Touching the Trail Podcast

Our society is addicted to busyness and we have no idea what to do with free time. We live in a vicious cycle of drifting amongst leisure and so adding more busyness to salve our confusion. We are lost. A good friend of mine recently remarked to me, for the 100th time, "Oh, I'm so busy, it's been absolutely crazy." Busyness seems to be a badge of honor and a point of pride, a marker of success as it were. We are chained to our busyness, despite the fact that research shows that we now have more free time than ever. So the question becomes: What do we do with busyness? I believe that we must not allow ourselves to be a prisoner to it, take a step back and breathe, plan, eliminate extraneous tasks, single task, delegate duties, and learn from others. These paths to mental peace and freedom in the face of busyness are what I delve into in today's episode. Join me. Muchas gracias, Jarod Contreras Sources: Robinson, John P. "Americans less rushed but no happier: 1965–2010 trends in subjective time and happiness." Social indicators research 113.3 (2013): 1091-1104. https://www.inc.com/ilan-mochari/feel-less-busy-twisted-psychology-of-busyness.html https://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/04/busy/?utm_content=buffer71195&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/owning-pink/201404/are-you-addicted-being-busy Support Touching the Trail: touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP Instagram: @touchingthetrail instagram.com/touchingthetrail Twitter: @touchingtrail twitter.com/touchingtrail Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail

It's awfully funny to me how often we impose limitations on ourselves. Before recording today's episode I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to talk about. To be quite honest, I did not even want to record the episode. However, it took me a second to realize that the reason I could not find a topic was because I was letting distractions rule. I took off the headphones and took a few deep breaths before I wrote down something that had kept my weekend sane: lists. Though as life is this episode evolved into much more than observations on lists. It evolved into an examination of what it means to ask questions, how to listen to your body, and of course why lists keep things simple. With gratitude, Jarod Contreras Support Touching the Trail: touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP Instagram: @touchingthetrail instagram.com/touchingthetrail Twitter: @touchingtrail twitter.com/touchingtrail Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail

“I have to make a change, you have to make a change, we all have to do something to be role models for the young people in our world." -Anna Frost The people that continually fascinate me are those that shatter the norm. This week's guest is a prime example of that. Anna Frost (a.k.a. Frosty) might as well be the embodiment of tough, with her wins at the Hardrock 100 and running adventures across the globe. She has traipsed in many countries and that deep set love of travel and experience has forged her into who she is today. That is what we explore in this episode, who Frosty is. We delve into her mental headspace amongst pain and as a motivation to others, especially young people. We examined her battles with identity and what it means to acknowledge the complexity within ourselves. We explore finding peace amongst chaos and how to build equality in sport and in life. Please enjoy this wonderfully wide ranging discussion. Gracias, Jarod Contreras Find Anna: frostysfootsteps.wordpress.com Instagram: @annafrosty instagram.com/annafrosty Twitter: @annafrosty twitter.com/annafrosty Facebook: Anna Frost facebook.com/annafrosty Support Touching the Trail: touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP Instagram: @touchingthetrail instagram.com/touchingthetrail Twitter: @touchingtrail twitter.com/touchingtrail Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail

We are bombarded on a daily basis with techniques for how to make our lives easier, happier, or, more generally, better. However, many of these techniques are snake oil medicine that have no lasting, nor truly beneficial, impacts on our life. One technique that has been repeated in many different forms throughout all of my spiritual, religious, philosophical, and scientific research of how to better ourselves is preparation. In all aspects of life, from athletics to spirituality, having a plan is one of the most beneficial ways to forge consistency, honesty, accountability, and responsibility. Through having forethought, and therefore establishing a system to follow, we allow ourselves to build a foundation on which all of our other practices for betterment are built. Quite simply, having a system frees you to focus. Let's explore this, Jarod Contreras Support Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Jarod:  touchingthetrail.com  Meditation Coaching: touchingthetrail.com/meditation Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP  Instagram: @jarodrunsdirt instagram.com/jarodrunsdirt  Twitter: @jarodrunsdirt twitter.com/jarodrunsdirt  Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail  Strava: Jarod Contreras strava.com/athletes/jarodcontreras

The choice between reaction or response is demarcated by a fine line. A line that is determined by the breath. We are either prisoner to our emotions or we take a breath and take a step back to use them, instead of abuse them. This most recent quarter, Winter Quarter, at my college, Cal Poly SLO, I let myself be ruled by reaction, instead of response. Too often I allowed my difficulties in the Calculus class that I was enrolled in drag me down and control me. That class was one of, if not the, hardest classes that I have ever taken and I passed with a C+. A grade that, even six months ago, I would have balked at and been ashamed of. However, today I am ecstatic about that grade, because I have shifted my perspective from A, A, A, to simply doing my best. If my best results in an A, then great. If my best results in a C+, then great. I took a breath to choose. The test now comes in seeing if I learn anything from last quarter and choose between reaction or response. Let's find out, Jarod Contreras Support Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Jarod:  touchingthetrail.com  Meditation Coaching: touchingthetrail.com/meditation Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP  Instagram: @jarodrunsdirt instagram.com/jarodrunsdirt  Twitter: @jarodrunsdirt twitter.com/jarodrunsdirt  Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail  Strava: Jarod Contreras strava.com/athletes/jarodcontreras

As you know all too well, each of us are impacted by the people around us. That influence can be negative or positive, depending on the person performing the influencing. In every interaction we are shaped by those around us and I have recently been positively shaped by my Soil Science professor. I was continually amazed while taking Soil Science 121 with Dr. Appel at how often soil went unnoticed in my life before taking this class. Soil is, almost quite literally, beneath my feet everyday and with every step, yet I never considered its importance. Throughout this class I was fascinated with the nuances and intricacies of soil and with its massive influence over our world at large. That fascination was largely fueled by Dr. Appel's effusive love for the science of soil. Dr. Appel reminded me what it was like to have a teacher who is passionate about his or her subject, of which teachers I have had only a few. Today I want to delve into, and begin a conversation about, what it means to have passion for your work and how that passion can so positively influence the lives of those around you. Om shanti, Jarod Contreras  Support Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Jarod:  touchingthetrail.com  Meditation Coaching: touchingthetrail.com/meditation Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP  Instagram: @jarodrunsdirt instagram.com/jarodrunsdirt  Twitter: @jarodrunsdirt twitter.com/jarodrunsdirt  Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail  Strava: Jarod Contreras strava.com/athletes/jarodcontreras

For quite awhile now, a little over a year, I have admired the food blog and social media presence of Vegan Yack Attack. So I decided I wanted to have whoever was behind Vegan Yack Attack on the show. That person is Jackie Sobon and it only took us almost a year to align our schedules to finally sit down, over Skype, and have a chat. It was well worth the wait. As always I am fascinated by the deeper questions beyond simply what, when, or how to eat. Today Jackie and I delve into a wide-ranging conversation covering the accessibility of veganism (and the wellness movement at large), the creative and artistic process of developing a recipe, Jackie's personal evolution, incorporating health into our day to day lives, work ethic, and more. Please enjoy. Thank you, Jarod Contreras More Jackie: veganyackattack.com amazon.com/Vegan-Yack-Attack-Plant-Based-Fast-Paced/dp/1631594222/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521515935&sr=8-1&keywords=vegan+yack+attack Sponsor: Touching The Trail Podcast is sponsored by Health IQ, an insurance company that helps health conscious people like runners, cyclist, weightlifters, strength trainers, and vegans get lower rates on their life insurance.  Go to healthiq.com/touchingthetrail to support the show and see if you qualify. Support Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Jarod:  touchingthetrail.com  Meditation Coaching: touchingthetrail.com/meditation Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP  Instagram: @jarodrunsdirt instagram.com/jarodrunsdirt  Twitter: @jarodrunsdirt twitter.com/jarodrunsdirt  Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail  Strava: Jarod Contreras strava.com/athletes/jarodcontreras

There are certain things in life that simply get on your nerves, right? Meditation, spirituality, and religion provide me bases of knowledge to intellectually know that I must respond, instead of react, to those stressors, but I am not perfect and sometimes I can become prisoner to what surrounds me. In my apartment here on campus at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo I have, at times, let myself be prisoner to the situation that surrounds me. The people, and the filth that they generate, that live with me in this apartment are aspects that are at odds with my personality. To clearly illustrate: I would never invite a friend to hang out in this apartment, not due to embarrassment, but because I don't think anyone should have to be amongst the filth that surrounds me on a day to day basis. Today I delve into how I work through my imperfections and respond to what I can, or cannot be prisoner to, because ultimately I have the choice.   Thank you, Jarod Contreras Sponsor: Touching The Trail Podcast is sponsored by Health IQ, an insurance company that helps health conscious people like runners, cyclist, weightlifters, strength trainers, and vegans get lower rates on their life insurance.  Go to healthiq.com/touchingthetrail to support the show and see if you qualify. Support Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Jarod:  touchingthetrail.com  Meditation Coaching: touchingthetrail.com/meditation Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP  Instagram: @jarodrunsdirt instagram.com/jarodrunsdirt  Twitter: @jarodrunsdirt twitter.com/jarodrunsdirt  Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail  Strava: Jarod Contreras strava.com/athletes/jarodcontreras

There's always a story to tell, right? Well, there is for me at least. Today's story is multi-faceted, it involves a difficult calculus class, soil science, long drives, Los Angeles, the gym, and trails. However, today's stories converge on one singular point: curiosity. This is the first episode in what I foresee as a series on the wide-ranging topic of curiosity, but as always today we start at the beginning. The beginning of what curiosity can and does mean for our journeys and how curiosity can positively impact our ability to engage with the world around us. Curiosity is a skill that must be built through honesty and vulnerability. Those attributes of honesty and vulnerability are exemplified in opening our hearts and minds, in asking questions, and in reading. So remember to be curious, be honest, and enjoy this episode! As always, Jarod Contreras Sponsor: Touching The Trail Podcast is sponsored by Health IQ, an insurance company that helps health conscious people like runners, cyclist, weightlifters, strength trainers, and vegans get lower rates on their life insurance.  Go to healthiq.com/touchingthetrail to support the show and see if you qualify. Support Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Jarod:  touchingthetrail.com  Meditation Coaching: touchingthetrail.com/meditation Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP  Instagram: @jarodrunsdirt instagram.com/jarodrunsdirt  Twitter: @jarodrunsdirt twitter.com/jarodrunsdirt  Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail  Strava: Jarod Contreras strava.com/athletes/jarodcontreras

Each day we form opinions, judgments, and beliefs. These aspects of our personality manifest themselves in our conversations. Today's conversation is, quite simply, my own musings on the past few weeks of chaos in my life. This is the manifestation through conversation of my opinions, judgments, and beliefs. I strongly believe that it is vital to tell your story and today there are some good ones. I delve into my fractured (or strained) wrist, observations on the gym, working through failure in Calculus, and the difference between birthdays and true chapter headings in our lives. I truly hope you enjoy and that these musings give you a better perspective of who you truly are. As always, Jarod Contreras Sponsor: Touching The Trail Podcast is sponsored by Health IQ, an insurance company that helps health conscious people like runners, cyclist, weightlifters, strength trainers, and vegans get lower rates on their life insurance.  Go to healthiq.com/touchingthetrail to support the show and see if you qualify. Support Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Jarod:  touchingthetrail.com  Meditation Coaching: touchingthetrail.com/meditation Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP  Instagram: @jarodrunsdirt instagram.com/jarodrunsdirt  Twitter: @jarodrunsdirt twitter.com/jarodrunsdirt  Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail  Strava: Jarod Contreras strava.com/athletes/jarodcontreras

"It's the silence in between the noise that's important." -Pete McBride I have dreams. You have dreams. We have dreams. There is always something in the future that we wish to have in our grasp now and there is always something from the past that we wish we never had in our grasp. Today’s guest, Pete McBride, embodies the life that I dream of living, however he embodies so much more than a selfish goal. Pete is a self taught photographer, filmmaker, writer, and public speaker who uses his skills to uniquely focus on a topic that may seem saturated, but is in fact in dire need of attention: freshwater.  Recently Pete has turned his attention to his own backyard and to his own river, the Colorado River, while also documenting the state of rivers across the globe. He decided to hike the length of the Grand Canyon (roughly a 700 mile long trek) to increase awareness on the Park’s developmental pressures. This is a noble goal focusing on an area that holds a special place in my heart, which drew me to Pete in the first place. Throughout today’s discussion we cover Pete’s evolution as a storyteller and person, we delve deep into his adventure in the Big Ditch, the beauty of endurance and silence, the importance of water, and, as always, storytelling. With intent, Jarod Contreras More from Pete: petemcbride.com Sponsor: Touching The Trail Podcast is sponsored by Health IQ, an insurance company that helps health conscious people like runners, cyclist, weightlifters, strength trainers, and vegans get lower rates on their life insurance.  Go to healthiq.com/touchingthetrail to support the show and see if you qualify. Support Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Jarod:  touchingthetrail.com  Meditation Coaching: touchingthetrail.com/meditation Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP  Instagram: @jarodrunsdirt instagram.com/jarodrunsdirt  Twitter: @jarodrunsdirt twitter.com/jarodrunsdirt  Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail  Strava: Jarod Contreras strava.com/athletes/jarodcontreras

"You're only taking one lap and then that's that, so you might as well have fun." -Luis Escobar Surrounding all great stories there is a thick mist of lore. The tale of a 2006 adventure in the Copper Canyons immortalized in the book Born to Run by Christoper McDougall is no exception. Luis Escobar was an integral part of that party that traveled to the Barrancas del Cobre and the story from that undertaking told in Born to Run has shaped my life. However, my excitement and gratitude for Luis making time to chat does not stem from that book. It stems from Luis as an individual. This is not a conversation only on Born to Run, it is a conversation on and with Luis. It was an honor to run with Luis and friends for 12 miles before we recorded this discussion. That run gave me a more intimate perspective on who Luis is, his passion, honesty, and grit. Today's exchange covers the art, culture, and influence of photography, ultrarunning (specifically Luis's time at the Tahoe 200), Born to Run's affects, the death of Caballo Blanco, Luis's Born to Run ultras, and so much more. So for a fascinatingly unique perspective on what it means to run and live truly, take a listen now! Gracias, Jarod Contreras More from Luis: allwedoisrun.com Sponsor: Touching The Trail Podcast is sponsored by Health IQ, an insurance company that helps health conscious people like runners, cyclist, weightlifters, strength trainers, and vegans get lower rates on their life insurance.  Go to healthiq.com/touchingthetrail to support the show and see if you qualify. Support Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Jarod:  touchingthetrail.com  Meditation Coaching: touchingthetrail.com/meditation Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP  Instagram: @jarodrunsdirt instagram.com/jarodrunsdirt  Twitter: @jarodrunsdirt twitter.com/jarodrunsdirt  Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail  Strava: Jarod Contreras strava.com/athletes/jarodcontreras

Within each of our own lives the buck stops with us. We have the choice between prison and freedom. Whether that choice comes in school, work, family, relationships, or health, we have the choice. Now I do not mean the prison after a trial, I mean the prison that we build when we allow ourselves to be a prisoner to our responsibilities, stressors, annoyances, and qualms. For me, personally, I have recently put a lot of work into solidifying my ability to learn from impermanence, from my difficult living situation, from the people that surround me, and from school. I could easily have let those stressors become my masters. When we are not honest with ourselves, when we are not listening to our breath, and when we are not present we fall easily into the habit of building our prison's walls and allowing the bars to fall. We lay the bricks to encase ourselves and then we question our, seeming, lack of ability to move and breathe. Instead of chaining ourselves to the floor, why don't we realize our ability to choose freedom? Because, we are fearful. So I ask you, who are you prisoner to? With gratitude, Jarod Contreras Sponsor: Touching The Trail Podcast is sponsored by Health IQ, an insurance company that helps health conscious people like runners, cyclist, weightlifters, strength trainers, and vegans get lower rates on their life insurance.  Go to healthiq.com/touchingthetrail to support the show and see if you qualify. Support Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Jarod:  touchingthetrail.com  Meditation Coaching: touchingthetrail.com/meditation Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP  Instagram: @jarodrunsdirt instagram.com/jarodrunsdirt  Twitter: @jarodrunsdirt twitter.com/jarodrunsdirt  Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail  Strava: Jarod Contreras strava.com/athletes/jarodcontreras

"The government has been blocking information like this [a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle], it's been controlled. We're all guinea pigs! The dietary guidelines have been framed by the industry and that's disgusting. They don't want radical change like this!" -Dr. T. Colin Campbell There are people who affect change and there are people who make change. Dr. T. Colin Campbell has, throughout his storied and lengthy career, revolutionized our perceptions as a society of what it means to care for our bodies. His groundbreaking book, The China Study, showed the world that a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle not only prevents cancer and other disease, but reverses them! From growing up on a dairy farm to number one proponent of eating plants, Dr. Campbell has been shaped by his researche and has shaped the world with it. However, this show has never been strictly about my guest's stories, it is not an audio biography. I am fascinated by what makes my guests tick, what makes them who they are, and what makes them persevere to be the paradigm breakers that they are. Today I am an honored to delve into that with Dr. Campbell in our discussion on four main things. We converse deeply on the resistance Dr. Campbell faced to his research, the state of our medical and scientific establishment, the control of that establishment by industry and politics, and that this lifestyle (a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle) is possible. This conversation will motivate you to realize that a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle is the wisest choice to honestly better yourself and follow your truest path. Om shanti, Jarod Contreras Further your journey: nutritionstudies.org nutritionstudies.org/about/board/dr-t-colin-campbell plantpurenation.com forksoverknives.com Sponsor: Touching The Trail Podcast is sponsored by Health IQ, an insurance company that helps health conscious people like runners, cyclist, weightlifters, strength trainers, and vegans get lower rates on their life insurance.  Go to healthiq.com/touchingthetrail to support the show and see if you qualify. Support Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Jarod:  touchingthetrail.com  Meditation Coaching: touchingthetrail.com/meditation Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP  Instagram: @jarodrunsdirt instagram.com/jarodrunsdirt  Twitter: @jarodrunsdirt twitter.com/jarodrunsdirt  Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail  Strava: Jarod Contreras strava.com/athletes/jarodcontreras

What's the point? Why do all of it for a seemingly meaningless result? Why? These are questions that have surfaced many a time in our lives. As a college student these are questions that have been asked of me by a multitude of my friends. Friends wishing they could be out in the "real" world, friends who are bored and angered by classes, friends who wish they took a gap year to "grow," and friends who want to drop out. These qualms arise in the biased and insulated life that we lead as college students, but these are qualms and questions, in different forms, that arise in everyone's life. We wonder what a different life would be like. We hope for it, even. However, today I want to discuss a solution to these issues that is simple in its idea, but difficult in its execution: change your perspective. Whether it is changing your perspective about the situation you live in or changing your perspective about what you are capable of, it is possible. Remember, as well, that the person that you identify as is usually a limiting perspective. You are not just a mom, a dad, a Democrat, a Republican, a vegan, a yogi, a runner, a writer, an employee, a boss, or whatever else your immediate identification and association is. We are varied, layered, and deep, we must recognize that. As such, our ability to adapt is inherent within us. Instead of looking at each situation as a wall in your path, look at it as a challenge, yes, but a challenge that is a teacher. A teacher that will provide you the opportunity to do your best, therefore subsequently learning and growing always. With Gratitude, Jarod Contreras Sponsor: Touching The Trail Podcast is sponsored by Health IQ, an insurance company that helps health conscious people like runners, cyclist, weightlifters, strength trainers, and vegans get lower rates on their life insurance.  Go to healthiq.com/touchingthetrail to support the show and see if you qualify. Support Touching the Trail:  touchingthetrail.com/donate  targetreleaserecovery.com Find Jarod:  touchingthetrail.com  Meditation Coaching: touchingthetrail.com/meditation Touching the Trail Weekly: eepurl.com/bEENNP  Instagram: @jarodrunsdirt instagram.com/jarodrunsdirt  Twitter: @jarodrunsdirt twitter.com/jarodrunsdirt  Facebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail  Strava: Jarod Contreras strava.com/athletes/jarodcontreras