Touching the Trail Podcast

Throughout our entire lives we have had mentors, whether we know it or not, but they have been vital to our journey. So when we want to make positive, lasting change within our lives we must build connections with those that motivate us and those who can guide us on our trail, they must be our mentors. You cannot do this alone and throughout history spoken word and leading by example has been the purest form of teaching. From the Buddha to Martin Luther King, Jr. mentors abound. So listen in and let's help you find your mentor!

As we head into the holidays it's a common theme that we completely forget our commitments and morals. The holidays are not a time to revere sugar and fat, instead they are a time to double down on your dedications. The traditions and paradigms that we are taught to uphold are not necessarily the best. Especially when you must follow your own path or take the jump to commit to a new path. This holiday season let's focus on our own, truly fulfilling path instead of being influenced and affected by what others think of you. Take a listen to this week's episode and let's discuss the importance of health and commitments during the holidays and how to keep on it!

"Just freakin' do it, because in 2016 there really is no excuse to not have a plant-based lifestyle, it's just the most logical choice." This is another podcast guest that I have been waiting a long time to have on and again it was totally worth the wait. I am honored to say that I have Rip Esselstyn on today's episode. He is a very informed advocate for a plant-powered lifestyle and wrote the incredible book The Engine 2 Diet, recording his success with a plant-strong life. I hope you will enjoy today's funny and information filled discussion on his story, a plant-based lifestyle's impact on his life and others, it's benefits, it's misconceptions, the importance of good, whole food, and much more. So listen to be inspired to change or improve your journey, because like Rip says there really is no excuse to not be eating only plants. Improve yourself, your community, and our world! http://engine2diet.com/

"You don't necessarily have to be fast, you just have to be consistent." This week's podcast guest is Jeff Browning! I have been waiting a long time to chat with Jeff and it was totally worth it. He was a hilarious guy who knows quite a lot. This summer he did the Western States 100 and Hardrock 100 Double and in the fastest combined time. So that is a big factor of what we discuss, but it's not simply that. We delve into his ability to endure, his longevity in the sport, his love of finding out everything he can about a problem or piece of info, and much more. Listen in to this episode to help you endure and love not just a hundred mile race, but life in general a little bit more efficiently. Thank you as always. And thank you Jeff! http://www.gobroncobilly.com/

We all hear about being compassionate, but I'm not just talking about the vegan philosophy of being compassionate to animals. It's a lifestyle that we must live in. We can either be good or bad, there's no in between. So I try to live my life as much in the good category. It's something that is taught in all religions and all philosophies, compassion transcends so let's try to transcend it into our own lives.

"I see so many young people who are vegan, not because they are trying to make this huge statement, but because that's how they feel best." This is a statement that I completely agree with and one of the many important topics that Asher Brown and I thought about. Asher is a LA filmmaker who runs Pollution Studios and works with many companies, vegan and not. He is trying to make change and he is succeeding, those are the people that I want to talk to. And he fits the bill and more. Enjoy our discussion on the vegan lifestyle, it's broad application to our world, the essence of health, filmmaking, and how to transition into a vegan or at least healthier lifestyle. I hope this episode makes you think and makes you work. Work to strive for your better. Work to change. Work to commit. Thanks! pollution.tv pollutionstudios.com

It's where we pull our skills and tactics from to overcome obstacles and to succeed in the life we truly want to live. The fulfilling life. We can either have tools in our toolbox that are negative or positive, the trick is that we need to be able to acknowledge what is negative and be able to get rid of it. But, it's hard. And that's when you pull your tools out, so it's a cyclical cycle that we can always improve. So listen in to today's episode on how we can add to our toolbox. Again it's hard, but it's also fulfilling. And that's the goal isn't it? To find true fulfillment. So let's work towards that. Thank you always. Enjoy!

40 episodes! Jeez that's crazy to me. It's been awesome and a big reason that I've been able to do it is because I've strongly focused on organization. It's an important word that we can treat as a buzzword or as a guiding word. To me it's a guiding word. So today let's think about organization. It's the constant process of evolution through updating our ethos and actions on organization. My ethos on organization have changed, but this week I discuss the ones I have right now. So let's work through on how we can all organize better; at home, at work, in our minds, and in life in general!

"I like suffering. That's where I find the most interesting things about myself. And it turns out that I'm good at it. Right? That there's something in me that allows me to push through pain." Through snow, and ice, and rock, and cold Adrian Ballinger is an amazingly experienced and accomplished mountaineer who started young and has not stopped going since. The year after college Adrian tried to get the mountains out of his system, but almost 20 years later they're still coursing through his veins, literally and figuratively. His life has been filled with the journey to better understand pain and in today's episode we get to see the mind that allows Adrian to push up the tallest mountains in the world. Life is filled with obstacles, we face them every single day, and while Adrian's are literal mountains so big we can't even comprehend, we can still learn from him, mountaineer or not. So sit back today and take a listen to Adrian Ballinger and learn a little bit better to summit your own mountains. You may have to turn around sometimes, but there is always another time to try, a better way to train. In addition we talk about #EverestNoFilter which is his and Cory Richard's recent attempt to summit the North Side of Everest without oxygen. Cory made it, but Adrian had to turn around which is a big topic today. Family, his story, and his company Alpenglow Expeditions are also deeply discussed. Enjoy! http://alpenglowexpeditions.com/ Twitter: @alpenglowexp Instagram: @adrianballinger Snapchat: adrianjb Me: http://touchingthetrail.com Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bEENNP Twitter: @jarodrunsdirt Instagram: @jarodrunsdirt Youtube: JarodRunsDirt

"We kind of look at ourselves as like a support crew for nutrition." This week I have Jeff Vierling on, he is the founder and creator of Tailwind Nutrition. If you're an ultrarunner or endurance athlete you have probably heard of Tailwind, you might have even heard of it if you aren't any of those things. Jeff's company is small and intimate and they infuse that into every aspect of their product. Because, they are indeed my support crew for nutrition right now. I used Tailwind at my most recent 50k and it is a huge reason of why I felt so good. Running is a transformative sport and Tailwind can transform with you. Even if you aren't a runner Tailwind can be useful, as we discuss in the podcast. So listen into today's episode as Jeff and I discuss his creation of the product, the evolution of the company, what his life looks like and how he manages family, the company, and training, and of course the simple journey of it all. If you want to be inspired to go out and push hard listen today, and maybe use some Tailwind when you do! http://www.tailwindnutrition.com

So this past weekend I ran my first 50k since my very first 50k last October in 2015. It has been quite awhile I know, but I was ready and had trained waaaayyyy better this time. Because, of that and a immensely better mental mindset I was roaring to go. And this race was amazing! Listen in today to hear of what I did to get ready, how I executed it, and how it went in general. This is ultrarunning and being fueled by a vegan lifestyle! Thank you.

It's in our every week, our every day, whether we realize it or not, but it really is more of a drug than we realize. Purer than cocaine, unnervingly colored, and something that features in so many commonplace foods, sugar is a scourge on our days (not to be dramatic :) that we don't realize is bad. Let's talk about why we eat sugar and what it does to us today, it's a food that is not a food and something we get addicted to. A terrible drug in our everyday lives, so listen in and enjoy today's discussion on sugar and life. Thanks again!

I don't know how many people have heard this phrase, but Freshmen 15 means when kids leave their parents and go to college, alone, they've lost their governor. Leading to the feeling of being "free," ultimately resulting in the highly unwanted outcome of weight gain, the 15 pounds. But, I think that idea of being "free and clear" is a mindset teenagers and young adults get and have. It's something we all have sometimes and a smaller part of a great problem. The fact is that moving along in life we are binary, yes or no, we have a trail that we can and must take that allows us to live the best and most fulfilling life that we can lead or we take a wrong turn and don't follow the honest trail. Life must follow the honest trail, that is one of the secrets. Today let's think and talk about what your trail is. How do you find it? How do you follow it? Why? Listen up, everyone, today let's work on finding you. Thank you as always.

The infamous iRunFar.com was founded by an ultrarunning obsessed guy named Bryon Powell and he just happens to be today's guest. Bryon and I had a very laggy (thanks Skype, sorry guys), but inspiring and informative discussion about everything he does. We discuss his and Meghan Hicks's most recent book, Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trailrunning, his ultrarunning career and story, his most recent endeavor on the Hardrock 100, balancing busyness, and the creation and evolution of iRunFar.com itself. So enjoy today's show and I hope it can inspire you to go out and run, to find what you love and commit to it fully, and to love what you do, to completely immerse yourself in that love! And if you need a guide for those trailruns pick up their book! Website: iRunFar.com (http://www.irunfar.com) Book: get it here. (http://www.irunfar.com/where-the-road-ends-a-guide-to-trail-running)

So this is the guy who I kind of imitated with my big cowboy hat and now I finally got to meet him and even go for a run! The Small Step and Approaching the Natural Advocate Sid Garza-Hillman is today's guest and we had a wonderful discussion on a wide variety of topics, from health and running to family life and planning your day. If you want to be a better person and learn how to do it for the long run today's chat is a great resource. Sid is filled with knowledge and he pours only a small portion of it out today, but it's still a lot. So sit back and enjoy our discussion on veganism, ultrarunning, training, cooking, creativity, life, race directing the Mendocino Coast 50k and oh so much more, it was awesome! Thanks Sid :) Website: http://www.sidgarzahillman.com