the morning shakeout podcast

This week’s episode of the podcast is a “greatest hits” compilation of sorts to round out 2019. I’ve gone through and culled clips from nine of the most impactful exchanges I’ve had over the past year with some of the top athletes, coaches, and personalities in the sport of running. Why only nine? One, putting constraints in place forces me to think more critically about the choices I’m making and two, three rows of three photos looked best in the cover art for the show.I feel really fortunate that I get to have these deep and layered conversations each week—many of them have a profound effect on me and teach me something about running, coaching, or living a better life—that I then get to turn around and share with all of you on the podcast. In this episode you’ll hear from Colleen Quigley, Frank Gagliano, Terrence Mahon, Hillary Allen, Brad Stulberg, Stephanie Bruce, Steve Jones, Sally McRae, and Ken Rideout. These guests in particular stood out to me amongst the dozens that I sat down with in 2019. They all bring something different to the mic and I am confident that you’ll glean a valuable bit or insight or inspiration from each of them that will improve your life in some way. If you’re a devout fan of the podcast, let this episode serve as a bit of a refresher course or maybe a reminder to revisit an old episode or two. For those of you who are newer listeners to the show, welcome. Use this episode as a nudge to check out some of the episodes you may have missed while also letting it serve as a primer for what’s to come in 2020.Whether you’ve listened to one episode of the podcast or all of them, thank you. I’m so glad to have you along for the ride and sharing in these experiences with me.This episode brought to you by Tracksmith. Tracksmith is a Boston-based running brand, led by a group of runners who are dedicated to building classically stylish, cutting edge running apparel that celebrates the amateur spirit and inspires the personal pursuit of excellence. Have big goals for the new year? Tracksmith has just launched their 2020 No Days Off Calendar, which will ship for free with every order during the month January. Grab yours by shopping at Tracksmith.com and follow them on Instagram @TracksmithRunning.Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-93-best-of-2019/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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I am camped out in that third category of the emotions of the experience. I get a lot of messages from other dads who have jobs and have kids and have families—I sense in their writing to me that they’re almost saying, ‘Thank you for giving me permission to care about something that is totally superfluous but matters to me and that fuels my passion for the rest of life.' Because I just get the sense that when they lay it out—they have jobs, they have kids, they have a lot of constraints and responsibilities—but maybe they were searching for something to keep them fired up and just keep them happy about the day and they read my writing and they’re like, ‘Wait, this guy is not talking about splits, and he’s not talking about workouts too much, but he seems to be saying that it’s OK to really really really care about something that doesn’t matter.’ But it matters because life is just a journey.” I really enjoyed this week's conversation with my friend Peter Bromka.Bromka, who I’ve known since our college days competing against one another in New England, just ran 2:19:02 at CIM a couple weeks back to miss the Olympic Trials qualifying mark by an agonizing two seconds.We talked about that race in this conversation, amongst a whole host of other pertinent topics, and I think you’ll find this one to be equal parts inspiring, insightful, and emotional. Bromka is a 38-year-old dad and husband who lives in Portland, Oregon, he works full-time, and he has come a long way in the past 5 years to get where he is today.This episode is brought to you by Tracksmith. Looking for a (very) last minute gift for the runner in your life? Why not give a Tracksmith gift card? They’ve got digital ones available for purchase at Tracksmith.com. Just click on “accessories” in the menu bar and it’s the first item that comes up on the page. Follow them on Instagram @tracksmithrunning and do your shopping at tracksmith.com.Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-92-with-peter-bromka/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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Many times I’ve woken up and thought, ‘Oh, what can I do to get out of this? Can I fake an injury?’ And then I realize it’s just me. The only person I’m faking is me. The only person I’m lying to is me if I do if I do that. And the same thing with not finishing a race: I’m the only person that I have to answer to. One of the things that Teddy Atlas talks about on our podcast is being a game quitter. It’s much more painful and much more difficult to quit than it is to stick it out and give your best—cause you have to live with that quit and that failure for a fucking long time, and the pain of suffering through— especially a race where someone’s not trying to like, literally kill you—you can do this. And I get up and I find myself going through the motions and it’s almost like I’m on autopilot because in my heart I’m like, ‘No I don’t want to do this, I don’t want to put myself out there. I don’t want to be exposed.’ That fear of failing is incredibly powerful for me. But like I said, the pain of not giving your all lasts with me forever and as I said earlier, I’m the only one that cares and I know that, but I care, I care if I fail and I care if I didn’t give 100 percent, and I don’t know, it’s like a mental exercise for me.”I’ve got a great guest for you this week and I think it’s one of the best conversations I’ve had in the two years that I’ve been doing this podcast: I sat down with my friend and athlete Ken Rideout the night before this year’s Cal International Marathon, where, the next day, he ran 2:28:25 to place second overall in the Masters race, and win the 45-49 age group. It was a 5-minute lifetime PR for Ken, who is a 48-year-old dad of four kids, he works full-time in finance, travels a ton, co-hosts the popular boxing podcast called The Fight with Teddy Atlas, and gets out to train hard first thing every morning because he says it helps keep him stable.Ken is one of the most raw, driven, and passionate people I know, and it really comes across throughout this conversation—all the way down to some of the language used, so consider yourself warned. Like me, he’s a native of Massachusetts who landed himself in California a few years ago. He had a rough childhood growing up in Somerville, spent his college years working as a prison guard, he boxed and played football and hockey before finding endurance sports later in life, and has generally just followed a super interesting path to land himself where he is today.This episode is brought to you by Tracksmith. Tracksmith is a Boston-based running brand, led by a group of runners who are dedicated to building classically stylish, cutting edge running apparel for real world athletes. Whether you’re training through the depths of winter, or you need a special race day outfit to help power a PR, Tracksmith has you covered. I personally own a ton of Tracksmith gear and train and race in it all the time, including last month at the New York City Marathon. Still looking for a gift for the runner in your life? Or maybe you just want to treat yourself? Check out their gift guide, personally selected by their staff members and friends, where I shared my own selection, the Harrier Long Sleeve. You can consider other ideas at tracksmith.com/gifts and follow them on Instagram @tracksmithrunning.Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-91-with-ken-rideout/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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"The first thing I tell athletes who are injured is: Let’s focus on what you can do, not what you can’t. You can’t run, and oftentimes when we’re injured that’s the thing that we focus on, 'God, I can’t run. This is awful. It sucks.' And yes, it absolutely does but you can do something in most cases. Ninety-nine percent of people who are injured can do something, so if you can do any of those things that I just described, go and do those and that’s going to give you a sense of purpose, it’s going to help you feel like you’re working toward something, and it’s going to help you either maintain or continue to develop your fitness. If you can’t, maybe it’s a good opportunity to get in the gym and work on becoming a stronger athlete. If the reason you got injured is because there’s weakness somewhere that you hadn’t addressed, then this is your chance to go and address that. And when you are able to get back to running, you are going to have a more solid foundation than you did before you got injured and hopefully won’t get injured again. So the bottom line is focus on what you can do, not what you can’t do.”Back by popular demand: Ask Mario Anything, featuring yours truly taking a wide range of reader and listener questions from Jeff Stern, editorial assistant for the morning shakeout. In this episode, I catch up with Jeff about what he's been up to of late, then I respond to your inquiries about my coaching influences, when to eat before a marathon, cross-training through injury, the best running performances of the year, writing a book, what's exciting me in running right now, and a lot more. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this episode and apologies for all the ones I wasn't able to answer this time around. Got a question for the next Ask Mario Episode? Send it my way by dropping me a line on Twitter @mariofraioli.This episode is brought to you by Tracksmith. Tracksmith is a Boston-based running brand, led by a group of runners who are dedicated to building classically stylish, cutting edge running apparel for real world athletes. Whether you’re training through the depths of winter, or you need a special race day outfit to help power a PR, Tracksmith has you covered. I personally own a ton of Tracksmith gear and train and race in it all the time, including last month at the New York City Marathon. This holiday season, if you’re trying to find the perfect gift to give a runner, consider gifting a Tracksmith Hare A.C. Membership. Hare A.C. is Tracksmith’s global community of runners—I’m a founding member—and if grants you exclusive access to products, benefits and events. Of note, if you run a PR as a member you’re eligible for a $100 PR Bonus. Visit tracksmith.com/hare-ac to learn more and follow them on and follow them on Instagram @tracksmithrunning.Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/episode-90-ask-mario-anything-2/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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I think, for me, it’s just if I can help people along the way, that’s great. There isn’t any big thing that I hope to accomplish or be remembered for. A good friend of mine pointed out, ‘When you help someone, you don’t know the ripple effect of that.’ So, if I can help someone, and that helps them do something else that affects a large amount of people, I think I would be happy with that. I think it’s just having good intentions and helping whoever needs my help along the way.” It was a real pleasure to sit down with three-time Olympian Jen Rhines for this week’s episode of the podcast. Jen is one of the most versatile and accomplished distance runners we’ve ever had in the United States. She made three-straight Olympic teams from 2000 through 2008 and competed in a different event at each one of them: the 10,000m in Sydney, the marathon in Athens, and the 5,000m in Beijing. Over the course of her 20+ year competitive career Jen qualified for 11 world championship teams and she won 5 national titles. Today, the 45-year-old lives in San Diego with her husband—and past podcast guest—Terrence Mahon, and together they founded the Mission Athletics Club in 2018, one of the top post-collegiate training groups in the country.This episode is brought to you by Tracksmith. Tracksmith is a Boston-based running brand, led by a group of runners who are dedicated to building classically stylish, cutting edge running apparel for real world athletes. Whether you’re training through the depths of winter, or you need a special race day outfit to help power a PR, Tracksmith has you covered. I personally own a ton of Tracksmith gear and train and race in it all the time, including earlier this month at the New York City Marathon. This holiday season they’re offering free shipping on all orders over $150 and new customers can receive a Van Cortlandt Singlet for free with their first order over that value. Visit Tracksmith.com/Mario to learn more and follow them on and follow them on Instagram @tracksmithrunning.Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-89-with-jen-rhines/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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“So, the cool thing is a lot of my friends in Boulder were trail runners, so they’re like, ‘Hey, maybe you should just try trail running. You don’t even have to be fast at it—you could just try it.’ And I was like, ‘I guess I could but if I’m going to do it, I want to do it well.’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah, yeah, you’ll see, it’s going to be different.’ I mean, the first trail run I ever went on I was like, ‘This is really awesome. You get to be in nature. This is awesome. I love this.’ And then I did start thinking, ‘OK, so how do I get better at this?’ I think that’s just kind of part of my personality, I guess.”I enjoyed talking to Coree Woltering for this week’s episode of the podcast. Coree is professional trail and ultrarunner for The North Face. He’s based in his hometown of Ottawa, Illinois and loves to race at a variety of different distances and disciplines. The 29-year-old has run 5 hours and 30 minutes for 50 miles and he’s eyeing a Golden Ticket in the spring of 2020 with the hopes of getting back to the Western States Endurance Run next summer. We covered a lot of ground in this exchange, from how Coree went from being a fast 400 and 800m runner in HS and college to qualifying for the half Ironman world championships as an amateur triathlete, and eventually transitioning to becoming a competitive trail and ultrarunner; what it’s like being a gay black man in ultrarunning and endurance sports and how he’s advocating for more diversity, why ultra-distance races in the midwest don’t get the credit they deserve, how he got into coaching and who has influenced his philosophy along the way, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by Tracksmith. Tracksmith is a Boston-based running brand, led by a group of runners who are dedicated to building classically stylish, cutting edge running apparel for real world athletes. Whether you’re training through the depths of winter, or you need a special race day outfit to help power a PR, Tracksmith has you covered. I personally own a ton of Tracksmith gear and train and race in it all the time, including earlier this month at the New York City Marathon. This Black Friday, November 29, through Cyber Monday, that’s December 2, you can reap the rewards at Tracksmith.com — spend $125 and you’ll receive 10% off your next order, spend $250 to receive 20%, and spend $500 to get 30% off. Learn more at Tracksmith.com/Holiday and follow them on Instagram @TracksmithRunning and shop at Tracksmith.com.Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-88-with-coree-woltering/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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"One thing that has been really amazing about reporting on this industry is that I actually am really inspired by it and get really motivated by it and I’m just so motivated by all the amazing women that are balancing running with jobs and also families. I think every single woman that’s qualifying for the Olympic Marathon Trials right now, and all the women behind them too—sometimes it just comes down to talent, it’s not about work, and I totally respect that—what the women are doing right now specifically is amazing and I think I’ve kind of been like, ‘If they can do this, I can too.’ It’s very tiring and I can always stop. I think that’s important to remember and that’s what I tell myself when I start to get really tired, ‘I don’t have to do this, remember why I’m doing it, it’s because I want to.’ And I think that’s enough to keep me going."I had a great conversation with Lindsay Crouse, who is a producer, editor, and writer at The New York Times—and a pretty damn fast marathoner in her own right—for this week’s episode of the podcast. If you’ve been paying any attention to running news the past couple years, or just big headlines in general, you are definitely familiar with Lindsay’s work. Some of her most popular pieces include The Shalane Effect, which she wrote about Shalane Flanagan and the elevating effect she’s had on other women; she broke the piece about how Nike does not guarantee female athletes a salary during their pregnancies or immediately after giving birth; she produced the piece in which Allyson Felix told her story around Nike and pregnancy; and, most recently, she was responsible for the Mary Cain op-ed speaking out about the abuse she suffered under her former coach, Alberto Salazar.We recorded this episode a couple weeks ago before the New York City Marathon, so the Mary Cain piece hadn’t dropped yet, but we got into plenty of other good stuff, including Lindsay’s own trajectory as both a writer and runner, the biggest takeaways from her reporting that she has applied to her own training, how her experience as a competitive athlete informs her perspective as a journalist, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by PATH Projects. PATH makes running shorts with 3 or 4 zip pockets so you can carry your phone, keys, gels, ID—whatever you need!—without things bouncing around when you run. These shorts are great for both road running and trail running, from 5K to 240 miles and beyond. The Primeflex material is lightweight, quick dry, and breathable. They’re super comfortable and allow you to move freely. PATH Projects also offers base liners, shirts and headwear. All the gear is only available at PATHprojects.com and ships to customers around the world. Right now PATH is giving away three $75 gift cards to morning shakeout listeners—that’s you—and can enter for a chance to win one of them at PATHprojects.com/mario.Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-87-with-lindsay-crouse/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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Tapping into the side of you that has that internal drive is super important because discipline’s a really hard thing, right? Cadence and consistency to me matters, and when I know I’m off loop is when I don’t have that consistency or cadence. If you take any successful business, any successful athlete, the reality is what makes them most successful is some sort of cadence and consistency."Excited to share a conversation I recently had with my good friend Bryan Hill for this week’s episode of the podcast.Bryan is the co-owner and CEO of Rehab United Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy, which has offices in both San Diego and Seattle. A physical therapist by trade, Bryan was a collegiate All-American in soccer and played professionally for 5 years before opening Rehab United with his brother Sean in 2003. He took up running and triathlon after his soccer career ended and he also coaches a small roster of athletes in those two sports.In this conversation, we dug into Bryan’s story, how he got into physical therapy and developed his treatment philosophy, the importance of cadence and consistency in anything you do, why community matters so much to him, what runners can do to get strong and stay healthy, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by the 37th annual Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon, 10K & 5K. Run through San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and along the Pacific Ocean on these fast and scenic courses. This event is presented by Pamakid Runners and supports local San Francisco Bay Area community organizations and nonprofits with donations of more than $75,000 per year. Mark your calendars—race day is February 2, 2020. Register today at getfitkpsf.com, and use code SHAKEOUT5 to save $5 on registration if you register before November 30, 2019.Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-86-with-bryan-hill/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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I had a breakthrough race in Boston and training for New York has been every bit as good as the training leading into Boston and even better in some aspects, so what I’d really like to do is, I think it would be successful if I validated that performance in Boston…and say, ‘yes, this is where I am and I belong.’ You know, I ran 20 miles with the leaders in Boston and that was the first time running with the international leaders in a marathon that long and so I want to validate that Boston performance.” —Jared WardI’m excited to share a special episode of the podcast that was recorded live two days before the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon with Kenyan Mary Ngugi, who went on to finish 10th in the women’s race, and Jared Ward, who was the top American male finisher in sixth place.Ngugi, who ran a personal best 2:27:36, won silver at the half marathon world championships in 2014, captured bronze at the 2016 championships, and owns the fastest half marathon ever run on American soil, 1:06:29 at Houston in 2016. She is also the mother of an 8-year-old daughter and one of the most outgoing Kenyan athletes on social media.Ward, whose 2:10:45 clocking was the second-fastest marathon he's ever run, was sixth at New York for the second straight year. Earlier this year he ran a personal best 2:09:25 at the Boston Marathon to finish eighth and was sixth at the 2016 Olympic marathon in Rio. He is a father of four children and will be a top contender for the U.S. Olympic marathon team in February.This episode is brought to you by the New York Road Runners RUNCENTER. The RUNCENTER is home to an inclusive running community based in New York City, comprised of people with all different fitness levels and running paces. It brings together people from all walks of life in an engaging and supportive environment committed to personal growth. I got to check it out before the show and it is an awesome space to take advantage of if you’re a runner in New York or a runner passing through New York. The RunCenter offers a variety of group runs, fitness classes, education panels, entertainment events, and more, all to help further the NYRR’s mission to help and inspire people through running. Check it out today at nyrr.org/runcenter.Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/episode-85-mary-ngugi-and-jared-ward/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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“If you go into the race knowing it’s going to hurt and you’re OK with it, you’re stronger than most of the people out there—and I just latched onto that: this idea that if I knew it was going to hurt and I was ready for it and I could revel in it and embrace it and be like ‘OK, lets do this’ type of deal with the pain or with the discomfort, that made racing so much easier, and that makes a lot of things in life so much easier.” I had an awesome conversation with Corrine Malcolm for this week’s episode of the podcast. Malcolm is a San Francisco-based trail and ultra runner for adidas TERREX and she’s also been coaching athletes for CTS since 2016. A self-confessed science nerd with a degree in Health and Human Performance, the 29-year-old Malcolm was a collegiate cross-country skier and then raced on the U.S. national biathlon team before finding her way into trail and ultrarunning in her early 20s. She’s finished in the top-10 at the last two Western States Endurance Runs, including a tenth-place finish at this year’s race. Malcolm was also fifth at last year’s TDS in Chamonix, France and has shown some pretty damn good range in ultra-distance races over the past few years.We covered a lot of good ground in this one: what she’s planning on doing the rest of the year since her fall goal race was cancelled, why she’s not planning to go back to Western States next year even though she has a guaranteed entry, developing a healthier relationship with exercise and overtraining and how that’s informed her perspective as a coach, embracing the suck and how she got good at it, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by the 37th annual Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon, 10K & 5K. Run through San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and along the Pacific Ocean on these fast and scenic courses. This event is presented by Pamakid Runners and supports local San Francisco Bay Area community organizations and nonprofits with donations of more than $75,000 per year. Mark your calendars—race day is February 2, 2020. Register today at getfitkpsf.com, and use code SHAKEOUT5 to save $5 on registration if you register before November 30, 2019.Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-84-with-corrine-malcolm/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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.