The beast has risen in the east and we are deep in the snow and winter cold!

How hard has it been for you to get out the door? Do the work? Stay motivated? Stay Positive? Stay Connected?

Sam flies solo for a short set of things we can all do to keep it going and keep our minds, bodies and souls in a healthy place this winter!

Sam and Chris launch into the 2025 trail season by sharing nutrition, gear and trail favorites and fails. The discussion gets into season planning, hopes and dreams for the future of our sport and is there a place for parkour in trail running?

Enjoy the ride with us here and happy trails!

In our final episode of 2024/first episode of 2025 Sam and Chris catch up on Dirty Bird and Hellgate as well as wax nostalgic on the year that was trail running on the East Coast. And we tackled the most challenging of subjects: "what makes and east coaster an east coaster?"

Happy New Year Everyone!

The video version of episode 8, where we talk about the rugged splendor of Hellgate!

Its Hellgate week! And Sam is joined by two Hellgate veterans, Carl Bligan and Mike McMonagle.

Discussion ranges around memories, lessons and experiences from Hellgate and other races as well has the magnetic draw of this East Coast 100k now in It's 22nd year.

You can feel that the stoke is already high and we are all excited to close the 2024 racing season out with a bang!

Remember to subscribe, leave a review and of course follow us and our guests on the socials!

Enjoy!

Sam catches up with 3 of our East Coast racers from last weekend's thrilling JFK 50 Mile.

In this hour and a half you'll hear stories, jokes, mishaps and successes. Our guests share about how the race went for each of them, what it was like to have front row seat to a history making performance, what happens when you don't eat in an ultra and end with a reminder on why it's so important to run with love for ourselves and others.

Hope you enjoy

In part 2 of our JFK Preview Chris and Sam talk about notable scratches from the race and what kind of conditions the runners can expect on Saturday and the implications for how that could impact the race dynamics, strategy and gear decisions.

Sam offers some tips from his own experiences in running the race, especially how to set body position on the AT to protect your ankles and hamstrings and set-up you up for success later in the race. We talk about why the flatness of the canal path at JFK can be tricky for trail runners and offer some tips to rise to that challenge.

In the end we revise our picks and wish you all well out there!

Remember to subscribe, review, comment and share the podcast and Instagram with people that love this sort of thing!

Wow! What an incredible person Holly Benner is!

Holly and Sam sit down in this part "Getting to Know You" part JFK strategy session that tracks Holly's movement through sport bringing her to this current moment. We speak about Metta Performance, her coaching/consulting business with Co-Founder Michael Seiler. Holly illuminates us on her coaching philosophy that focuses on conversation and listening within our trades, be that on the trails or in the board room! Their company, Metta Performance, takes its name from a Pali word, meaning "loving-kindness." Holly puts this front and center in contrast to the popular image of the tortured athlete battling their demons. It's a view so many of us struggle with. She offers this alternative in a way that feels calming, like a hug from someone who really cares about you fully. It's there, even in her words.

We move from there into her approach for JFK and it's clear Holly has done her homework and is ready to rock!

Make sure to follow Holly's race this weekend as well as on her instagram @holly.a.benner and Strava.

If you find her approach as intriguing as I did, please check out her professional website mettaperformance.com