searching post grad, Noah moved to Boulder, Colorado to pursue becoming a professional distance runner. Since doing so, he has improved vastly in distances fr...

Sometimes the road to the Olympic Trials takes a detour and that is exactly what has happened for Keira D'Amato. Keira, one of the favorites in the 10k at the start of 2021, has been battling a hamstring injury for a few months. That injury seemed to be a minor hiccup - until it wasn't. Ultimately, it simply wouldn't allow Keira to do the hard training necessary to compete at the highest level. In...

Resilience can present itself in many forms and situations. It's a quality that is necessary to achieve great things. Or sometimes even the most mundane. Sarah Wiliarty is overflowing with this essential quality. Sarah started running after giving birth to her two children. Like so many of us, she quickly eyed the marathon and, despite it's challenges, fell in love with the sport and the distance....

Steve Kirkwood is here and he has an amazing story to tell. A self-described food addict, Steve had always been a bigger guy. Type 2 diabetes started to affect him at an early age his friends did what they could to help him turn it around be couldn’t seem to change his ways. At a high of 360 pounds Steve knew he needed a change. As a pastor, it’s fitting that he found the light on a Sunday at chur...

I love following Natacha Scherf's running journey. She is pure excitement and enthusiasm. For running. For others. For the running community at large. For the possibility of improvement and continuing to get better and better. Natacha started running three years ago and promptly fell in love with a sport that she used to hate. She didn't merely love running but also the feeling of accomplishment t...

With running on the shelf since February 9 (except for a brief two week return that was quickly discontinued) it is time to do a full review of the first 10 months of Mastering 40. I didn't pull any punches in this solo episode. Fist we go through things that I feel good about that happened this year. Then we dive into the many things that I don't feel good about. I'm categorizing them that way on...

Sleep. We all need and most of want (read: need) more of it. That's why I was eager to speak with Dr. Shelby Harris. She is board certified in Behavioral Sleep Medicine (BSM) by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and treats a wide variety of sleep disorders (insomnia, nightmares, circadian rhythm disorders, narcolepsy, apnea treatment noncompliance) using evidence-based non-pharmacological tre...

I'm elated to welcome elite professional runner Taylor Ward to the show. One of the main reasons I love having pro's on the show is when they can share info about topics that directly relate to amateur runners. With that in mind, I was eager to speak with Taylor about her recovery from hip surgery that sidelined her for months something she continues to rehabilitate. Recovering from injury is some...

Rhandi Orme is back. Get your pen and pad out and be ready to take plenty of notes. As you may have heard in Rhandi's previous appearances on the show (episodes 35 and 112) she is a serious badass with five kids in tow. A year ago Rhandi gave birth to baby number five. After deliberately progressing through her post-partum life Rhandi was ready to try one of the only challenges she had yet to tack...

Can you imagine turning your 5K racing speed into your half marathon speed? How about finally mastering the marathon after you’ve given birth to two kids? What about becoming the runner you always wanted to become despite having a family and a challenging full-time job? Katie Rey has been able to all of this, and more. Not only that, she is one of the most supportive members of the running communi...

Lauren Antonucci, RDN, CSSD, CDE, CDN, is the owner and director of Nutrition Energy, where she creates individualized plans that fit the lifestyle of each client, helps them develop a healthy relationship with food and their bodies, and guides them to reach their nutrition and health goals. She is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), is certified by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as...

Claire Bartholic wasn’t always a runner. She started running in her mid-30s simply to get in shape for her high school reunion. It wasn’t about getting faster or racing; it was, to be honest, mainly about vanity. But something changed in her as the miles slowly added up. The reunion came and went and she kept running. Already plant based, she finished her first marathon at age 38 in 4:02 and was i...

In our last Mastering 40 episode (ep. 12) my conversation with my running coach and sports psychologist were overwhelmingly positive. It appeared as though I had finally gotten my left knee healthy and was running again. All that changed a few days after that episode was published. The knee pain returned just as suddenly as it mysteriously arrived in the first place.  In this episode Adrienne Lang...

Stefanie Flippin is back and, my goodness, what a return. I'll simply quote her Strava page as it says it all: Going home with the US 100 Mile National Title! 14:35:21: 1st woman, 3rd OA, 40 minute CR, 6th fastest all-time 100 mile for an American woman and the race of a lifetime. This was an hour and twenty minute PR for me, with 20 minute 50 mile and 100k PRs along the way. The field was the dee...

Yes, you read that title correctly. As a teenager John Verhagen was a 300lb high school football player with an eye on playing in college. After getting recruited to several small schools in the Upper-Midwest, John was forced to give up his dream. His health was in jeopardy due to his weight and diet. Football was gone - as was the soda, pop, and many of John's staple foods. And, that's when runni...

Cheryl Miller is one the most interesting people we've had on the show with an absolutely fascinating story. Cheryl grew up in a challenging situation with almost all of her family members dying when she was young for a variety of reasons. After relocating to Long Island to live with her grandparents she started to excel at running just when her life needed to be put on the right track. After seve...

Jessica Dorsey in back on the show and my goodness, she is a force of nature. When she was first on the pod, episode 181, her toughness, endurance, raw athleticism, and grit made her a listener favorite. She brought all of that, and more, to this episode mixed in with an equal amount of humility and pragmatism.  Jessica is a 2:53 marathoner who worked through some significant injuries and life cha...

As nearly everyone in the running world knows by now, we saw history in the making this week. Des Linden broke the world record and Nicholas Thompson set the 45-49 American record in the 50k. In addition, Adriana Nelson and Chirine Njeim raced the marathon along the semi-secret Oregon ground that has seen many top runners in the COVID era. Peter Bromka was invited to be a part of history less than...

Melissa is back on the show and it is a delight hear about what she has been able to do over the past year. Like so many of us, her professional and personal life was thrown upside down. Melissa is a woman of many talents, and just as many jobs, and having to re-work them into the new paradigm was a significant challenge. Even with all of that on her plate she still managed to keep running. At fir...

In the first part of this episode we from Alex Elizabeth about her story of finding identity and healing from trauma, through running. Alex penned an extraordinarily powerful essay for Runner's World and hearing her speak about these topics made her writing even more powerful. Alex is a dedicated and successful ultra trail runner. She is also a shoe reviewer for Believe in the Run so, of course, w...

Theresa Hailey, a runner for Oiselle, is well known for her positivity and strength as a runner and person. In the lead-up to the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials she fell just one second short of qualifying. Then, after a successful build-up to Boston in 2019, her race that didn't live-up to her training nor fitness. A feeling so many of us have experienced. In preparation for the 2020 Olympic Trials...