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This week on the show is the seventh iteration of the solo podcast series of The Sunday Shakeout. I hope you enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout. Please consider leaving a follow and a five-star review.

This week on the show is the seventh iteration of the solo podcast series of The Sunday Shakeout. STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES REGARDING THE SHOW. I talk all about my spring break, visiting Texas colleges, my current training, and the idea of tragedy + time = comedy. I hope you enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout. Please consider leaving a follow and a five-star review.

***SOLO SERIES EPISODE #6*** Today on the podcast is the sixth iteration of the solo show series. I recorded this one from a rental car in Austin, Texas, and discuss my recent training and racing, why happiness is so hard for me, and the idea of being in a good mood for no reason at all. I hope you enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout. Please consider leaving a follow and a five-star review.

This week on the show is the fifth iteration of the solo podcast series of The Sunday Shakeout. I tell the second half of the story of my entire running career, from the beginning of my freshman year at Seattle Prep to now. I hope you enjoy this episode! Please consider leaving a follow and a five-star review.

This week on the podcast is the fourth iteration of the solo podcast series of The Sunday Shakeout. I tell the story all the way back from the end of my 5th grade year, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, all the way to the end of 8th grade, improving my mile PR by over 2-minutes over that timespan. STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 NEXT WEEK.

***SOLO SERIES EPISODE #3*** This week’s episode is the third iteration of the new solo podcast series. I discuss an annual tradition at my high school, called Olympic Week, as well as role models, student government reelections, The Great Gatsby, and more. Please consider leaving a follow and a five-star review.

***SOLO SERIES EPISODE #2*** This week’s episode is the second iteration of the new solo podcast series. I decided to film this as a video podcast for a fun twist. I discuss a lot of topics completely unrelated to running, including my lifelong love for motorsports, my thoughts on regret vs. gratitude for past experiences, and my current projected path for college- and career-related decisions in the coming years. I have a lot of things I want to share and hope you find value from some of my thoughts! :) Please consider leaving a follow and five-star review!

***SOLO SERIES EPISODE #1 *** I announced on Instagram last week that the show is temporarily going on a hiatus from guest interviews. My life has many competing priorities. Despite my obsession for this podcast and the joy I derive from having weekly conversations with the top high school athletes in our sport, podcasting is not my full-time job. I am a student, athlete, teammate, friend, and son, all before I am a podcaster. Thank you all for understanding. I will be back with guest interviews in the near future. I am starting a series of solo podcasts to replace guest interviews for the foreseeable future. I plan on discussing running and non-running topics alike. Hopefully I can bring value with some of my unique insights and stories. Shoot me and email or a DM if you have any topic suggestions for the next ~1-3 months of this series. As always, I am open to feedback and want to maximize what I do with this platform. Thank you all so much for the love and support! Y'all have been super loyal to the show over the years and I cannot express how lucky and blessed I feel to have a platform like mine. I hope you enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout! Email: [email protected] Stay up-to-date on all things The Sunday Shakeout: Instagram

First kilometer. Out in front. Everything clicking. Then the race turns, and the season suddenly feels different. Malachi Schoenherr is a senior who’s built his career on patience, discipline, and trust in his process. Being a two-time Oregon State Champ, he’s been one of the most consistent front-runners in the Northwest for years. And this season tested that identity. After finishing 2nd at the Oregon 6A State meet, he went into NXR Northwest as one of the clear favorites. He took control early and led through the first kilometer. Then the pace shifted. The field surged. He faded to 39th. One race that clashed with months of work and years of expectation. The disappointment stayed with him. So did the questions. Now is a moment to pause, reflect, and reset before one final track season. This conversation lives in that in-between space. The space between letting go of what happened and getting ready for what’s next. We talk about identity, pressure, and learning how to compete freely again. If you enjoy the podcast, follow The Sunday Shakeout on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and leave a five-star review. It goes a long way in supporting the show.

This is not a running episode. Not even close. But something so important happened in my life that I had to make an episode about it. I went on the Kairos retreat with ~90 of my classmates at Seattle Prep. Kairos is one of those things where if you know... you know. It was four days of stillness, honesty, and sitting with questions I usually outrun. I opened up about struggles I tend to keep buried. About control. Fear. Trust. Surrender. What I felt most was the power of being known. The power of community.The power of love.The power of grace. This episode is raw, real, and unfinished.Not answers. Just truth. Shoutout to Marguerite, Miles, Finn, Jenny, Sam, Edward, Thomas, and Hannah. K71 Trust. Love has won

2026 barely started, and track and field has been turned upside down. Jakob Ingebrigtsen is the best middle-distance runner in the world, and he just has surgery. Sam Ruthe is a 16-year-old from New Zealand who just ran faster than any teenager in history. One is trying to protect what he’s built. The other is just beginning to understand what he’s capable of. Ingebrigtsen opened 2025 with a stretch that almost didn’t make sense. Indoor world records in the 1500m and the mile. Double gold at World Indoors. Then the Achilles issues started. The season unraveled. Now, in 2026: surgery. Real questions are being raised about the future of arguably the greatest of all time. Meanwhile, Ruthe stepped onto an indoor track for the first time after fifty hours of travel and ran 3:48.88. Youngest ever under 3:50. World U18 record. New Zealand national record. Not chaos. Control. Jakob is running into the reality that talent doesn’t protect you from time or injury. Sam is running into the reality that belief expands faster than your life can adjust. The future is here. Buckle up. Follow The Sunday Shakeout on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Please consider leaving a follow and a five-star review.

In 2025, Hermiston High’s Leroy Lozano Mejia quietly became someone the Washington distance scene could no longer ignore. The sophomore entered the fall as a sleeper and left it with authority. Built on patience and aerobic strength, he doesn’t chase attention. He shows up, does the work, and lets races speak for him. After running 15:36 and finishing 11th at the 3A state meet as a freshman, Leroy took a clear step forward in his sophomore cross-country season. He won the Battle of the 509 Invitational in Spokane against a strong field. He followed that with a fourth-place finish at Nike Hole in the Wall, running 14:55 on one of the most honest courses in the country. By November, the progression was undeniable. At the Washington 3A State Championships, he finished runner-up in 15:10. From 11th to second in one year. Built slowly. Earned daily. But the story isn’t just about results. On the track, the contrast is still there. A 9:15 3200 shows real strength. A 4:23 mile leaves space to grow. And instead of running from that tension, Leroy leans into it. In this episode of The Sunday Shakeout, we talk about discipline as a daily choice, not a personality trait. About backing words with actions. And about the strange truth runners don’t always admit — that pain, when chosen, can become addictive. Tap into the Leroy Lozano Mejia Special. If you enjoy the podcast, follow The Sunday Shakeout on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and leave a five-star review.

In 2025, Lafayette High School’s Xavier Richardson reached a season that had been years in the making. The Lexington, Kentucky senior didn’t rise quickly or cleanly. His path was marked by races that fell apart, progress that stayed hidden, and belief that came late. By the time this year arrived, Richardson wasn’t chasing a breakout. He was waiting to see if patience would finally pay him back. The results followed. During his junior track season in the spring of 2025, despite being known primarily as a 1600m and 3200m runner, Richardson stepped down to the 800m at the Kentucky state meet. He won it. His first individual state title. The breakthrough showed up across the board. PRs of 1:53 in the 800m, 4:09 in the 1600m, and 8:58 in the 3200m. The fall confirmed the shift. By the time cross country rolled around, he carried that momentum, running 14:44 for the 5K XC in his season debut. He went on to place second individually at the state cross country meet while helping his team secure the championship. Racing for something bigger than himself. Weeks later, Richardson finished runner-up at NXR Southeast, earning his first trip to Nike Cross Nationals. Performing under pressure. But the season wasn’t built on results alone. Richardson’s rise was shaped by years where progress felt invisible. By learning to trust the people around him. By staying through losses long enough for them to teach him something. This season didn’t erase the failures. It made them matter. As he closes his high school career in 2026, and looks ahead to what comes next, Richardson’s stands as proof that patience compounds. Not loudly. But decisively. Tap into the Xavier Richardson episode of The Sunday Shakeout.

In 2025, Ballard High School’s Cassidy Armstrong turned a season nearly lost to injury into one of the strongest postseason runs in the country. The Seattle senior, committed to Duke University, entered the fall coming off a hip stress fracture that erased her entire junior track season. Six weeks unable to walk. No running until August. No early-season races to test fitness or confidence. Armstrong didn’t race until October 31st. She opened with a second-place finish at the SeaKing District Championships. Days later, she repeated the result at the WIAA 3A State Meet, finishing just behind Mercer Island’s Sophia Rodriguez. Then the season stretched. At NXR Northwest in Spokane, Armstrong placed fifth on the new course, earning her first-ever qualification to Nike Cross Nationals. In December, on the sport’s biggest stage, she delivered again. Armstrong finished 18th at Nike Cross Nationals, securing All-American honors and closing the year ranked 24th nationally by DyeStat — the second-highest of any high school girl on the West Coast. This season asked for patience. Cassidy trained without proof, raced without momentum, and trusted that the work would show up eventually. When it did, it showed up at the biggest moments. As she looks ahead to Duke and the next chapter of her career, this season stands as proof that timing, belief, and resilience can be just as powerful as raw fitness. Tap into the Cassidy Armstrong Special. Consider leaving a follow and a five-star review. Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thesundayshakeout/

Some athletes ease into the spotlight. Carter Smith ran straight toward it... faster than almost anyone his age. The Mifflin County senior from Lewistown, Pennsylvania is still early in his distance-running journey, just three years into the sport, yet his natural ability has forced the running world to pay attention. An 800-mile talent with rare range and feel, Smith pairs raw speed with an instinct for racing that can’t be taught. He didn’t grow up doing this. He learned fast. And then he kept getting better. The numbers come quick. 1:48.66 for 800 meters. 4:01.2 for the mile. A 15:04 5K in cross country. Five PIAA state titles. A NBNO championship in the mile. Last spring, he delivered the defining performance of his career so far, doubling back to win both the 1600m and 800m at the PIAA state meet. Two races. No margin. Just execution. But talent doesn’t protect you from doubt. This fall marked only his second season of cross country, raced mostly on slower courses and capped by a fourth-place finish at states after winning the year before. A small change in placement. A sharp internal check. Proof that progress isn’t linear, even when the ceiling is high. In this episode of The Sunday Shakeout, Carter talks about the power of the mind, how belief shapes performance, and what it means to stay grounded when expectations rise faster than experience. We unpack late development, racing with intent, and the tension between trusting talent and earning it daily as he gears up for a sub-four attempt at the New Balance Grand Prix. This conversation isn’t about hype. It’s about learning how to handle talent without letting it define you. Please enjoy this episode of The Sunday Shakeout with Carter Smith. Consider leaving a follow and a five-star review. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesundayshakeout/