When I started training at MAF back in July of 2020, I moved almost entirely from trails to road-running and running at the track. As you can imagine, it gets really old, literally running around in circles. Although, I do appreciate those early morning sunrise runs, where the colors keep morphing every time I come around the track. I've even had to pause my run so that I can stop and truly take it in.
Without a commute to the office, I'd been really missing my time to listen to podcasts. So, I started using MAF training runs as a way to catch up. I've been getting back on the trails lately, but still have a couple MAF runs during the week. My favorite podcasts are almost all long form conversations, so it takes me awhile to get through them, but it's totally worth it. I feel like it usually takes the guest a good hour to get warmed up and then they really get deep in the second half of the conversation.
The Rich Roll Podcast
I stumbled upon the book, "Finding Ultra", by Rich Roll because it was referenced in the book, "Proteinaholic", by Dr. Garth Davis. This was the very beginning of falling down the vegan rabbit hole after I read, "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer. At the time, it's funny, because I wasn't seeking out anything re: veganism. I had previously read the book, "Everything is Illuminated", by Jonathan Safran Foer and I really liked it, so it was just a, "Let's see what else this guy has written," reason for borrowing "Eating Animals" from the library. After "Eating Animals", I devoured more books re: veganism, and "Proteinaholic" was on that list. I ended up really enjoying "Finding Ultra" and was talking about it with Matt, our creative director, one day at the office. Matt told me about the podcast and ever since then, I primarily listen to the RRP.
In my opinion, Rich Roll is the best podcaster out there. You can tell that he does his homework on all of his guests. He's also just great at going with the flow and following an idea until something really profound comes out of his guests. I would suggest starting with his end of the year wrap ups of that season. You can listen to clips from all of the guests he's spoken with and then go back and listen to the ones that grabbed your attention.
There are so many great ones to choose from, but the ones that pop into my mind now are the first time Goggins was on the show and the episode with Dr. Michael Greger on his book, "How Not to Die".
The Billy Yang Podcast
Billy Yang is a film maker and a podcaster. He's a runner himself and has a deep history in the ultrarunning world. He's friends with many elite ultrarunners and gets to sit down with them for long form conversations. He also talks to non-runners, who are just interesting humans. If you're not a runner, you would still enjoy the podcast, I think. It's definitely one of my favorites. Billy's films are beautiful and have wonderful messages, so I would highly recommend checking those out too.
Hands down, my favorite episode is his conversation with Courtney Dauwalter. They have such a fun back and forth banter. I've listened to that one a few times. Courtney has such a joy for running, but she's also competitive. She's always quick with a smile, a chuckle and a bad joke. I also love that he mentions me as one of his many Patreon supporters at the end of this episode. BYP Courtney Dauwalter
Another wonderful episode that I just listened to is his most recent with Anton Krupicka, Judge Craig Mitchell and the film maker Gabi Hayes. If you haven't seen the movie, "Skid Row Marathon", go watch it. It's available on Tubi for free. BYP Anton, Judge Mitchell and Gabi Hayes
The Dirtbag Diaries
For all of the adventurers, or wannabe adventurers, The Dirtbag Diaries tells stories of climbers, runners, hikers, bikers, skiers, kayakers, etc. It captures the essence of why people are drawn to the outdoors. I love their shorts, which are stories submitted by listeners and/or the hosts of the show. Here are some of my favorite episodes:
The Weekly Word
This podcast isn't for everybody. It's definitely geared towards the serious athlete. This is coach Chris Hauth's podcast, who just happens to be Rich Roll's coach. I love it because Chris has a very soothing voice, but his message is tough. He talks about finding your "why" for your athletic pursuits and he has a "no excuses" attitude towards training. He's the type of coach who would never compliment you. He's definitely a toughie, but everything about what he says resonates with me. Being an athlete is not just about the results of a race. It's about pushing yourself to become a better human. I've listened to The Weekly Word during long runs and I'm pretty sure it has kept me going at times when I feel like quitting. This morning I listened to Chris' most recent episode and it has me motivated to sit down sometime this week to figure out my "why". Apparently, asking yourself this question multiple times will help you get to the root of why you're doing what you're doing. I think I know why I sometimes get up before 5AM in the pouring rain or the freezing cold to get a workout in, but it'll be good to put it down on paper. I'll need to go back to this "why" next time the going gets tough and I want to quit. The Weekly Word 155 Purpose, Intention, Clarity
I also really enjoyed his episode about his Tahoe Rim Trail self-curated adventure. It really made me want to plan a trip out there, if not to do the entire trail, definitely sections of it.
Song Exploder
Admittedly, I haven't listened to this podcast much lately. I liked it way back, when Hrishikesh Hirway was the host. There are a few episodes that still stick with me. The podcast introduces a song, then they take apart the song and the artist talks about what his or her thought process was in writing the song. If you're a music lover, you'll really enjoy this podcast. I think I'm going to go back to this podcast. I've missed a lot! Here are some of my favorite episodes.
Kommentare