The Rambling Runner Podcast

With the Rambling Runner Virtual 5k and 10k right around the corner, we are using this episode to help you prepare to run your fastest, safest, and most fun virtual race possible. This will be the first virtual race for many of you and we want to make sure it goes as smoothly. Coach Michael Crouch, from McKirdy Trained, provides loads of race-day advice. Lindsey Hein, from the I'll Have Another Po...

At the Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta, Julia Kohnen finished an outstanding race in 10th place. This is a remarkable achievement for any runner, especially an unsponsored athlete who works full-time with an additional part-time job. Julia was one of the few runners who set a PR on the challenging Atlanta course. Julia‘s athletic journey did not begin as a runner. She was a four year Division I...

In this time of self-quarantines and social distancing, gyms across the country haven been closed. This necessary measure has left many athletes wondering how they will  strength train at home with minimal equipment and a strong desire to improve. No need to fear, Bethany Davis is here. Bethany's credentials and athletic background speak for themselves. An active marathoner for nine years, a degre...

Coach's Corner is back. In this episode we are joined by Esther Atkins and James McKirdy of McKirdy Trained. These two great coaches delve into what it's like for someone working full time, often with family responsibilities, who is trying to run at an elite level. This delicate balance can be quite tough even in the best of circumstances. Esther and James dive into all elements of this high-wire-...

Hal Higdon is a Contributing Editor for Runner’s World and is the magazine’s longest lasting writer, having contributed an article to RW’s second issue in 1966. He also is the author of more than three dozen books, including the recently released Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide: Advice, Plans, and Programs for Half and Full Marathons (revised and updated 5th edition). Hal began running as a...

Amanda Brooks returns to the show to discuss her new book Run to the Finish: The Everyday Runner's Guide to Avoiding Injury, Ignoring the Clock, and Loving the Run. Amanda lays out the path to finding greater fulfillment in running for those who consider themselves "middle of the pack runners" -- they're not trying to win Boston, they just want to get strong and stay injury-free so they can contin...

Running, injury, recovery - rinse and repeat. Alissa Coffman has lived that life for a few years now and has plenty to share. Her first appearance on the show was episode 17 and she back 200 episodes later. At that moment she has just run a 3:04 at CIM after a 4:04 at the Boston Marathon earlier in the year. Since then she has endured years of injuries but she finally back. In this episode we talk...

I absolutely loved this wide-ranging conversation with Kim Sundling. Kim is an avid marathoner, cross-trainer, pharmacist with a focus on mental health, a bundle of energy - and someone who continues to work through depression. Kim touches on all of these aspects of her life, and more. On the running front, Kim ran two marathons in the fall before doing the Goofy Challenge in early January. A brut...

Jen A. Miller is an award winning freelance writer and author and the author of the running memoir titled “Running: A Love Story.” This is a wonderful book that I could not put down. She’s also a regular contributor to the New York Times and writes their weekly running newsletter. She has also written for the Washington Post, Runner’s World, The Outline, The Guardian, SELF, Buzzfeed, The Goods, an...

Rarely on this show do we talk about faith, but I was excited to do just that with Pastor Mark Reyes. Mark turned to faith early in his life to help him deal with some personal trauma. He turned to running around that time for the same reason. Mark re-engaged with running a couple years ago and has seen remarkable results. In this episode, Mark dives deeply into the intersections of his faith life...

Welcome to a new monthly series on the Rambling Runner Podcast: Ramblings on the Run with Ali & Matt. Every month, Ali Feller — host of the Ali on the Run Show — and I will come together to talk about running industry news, our own running, and things we're loving right now, and answer listener questions. In this episode, we talk about our recent interviews with Neely Spence Gracey, all things Oly...

In one of the highlights of my podcast and career, I was fortunate to sit down with Alexi Pappas and Molly Huddle for a live show at the Houston Marathon. These two titans of the running world were eager to speak their minds on many topics, especially the state women’s running in America and across the world. What makes both of these amazing women special is not only their elite running prowess, b...

Melissa Perlman has a fascinating story of reaching the highest levels of American running by age 18 only to learn how to love the sport after a ten year hiatus. Melissa gave up competitive running mid-way through college after getting recruited by a Top-10 program. She came back to the sport when her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Melissa is now a 37 year old 2:49 marathoner who knows her...

From professional fighter with multiple black belts to a dedicated runner, that is a transition that I could not wait to hear about. Amy Mangueira did just that and her story is fascinating. We talk about how and why she entered the fight game, comparing the training between the two sports, raising a child who is interested in the former, and all the work she’s doing to prepare for all six World M...

It was an honor to have Rachel Schilkowsky back on the Rambling Runner Podcast. I don’t know anybody who is more introspective and self-aware than Rachel. Not only that, but she is an elite runner who took a circuitous  route to where she is now. In this episode, we talk about her journey with disordered eating, therapy, and some breaking news regarding her running goals for 2020 and beyond. Final...

In the second episode of Re-Run, David Roche joins the show to talk about the men’s 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials. We discuss  the consistent pre-race speculation that didn’t turn out to be quite right, Tyler Penney’s epic move that broke the race apart, the complete lack of shoe talk, Galen and Meb’s dust-up, Kara Goucher‘s “Justice is coming” foreshadowing of Alberto Salazar’s future, and plenty...

Four and a half years ago, Mitch Ammons made a decision to completely change his life and get sober. He had used heroin and other hard drugs from the age of 19 to 26. Using completely numbed his pain, but the truth was, he was hopeless. Mitch started running two years ago and now he is a sub-2:30 marathoner and on a mission to qualify for the Olympic Trials. Not only that, running has given him th...

“Re-Run,” the newest running podcast from the Rambling Runner Podcast Network, features Matt Chittim and a group of running elites, media members, and coaches discussing classic races that love to revisit again and again. In this episode, Carrie Tollefson and Jen Rhines join the show to talk about the women’s 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials. We talk about all things pre-race hype, Amy Cragg and Shala...

2020 is upon us. A new year and a new decade. In this episode I speak with two people, David Roche and Teri Hutcheon, who share the goal setting methodologies that have helped them reach new levels of success and happiness. David is one of the best coaches and trail runners in the country and works with dozens of elite athletes. Teri transitioned from the corporate world to having her own business...

One thing that all runners love is running shoes and nobody reviews them better than the folks at Believe in the Run. Thomas Neuberger and Robbe Reddinger join me to discuss:  - Favorite 2019 shoes for easy runs, workouts, short races, marathons - Shoes they’re most excited about in 2020 in those categories - Their favorite shoes that are about to be, or recently have been, discontinued and theref...

Haley Chura is a certified badass. After turning pro in triathlon several years ago she has won races at the full and half Ironman distances. In 2015, she was sidelined from doing running workouts for a year and a half after a devastating crash on her bike three weeks before the Ironman World Championships. This year she decided to make a run at the Olympic Trials marathon qualifying standard afte...

There are as many different running stories as there are runners, but Seth Baird’s path to the sport is more unusual than most. Up until three years ago Seth was working hard to pursue professional body building - the literal opposite of what he is doing now. After a serious injury, and a dalliance with performance enhancers, Seth picked up running and took to it like a fish in water. This fall Se...

For the last 10 years, Meghann Featherstun has been working with people to help them find their happy place with nutrition, exercise, body composition, and in life. She specializes in sports performance nutrition, pre- and postnatal nutrition, family nutrition, and with a heavy background in clinical nutrition can help athletes manage their medical conditions through nutrition as well. As a certif...

One of the many unintended positive benefits of hosting the Rambling Runner Podcast is how it has helped improve life. As a constant work-in-progress, I need all the help I can get. Thankfully, the last 100 guests have provided countless insights and hard-won knowledge. Here is some that has had a significant impact on my life.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn...

The elusive sub-3:00 marathon is something that only the top 1% of women runners strive for. So what happens when a team of like-minded women come together, at one race, supported by some of the best running brands and coaches in the country? Lift. Run. Perform launched Project: Breaking 3 - a small, application-based group program, organized for those staring down that 3:00 marathon barrier in 20...