the morning shakeout podcast

This week I’m re-running a conversation I had over three years ago with Chelsea Sodaro, who recently won the Ironman World Championships in Kona. When this episode originally went live in April of 2019, Chelsea hadn’t done an Ironman yet and she wasn’t even a household name in triathlon at the time. Nor was she a mom, which is a big part of what made her most recent victory so special and impressive. In this conversation, we talked about how Chelsea got into running—for those of you who don’t know, before she was a champion triathlete, Chelsea was a world-class runner and a two-time national champion on the roads and track—why she transitioned into triathlon, and where she gets her competitive drive from. Chelsea told me how she’s dealt with injury throughout her career and the special relationship she has with Olympian Magdalena Boulet. We also discussed why she felt so alone and empty immediately after winning her first triathlon, the advice she’d give her younger self, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— Tracksmith. The Turnover Tights are the perfect option for chilly morning runs this time of year. They feature a soft brushed back for a comfortable feel on the skin and a spacious rear pocket for storing cards, keys, nutrition, your phone, or whatever you want to stuff in there. During the month of December, visit tracksmith.com/mario and use code “Mario22” at checkout for free shipping on your order—also, 5% of your purchase will go to support the Friendly House in Worcester, Massachusetts, an organization that is ear and dear to me. — Goodr. Goodr sunglasses are just the best! They don’t bounce, they won’t slip, and they’re polarized to protect your eyes. Best of all they’re super affordable with most pairs coming in at just 25-35 bucks a piece. if you’d like to support me and the podcast, go over to goodr.com/MARIO and use the code Mario15 to get free shipping on your entire order.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m excited to bring you the 10th installment of Common Ground, a monthly podcast co-hosted by me and Dinée Dorame of the Grounded Podcast. In this episode, we talk about our respective experiences at the New York City Marathon, we geek out on some recent cross-country action, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The new FuelCell Rebel v3 from New Balance is everything I enjoyed about its predecessor but with a more supportive upper, a little more cushion underfoot, and a more durable outsole. What it doesn’t have is much more weight, checking in at under 8 ounces, making it a great go-fast shoe for tempo runs, track workouts, and interval sessions on the road. The FuelCell Rebel v3 is available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your favorite run specialty retail store.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Grounded Podcast theme music by Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo, NM) and used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heading into this holiday week we’re going to re-run one of my favorite episodes of the podcast from years past. This one is from January 2020 and it’s with Fernando Cabada, a former professional distance runner who is still competing at an elite level. In fact, Fernando is now one of the fastest Masters runners in the country, running 2:16:51 at Grandmas Marathon back in June to qualify for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon. He’s also the Masters American record-holder for 50K, running 2:57:35 earlier this year.In this conversation, which we recorded in-person in his hometown of Fresno, California, Fernando told me about his rough upbringing in Fresno, where he suffered abuse at the hands of his father, to the close relationship he has with his mother and how that’s even strengthened in recent years. We talked about being embarrassed by who he was as a kid and how he’s worked to put that behind him later in life. He told me why finishing second in a school yard race as a 9-year-old was the best day of his life to that point. Fernando explains why he was feeling more depressed than ever in 2014 despite it being his best year of racing ever, and how he picked himself up afterward and found a way forward. We also discussed his relationship with running, the place it occupies in his life, and a heck of a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The new FuelCell SC Elite v3 is going to be the shoe that I race the Boston Marathon in next April. It’s a next-level racing shoe with a carbon fiber plate and plenty of lightweight foam underfoot for a cushioned yet responsive ride. Right now there are select sizes remaining in an exclusive New York City Marathon colorway available on newbalance.com, so try and snatch them up before the holidays if you can, and they’ll be more widely available in early 2023. — Goodr. Goodr sunglasses are just the best! And this coming weekend, from Black Friday through Cyber Monday only, Goodr will be offering 20% off their entire product line, so if you’re in the market for some fresh shades that won’t bounce, don’t slip, and are polarized to protect your eyes, go to goodr.com and fill up your cart. Also, if you’d like to support me and the podcast, go over to goodr.com/MARIO and use the code Mario15 to get free shipping on your entire order.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I’m sharing the latest episode of the Weekly Rundown, which is usually a Patreon-only podcast that I co-host with my friend Billy Yang. We’ve been on a bit of a hiatus since May, but we’re back with special guest Brendan Leonard of Semi-Rad—who you can listen to on Episode 211 of my podcast if you haven’t already—and the three of us catch up on what we've been up to of late, we talk all things NYC Marathon, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The new FuelCell SC Elite v3 is going to be the shoe that I race the Boston Marathon in next April. It’s a next-level racing shoe with a carbon fiber plate and plenty of lightweight foam underfoot for a cushioned yet responsive ride. Right now there are select sizes remaining in an exclusive New York City Marathon colorway available on newbalance.com, so try and snatch them up before the holidays if you can, and they’ll be more widely available in early 2023. Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m excited to share the recording from my live show in New York City this past Saturday with reigning world 1500m champion Jake Wightman of Great Britain. This past summer Jake pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year, taking down Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen to capture his first world title. Jake, who is 28 years old and a native of Scotland, is also a Commonwealth Games and European Championships medalist, as well as a three-time champion at the 5th Avenue Mile in New York.In this conversation, we talked about the world 1500m final and the tactics he used to take the win. Jake told me about what it was like to come off the high of that world title and still having to race in the Commonwealth Games and European Championships in the weeks that came after it. We discussed pressure as a privilege, what it’s like going into races now as a favorite rather than an underdog, and how he’s learned to appreciate his accomplishments over the years. Jake also talked about growing up as the son of two accomplished runners, being coached by his dad and the dynamics of their relationship, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The new FuelCell SC Elite v3 is going to be the shoe that I race the Boston Marathon in next April. It’s a next-level racing shoe with a carbon fiber plate and plenty of lightweight foam underfoot for a cushioned yet responsive ride. Right now there are select sizes remaining in an exclusive New York City Marathon colorway available on newbalance.com, so try and snatch them up before the holidays if you can, and they’ll be more widely available in early 2023. — ARENA is a serious and super efficient strength training solution that’s designed to fit into your life, enabling you to conveniently train at home, at the track, or on the road. The ARENA unit is compact—its the size of a yoga mat and weighs 55lbs, which means you can store it anywhere—and you can use it to train on your own or follow workout programs like their strength for runners series, which is designed to make you stronger and faster for race day. To support the running community and promote the importance of strength training for runners, ARENA is offering $100 off the ARENA Platform until November 21, 2022. Go to arena.fit and use the discount code RUNSTRONG when you check out.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m excited to bring you the 9th installment of Common Ground, a monthly podcast co-hosted by me and Dinée Dorame of the Grounded Podcast. In this episode, Dinée shares a couple personal updates, we geeked out and got excited about the upcoming New York City Marathon, which we’ll both be heading to later this week—we also shared some information about the respective events we’ll be involved in, so keep an ear open for those—we talked some music, of course, and a lot more.This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The new FuelCell Rebel v3 from New Balance is everything I enjoyed about its predecessor but with a more supportive upper, a little more cushion underfoot, and a more durable outsole. What it doesn’t have is much more weight, checking in at under 8 ounces, making it a great go-fast shoe for tempo runs, track workouts, and interval sessions on the road. The FuelCell Rebel v3 is available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your favorite run specialty retail store.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Grounded Podcast theme music by Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo, NM) and used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I spoke with Olympian Marielle Hall, who represented the U.S. in the 10,000m at the Rio Games in 2016. She’s also a four-time world championship qualifier, finished 8th in the 10,000m at the 2019 world championships in Doha, and won a national 15K title on the roads in 2020. This episode came to be a few weeks after I was introduced to Marielle last month in Mammoth Lakes, California, where she’s been training at altitude in preparation for her half-marathon debut later this fall.  In this conversation, Marielle and I talked about how she’s using this training camp as an opportunity to re-center herself and set the tone for the year ahead. She told me about traps that she’s gotten stuck in over the years and how she’s trying to maintain focus and keep the main thing the main thing. We discussed how she’s feeling now versus a year ago when she left the Bowerman Track Club, and when she knew it was time to change her training environment. Marielle talked to me about moving up in distance over the years and the differences between racing on the track and on the road, how she sees herself now that she’s out of the hole of injury and uncertainty, and what she thinks she’s capable of when she’s healthy and firing on all cylinders. We also discussed the ways in which her relationship to running has evolved over the years, what she hopes it looks like moving forward, and so, so much more.This episode is brought to you by:— The Monterey Bay Half Marathon. The Monterey Bay Half Marathon is BACK! Registration is now open for this fast, scenic course along the beautiful Monterey Bay coastline. If you’re looking for a fall race with a high potential for a PR, this is your course! Sign up to #runthiscoast on November 13 at montereybayhalfmarathon.org. Use the code MARIO at checkout to save $10 on your registration for the half marathon or the Ocean View Challenge.— Goodr: If you want to support the podcast and treat yourself to a pair of goodr sunglasses, head over to goodr.com/MARIO or enter the code MARIO15 at checkout for free shipping on your order. Look good, run goodr!Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Episode cover photo of Marielle Hall by David Bracetty for the 4 Years Ago Project used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s episode is with Chris Mosier. Chris is a hall of fame triathlete, an All-American duathlete, a 6-time member of Team USA, and a two-time national champion and Olympic Trials qualifier in race walking. He’s also a Nike-sponsored athlete who, in 2015, became the first known transgender man to represent the U.S. in international competition. Beyond all of that, however, Chris is an incredible person who knows himself better than nearly anyone I’ve ever met and he’s an advocate, inspiration, mentor, and a role model to so many, myself included. In this wide-ranging conversation, Chris and I talked about his relationship to sport and how that’s evolved throughout his life. We discussed identity and how he shows up in the different communities that he belongs to, as well as why he doesn’t want to be seen in any one particular type of way. Chris told me about navigating the world now as a white male and how that perspective differs from what he experienced earlier in his life, how we can all be allies and advocates for equal rights in sports and society, and so, so much more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The new FuelCell Rebel v3 is everything I enjoyed about its predecessor but with a more supportive upper, a little more cushion underfoot, and a more durable outsole. What it doesn’t have is much more weight, checking in at under 8 oz, making it a great go-fast shoe for tempo runs, track workouts, and interval sessions on the road. The FuelCell Rebel v3 is available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your favorite run specialty retail store. — ARENA. If you don’t have time or want to go to the gym, ARENA is a serious and super efficient strength training solution. I’ve been using my ARENA unit for a few weeks now and I don’t have to think about it: I just find the workout I want to do on the app and it counts my reps, remembers my weight, and guides me through the workout. Try out an ARENA today by going to arena.fit and seeing if there is a unit you can demo near you or sign up for a virtual demo and see how much of a game changer this is! Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Episode cover photo of Chris Mosier by Jaime Kelter for the NY Times used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’ve got a great episode for you this week with Alison Mariella Désir, who is making her second appearance on the podcast. If you missed our first chat, go back in the archives to Episode 168, where you can learn more about Alison, her background, how she got into running, and the work she’s done as a community builder and an activist. This conversation was a very topical one and centered around Alison’s new book, Running While Black, which is available for pre-order now and will be available for purchase everywhere on October 18. We talked about the book, how it came to be, and how it evolved during the process of writing it. Alison shared some of her experiences of being a Black woman in a very white space, she told me about the impact she hopes her book will have, we discussed what “reimagining the run” could look like for future generations, and so much more. This episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The new FuelCell Rebel v3 from New Balance is everything I enjoyed about its predecessor but with a more supportive upper, a little more cushion underfoot, and a more durable outsole. What it doesn’t have is much more weight, checking in at under 8 ounces, making it a great go-fast shoe for tempo runs, track workouts, and interval sessions on the road. The FuelCell Rebel v3 is available in both men’s and women’s sizes on newbalance.com or at your favorite run specialty retail store. — The Monterey Bay Half Marathon. The Monterey Bay Half Marathon is BACK! Registration is now open for this fast, scenic course along the beautiful Monterey Bay coastline. If you’re looking for a fall race with a high potential for a PR, this is your course! Sign up to #runthiscoast on November 13 at montereybayhalfmarathon.org. Use the code MARIO at checkout to save $10 on your registration for the half marathon or the Ocean View Challenge.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I am super excited about this episode of Common Ground, a monthly podcast co-hosted by me and Dinée Dorame of the Grounded Podcast. It’s one we’ve been talking about doing for a long time, and it’s one that many listeners have been asking for: we’ve put together a Common Ground playlist! That’s right,10 songs from me, 10 songs from Dinee, and you can access them all from playlists we've made for Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. There is no running talk this week but we go through each of the songs we chose, why we chose them, and we had a lot of fun doing it.The Common Ground Playlist: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTubeThis episode is brought to you by:— New Balance. The Fresh Foam X More v4 from New Balance has quickly become a favorite of mine for recovery runs on the road. It’s packed with plenty of plush foam underfoot making it a perfect option for when I’m feeling a little beat up and want some extra protection between my foot and the road. It’s available on newbalance.com or at your favorite run specialty retail store.— ARENA. If you don’t have time or want to go to the gym, ARENA is a serious strength training solution. Their product, which is a stealthy-looking metal plyobox with a cable-based resistance system, replaces a whole kit of free weights and bands. I’ve been using my ARENA unit for a few weeks now and I don’t have to think about it: I just find the workout I want to do on the app and it counts my reps, remembers my weight, and guides me through the workout. Check out Arena and learn more on their website at arena.fit and at @go.arena on Instagram and TikTok.Click here for complete show notes, sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday, and/or join our growing community on Patreon, where you'll also gain access to exclusive content like The Weekly Rundown, my Patreon-only podcast with Billy Yang, a live monthly Coaches' Corner discussion, and other perks that pop up from time to time.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Grounded Podcast theme music by Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo, NM) and used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.