#330: Find Your Athletic “Happy Place”

Sarah and co-host Amanda Loudin (fresh back from Chamonix, France, where she got to spectate the UTMB ultra race!!) talk with a variety of guests about having an athletic “happy place.” First they admit what their happy places are, then they bring on the expert, Dr. Justin Ross, a Denver-based psychologist and marathon runner, who starts off by assuring Sarah the show’s topic isn’t, in her word, “cockamamie!” Instead, he defines an athletic happy place as, “something that provides connection to self, sport, and community.” (Phew!) The good doc goes on to explain folks can have an internal and an external happy place. Find out why some people’s happy places might even seem contradictory to the whole “happy” bit. (Which leads to one of his best lines: “Adult things suck.”) He talks about the health-bolstering effects of water and forests. Michelle San Antonio, a mother runner of three who has run the Boston Marathon several times, shares how her happy “place” is actually a mindset and how it has evolved drastically over the last five years. The trio bond over Michelle’s simple-yet-powerful statements of, “My life has changed, so my running has changed.” And “I still race and give it my all. My ‘all’ just isn’t what it used to be.” (If you listen closely, you can hear SBS + Amanda nodding vigorously during this part of the show!) Exit Michelle, enter Casii Dodd, a soon-to-be-grandma of twins (!), whose happy place is on trails, explaining they help her unlug and “be in the step.” Casii talks about how time on the trail and technique tips gleaned from local runners has helped her feel much more comfortable and confident on technical trails. Find out how rain has entered into her mental feel-good place. Definitely an episode with much to ponder!  For 20% off your first order of $100 or more, visit outdoorvoices.com/AMR and enter promo AMR Thanks to Balega for its longtime support of AMR. Learn more about Balega’s Enduro line of socks here. Save $50 off select mattresses by visiting casper.com/AMR and using promo code AMR

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