Trail Runner Nation

2017 was the inaugural year of the mis-named Moab 200, a 238-mile endurance race in the desert of southern Utah.  Along with the 98 gritty people that finished this race, Courtney Dauwalter, stunned observers with a first-place finish.....ahem.....nearly TEN HOURS before the second place finisher!  Fellow finishers, Cameron Hanes and our own Don Freeman (Triple Crown of 200-milers recipient), help The Nation understand how she did this only one month after finishing sixth (first place female) at Run Rabbit Run 100 & two weeks after a first place at The Bear Chase 50.

Why do we put so much emphasis on talent rather than our effort?  In the book Grit:The Power of Passion and Perseverance author, Angela Duckworth helps us understand that EFFORT counts twice as much as talent when trying to achieveing a goal. Talent X Effort = Skill Skill X Effort = Achievement Gu Energy Labs' VP of innovation and R&D, Magda Boulet and East Coast Executive Producer, Andy Jones-Wilkins join The Nation to discuss Grit. What is Grit Where do we get it? Can it be learned? Can we increase our grittiness? Is Talent or Effort more important Four elements of GRIT Interest or passion - we must enjoy what we are doing we must find ways to reignite that passion. We must be patient to develop the interest. The capacity to practice - daily discipline of trying to do things better than the day before Purpose - What ripens passion is the conviction that your work matters.  (See WHY podcast) Hope - rising to the occasion.  Focusing on things that you can control when things are going wrong Take th

In December of 2014, we spoke with Brian MacKenzie, founder of crossfit endurance, ultrarunner and co-author of "Unbreakable Runner, Unleash the Power of Strength & Conditioning for a Lifetime of Running Strong".  He joined The Nation to talk about how you can train for lifelong healthy and sustainable running by incorporating crossfit endurance training.  The main principles include: Develop correct and efficient running skills Build running endurance without injury Build functional strength, conditioning and mobility Focus on nutrition Get the book HERE Brian's other book, " Power Speed ENDURANCE: A Skill-Based Approach to Endurance Training"  

Why do you run?  In most cases, people talk about the HOW or the WHAT to try and explain this.  When it comes down to it, we need to have a well understood WHY before we can successfully change our behaviors. Over 5 years ago, we read a life-changing book by Simon Sinek, "Start With Why, How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action".  Although this book can be related to many aspects of your life, we take it to the trail to see how it will fare.  We talk about the biology (not the phycology) of the power of the WHY and how fun it is to discover why other people run. Get a jump start on the subject by watching this Ted talk (viewed over 34,000,000 times) by Simon Sinek. Visit Simon's web site Get the book Use this worksheet to begin uncovering and defining your Why, How and What: TheGoldenCircle

Outdoorsman, best-selling author, adventurer and runner, Cameron Hanes joins The Nation to talk about his passions: bow hunting big game around the world and endurance running.  He completed the Bigfoot 200 in 2016 and is a couple weeks away from the start of the inaugural Moab 240 mile endurance run.  He has a unique complimentary sport of bowhunting.  We ask him to compare the two sports and what he has learned from participating at a high level. Learn more about Cameron: Youtube Channel Keep Hammering Podcast WebSite

How many times have you been having a great run and then BAM, your stomach goes south?  In this podcast, Warren Pole, from 33 Shake and Brad Kearns, from Primal Endurance, join The Nation to discuss how to minimize stomach problems. Article from TrainRight.com:Stomach issues

TRN's East Coast Executive Producer, Andy Jones-Wilkins, is the guest author of 3 articles in the fifth edition of TRN's Audio Magazine.  Articles include:   Run Like Cockroaches Under the Bright Shiny Moon Do What you Want From Rucky Chucky to Kroger's Canteen and all the Places in Between Loquacious Help! My Ink Won't Let me Sweat Get Back to Nature Philosophy Find out more how AJW can be your coach

Dr. Steven Gangemi, Sock Doc, teaches us why SLEEP is a very important to your training.  We discuss Why is sleep so important? Do athletes need more sleep? What is good restful sleep? What are some of the factors that keep us from restful sleep? Are stimulants effecting our sleep? Common signs of poor sleep Sleep monitors, are they useful? Can you "catch up" on sleep? Read Sock Doc's article on sleep Here is another article: How Elite Athletes Use Sleep Routines to Boost Their Confidence and Win Medals Learn more from Sock Doc at these sites: http://systemshealthcare.net/ ~ AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO NATURAL HEALTH CARE http://sock-doc.com/ ~ NATURAL INJURY TREATMENT AND PREVENTION FOR ATHLETES http://www.drgangemi.com/ ~ HEALTH. FITNESS. LIFE.

Are you kidding?  Many of us owe Dean for informing and encouraging us to get into Ultra or Trail Running via his books: UltraMarathon Man - Confessions of An All-Night Runner 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days - and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance! Run! 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss NEW - The Road to Sparta: Reliving the Ancient Battle and Epic Run That Inspired the World's Greatest Footrace or his many amazing adventures.  Some of these being: running Western States 100 15 times since 1994, including four top-10 finishes running 10 Badwaters including a 1st and 2nd finish Constantine Karnazes, Karno, or Dean visits with The Nation with his good friend, Michelle Barton about his longevity, training, life balance and his new book. Visit his web site: Ultramarathonman.com

A week after the 2017 Bigfoot 200 Endurance Race, we look back at the race from a few different perspectives: Finisher, Don Freeman (finishing in 23rd) Race Director, Candice Burt 200-mile virgin, Bob Crowley - who is registered for the 2017 Tahoe 200!!!!! Crewman, Scott Warr

Ian Sharman, Joe Uhan and Matt Laye return to Trail Runner Nation to play the Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down game covering these topics: NSAIDS Cryotherapy Whoop - recovery tracker Foam Rolling Visit College of Idaho with Assistant Professor, Matt Laye Sharman Ultra - Endurance Coaching Uhan Performance

The Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc (UTMB) has become one of the world's most desired races.  Why? This race series lasts from August 28th - September 3rd (2017) and offers many different race distances with breathtaking views. Majo Srnik is running UTMB for the first time and gets advice from 2014 4th-place finisher Jason Schlarb We talk about aid station foods fuling strategies how the 6:00 pm start effects runners Mandatory Gear List

The Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc (UTMB) has become one of the world's most desired races.  Why? This race series lasts from August 28th - September 3rd (2017) and offers many different race distances with breathtaking views. UTMB veteran and podium finishing Tim Toloffson and Sally McRae join The Nation to discuss this amazing race. Mandatory Gear List Sign up for Tim & Sally's coach, Mario Fraioli's "Morning Shakeout"

It is hard for humans to survive on their own.  They need a tribe.  Challenges and pressures are hard on an individual in a group, but much greater for an individual in isolation. We talk about the ancient tribal human behaviors: loyalty, inter-reliance, cooperation - that flare up in communities during times of turmoil and suffering.  What can we learn from our tribe?  What can we do to help our tribe flourish. East Coast Executive Producer, Andy Jones-Wilkins and Brian Chontosh sit around the table to talk about the Sebastian Junger book, Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging.  Don met Brian, a decorated and retired Major in the Marine Corp and Navy Cross recipient, international adventure racer last year as they were experiencing the Tahoe 200-mile Endurance Run.   Visit Brian's company, Crooked Butterfly Get coached by AJW   Under Armour

What Dr. Mark is reading right now: "The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier and More Creative" by Florence Williams Links to stuff we talked about: The video that we LOVE showing The Principles of Natural Running "The Sports Gene" by Daniel Epstein post on "butter burning" drills and springs 30 years sub 3 pre race Mysterious Rerservoirs of Power at the 2017 Boston Marathon Check out SteadyMD Check out a TrueForm treadmill VIDEO and how it can teach you good form Links to Dr. Cucuzzella's past podcasts: Run Faster & Farther with Less Effort Get on your Mark, Get Set, and listen...mas!  Dr. Mark Dr. Mark Cucuzzella Drops the Knowledge Bomb on the Nation Dr. Mark Cucuzzella 3:  A Smorgasbord of Running Topics Dr. Mark Cucuzzella 4: Train don't Strain Dr. Cucuzzella is BACK! Dr. Cucuzzella's 3 tips for more efficient running Dr. Cucuzzella & Sock Doc: What did you learn in 2012? Dr. Cucuzzella - He can crush you with his knowledge Dr. Mark Cucuzzella: running Comrades &

Do you ever have thoughts and feelings you don't want? Sport and exercise psychologist,  Dr. Simon Marshall and 3-time Xterra world champion, Lesley Paterson join The Nation to help us understand how the brain works and how we can train it to make our training, racing and personal life better. They co-authored the book, "Brave Athlete - Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion" You can learn more about their unique coaching paradigm HERE Simon coaches your brain and Lesley coaches your body. Try out their FREE "Smog Report" personalized advice to optimize your training Fun video introduction of the book. Follow Simon and Lesley on Twitter _________________________________________________________________ Under Armour Mountain Running Series Enter the code: TRNATION at checkout for 20% off registration Check out Under Armour's new trail shoes

Dr. Phil Maffetone rejoins The Nation to talk about insulin resistance and the addictive properties of sugars. Read his article, "Overfat Pandemic" We also discuss the recent Nike sub 2-hour marathon event and Dr. Phil's "1:59: The Sub-Two-Hour Marathon Is Within Reach-Here's How IT Will Go Down, and What it Can Teach All Runners about Training and Racing" Get the Maffetone App HERE Take the 2 Week Test Get a taste of Dr. Maffetone's best articles HERE Phil Maffetone's MUSIC

Recently, Scott had a friend ask him in a text, "what kind of running shoes should I buy?" Wow!  how do you answer that question with a short reply text?  One of the subjects that can monopolize a LONG training run or a ultra race is about shoes.  We all like to talk about them.  We all have our opinions and preferences.  And the stories.....we can recall races from years ago and vividly remember which shoe we ran in.  Some of us die a little when a manufacture discontinues or modifies our favorite shoes.  Who isn't guilty of going to the store and buying 5-6 pair of your favorites before they are gone? We get the unique opportunity to talk to Steven Shorter, a shoe designer for Altra Running.  He talks to us about how he became a shoe designer, the process of developing a new shoe, why shoes are always changing, some trends in running footwear...opening the curtain and giving us a sneak peak to some of the new Altra models. Make sure you listen to this podcast on a tempo run, because you might find your HR e

AJW and Tim Twietmeyer join us on the track at Placer High School (finish of the Western States 100) to talk about how the last 30 hours played out.  There were 369 well trained athletes that toed the line.  All of these runners demand our respect and admiration; they are examples to us of goal setting, hard work, and courage. This year's race played out to be very unique and challenging. Also joining us is this year's 7th place finisher, Jacqueline Merrett, to discuss her first time running. Stephanie Howe Violett, 12th place, joins us with her husband, Zach Violett (2016 finisher) to discuss her day and lesson's learned. Results

AJW joins us in Studio G two days prior to The Big Dance.  Andy just came off his own 100-mile adventure, Bighorn 100, last week.  We talk about skating on mud, Biblical rain storms, concussions, and "shared suffering". We then get into this years WS100; The Course this year  changes environmental challenges ("running on a pizza store") wait list drug testing Some amazing people & stories to watch Vaticinate who the top Men and Women will be