The Rambling Runner Podcast

In 2016, Carly Spataro was living a relatively sedentary lifestyle after years of playing soccer. By the end of 2017 she had run five marathons and improved her time from her debut 3:49 to 3:14. Needless to say, she was hooked. This last month Carly did the seemingly impossible for an amateur runner who works full-time as a pharmacist - she ran both the Chicago as NYC marathons (just three weeks a...

Megan is a legend. She was the 2016 USATF Trail Runner of the Year at the ultra and sub-ultra distances. She is a five-time national champion, the North American Mountain Running Champion, and a six-time member of Team USA. She graduated from Duke University, where she played field hockey before running cross country for one year, with a degree in Neuroscience and received her M.D. from Stanford M...

TCS New York City Marathon week is upon us and it is sure to be an amazing race. In this episode we hear from Kellyn Taylor, Roberta Groner, Jared Ward, John Raneri, and Lou Serafini. Each of them discuss their current fitness level, injury status, mental and emotional frame of mind, mantras and motivations, and goals for the race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Lea...

Rachel Brenke had a newborn son, her husband was just deployed, and she wanted more. Next step: law school and entrepreneurship! 10 years later she faced a similar situation. Two degrees, five kids, and zero time for herself. Next step: become a triathlete! Rachel not only knows the legal ins-and-outs of running a business but she has a pulse on the industry as an athlete herself. With an impressi...

I was so exited to get Alissa Kolarik on the show because I can’t get enough of comeback stories. In the same vein, I also love stories about people who buck conventional wisdom and find a better path for them. Alissa embodied both of these ideas on her way to a huge PR of 3:05:20 at the Berlin Marathon. In this episode, Alissa discusses her winding running journey, choices she’s made to improve h...

Kyle Merber is a professional runner specializing in the mile and the race director of the Long Island Mile - one of the most unique track meets in the country. In this episode we talk about the how he created an elite event featuring some of the nations best runners (Emma Coburn, Molly Huddle, Emily Sisson, Cory McGee, Nikki Hiltz, Brenda Martinez, Emily Infeld, Ben Blankenship, Ben Flanagan, and...

Within three years of starting running Hannah Johnson has improved by leaps and bounds. From breaking the 30 minutes in the 5k to cranking out a 1:38 in the half marathon this fall. All the while, raising a one and three year old and teaching at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. She even worked through a stress reaction during her first marathon and still finished in 8:30 pace. In th...

In this episode Julie Sapper talks about something that affects us all - bouncing back from injury. We discuss all things about mindset, planning and execution that got Julie back on the road very quickly. In the spring Julie tore her meniscus as she was preparing for the Boston Marathon. Then, Julie hit the comeback trail in time for a Last Chance BQ marathon. Julie and her friend Lisa Reichmann...

People like Aly Groft was the reason  the Rambling Runner Podcast was created. At the Erie Marathon last week Aly got her fourth consecutive Boston qualifying time. Thankfully, it was her first time getting far enough under the qualifying time to run the race. That’s right, she had three straight BQ’s but none fast enough to register. Her commitment and determination are matched only by her optimi...

Aaron Truesdale has gone from a self-described “band geek“ to a sub elite marathoner in five short years. This amazing transformation needs to be heard to be believed. Even with his lightning fast speed, what really moves Aaron is the connection to others that he gets through running in his native San Diego.  One of those connections is with his mother. When she was diagnosed breast cancer her goa...

Whether it was as a Marine, Spartan Death Race finisher, or an ultra marathoner, Billy Richards is the personification of persistence. In 2019 he embarked on a new mission: Break the world record for most 100-mile races in a calendar year. The current record is 41 and Billy is well on his way. He‘s completed 25 which means he has 17 to go - with 17 weeks left in the year. If you love following Dav...

Alison Wade is single-handedly improving the running community. Her Fast Women newsletter is a staple of any running fan’s weekly reading. In this episode we dive into  Alison‘s running, coaching, and media history. All of these layers of contributed to the formation of a wonderful person who is doing amazing things. Here is a description of her work in her own words, “As a lifelong fan of women’s...

Roughly 3,300 days ago Sean Nakamura started running and he‘s still going strong. His 3,200+ day run streak is incredible, as is his transition from two miles a day to owner of one of the most brutal race schedules in the country. This year he will run the Great Eight (the original 100 mile races) plus UTMB, Tahoe 200, and the Big Backyard Ultra. Wow! In addition to this amazing string of races, S...

I absolutely loved this conversation with Liz Camy. Her running career at Cal St. Northridge was curtailed by persistent race anxiety. Those feelings continued after graduation before she was finally able to put them behind her and begin running marathons. She progressed from a 4:08 marathon to the cusp of an OTQ before the 2016 Olympic Trials. She clocked a 2:46 in the heat of Los Angeles, just m...

Katy Sherratt leads Back on My Feet as Chief Executive Officer. An award winning social innovation leader, Katy has been instrumental in increasing Back on My Feet’s programmatic impact by over 75% and introduced new and important measures to demonstrate the holistic impact of the program. Under her tenure, Back on My Feet has gone from early stage startup to sustainable organization and is now a...

“I will run a marathon before I am 30.” With that drunken assertion, James Dunn eventually changed the course of his life. He transformed himself from 286 lbs. to completing one of the one of the toughest ultramarathons in the world, the Marathon des Sables (across the Sahara desert). Last year he was warded “Best Blogs 2018” - Running Awards for www.themorningcoffeerun.com. James has completed si...

Tim Rossi recently wrote a column for Tempo Journal about dealing with injuries that many people, including me, immediately connected with. Tim is works for Nike as a community manager and has built himself into an accomplished runner after deciding not to run for a college team. Along the way he experienced a myriad of injuries and PR’s, including a 2:31 in the marathon. In this we discuss the hi...

If you are feeling low-energy or need a spark then this episode with Jessica Dorsey is for you. Jessica is a force of nature who's  determination in all areas is remarkable. Whether she is hauling 100 lbs stones, breaking three hours in the marathon, or starting her own EMF blocking sports bra company, Jessica is constantly on the move. We also take a deep dive into how her training has evolved ov...

When it comes to ambitious running challenges there aren't many greater than running across the United States. For Molly Cuevas, an All-American college field hockey player, this challenge was quite literally the beginning of her running career. Molly has been a high level athlete, first in soccer and later in field hockey, since she as little. But, she hadn't started running until she dreamed of...

Margaret Spring has been a dedicated runner since she was kid chasing after her oldest brother. These days, people are busy trying to chase her. This remarkable woman picked up trail running five years ago. She fell head-over-heals for the sport while trying to make sure she didn't do that, literally, on the rocky and challenging downhills. A few weeks ago Margaret has a breakout performance by fi...

It is with immense excitement and gratitude that I announce the newest addition to the Rambling Runner Podcast Network - the Road to the Olympics Trials podcast. This new show features eight elite runners, four men and four women, who are excited about pulling back the curtain and being open and honest about their training, racing, and goals in their lead-up to the Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlan...

In this episode, I am delighted to speak with serial racer and former college basketball player Lindsay Walter. Lindsay has run 36 marathons and 83 half marathons over the last eight years. In fact, she is hoping to run 100 half marathons by this time next year. Amazing. Not only that, Lindsay has alopecia areata universalis, an autoimmune disease that causes total-body hair loss. She struggled wi...

In this episode of the podcast I chat with Ben Rosario, coach of the famed NAZ Elite. His team features some of the best men and women runners in the country at various distances. We discuss late bloomers, what he thinks about when he hears the term "running talent", how he approaches coaching youth runners, and what he looks for when identifying runners for his team. You can learn more about Ben...

Running at an elite level is hard enough when everything goes right and luck is on your side. Very few people get to that level even in the best of circumstances. For Molly Bookmyer, her running career could never be described in those terms. She has undergone two brain surgeries, hospitalized after having a seizure on a treadmill, and helped nurse her husband back to health after he was diagnosed...

When Natalie finished with college soccer she needed something to stay active and provide a competitive outlet. On a whim, she ran a local 5k mud run and placed 2nd female overall.  From there, she was hooked.  Natalie PR’d every marathon she ran over a four year period (with a best time of 3:11) before the 2019 Boston Marathon. On that day, however, her dream race became a nightmare. In this epis...