Trail Runner Nation

This is the first in the series of podcasts talking about SIMPLE RULES.  Let's face it, trail and ultrarunning can be very complex, especially when the adrenaline is pumping, the legs and mind are weary, or the sun sets on a early morning start.  Kathleen Eisenhardt, a professor of management science and engineering at Stanford, explains the advantages of developing simple rules for life and business in a podcast that we recently listened to.  We extrapolated her premise to the sport we love. Get the Book  Get the Audio Book    

iRunFar.com has been entertaining and educating trail and ultrarunners for 11 years.  Founder, Bryon Powell, joins The Nation to discuss his latest book, co-authored by Meghan Hicks, "Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trail Running"  Meghan and Bryon rely on their decades of trail experience to help the beginner and the veteran trail runner excel and enjoy the trail more.  Meghan and Bryon working hard at Western States 100 Find more information about "Relentless Forward Progress" Check out the photos on TrailPorn.com Warren Pole reporting on his 3.3 Lessons Learned from the 33 Shake American Tour.

The Nation's East-Coast producer and favorite headmaster, Andy Jones-Wilkins, joins a lively discussion on over training.   How to recognize it (in yourself and your friends)  How to avoid it How to come back from it Some key words that we talk about: Puddle of Muck Eeyore-ish Blitzkrieg Brain Housing Group Conditioning Blubber Join AJW in his Taproom here

Author, nutritionist, endurance athlete and coach,MattFitzgerald, joins The Nation again.  Mattrecently competed in the grand daddy of them all, Boston Marathon,again just a few short weeks after completing his first 50-milerace, American River50,  We discuss his transition to 50 and itrolls into what is different between a marathon and 50 miler.Check out Matt's DQS App.Here is the link to his latest book, if you haven't read hislatest book, "How Bad Do you Want It?Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle"

Warren and Erica Pole, co-founders of 33Shake (no, not a European dance move), join The Nation on their North American adventure tour to educate us on the nutrition industry and introduce us to their revolutionary new gel. This face to face interview in Studio G to talk about their tour, how 33 shake can help your performance, and some of their experience on the tour thus far. Follow the tour HERE and the latest from 33 Shake on social sites: Facebook and Twitter

Every runner has a mentor.  Dan Williams is a mentor for more people than he realizes.  Imagine your training partner is Ann Trason, as you work through strategies to negotiate a 100 Miles through heat, hills and miscellaneous chaos. After countless miles, mishaps and success you end up with some serious trail knowledge.   Now imagine sitting down and talking to them.  One wearing a 2000 mile silver buckle and the other, owner of a a-one-of-a-kind 1000 Mile silver buckle converted by WS into a bracelet.  Dan and Ann drop some of this knowledge on this podcast.  This is one for the archives.  Thank you Dan and Ann!   Special co-hosts Sally McRae and Ann Thilges. 

We start with the premise, "There must be more to this, it can't be just exercise."  We hear takes from guests Ann, Zach, Mike and Karis. We love to run.  What else do we love about our sport?  

Has your crew or pacer ever stretched the truth to get you to perform better?  Have you ever wondered if you could push yourself just a little bit more?  Matt Laye is an endurance athlete and PhD in medical physiology and an assistant professor of health and human performance at The College of Idaho.  In his recent article in Ultrarunning Magazine, Matt explains that our mental potential might still be underestimated. Visit Matt's Blog: Laying It Down Follow Matt on Facebook and on Twitter Here is the Working Memory and Spacial Attention Training Game

Trail Runner, Model, film maker, adventure seeker, Whitney Powell joins The Nation for a rookie stab at our favorite podcast: Drop Bag. As you will see, she quickly passed us and lead the pack to a strong finish.  Don also brings a new spin to the podcast. Some of the topics covered: Funniest things you've seen on the trail Fasted Runs Prink, Haphazard, Doer Pet Peeves A "picture is worth a thousand words" Music You can hear Whitney on her podcast, Women In Sports Podcast (WISP) or after April 1st on Jimmy Dean Freeman's new podcast - stay tuned for more information. Follow Whitney on Instagram, Facebook Photo of Whitney competing in the Antarctica Marathon.  for more adventure races go to http://marathon-adventures.com/

We have done many podcasts regarding a low carb, fat-burning diet.  Sage Canaday joins The Nation to offer a counterpoint.  Sage Canaday is a world-class successful athlete that prescribes to a high-carb lifestyle.  Sage has been an ovo lacto vegetarian for most of his life and has transitioned into a traditional vegetarian with whole foods.  Find out how his experiment of one has fueled him to top performances and relatively little over-use injuries. Check out Sage's Coaching Site Check out his Youtube Channel: Vo2max Productions Sage's FaceBook Page Sage's Twitter Feed

Over the last few years, there have been a surprising increase in the number of films about trail running.  These films help capture the culture of our sport.  Film-maker, Myles Smythe and film festival organizer, Robert Rhodes join The Nation to speak about this phenomenon.  We are also graced by the always entertaining whit and wisdom of ultra running's only Andy Jones-Wilkins. Join your trail tribe at an upcoming screening at one of the many Trails in Motion events. Treat yourself to This Is Your Day, by Myles Smyth.  If you enter the coupon code, WeAreNation, you will receive a discount. Join AJW at the Thomas Jefferson 100K on March 12, 2016

The Sock Doc, Dr. Steven Gangemi, joins The Nation after expunging his socks and going barefoot.  We catch up with the Sockless Doc and talk about: Is chocolate good for you? Slosh Tubes Get More Fit With Two-a-days  How to Reduce Stress with sleep and deep breathing The Power Siesta Consistency: Smart Training Adapting to your training.  How to avoid it Is Ketosis good? Climbing 25-foot trees IS good cross training.  LINK to Video Link to Dark chocolate macadamia nut bark recipe

Magic Moments What's in a Trail Name? Are We Loopy? They're Always Stealing 'me Lucky Charms The Dictator's Closet How to Deal with a Running Rut Pardon me, madam, but do you happen to have any Lime Gu?

Our favorite British corespondent, Warren Pole,  joins The Nation to talk about nutrition and the small cottage industry he and some mates started.  33 Shake is high-nutrition food that deliver a difference you can feel.  Born from his desire to feel better and fuel more effectively, Warren discusses the low-quality of the many current sports nutrition products and how 33 Shake is different. And finally, it is available in the United States!  SHOP HERE If you enter the code, "TRN33" you will receive 10% off your order. Their US tour is tentatively scheduled for: April 1-30: West Coast May 1-31: central USA Jun 1-27: East Coast   If you want them to visit your running club, store, etc. please contact them and schedule a date: Email: contact@33shake.com Twitter: @33shake Facebook: www.facebook.com/SuperfoodSuperfuel

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella joins The Nation to help us understand the evolution of the American dietary guidelines.  We discuss: What is Insulin Resistance and why is it important? What is the best way to lose and maintain weight? Does the calories in / calories out method of weight loss work? How can your diet help you with your cholesterol levels? How much does your genetic background play in your weight and health? Can we manage risk factors for certain diseases by what we eat and manage insulin levels? Can athletes have insulin sensitivity? Please read Dr. Cucuzzella's article Visit The Natural Running Center for a TON of additional information. Check out Healthy Running Dr. Mark's video on Principles of Natural Running    

The Trail Running Tribe is a unique community.  We are tied together by our shared experiences and the relationships formed from adversity and achievement.   Stephen was a member of the trail-running group Wasatch Mountain Wranglers. An experienced ultra runner, completing distances from 50 to  200 Miles.   He was also an experienced skier.  On Sunday January 31st  in Park City Utah,  Stephen went skiing and was caught in an avalanche.  He was located on Tuesday morning.   We pay tribute to Stephen in this special podcast episode.  We encourage the Trail Running Community to meet up at the Trail Head Go Fund Me.   He is survived by a wife and two small children. Read more HERE

Zach Bitter's 402.5  laps around the track at the Desert Solstice Track Invitational held in  Phoenix AZ  in 11 hours, 40 minutes and 55 seconds is enough to capture the New American Record. Keep in mind, the record he broke was his own.  Zach averaged a 7:00/mile pace.  This remarkable pace includes anytime needed to stop and refuel, gear change, problem solve and anything else that can pop up in 100 miles.  Join co-hosts Ann Trason and Sally McRae as we talk about fast times, pure running, fat adapted athletes and much more.    

  Candice Burt proves that experience and execution are two key ingredients if you want to stand on the podium at the finish line.   HURT100 is legendary for challenging even the toughest of Ultrarunners.  Candice seems to enjoy the 100 mile distance as long as you add crazy climbs, mud, slick rocks and humidity.  You can find Candice's blog at WildDefined.com   Discover her artwork and poetry.  Link over to Destination Trail and find Bigfoot 200,  Tahoe 200, Bigfoot 120M and 100K, Bellingham Trail Running Series, Bellingham Trail Marathon and Cle Elum Ridge 25K and 50K        

Brad Kearns was one of the top professional triathletes for nine years.  During that time, he won 30 titles worldwide including an amazing streak of seven victories in a row.  Brad teaches The Nation how he learned the hard way how to train for success.  In his new book with Mark Sisson, "Primal Endurance" they teach us how to  Go faster on less training Lose excess body fat and keep it off Reduce Stress Train Intuitively  Have fun training! Check out the Primal Endurance Podcast Learn about the 21-day Transformation

  January is time to review what was accomplished in the previous year and look optimistically into the coming year.  The Nation is joined by Andy Jones-Wilkins, Ian Sharman and Billy Yang to discuss: 1. Top male performance 2. Top female performance 3. Top American story 4. Top European story 5. Biggest Surprise 6. Trends in the sport 7. Predictions for 2016 Make sure you check out Billy's year end retrospective video HERE Make sure you see all the 2015 ultra running statistics in the upcoming issue of UltraRunning Magazine On the podcast Ian and Don had a gentleman's disagreement:  Ian accused Don of referencing unreliable DATA to support his erroneous claim that ultrarunning is a shrinking sport.  Ian, on the other hand, sites UltraRunning Magazine as the most reliable warehouse of archived trail data: illustrating a healthy and expanding sport.   After careful review following the podcast, including comparing finishing times between Ian and Don, Ian position clearly won the day. Ultrarunning is a thriving