Trail Runner Nation

Matt Fitzgerald (sports nutritionist, writer, athlete, coach) has been doing some endurance writing with his 2019 published "Life is a Marathon: A Memoir of Love and Endurance".  In May, he will be releasing, "Running the Dream; One Summer Living, Training and Racing with a Team of World-Class Runners Half My Age".  We talk to him about his journey as he trains with Hoka's NAZ elite team of professional runners in Flagstaff, AZ. Having fun helps us become better runners Judgement is more important than toughness Depletion runs He also has launched an interesting cool new running camp concept, "Endeavorun".  Check it out.

CTS Training Director, Jason Koop, joins The Nation to talk about his new podcast Koopcast and some good tactics to start the new year off right.   Check out Jason's book, "Training Essentials for Ultrarunning" Jason Koop is the Head Coach for CTS-Ultrarunning. He is the author of ‘Training Essentials for Ultrarunning’ which has become the benchmark book for ultramarathon training. During his coaching career, he has managed over 100 endurance coaches and several hundred atheltes of all types, abilities and sports. He is also an accomplished ultrarunner in his own right having finishes in some of the most difficult races on the planet including the Badwater 135, Hardrock 100, Leadville Trail 100, Wasatch 100, Bear 100 and Western States 100

Don and Scott review the podcasts from 2019 and the many amazing guests that have joined us and helped us become better, smarter, more efficient runners.  What were your favorite gold nuggets?

AJW joins us for a quick recap of 2019 performances in ultrarunning.  It includes his picks for Ultrarunner of the year (female and male) Performance of the year (female and male) Rookie of the year (female and male) Surprise of the year (female and male) Most inspirational Please check out Andy's coaching services and his weekly Tap Room article! AJW's Coaching AJW's Tap Room

Dr. Mark joins us to chat about many thinks including: Shoe Doping -Can shoe technology help us run faster?  Check out his article New York Times article on the Vapor Fly "Shoe Dog - A Memoir by the Creator of Nike" Active Life's Kone-X mat Noboso proprioceptive insoles Jay Dicharry's MoBo Board Review.  You can get a 10% discount on our partners page How to improve your running form with the TruForm Runner.  You can get 10% discount with the code TRT10 at TruFormRunner.com Dr. Mark's Run for Your Life Podcast Dr. Mark's book, "Run for Your Life" Make sure you watch his 8:25 Video that show the principles of natural running. Be sure to spend some time learning at The Natural Running Center web site. Visit Two Rivers Treads running store either in person or call them and ask them some questions!

Ian Sharman, Joe Uhan and Matt Laye return to Trail Runner Nation to discuss some interesting topics including: Assessing your running stride yourself. Article by Joe Identifying ourselves as ultra runners (see Ian's article in this month's Ultrarunning Magazine) Challenges of Cold Weather Running (see Matt's article in this month's Ultrarunning Magazine) Visit College of Idaho with Assistant Professor, Matt Laye Sharman Ultra - Endurance Coaching Uhan Performance

Last year Katie Arnold won the Leadville 100.  She also recently published her first book, Running Home, a Memoir.  Katie writes about her journey in this life so far while weaving in many common threads, one of those is her passion for the outdoors and trail running.  We talk about how running has helped her navigate her life, the ups, downs and heartbreaks.  Running is a way she was able to disconnect AND connect.

What shoe did you run your first trail run in?  What shoe do you currently pine for?  We all love our shoes and probably have an unhealthy collection of shoes.  Brian Metzler, a running shoe geek for his entire life, joins The Nation to talk about SHOES....Oh the glorious shoes.  Over his life he has run over 75,000 miles and tested more than 1500 pairs.  As founding editor and associate publisher of Trail Runner Magazine and contributor at many other running magazines, he has a unique view of the history of shoes.  He finally wrote a book about shoes.  The history of shoes, why we are emotionally attached to them, their evolution, injury, and what we can expect in the future. Buy the book HERE

Throughout your running experience, you might have experienced or are experiencing a running layoff due to many different reasons.  Sally McRae, The Yellow Runner , and Andy Jones-Wilkins, join The Nation to explore this topic:  Why do they occur, how to cope with them, and how to overcome the layoff.  They offer some good principles that can help you stage a comeback and how to help others in their's.  There is a bonus at the end of the podcast where we talk about vomit etiquette. AJW's Coaching AJW's Tap Room Sally's Coaching Check out this short VIDEO to learn more about Sally

Avid Runner and Author, Alex Hutchinson joins The Nation to discuss: Eliud Kipchoge's recent