the morning shakeout podcast

"They were doing 10-mile long runs by that time and I dropped them. And they were like, 'Oh, this kid is tough!' I was coming and going on rolling hills and my coach was like, 'Hmm, you ran the last mile in 4:55.' I didn't even know what that meant—4:55 a mile? I just ran. I used to clock [time] in kilometers, so I thought it was a kilometer, and I was like, 'That's slow.' But it was miles. A few months later I came back and ran my first indoor [race] and they were like, 'You can run!' and I was like, 'OK.' That's the moment I fell in love with the sport and I ended up quitting the soccer thing and just focused on running." Excited to share a recent conversation I had with Edward Cheserek on this week's episode of the podcast. King Ches, as he’s known throughout the running world, recently tied the IAAF world record for the road 5K at Carlsbad 5000, breaking the tape in 13 minutes and 29 seconds. I was fortunate enough to sit down with the 25-year-old Kenyan for half an hour a couple days before the race to learn a little more about his life, his upbringing in Kenya, moving to the U.S. as a high schooler 10 years ago, his record-setting collegiate career at the University of Oregon where he won 17 NCAA titles, what it would mean for him to gain his U.S. citizenship and represent this country in an international championship, where his competitiveness comes from, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by Tracksmith. Tracksmith is an independent running brand based in Boston. They’re a group of dedicated runners focused on building technical yet understated running apparel that celebrates the amateur spirit and inspires the personal pursuit of excellence.
 
Tracksmith’s products reflect their New England roots: These are classic, understated and high quality essentials for runners who are working towards their next PR. To learn more, visit tracksmith.com/mario. Right now they’re running a special offer for new customers: spend $150 and earn their signature navy Van Cortlandt singlet for free. Follow them on Instagram @tracksmithrunning and shop at tracksmith.com. Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-58-with-edward-cheserek/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

"I always found myself working very hard to try and be the best at those little things but also enjoy what I was doing. This was evident at a very early age—I wanted to be competitive at something but I wanted to enjoy it while I was doing it. I don't think I gain most of my enjoyment from the competitive side of it and from the racing or the competing. It was more from the just being present there and enjoying seeing other people enjoy what we're doing and enjoying it with them." Excited to share a recent conversation I had with a guy many of you outside the Bay Area running scene may not have heard of yet: His name is Paddy O’Leary, he’s an Irish lad living in San Francisco, and he’s a North Face-sponsored trail and ultra runner who has risen through the ranks of the sport in just a few short years. He’s also got a fast set of wheels, having run a big personal best of 2:20 and change in the marathon last fall at CIM, a race he ran on somewhat of a whim after The North Face Endurance Challenge Championships got cancelled due to the California Wildfires. O'Leary’s a friend and sometimes training partner of mine and he’s got an incredible story—not to mention a beautiful Irish brogue—that I’m excited to share with you in this episode. Before he got into running about five years ago, O'Leary played on the Irish national lacrosse team from 2007-2014, captaining the squad to its first European Lacrosse Championship final in 2012. He's also been a cancer biologist at UCSF since 2013, was the co-leader of the November Project in San Francisco from 2014-2018, and has a love of traveling, community, sport, and, of course a good Guinness. On Saturday, April 13, O'Leary will attempt the Wicklow Round in his native Ireland, a self-supported long-distance run which involves summiting 26 peaks with over 20,000 feet of climbing over 70 miles with no GPS—just a compass, a map, and his own questionable senses. This is a long one but it was an enjoyable exchange that covers a wide range of topics, from O'Leary's upbringing in County Wexford, Ireland, why he came to the U.S. to do his postdoctoral research, how he got into trail and ultrarunning, what he'd like to do in running over the next couple years, and much, much more. I really think you’ll take a lot away from it, so settle in and enjoy my discussion with Paddy O’Leary. This episode is brought to you by Tracksmith. Tracksmith is an independent running brand based in Boston. They’re a group of dedicated runners focused on building technical yet understated running apparel that celebrates the amateur spirit and inspires the personal pursuit of excellence.
 
Tracksmith’s products reflect their New England roots: These are classic, understated and high quality essentials for runners who are working towards their next PR. To learn more, visit tracksmith.com/mario. Right now they’re running a special offer for new customers: spend $150 and earn their signature navy Van Cortlandt singlet for free. Follow them on Instagram @tracksmithrunning and shop at tracksmith.com. Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-57-with-paddy-oleary/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

"A lot of the folks I interact with now, whether it's a newly post-collegiate athlete who's still got goals that they want to achieve, or a middle-aged athlete who has a general fitness goal they want to achieve, or they'd like go for that Boston qualifier, whatever it is, most of these goals are achievable if you stick with it and keep building the tower—I call it 'the Jenga tower.' My outlook on coaching, generally, is: Let's build the tower and we'll eventually get there. Sometimes you do have artificial timelines, but if you can avoid them that's better, and just concentrate on building on what you have done and not worrying about what you aren't. So I try to think inductively about coaching and I think that's partly due to some of these experiences—let's assume we're going to get there. It's just a question of 'how' and not 'if.'" Really enjoyed sitting down with Dena Evans for this week’s episode of the podcast. Evans is currently the coordinator and coach of the Peninsula Distance Club, a competitive post-collegiate team based in Palo Alto, California that she founded in 2007. Evans also coached at Stanford from 1999-2005, and in 2003 was named the NCAA Women’s Cross Country Coach of the year after leading the Cardinal to the national title. A few of her athletes during those years are some names you might recognize, like Lauren Fleshman, Sara Hall, Alicia Vargo, Malindi Elmore, and others. She’s also been on the coaching staff for Team USA at multiple world championships. In addition to her coaching accolades, Evans was a standout athlete at Stanford from 1992-96, where she was a three-time All American in track and also star player on the soccer team. We covered a lot of different topics in this conversation, from getting into multiple sports at a young age to her thoughts on specialization, her career at Stanford and how she juggled being a two-sport athlete, her relationship with coach Vin Lananna and how he influenced her as both an athlete and a coach, how she got into coaching and what she’s learned working with different levels of athletes over the past 20 years, what’s exciting her—and what she would change—about the sport of running right now, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by Tracksmith. Tracksmith is an independent running brand based in Boston. They’re a group of dedicated runners focused on building technical yet understated running apparel that celebrates the amateur spirit and inspires the personal pursuit of excellence.
 
Tracksmith’s products reflect their New England roots: These are classic, understated and high quality essentials for runners who are working towards their next PR. To learn more, visit tracksmith.com/mario. Right now they’re running a special offer for new customers: spend $150 and earn their signature navy Van Cortlandt singlet for free. Follow them on Instagram @tracksmithrunning and shop at tracksmith.com. Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-56-with-dena-evans/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

"I think what made me me was taking big risks and training really hard. And I think that's what allowed me to have such high highs but it's also why I had so many low lows as well. I think if I would have taken the edge off my training I probably would have just been a lot more steady in my results and not so up and down and all over the map. But also, in my mind, I don't know if I would have gotten to the same place—and for me, I would rather risk everything and see what's going to happen than play it safe and just get to mediocre for me.” It was a treat to speak with Ryan Hall for this week's episode of the podcast. Hall, who retired from professional running in 2016, is still the fastest American male marathoner (2:04:58) and half marathoner (59:43) of all-time. He made two Olympic teams and finished in the top-5 at numerous World Marathon Majors, including a third-place finish in Boston in 2008. We packed a lot into this 45-minute conversation, including his reflections on retirement and when he realized he couldn’t push himself to the level he wanted to in running. We talked about battling extreme fatigue toward the end of his career and what he might do differently in retrospect, especially as a high school athlete who trained hard from a young age. There was some talk about nature vs. nature as it relates to athletic success, body image issues amongst male runners—including his own struggles—and where his own independent and competitive streaks come from. Finally, we got into his attraction to Ethiopia and what led to he and his wife Sara adopting four daughters from that country, his upcoming new book, Run The Mile You’re In, what that phrase means to him exactly, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by Rise.Run.Retreat. Rise.Run.Retreat is a four-day women’s running retreat that takes place from May 16-19, 2019 in Woodstock, Vermont. It was founded on the idea that, when women come together through running they inspire and strengthen one another. Limited to just 16 women, the small-scale setting makes for a unique and impactful experience. Your registration includes all lodging, wholesome meals provided by the local farmer’s market and an amazing swag bag. For more information head to riserunretreat.com and use the code TMSPOD—that’s all CAPS—and save $100 bucks off your registration fee. Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-55-with-ryan-hall/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

"The bottom line is that a lot of people look at running and they want to try it but are intimidated by it—and I think the more encouraging and welcoming we are, starting from the top of the sport, the better it is. And so that's exciting for me to watch and to cover and I hope [elites] continue to be encouraging and welcoming." I had a great time sitting down with Erin Strout for this week's episode of the podcast. Just a few weeks ago, Strout was named the digital editor at WomensRunning.com and for my money, she's one of the top journalists covering the sport of running today. In addition to her work at Women's Running, Strout has also written for Outside, Runner’s World, Running Times, and numerous other publications. We covered quite a bit of ground in this conversation, including Strout's introduction to running, when she began to think of herself as a runner, and the evolution of her career as a journalist. We also discussed the current state of the sport, the collective rise of American women in recent years, and what can be done to bridge the gap between elite athletes and middle and back of the packers. Finally, we got into the issue of gender equity in coaching, how she deals with feedback and criticism of her work, why she wishes freelance writers would stop pitching her personal essays, and a whole lot more, including some fun anecdotes about Meb Keflezighi and Shalane Flanagan. This episode is brought to you by Rise.Run.Retreat. Rise.Run.Retreat is a four-day women’s running retreat that takes place from May 16-19, 2019 in Woodstock, Vermont. It was founded on the idea that, when women come together through running they inspire and strengthen one another. Limited to just 16 women, the small-scale setting makes for a unique and impactful experience. Your registration includes all lodging, wholesome meals provided by the local farmer’s market and an amazing swag bag. For more information head to riserunretreat.com and use the code TMSPOD—that’s all CAPS—and save $100 bucks off your registration fee. Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-54-with-erin-strout/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

"Looking inside at the stuff that is scary and that you don't want to face, that's really hard, uncomfortable work. So in order to get to the other side, to truly feel compassionate for yourself and show yourself love, you have to come to terms with the ugly stuff. And that ugly stuff can be, 'I'm insecure,' that ugly stuff can be that, 'The only reason that I race is because I'm scared to die and this gives me something else to focus on,' it can be that 'I feel validated and my self-worth is from this,' like all kinds of stuff comes up and that's normal. We're humans, that's the thing. It doesn't mean that you're broken. And the more you can acknowledge that, be aware of it and be kind to it, the better chance you have of getting to the other side where suddenly you're just racing out of love." Excited to share my recent conversation with good friend and colleague, Brad Stulberg, on this week's episode of the podcast. Stulberg coaches executives, entrepreneurs, and athletes on their most pressing challenges and writes about health and the science of human performance as a columnist for Outside magazine. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, Wired, New York Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Runner’s World and many other outlets. The best-selling co-author author of Peak Performance, a book which explores the science and practice of world-class performance, Stulberg and his co-author Steve Magness are about to release their second book, The Passion Paradox, a guide to going all in, finding success, and discovering the benefits of an unbalanced life, which comes out on March 19. In this episode, Stulberg and I discuss performance, passion, addiction, health, well-being, purpose, burnout, the importance of practicing self-awareness and self-compassion, and a number of related topics that are pertinent to your athletic, personal, and professional pursuits alike. We also got into Stulberg's own path as a hard-charging consultant turned writer and coach, recovering Type-A triathlete, his own struggles with burnout and mental illness, and much, much, more. This episode is brought to you by Rise.Run.Retreat. Rise.Run.Retreat is a four-day women’s running retreat that takes place from May 16-19, 2019 in Woodstock, Vermont. It was founded on the idea that, when women come together through running they inspire and strengthen one another. Limited to just 16 women, the small-scale setting makes for a unique and impactful experience. Your registration includes all lodging, wholesome meals provided by the local farmer’s market and an amazing swag bag. For more information head to riserunretreat.com and use the code TMSPOD—that’s all CAPS—and save $100 bucks off your registration fee. Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-53-with-brad-stulberg/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

"Things are going to be uncomfortable in life. You're going to have uncomfortable runs, uncomfortable races, uncomfortable conversations with family and friends, or standing up to your boss if you feel like you deserve a raise. All things like that, I think are just giving you a little more courage and a little more pep in your step to really stand up for what you believe in and push through those hard days and know that you're going to see light at the end of the tunnel.” Thrilled to welcome Stephanie Bruce of Hoka Northern Arizona Elite to the show this week. The 35-year-old mom of two young boys is a 2:29 marathoner, co-founder of Picky Bars, online running coach, and oh yeah, reigning national 10K champion on the roads. In this episode, we discussed what she’s focused on from a training and racing standpoint right now, why she thinks it’s important to get out of your comfort zone when it comes to racing, and the changes coach Ben Rosario has made to her training in the past several years that have contributed to her recent success. We also talked about the marathon and her biggest limiters in that event, what it will take to make the 2020 Olympic marathon team in Atlanta, who she looks up to in the sport, where she gets her grittiness from, how to cultivate it in your own life, and a whole lot more. This episode is brought to you by Rise.Run.Retreat. Rise.Run.Retreat is a four-day women’s running retreat that takes place from May 16-19, 2019 in Woodstock, Vermont. It was founded on the idea that, when women come together through running they inspire and strengthen one another. Limited to just 16 women, the small-scale setting makes for a unique and impactful experience. Your registration includes all lodging, wholesome meals provided by the local farmer’s market and an amazing swag bag. For more information head to riserunretreat.com and use the code TMSPOD—that’s all CAPS—and save $100 bucks off your registration fee. Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-52-with-stephanie-bruce/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

“Everybody runs. It's the original. You go to an elementary school at lunch time and everybody is running. It's intrinsic to us. And we lose that, whether we don't make the track team, whatever it ends up being, we lose that and I think that's a shame. And I think as a community and as an industry and everything we need to get back to this idea of 'run a block and a half, and then run five blocks, and then run 10 blocks.' And just that alone is amazing.” — Jeremy Bresnen of Ciele Athletics I’m excited to share a roundtable discussion I hosted last November at The Loop Running Supply in Austin, Texas, with Scott Gravatt, who is the run specialty sales director at Nike, Jeremy Bresnan, the co-founder of Ciele Athletics, and Pam Hess, who is the co-founder, along with her husband Ryan, of The Loop. We covered quite a bit of ground in this discussion, which centered around running culture, what that is exactly, how it’s evolved over the years, and where it’s heading. There was talk about the running industry, the rise of smaller brands like Ciele, the influence of bigger ones like Nike, and how they can all co-exist in an increasingly crowded space; we got into the sport of running, the activity of running, and the lifestyle of running, how those things are all very different and also where they intersect. Finally, we dove into the importance of running specialty shops to local culture and community, the importance of storytelling, the role of athletes, and a whole lot more. This episode is brought to you by Jaybird. Like many of you, I’m an avid podcast listener, and having a good pair of headphones is super important to me. And my go-to for a while now has been the Jaybird RUN true wireless headphones. They’re super comfortable, they stay in my ears, they hold a charge for a long time, and, most importantly, they pump out incredible sound. Jaybird has just released an update to their true wireless line called RUN XT, which are now fully waterproof and sweat proof, so they hold up to your hardest workouts and most extreme weather conditions. They are freaking awesome. Right now, morning shakeout listeners—that’s YOU —can receive 20% off of a pair of the just released RUN XT true wireless headphones AND free shipping through the end of March 2019. Go to jaybirdsport.com and use the code SHAKEOUT—that’s all one word, all capital letters—when you check out to take advantage of this awesome offer. [Offer can only be applied once per customer.] Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-51-with-scott-gravatt-jeremy-bresnen-and-pam-hess/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

"I hope people can find joy in what they're doing, I hope people find things that are exciting, I hope people can look at me and say, 'If that dude with a job and a family and 1.5 cars and all the same things that I'm dealing with can get out and do something, maybe I can do something too and maybe I can set a big goal and maybe I can find something that excites me and motivates me and I'm passionate about that I want to chase.' And then I hope they go out and they do it.” Stoked to welcome another awesome guest on to the podcast this week: Michael Wardian. Wardian is the exception to almost every racing rule and for his latest trick he just broke the Guinness World Record for running ten marathons in ten consecutive days, covering 262 miles in 29 hours, 12 minutes, and 46 seconds, or an average of 2:55:17 per marathon. He ran the first seven of those 10 marathons on seven different continents as part of the World Marathon Challenge and completed the last three around a certified 5K loop near his home in Arlington, Virginia in 2:50 flat, 2:48:43, and 2:44:33. Oh, and on the 11th day, he raced a 5K with his vizsla Rosie in 17:01. Perhaps more impressively, he did all of that off about 20 total hours of sleep, which is something I pressed him on in this conversation. If you know of Wardian's way of doing things, you know this is just how he rolls. The 44-year-old races around 50 times a year on average and he’s not afraid to line up at a mile on the track or ultramarathon on the trails, sometimes doing both on the same weekend. He’s also set a number of wacky world records —like the  fastest 50K ever run on a treadmill, fastest marathon ever run wearing various costumes, fastest marathon ever run on an indoor track, and even pushing a baby stroller— and he regularly tackles challenging ultra endeavors such as Badwater 135, Marathon des Sables, and the Hurt 100 to name a few. He’s also qualified for three Olympic Trials marathons, won a number of national titles and placed on the podium at world championship events. Wardian's a great guy with crazy goals, unmatched ambition, and a big, selfless heart. We talked about his most recent feat, what lies ahead, how he recovers between big efforts despite being a notoriously bad sleeper, how he fits it all in around a family and job, the importance of giving back and helping others, the power of positivity, what he hopes the average person can take away from his approach to life and running, and much, much more. This episode is brought to you by Jaybird. Like many of you, I’m an avid podcast listener, and having a good pair of headphones is super important to me. And my go-to for a while now has been the Jaybird RUN true wireless headphones. They’re super comfortable, they stay in my ears, they hold a charge for a long time, and, most importantly, they pump out incredible sound. Jaybird has just released an update to their true wireless line called RUN XT, which are now fully waterproof and sweat proof, so they hold up to your hardest workouts and most extreme weather conditions. They are freaking awesome. Right now, morning shakeout listeners—that’s YOU —can receive 20% off of a pair of the just released RUN XT true wireless headphones AND free shipping through the end of March 2019. Go to jaybirdsport.com and use the code SHAKEOUT—that’s all one word, all capital letters—when you check out to take advantage of this awesome offer. [Offer can only be applied once per customer.] Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-50-with-michael-wardian/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

“There were days when I was just so exhausted and I didn't even want to get up out of bed because I didn't even see the point. There was so much time that I spent wishing that the accident would have killed me because it felt like it was easier than to have to face the pain and face the challenges of everyday life. But then I'd receive a message and some voice of encouragement, sometimes from a dear friend, sometimes from a complete stranger, and it just built this community that I felt that I had near and far and it again let me discover the strength that I had within me, whether or not it was still there. Trail running, I felt, I could experience it in a new way but talking with complete strangers or my friends supporting me, it also allowed me to dig deep and find that within me.” It was a real treat to sit down with Hillary Allen for this week's episode of the podcast. Every week on this show I try to glean as much insight and inspiration as possible from some of the top athletes, coaches, and personalities in the sport of running and this week’s guest has those two things in SPADES—and it really comes out in this conversation. The 30-year-old Allen, a North Face-sponsored trail and ultra runner from Colorado, has made her biggest mark in sky running, which takes place in super gnarly, technical, high alpine environments. She was the U.S. Sky Running Ultra Champion in 2015, and has course records and podium finishes at races all over the world. The crazy thing is: she’s only been in the sport for a few years and rapidly ascended the ranks—quite literally—in a very short amount of time. But there’s so much more to this special human. Allen has a Masters degree in neuroscience, she’s got a thing for bugs and grew up wanting to be an entomologist, she was a collegiate tennis player, she coaches other runners, and is just one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Allen also has an incredible story about survival—she fell 150 feet off the side of a mountain while racing in Norway a couple years ago—which we covered from a few different angles in this conversation, amongst a slew of other interesting topics, including using running and races as a way to explore places she's never gone, the issue of burnout in ultrarunning, how she got her nickname, "Hillygoat," the craziest wildlife encounters she's had on the trails, running a 2:50 self-supported marathon to see if she could go faster than she did in her first, her love of science and the outdoors and how that's impacted her life, and much more. Postscript: Allen broke her ankle in late January, just a couple weeks after we recorded this conversation, an injury that required yet another surgery. “Things happen for a reason—if you chose to let them,” she wrote on her blog. “I’m reminded to take a deep breath, feel what I’m feeling and believe. BELIEVE. That this too, will create, reignite and provide an opportunity for growth.” This episode is brought to you by Strava’s new podcast, Athletes Unfiltered. Are you looking for a little extra motivation on your next run or bike ride? Athletes Unfiltered is a new podcast of inspiring stories from the Strava community, told by the runners and cyclists who lived them. And along the way, they’ll tackle some of the big, scary questions every athlete has to find answers to: Why am I doing this? Am I getting too old? Will I ever run again? The answers these athletes give might just help you find some of your own. Give the Athletes Unfiltered podcast a listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you consume audio content. Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-49-with-hillary-allen/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

“The idea of doing what you love doesn't happen by accident. Like if I went to drama everyday, sure I'd have fun but it would have been misdirected. And I was fortunate enough to have what I loved and learn it but really cultivate it and really be around other people that loved it. And that's probably the theme that will come out of this conversation, whether it's a peer of mine that I'm still friends with because we raced against each other in high school or Mike Fanelli, who was running around the track with me at age 50, or my parents—it doesn't matter the demographic, we shared that. And I want for our high school kids to have that. They're coming to practice with two coaches that love it so much, they're surrounded by teammates that really love what they're doing, and it's the culture that we have, it's the community we're trying to create.” Incredibly excited to welcome Jake Schmitt to the podcast this week. The 31-year-old is a three-time Olympic Trials qualifier in the marathon with a personal best of 2:15:09. He most recently ran 2:18:03 at CIM and has his sights set on competing well at the Trials in Atlanta a little over a year from now. Schmitt was a state champion cross-country runner in high school and an All-American in track at the University of Washington. Aside from being an accomplished athlete, he has coached at his alma mater, Redwood High School, for the past nine years alongside his mom, Laura—who is also his coach—and they’ve developed one of the top distance programs in California. This mom and son duo also cofounded the Thoroughbred Treadmill Studio just north of San Francisco, which is the first of its kind on the west coast. We talked about all of those things in this conversation and then some, including Schmitt's tight-knit family, where he gets his competitiveness from, how his parents taught him to love running without forcing it upon him, why he loves monotony, the importance of restraint in bringing along high school athletes in their training, developing a healthy team culture, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by Strava’s new podcast, Athletes Unfiltered. Are you looking for a little extra motivation on your next run or bike ride? Athletes Unfiltered is a new podcast of inspiring stories from the Strava community, told by the runners and cyclists who lived them. You’ll hear from a runner who loses his sight and discovers a new community. A drummer who passes up the after party so he can get up early to ride bikes with his fans and connect in a way he never could from on-stage. A mountain biker who watched the trails he loved burst into flames and then created an app to help rally his community around rebuilding them. And along the way, they’ll tackle some of the big, scary questions every athlete has to find answers to: Why am I doing this? Am I getting too old? Will I ever run again? The answers these athletes give might just help you find some of your own. Give the Athletes Unfiltered podcast a listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you consume audio content. Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-48-with-jake-schmitt/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

“I just kind of started to give myself a little bit more credit for what I've done and stopped having that need to incessantly prove myself. Because nobody else is thinking of me that way, nobody else is quantifying other people that way, it's just yourself. And so I made the choice to stop doing that to myself because the priority for me is health—because I can't do the running if I'm unhealthy, and it's as simple as that. The racing doesn't matter; if I'm going to race terribly because I'm ill, then why am I bothering anyways?” I really enjoyed sitting down with Devon Yanko for this week's episode of the podcast. We caught up a little week before the recent Houston Marathon, where she ran 2:39:34—less than a minute off of her personal best—to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Trials in Atlanta. Yanko is a super accomplished athlete who has run almost 100 races of marathon distance and beyond. She's also won two ultra-distance national titles on the roads, represented the U.S. at multiple world championships, been on the podium at Western States, won the Leadville 100, held the Grand Canyon Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim FKT, qualified for two Olympic Trials marathons, and has finished in the top-5 at Comrades. In short: she is a badass across a range of distances and on a variety of terrain. This was a loaded conversation and I think you'll take a lot away from it. We talked about how Yanko got into running after growing up as a basketball player, how the sport of trail and ultra running has evolved since she first got into about 13 years ago, getting over a tough year in 2018 that was full of health issues and injuries, the importance of community, her proudest accomplishment as an athlete, sharing her story of teenage sexual abuse and how that’s impacted her life over the past 20+ years, what can be done to bring more women into trail and ultra running, opening a bakery with her husband Nathan, and much, much more. This episode is brought to you by Strava’s new podcast, Athletes Unfiltered. Are you looking for a little extra motivation on your next run or bike ride? Athletes Unfiltered is a new podcast of inspiring stories from the Strava community, told by the runners and cyclists who lived them. You’ll hear from a runner who loses his sight and discovers a new community. A drummer who passes up the after party so he can get up early to ride bikes with his fans and connect in a way he never could from on-stage. A mountain biker who watched the trails he loved burst into flames and then created an app to help rally his community around rebuilding them. And along the way, they’ll tackle some of the big, scary questions every athlete has to find answers to: Why am I doing this? Am I getting too old? Will I ever run again? The answers these athletes give might just help you find some of your own. Give the Athletes Unfiltered podcast a listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you consume audio content. Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-47-with-devon-yanko/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

"You know, growing other avenues of my life has been really positive, and having an overall balance in my life, and not just having this laser focus on running. Because before, my running and my happiness were tied so close together that it was almost a dangerous thing. If I wasn't running well, the rest of my life was not going well either and it was nice to be able to separate that and separate different parts of life and get enjoyment and fulfillment out of hanging out with friends, and not being stressed about not running, and stuff like that. So yeah, it was a shift in mindset that was very important—it had to happen." I had a blast sitting down with Rob Watson for this week's episode of the podcast. Watson is a recently retired professional runner from Canada who won two national steeplechase titles and represented his country numerous times in international competition. He also has a 2:13:29 marathon personal best, finished 11th at Boston in 2013, and broke the 2:20 mark ten times in his career. The 35-year-old Watson, who stepped away from the professional side of the sport after failing to qualify for the Olympic Games at the 2016 London Marathon, where he ran 2:18:45, is a coach with Mile2Marathon in Vancouver, where he's lived since 2012. He won the BMO Vancouver Marathon last year—the first marathon victory of his career—and his resolutions for 2019 include "learning how to trail run and not fall on head. 2. Learn how to do ultra running shit. 3. After 1 & 2 are complete start crushing trail and ultra races." We had a great conversation and covered a wide range of topics, including being mentally done with the grind of training and racing at the professional level; coaching with Mile2Marathon and how that's fueled his own excitement for running, given him new perspective, and revived his desire to get back into training and racing; learning how to recognize, enjoy, and celebrate his accomplishments rather than always dwelling on what he could have done better; how the business of professional running has changed over the past 10-12 years; the disconnect that exists between the participatory side of running and the competitive side of the sport, and what can be done to close that gap; how he worked through insecurity and confidence issues and learned to trust himself and his training; his new year’s resolutions and why he's excited to explore trail and ultrarunning; and much, much more. This episode is brought to you by Strava. Strava is hands down THE best app for runners, cyclists, and triathletes. It's a great way to keep yourself accountable, stick to your New Year’s resolutions, keep track of and analyze your own training, and is also a great way to stay connected with and be motivated by other athletes who are getting after it every day. Strava is free to use whenever you want to log a run or a workout, but there are also a number of extra special Summit features that cost just a few dollars a month that allow you to set goals and stay motivated, better analyze your workouts, dig deeper into the data, share your location during activities, and explore new places with confidence, and more. For a limited time, Strava is offering listeners of the morning shakeout—that’s YOU—a chance to try those Summit features for FREE. Go to strava.com/summit and enter the code "shakeout" (all lowercase) at checkout to see what Summit is all about and try it out for yourself. Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-46-with-rob-watson/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

"Like I want to make people happy, and do the right thing, and be successful. And I think a lot of people end up getting sucked into that and then have to be like, 'Wait, why am I doing this?' 'Do I want to be here?' 'Why did I make these choices?' and you have to rethink it and figure out what actually makes you happy and what you actually want to do. Luckily, just being competitive and wanting to get better and better and better at running has turned out pretty good for me because, when I sit back, I do love what I'm doing. But it is something you have to be careful of—like, 'Why am I so obsessed at being so good at that? Or not failing? Maybe it's OK. And I think that's something I'll probably be working with the rest of my life." Stoked to welcome Olympian Colleen Quigley to the podcast this week! The 26-year-old is a member of the Bowerman Track Club and has established herself as one of the top middle-distance runners in the world, specializing in the steeplechase. She competed in that event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she finished eighth, and has represented the United States multiple times in international competition. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Quigley had a stellar 2018 campaign, winning the Wannamaker Mile at the Millrose Games, qualifying for the world indoor championships in the 1500m, putting up personal bests in the 1000m, 1500m, and steeplechase, winning two race races in Europe, and finishing second to Jenny Simpson in the Fifth Ave. Mile to close out the year. The nomadic Quigley and I caught up a few weeks ago in San Francisco before she took off for altitude camp and we covered a wide range of topics, including her morning routine, how she's dealt with injuries throughout her career, what it was like to be coached by her dad in high school and the importance of keeping the sport fun during those formative years, making the decision to postpone a modeling career in order to run collegiately at Florida State, deciding to join the Bowerman Track Club after college, the influence Shalane Flanagan has had on her professional career and how her relationship with coach Jerry Schumacher has evolved over the last few years, fear of rejection and how's she's dealt with it throughout her life, her competitiveness and where she gets it comes from, the origins of #fastbraidfriday, what she's excited about in 2019, and a whole lot more. This episode is brought to you by Strava. Strava is hands down THE best app for runners, cyclists, and triathletes. It's a great way to keep yourself accountable, stick to your New Year’s resolutions, keep track of and analyze your own training, and is also a great way to stay connected with and be motivated by other athletes who are getting after it every day. Strava is free to use whenever you want to log a run or a workout, but there are also a number of extra special Summit features that cost just a few dollars a month that allow you to set goals and stay motivated, better analyze your workouts, dig deeper into the data, share your location during activities, and explore new places with confidence, and more. For a limited time, Strava is offering listeners of the morning shakeout—that’s YOU—a chance to try those Summit features for FREE. Go to strava.com/summit and enter the code "shakeout" (all lowercase) at checkout to see what Summit is all about and try it out for yourself. Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-45-with-colleen-quigley/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

"That's the great thing about competition or even just running in general—it's all about yourself. And maybe even greater than that, your running community is behind you and they want you to do well or set PRs. But as long as you're happy or you're doing things that are of value to you, I think people really rally behind that and I think that's what's so cool and unique about the running community. I just focused on myself [at CIM] and was trying to run a big PR for the day and the stars aligned and gave me an extra cherry on the top there to win a national championship, so it was all the merrier." Really excited to welcome reigning U.S. marathon champion Brogan Austin to the podcast this week. For those of you who don’t know, the 27-year-old Austin won CIM in early December, running in 2:12:39 to claim his first national title, set a massive personal best, and make his case as a contender for the 2020 Olympic marathon team. We had a great conversation a couple weeks ago and I’m stoked to share it with you. I got to learn a lot more about who Brogan is, where he came from, how he trains, what it’s like to train and race at a high level while holding down a full-time job, why he loves breakfast cereal, what life has looked like for him since winning a national championship, and a whole lot more. This episode is brought to you by Strava. Strava is hands down THE best app for runners, cyclists, and triathletes. It's a great way to keep yourself accountable, stick to your New Year’s resolutions, keep track of and analyze your own training, and is also a great way to stay connected with and be motivated by other athletes who are getting after it every day. Strava is free to use whenever you want to log a run or a workout, but there are also a number of extra special Summit features that cost just a few dollars a month that allow you to set goals and stay motivated, better analyze your workouts, dig deeper into the data, share your location during activities, and explore new places with confidence, and more. For a limited time, Strava is offering listeners of the morning shakeout—that’s YOU—a chance to try those Summit features for FREE. Go to strava.com/summit and enter the code "shakeout" (all lowercase) at checkout to see what Summit is all about and try it out for yourself. Complete show notes: https://www.themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-44-with-brogan-austin/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout