Off The Couch

Rod Farvard on UTMB, “Hobby Jogging,” & Making the Transition from Triathlon to the Trails (Ep.136)

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On this week’s episode of Off The Couch, we sat down with ultrarunner Rod Farvard a week removed from finishing 5th American at this year’s Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc to talk about his first time racing on an international stage; how he made the jump from triathlon to trail running; “hobby jogging”; and a whole lot more.

Todd Aydelotte on Running Through History, Edgar Allen Poe, & The Warriors UltraRun (Ep.135)

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We sat down with ultrarunner and race director, Todd Aydelotte, to hear all about how he uses running to trace the lives of historical figures, like Edgar Allen Poe, Walt Whitman, and Teddy Roosevelt. Along the way, we also talk about the semi-legal 28-mile road race he created to reenact the 70’s cult film, “The Warriors”; running through New York City subways after dark; and a whole lot more.

Travis Soares on Setting the Sierra Peaks Section List FKT (Ep.134)

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The Sierra Peaks Section List includes 247 of the most prominent peaks scattered throughout California’s Sierra Nevada Range. Reaching every summit is a lifetime’s work for most, and up until recently, no one had completed the list within a calendar year. But Travis Soares did — in a record 117 days — so we sat down with him to hear all about how things shook out on the roof of the Sierra.

Alex Nichols on Coaching College Cross Country, Pikes Peak Streaking, & Beekeeping (Ep.132)

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After being named the head coach of Colorado College’s cross country program last year, trail and ultrarunner, Alex Nichols, has made a habit of inviting some of his athletes out to support his own racing endeavors, including his 8th-place finish at the Western States 100 back in June. So, we talked to Alex about the intersection between coaching full-time at his alma mater and running trails professionally, and a whole lot more.

Danielle Snyder on Rewarding Failure, Taper Tantrums, & Mental Health in Ultrarunning (Ep.131)

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You’ve probably encountered the adage that running is 90 percent mental, yet despite this feeling (and how true it may be), most runners dedicate the majority of their training to making sure they’re physically fit. But the brain fatigues too, so we talked with running coach and licensed clinical social worker, Danielle Snyder, about the importance of mindset training and the connection between mental well-being and physical performance.

Paddy O’Leary on Racing Horses, Fell Running, Lacrosse, & Community Building (Ep.128)

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Paddy O’Leary’s path from the farm he grew up on in Wexford, Ireland to becoming an elite runner for The North Face is by no means a linear one. So we sat down with Paddy to talk about how he ended up racing on the trails (with and without a horse); growing the sport of lacrosse in Ireland; community building; fell running; and a whole lot more.

TrainingPeaks Co-founder Dirk Friel on Coaching, Artificial Intelligence, & the Future of Endurance Training (Ep.127)

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Endurance training has come a long way from handwritten logs and fax machines, and we owe a lot of that progress to web-based platforms like TrainingPeaks. Founded in the late 90s by endurance coaches Dirk Friel and his father, Joe Friel, TrainingPeaks has helped modernize the ways athletes can track, analyze, and plan their training. So, we sat down with Dirk to hear more about how better data leads to better performance; artificial intelligence; and a whole lot more.

Naked Sports Innovations Co-founder Lindsay Dakota on “Simplexity” & Their New Laceless Trail Racing Shoe (Ep.126)

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Naked Sports Innovations’ line of products has evolved a lot from the popular Running Band that started it all, and this month they announced plans for their first (laceless!) trail running shoe, the Naked T/r. So we sat down with Naked’s President and Co-founder, Lindsay Dakota, to break down their debut model and to talk about how the notion of “simplexity” drives their design process

Roxanne Vogel on Lightning Ascents, Flavor Science, and GU Energy Labs (Ep.125)

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Ultramarathons are sometimes called eating competitions with a bit of running thrown in, and with so many different nutrition products and approaches at our disposal these days, it can be hard to know how to fuel properly. So, we talked to GU Energy Labs’ Nutrition and Performance Research Manager, Roxanne Vogel, about the ins & outs of eating on the run; how GU’s line of products fit into that equation; and much more.

David Laney on Ice Baths, Adventuring in the North Cascades, & Craft Footwear (Ep.124)

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David Laney was already running 5 to 6 days a week by the time he turned 10, and has run professionally since bursting onto the trail scene in the early 2010s. He recently left his longtime sponsor and joined a relatively new player to the trail space in Craft Sportswear, and soon after doubled down with a full-time marketing job with them as well. So we talked to David about how it came about, what to expect from Craft Footwear, and much more — including, his signature ice bath routine, adventuring in the North Cascades, and running 100 miles for charity.
On this “Running Through the News” edition of Off The Couch, Salomon athlete Leah Yingling stops by to catch us up on current events in the running world, including — a debate around Tom Cruise’s running form; what mountain runner Joe Gray is doing to make trails a more equitable space for people of color; Kilian Jornet’s new shoe brand, NNormal; course records at the Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon; and much more.

Zegama is Zegama, Tom Cruise, & 200-Mile Races (Ep.123)

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On this “Running Through the News” edition of Off The Couch, Salomon athlete Leah Yingling stops by to catch us up on current events in the running world, including a debate around Tom Cruise’s running form; what mountain runner Joe Gray is doing to make trails a more equitable space for people of color; Kilian Jornet’s new shoe brand, NNormal; course records at the Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon; and much more.
Over half of all runners will deal with an injury each year, but run enough miles and you’ll know that number is a lot closer to 100%. The irony is most running injuries are easily preventable, so as folks ramp up their summer training, we had Dr. Hal Rosenberg on Off The Couch to talk us through some simple tips for staying healthy out on the trails (and off the couch).

Dr. Hal Rosenberg on Desert Magic, Standing Desks, & Running Healthy (Ep.122)

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Over half of all runners will deal with an injury each year, but run enough miles and you’ll know that number is a lot closer to 100%. The irony is most running injuries are easily preventable, so as folks ramp up their summer training, we had Dr. Hal Rosenberg on Off The Couch to talk us through some simple tips for staying healthy out on the trails (and off the couch).
After discovering running in his 30’s, ultra-endurance athlete Robbie Balenger became obsessed with the power of human endurance and quickly found that he needed challenges far exceeding standard ultramarathons to test his limits. So, he started creating his own. Since then, Robbie has run across America, completed the “Colorado Crush,” and recently outran a Tesla. On Off The Couch, we had him on to unpack each of these efforts before asking him about the mental side of endurance, recovery techniques, his next challenge, and much more.

Robbie Balenger on Testing Limits, Exploring Recovery Techniques, & Outrunning a Tesla (Ep. 121)

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After discovering running in his 30’s, ultra-endurance athlete Robbie Balenger became obsessed with the power of human endurance and quickly found that he needed challenges far exceeding standard ultramarathons to test his limits. So, he started creating his own. Since then, Robbie has run across America, completed the “Colorado Crush,” and recently outran a Tesla. We had him on to unpack all of these efforts before asking him about the mental side of endurance, recovery techniques, his next challenge, and much more.
Brian Metzler has been writing about running, in one form or another, for the better part of the last 25 years. His latest book, Trail Running Illustrated: The Art of Running Free (which he co-authored with Doug Mayer) is a genre-bending book with an interesting backstory, so on our Off The Couch Podcast, we talked to Brian about how it all came together; his writing (and running) career; and much more.

Brian Metzler on a Writer’s Life & the Art of Running Free (Ep.119)

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Brian Metzler has been writing about running, in one form or another, for the better part of the last 25 years. His latest book, Trail Running Illustrated: The Art of Running Free (which he co-authored with Doug Mayer) is a genre-bending book with an interesting backstory, so we talked to Brian about how it all came together; his writing (and running) career; and much more.
Between Corrine Malcolm’s many roles as a member of the media, it could be easy to overlook her as an elite runner in her own right. So on our Off the Couch Podcast we talk to Corrine about how she went from an olympic-level biathlete to running professionally for adidas Terrex; setting the supported FKT on the Tahoe Rim Trail; her return to racing; and much more.

Corrine Malcolm on Suffering, the Tahoe Rim Trail, and Her Return to Racing (Ep.118)

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If you’ve followed coverage of ultrarunning at all over the last few years, Corrine Malcolm is a name you’ve probably heard a lot. But between her many roles as a member of the media, it could be easy to overlook her as an elite runner in her own right. So we talk to Corrine about how she went from an olympic-level biathlete to running professionally for adidas Terrex; setting the supported FKT on the Tahoe Rim Trail; her return to racing; and much more.
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