Off The Couch

Noah Brautigam just won the Speedgoat 50K — a very tough race that includes nearly 12,000 feet of total climbing and takes place mostly above 9,200 feet on a rocky, rooty, steep course.A few days after winning, Noah sat down with us in Blister HQ to provide a very fresh and very fun recap of the race, and describe what tweaks were made to allow the event to happen in these times of COVID. We also discuss his background and a surprising discovery that has him feeling great, performing at a high level, and recovering really well.This is a fun conversation with a thoughtful and self-deprecating guy, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy it. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Martinus Evans is the founder of 300poundsandrunning.com, the founder of the Slow AF Run Club, a marathon runner, a DJ, the host of the 300 Pounds And Running podcast, and more. And this week, Brendan Leonard and I talk to Martinus about modern media, being a Black runner in 2020, DJ-ing, motivation, Detroit pizza vs. Chicago pizza, the Slow AF Run Club Martinus started, and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Getting into Running (5:52)1st marathon (11:50)Music (19:14)Masters Thesis & Media Today (24:37)Police & being a Black runner (34:33)Slow AF Run Club (49:18)Pizza & Carrot Cake (56:57)What’s Next? (1:03:00) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk to Amelia Boone about being a world champion obstacle racer; transitioning into trail running & racing; mental health & eating disorders; ElliptiGos, mtn lions, & more.TOPICS & TIMES Mtn Lions, Bears, Snakes, & Sharks (2:24)Amelia’s background (7:24)Intro to Tough Mudder (10:35)Competing & Practicing Law (18:03)Getting into Ultras (24:16)The pressure of competition (29:58)Results vs. Process (35:31)Biggest sacrifices you’ve made? (39:21)Mental Health & Eating Disorders (41:56)ElliptiGos & FKTs (53:20) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Addie Bracy is an accomplished runner who thinks hard about the psychology of sports performance. So we talk to Addie about her background and how it led her to the study of sports performance psychology; the book she is now writing on the topic; and OUTrun, the organization she founded with her partner, Corey Conner, to empower and connect LGBTQ+ individuals within the running community and to create an environment that is encouraging, supportive, and inclusive to all.TOPICS & TIMES Addie’s intro to running (3:43)Highlights from college racing (9:41)Life after U of North Carolina (10:50)Coaching & Getting into Ultras (14:25)Addie’s book on sports psychology (22:12)Competition & Culture: trail running vs road running (29:02)What is the mission of OUTrun? (39:14)The importance of doing what you love (51:00) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Skid Row Running Club is “an unusual running club that uses the power of running to improve the lives of those who are at risk of homelessness and addiction” in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, California. And this week we talk to the club founder, Judge Craig Mitchell, about why he started the club; his background as a runner, highschool teacher; the duty of police officers to protect and serve; the need for minimum sentencing reform; and much more.TOPICS & TIMES The judge’s running background (2:40)The Midnight Mission & the running club (5:37)What / where is Skid Row? (7:54)Who are the club members? (11:29)The club’s international marathons (12:58)Stories of specific members (18:10)Police & the duty to Protect & to Serve (27:30)Mandatory minimum sentencing reform (33:03)The importance of jury duty service (37:24)Best ways to support the running club? (39:26)Do you have a dream race for the club (42:04) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Abby and Cordis Hall are both very good runners who both run for Adidas TERREX and who both recently set FKTs for the Cottonwood Marble Loop in Death Valley. And Abby and Cordis are soon going to both be going after another FKT, this time, on the rather gnarly Pfiffner Traverse.So we discuss all of that, plus the benefits and challenges that arise when your partner is also a competitive runner. And we also talk about a current rule that is in place specifically for women’s FKTs that deserves to be re-considered.TOPICS & TIMESSomething about observability? (3:10)Setting dual FKTs for the Cottonwood Marble Loop (7:33)FKT rule that ought to be reconsidered? (12:17)Their running backgrounds & approaches (14:18)Relationship Dynamics & Couple Goals (35:47)Upcoming FKT attempt of the Pfiffner Traverse (47:43)Running plans after that? (1:00:21)Cooking recipes & advice for lazy people (1:04:21) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our guest this week is Shaun Martin, who we’ve talked about before on this podcast in our conversations with Sanjay Rawal, since Shaun appeared in Sanjay’s film, 3100: Run and Become. But this time we’re talking to the man himself, and Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk to Shaun about his background, heritage, coaching philosophy, and a whole lot more.TOPICS & TIMESShaun’s background (2:23)Shaun’s father’s upbringing as a Navajo native (4:09)How relatable is your father’s experience to your own? (10:55)Getting into competitive running (16:47)Running in college (21:13)Pursuing a career in education & coaching (22:48)Shaun’s coaching techniques & philosophies (33:31)Getting into ultras / starting the Canyon De Chelly Ultra (38:44)Sharing running with your kids (54:01)Your ultra running career (57:12) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Faith E. Briggs is a filmmaker and a runner, and this week, Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk to Faith about her latest film, This Land; growing up and running track & cross country and transitioning into long distance running & trail running; and our current / not-merely-current circumstances here in America.TOPICS & TIMESFaith’s film, This Land (2:52)Boarding school & the ‘nonchalance of wealth’ (10:22)College & running track (15:02)Getting into documentary filmmaking? (23:36)When did you consider yourself a distance runner? (26:42)Getting into trail running (32:26)Inspiration & Influence for your writing and films (38:24)Our current situation (46:31) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A few weeks ago Brendan Leonard and I talked to the legend himself, Buzz Burrell. In the first part of our conversation, we talk about Buzz’s background, including his first ever long-distance run; starting the first organic farm in Colorado; the time he delivered a baby; inventing the hydration pack; and more. And then we discuss Buzz’s role in establishing the concept of the Fastest Known Time; creativity and FKTs, the process of approving FKT submissions, and some of the trends he’s seeing in the world of FKTs.TOPICS & TIMES:Buzz’s first long distance run (1:45)Starting the 1st organic farm in Colorado (11:20)Delivering a baby? (13:06)Going to Asia, biking in Tibet (16:56)Mountain Running (26:31)Running the John Muir Trail (36:36)Inventing the hydration pack (47:06)Giving yourself a promotion (48:36)Establishing ‘Fastest Known Time’ (52:36)Creativity & FKTs (58:25)The process of approving a FKT submission (1:02:24)Trends in FKT submissions (1:07:06) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out inf

On Saturday, August 25th, 2019, Zach set a new world record for the fastest time that a human being has run 100 miles. He did it on a track in Wisconsin in 11:19:13. And once he hit the 100-mile mark, Zach preceded to just keep on running, and he then set another world record: longest distance run in 12 hours (he went 104.8 miles). These are two mind-blowing feats, and you can listen to our conversation with Zach about this on episode 15 of Off The Couch.Fast forward to May 16, 2020, and Zach just set another 100-mile world record: fastest 100 miles ever run on a treadmill. So we spoke to the 34 year old runner just a couple days after his most recent feat to discuss when he first got the idea to attempt this; the biggest differences between running 100 miles on a treadmill vs a track; and his preparation, strategy, and goals for this event.We also have a great discussion about Mike McKnight’s Zero-Calorie 100.And if you’d like to hear more of Zach talking about issues related to peak performance, you should

Is it humanly possible to run 100 miles without consuming a single calorie? Would it be possible to run 100 miles in under 24 hours without consuming a single calorie? On May 8th, Mike McKnight set out to find out, and Mike, who is the record holder of the Triple Crown of 200’s, not only accomplished this extraordinary feat, he did it in 18 hours and 37 minutes.So we talked to Mike about why and when he first thought this was possible; how he prepared and trained for the feat; intermittent fasting and his ketogenic diet; some of the criticism he’s received for even attempting this; and what else he thinks might be possible.TOPICS & TIMES:What is the history of ‘Zero Calorie’ runs? (1:55)When & why did you decide to do this? (4:08)Mike’s ketogenic diet (6:00)Pros & Cons of Intermittent Fasting & Carnivore Diet (12:05)Science behind the preparation (14:14)What criticism about ketogenic diets do you hear? (16:58)What was your biggest concern before starting? (28:52)The route itself (32:13)What di

We talk to Georgia Porter, co-owner and personal trainer at The Physio Shop in Flagstaff, Arizona, about her dislike of running as a kid; her grandma who was running ultras back before running ultras was a thing; how to incorporate apple fritters and beer into your training regimen; competing at the 2020 US Olympic Marathon Trials; her belief in combining strength training and endurance training; and why all runners would benefit from learning to love strength training.TOPICS & TIMES:Workouts & trivia? (1:54)Georgia’s family of runners (3:45)Georgia’s ultrarunning grandma (8:35)Running at Western Colorado University (10:15)Turning point: going off course during a race (12:45)Rediscovering joy (17:35)Georgia’s approach to training for longer distances (24:13)From paramedic to personal trainer (29:10)How do you blend endurance & strength training? (34:40)What are your running goals? (44:45)How to sprint the last 5k of a marathon (52:00) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hillary Gerardi won the 2018 Skyrunner Extra World Series Circuit, and yet, she still doesn’t necessarily think of herself as a runner. So Brendan Leonard and I discuss this with Hillary, and, turns out, her hesitation makes a lot of sense once you understand her background and what it is that she enjoys most about being in the mountains.Hillary was born in Vermont, but has lived in France since 2010, and currently lives in Chamonix, where she works at the Research Center for Alpine Ecosystems, so of course, we discuss all of that, too.TOPICS & TIMES:The hesitation to call yourself a “runner” (2:10)Hiking & backpacking in New England (5:03)The Hut Traverse in the White Mountains (9:45)Getting into trail running & moving to France (14:14)Skiing & backcountry accidents (19:40)Winning prosciutto (25:42)Hilary’s work with CREA Mont Blanc (29:16)What did you study in college? (33:47)Balancing work & running (37:30)Getting into “Skyrunning” (41:55)Trail Running vs. Mountain Scrambling (51:40)Hav

Rickey Gates is a professional runner, a writer, a photographer — and someone who has a whole lot going on. His new book, Cross Country, a 3700-Mile Run to Explore Unseen America, just came out, and it documents Rickey’s 2017 odyssey of running from South Carolina to San Francisco and the people and places he interacted with along the way. We also discuss his Every Single Street project, Hut Run Hut and Bus Run Bus group trips he organizes every year, the current project he’s working on called 50 Classic Trails, and that still doesn’t cover everything that Rickey is up to. Rickey is a very good runner, but an even more interesting person. (Watch the trailer "Cross Country")TOPICS & TIMES:Rickey’s new book, Cross Country (2:35)How & how not to travel (6:00)Bridging political divisions (10:00)The kindness of strangers (14:52)From XC racing to long-distance running (20:15)The Every Single Street Project (31:05)Media Bias, Partisanship, & Becoming More Divided (35:05)Rickey’s group trips: Hut Run

Late last week, Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talked with @Jenny and Scott Jurek. This probably wasn’t the conversation that you ought to have when you get to talk with a running icon like Scott Jurek and someone who is as accomplished and interesting as Jenny, but, whatever. We had fun, and you will, too. Among other things, we talk about Scott’s very first race; Jenny’s transition from climbing to running; Scott’s love of cooking; Jenny’s ambition to set the Slowest Known Time on the Pacific Crest Trail; and the process of co-writing their wonderful book, North.TOPICS & TIMES:Scott’s very first race (2:00)Jenny’s transition from climbing to running (7:52)Sharing a cubicle with Krissy Moehl (9:22)How Scott & Jenny met (10:15)Scott’s love of cooking (15:50)Best veggie burgers? (28:25)Thoughts on processed vegetarian food? (35:00)What’s your current relationship to running? (43:50)Goal: Slowest Known Time on the PCT (52:14)Co-writing their book, North (54:42) See acast.com/privacy for privacy

Dom Di Tommaso (@domtomato) is a freerunner, a certified mind blower, and the guy behind one of our favorite Instagram pages and YouTube channels in the world. He is also a fascinating person, and a perfect reminder that “running” is not a sport that we should narrowly define. So on our latest Off The Couch podcast, we talked to Dom about his uncommon upbringing; his training, his focus, his injury history, and how he avoids dying doing the stuff he does; similarities between the freerunning community and the long-distance running community; and more. Check it out..TOPICS & TIMESWhat sports were you into growing up? (5:59)Freerunning vs. Parkour? (23:14)What’s your craziest idea? (33:49)Progression & training (36:48)Injury history (42:44)How to handle massive drops & landings (51:32)Track & Field: what would be your best events? (59:13)Your strengths & areas where you want to improve? (1:03:25)The freerunning community (1:08:45)Acting, Movies, & Freerunning (1:14:43)Instagram: @domtoma

We talk to Topo Athletic founder, Tony Post, about serving as the CEO of Vibram USA; founding Topo Athletic; minimalist and maximalist shoes; Topo’s design philosophy and process; and more. TOPICS & TIMES:Moving to Boston, working for Rockport (1:15)Were you always into running gear? (5:20)“Craftsmanship” in the running shoe industry (7:47)The decision to start your own shoe company (10:21)Vibram and the “Born to Run” affect? (14:19)The minimalist movement (21:10)Where is there consensus on shoe design? (31:20)What is Topo’s approach to fit? (35:55)What differentiates Topo Athletic? (40:49)Topo’s trajectory (44:20)Which Topo shoes are you running in the most? (46:51)New Topo products? (52:16)What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (58:47) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Eric Schranz has been a staple of the trail running and ultrarunning world for over a decade — both as a passionate runner, and as the host of Ultrarunnerpodcast.com. And since Eric spends so much of his time writing about and interviewing other runners, Brendan Leonard (semi-rad.com) and I thought it would be fun to put Eric in the guest seat. So Brendan and I talked with Eric about how he got into running; his work in the music industry and politics; getting started at ultrarunnerpodcast.com; the art of conversation; how running media differs from other sports media coverage; and a whole lot more — including, a rather spirited discussion about the best bank robbery and heist movies of all time.TOPICS & TIMES:When & How Eric got into trail running (1:45)Working in the music industry & politics (7:20)Joining Ultrarunnerpodcast.com (13:52)Making it full time (17:30)The art of conversation (20:28)Finding stories and guests (24:30)Running media vs. other sports media (33:07)What are your running goal

Ryan Van Duzer has a YouTube series called, Running with Ryan. And last fall, as our Off The Couch co-host, Brendan Leonard, was nearing his goal of running 52 marathons in 52 weeks, Ryan had Brendan as a guest on Running with Ryan. So we thought we’d give Brendan the chance to turn the tables and have him interview Ryan, and that proved to be a good idea. They talk about snakes; biking across the country; starting his YouTube channel; the Burning Man Ultra; and a whole lot more.TOPICS & TIMES:Running the Caballo Blanco Ultra (1:55)Bringing his mom along for adventures (7:32)Running BOLDERBoulder 10K at age six (9:06)Snakes (12:55)Suffering at his first marathon (18:06)Launching a career in travel journalism (21:54)Moving from television to YouTube (27:25)“Running with Ryan” Series (30:25)Preparing (or not?) for his fourth Javelina 100 (35:07)Maintaining “relentless” positivity (46:10)Burning Man Ultra Marathon (50:11) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Joe Grant is an endurance athlete, a mountain runner, a reader, a writer, a thinker, a filmmaker, and, as you are about to find out, an exceptional storyteller.And in this conversation, Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk to Joe about how he got into running; racing (and winning) the 2008 Caballo Blanco Copper Canyon Ultra and how that affected his life; his Tour de Fourteeners, a self-powered and self-supported link up of all Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks by bike and on foot; and a whole lot more.TOPICS & TIMES:How Joe & Brendan met (1:55)Joe’s background (6:45)Film: The Middle Way (10:30)From Rollerblading to Running (16:40)Greyhound Bus Road trip (20:05)Developing a Minimalist Aesthetic (23:25)Learning to run in Kenya (26:45)Running the Waldo 100K (32:50)Running (and winning) the 2008 Caballo Blanco (35:53)How the Caballo Blanco race affected Joe’s future (41:17)2008: Kilian Jornet & a changing of the guard (47:00)Turning running into a career (51:43)Other creative interests & pursui