1. Before you were a coach, what did your own athletic journey look like — and was there a moment when you knew endurance sport, and specifically the mountains, was where you belonged?
I was very lucky to grow up with access to the mountains from a young age. Most weekends were spent hiking, biking, or skiing. I skied competitively before a bad accident forced me to pivot around the time I was choosing where I wanted to go to college. I discovered rock climbing, which put CU Boulder on the short list. As my studies became more important, time became the limiting factor, and I took up trail running as a way to have mini adventures that were more compatible with other parts of life. Through running, I met my wife, turned a hobby into a career, and have spent the better part of a decade having the activity shape most of my decisions.
2. Your background is in Integrative Physiology... how does that academic foundation shape the way you approach building trail running plans, compared to coaches who came up purely through athletic experience?
A background in Integrative Physiology (IPHY) has allowed me a foundation to build off of as a coach. In college, I certainly learned about concepts that apply to my coaching career, but the world of trail and ultra running is a dynamic one, and what I have learned in the 10 years since expands far beyond the more superficial concepts covered in school. I think good coaching can come from a variety of educational and experiential backgrounds, and so long as the coach stays curious and engaged with the evolving landscape, they're likely doing a great job.
3. You've been coaching for close to a decade. What's the biggest shift you've seen in how runners think about training, and do you think it's been a change for the better?
The sport is trending more serious and professional. Ten years ago, training may have included some lightly structured intervals and a loose concept of the snacks you thought you'd like to have on hand during a long race. Today, there are complex training programs, expensive gels, nutritionists, super shoes, supplements, etc. My own love for trail running was originally grounded in simplicity, and today's world can feel increasingly complicated.
As with anything, it's hard to answer whether things are better or worse. Some aspects are better, and I'm certainly a beneficiary of the increasing professionalization in the sport. Some aspects are "worse," as there are more perceived financial barriers to entry and less relaxed vibes at different start lines. However, there is still enough variety in the world of trail and ultra running that we can opt in or out of the versions of the sport we'd prefer to interact with, and if I find myself discouraged about the version I'm engaging with, it's usually an indication of something I need to change versus something that is inherently wrong with the sport.
4. Trail running is incredibly varied — from local 5Ks on dirt to hundred-mile mountain races. How do you tailor a plan to fit such a wide range of goals and abilities?
Ten years ago, the attributes that made a strong 10K runner and a strong mountainous 100-mile racer were vastly different. In today's environment, at the tip of the spear, the attributes are more similar than you'd expect. Even still, the first question I need to ask as a coach is: what training opportunities does an athlete have, and what version of training do they want to engage in? You can look at the winners of today's top races and the approaches they take to arrive at the starting line fit and healthy, and they still look surprisingly different from one another. There are some rules I find apply across the board, but often my job is figuring out a creative application of the variables an athlete is working with.
5. You mention being grounded in fundamentals while staying open to evolving methodologies. Can you give an example of a newer idea or approach you've genuinely adopted, and one you've pushed back on?
My most recent revelation was touched on in question 4. I like to look at what the best in the sport are doing and figure out how I can apply similar concepts and ideas in my own coaching methodology. However, when doing so, it becomes apparent that there is no secret sauce — a good coach focuses on fundamentals in a way that is approachable for the athlete. There are still so many exciting approaches other programs, coaches, and athletes are taking in this space, and I often adopt newer tools and ways of thinking about preparing for the different demands of a race.
6. What's the most common mistake you see runners make when they first start following a structured training plan — and do you have any advice on how they can course correct?
We often think of structure as a method of control. If we do X, Y, and Z, then we'll show up ready for the big, scary goal. Additionally, most people engaged in endurance sport tend toward the Type A crowd and will make training happen no matter what. Unfortunately, most of us live in highly uncontrolled environments with unpredictable illness, injury, and fatigue, and will override the intuitive sense that we should take it easy in service of perfect adherence to the schedule. Our bodies often give off warning signs when we're engaging in unsustainable behaviors, and some of the best athletes in the world are the ones who learn to listen and adjust accordingly.
7. How much does your own experience running in the mountains influence how you write plans for runners who may be training in flatter environments?
So many of the demands of mountain running can be prepared for in a flatter environment without access to mountains. Long climbs are often fitness tests, and flat running on a trail isn't too dissimilar from flat running on pavement or asphalt. However, the downhill component is especially difficult to prepare for without sustained, steep descents, and ideally, all runners preparing for steep racing will have some access to steep descending at key moments in the training block. I have found it to be — unfortunately — mandatory for predictable and safe performance, and if it's not an option, I try to suggest an athlete look for other goals.
8. There's often a tension between chasing performance and keeping running fun. How do you hold both of those things at once when you're working with a competitive runner?
In my opinion, this may be the biggest challenge a competitive, performance-oriented runner faces. My own experience with competitive running often fell short of striking the balance between having big goals and fully enjoying the process.
Ways I attempt to find that balance personally — and coach it for the competitive athletes I work with — include:
Embrace community. This sounds like a cliché, but it's hard to get the most out of yourself when you don't feel like you're part of something bigger or more meaningful. Ultimately, running is a pointless pursuit (as I'd argue most pursuits are), so finding the areas that give it deeper meaning is ultimately performance-enhancing.
Avoid over-investing in objective feedback. My job as a coach is to monitor these things, and it's often a short fuse from the time a runner starts looking for validation in the numbers to when the sport becomes less fun.
Don't let running be everything. Training at one's limits is tiring and subject to so many setbacks, even with the safest of approaches. Even the best in the world can't control all the variables, and it's nice to have other interests and passions for when running inevitably isn't going perfectly.
