Advertise on podcast: Dirt Nap Diaries

Tired of feeling guilty about everything you eat over the holidays? This episode is for you. Food isn't a debit, and you don't have to skip breakfast, tack on extra miles, or lift more to "earn" a slice of pie. You can enjoy the holiday table without spending the next three days stuck in your head about it. We talk about the punishment cycle that so many of us fall into, why your runs should stay normal during the holidays, and how to handle the family comments that can turn a good meal sour. Everyone's holiday looks different, so there are plenty of scenarios, and the goal is to stop treating a run like a bill for dinner. Why skipping meals to "offset" dinner usually backfires and leads to eating more laterHow to tell the difference between food that doesn't sit well and feeling bad for eating itKeeping your runs normal: eat before and during, and don't add miles to make up for a big mealBeing realistic about holiday schedules and talking to your coach before things get busyHaving a game plan for comments at the table, whether that's ignoring them, speaking up, or having someone in your cornerLinks & Resources for This Episode Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

This episode breaks down Shane Gillis's October 10 SNL monologue, the jokes he made about women's clothing and bodies, and Dan Levy's Instagram reel calling them out. It's a heavy one, but it ends with a practical side about what you can say and do in the moment. Why the monologue's gym bit is part of rape culture, and how jokes that reduce women to their bodies teach a room who gets treated as a targetWhat Dan Levy said in his reel, including his point that complacency is part of the environment that lets this continueWhy the "men get roasted too" argument misses the difference between being mocked and being objectifiedWhy men calling this out lands differently, and what that looks like in a group chat, a locker room, or a race crewHow this shows up in women's sports and trail and ultra running, from comments on race photos to women feeling like they have to earn their spot at the start lineWhat to say in the moment, like "that's not funny, that's not okay," and why you don't have to wait for someone else to say it firstLinks & Resources for This Episode Google "rape culture pyramid" and you will see what I was talking about. Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

Trekking poles can be your best friend if you take the time to work with them AND listen to this podcast. This episode breaks down what poles actually do, how to pick the right ones, how to solve the stow and retrieval problem, and how to practice so they work for your body. What poles actually do for you on uphills and downhillsHow to pick poles that fit your body and what to look forThe stow and retrieval problem and different ways to solve itHow to practice with them so they stop feeling awkwardWhat you need to check before you even buy them—race rules matterLinks & Resources for This Episode YouTube: Running with polesFollow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

Week three post-Mog and I'm thinking a lot about what easing back into training actually looks like. You're not just recovering from the race. You're recovering from that entire training block you just put yourself through. This episode breaks down the mental piece, the emotional piece, and the physical reality of what your body actually needs right now. How to know when you're ready to train again versus when you're just pretending. And where I'm at three weeks out. Key Takeaways: You're tired on a cellular level. Real recovery takes time, not just a napThe mental side matters as much as the physical one. Sit with what you're feeling instead of jumping to the next raceDon't rush back into training because you think you should. Give yourself actual recovery timeMove when it feels good, not to avoid what's in your head. You can't outrun yourselfThis applies to any race distance. The recovery timeline just looks different for everyoneEnjoying the show? If this episode resonated, share it with a friend. Make sure you’re following or subscribed so you don’t miss future episodes. Ratings and reviews help more than you know. Links & Resources for This Episode Strength Training by Shaina FataFollow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

Last week I told you I didn't finish MOG 100. This week is the full breakdown — mile by mile, what the race felt like, where it went wrong, and why my DNF ended up inspiring someone else to pull the plug on theirs too. We're talking humidity, volunteers who actually give a shit, a friend who ran alongside me for hours, my stomach doing weird shit, and what happens when you show up to a race already burnt out. Spoiler: you don't have fun, and that's when you know to stop. In this episode, I talk about: Race day conditions and pacing strategy going inThe volunteers and crew who showed up for me out thereRunning the Highline trail when everything felt flatWhat happened at mile 38 and why I pulled the plugHow my DNF inspired my friend Darren to recognize his own burnoutWhat I'd do different (spoiler: wouldn't have started at all)Links & Resources for This Episode Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

I DNF'd Mog 100 on Saturday. Pulled the plug at Buck Springs, right around mile 43, after hours of pain in places that have never once bothered me on a run, and a race I've wanted since 2018 that just... wasn't fun anymore. I'm not ready for the full recap, that's coming next week, maybe as a two parter. This is the short version, the honest why behind it, and where my head's at with a disappointment that's still very much sitting in my chest. Spoiler, I'm okay. Not the cute, silver lining kind of okay, just the my body is safe and I'm actually processing this kind of okay The physical stuff that showed up out there and never has beforeWhy the tiredness I'd been talking about for weeks finally caught up with meThe eight year history with Mog that might mean I forced this oneSitting with disappointment instead of rushing to find the lesson in itWhat recovery actually looks like right now, no running, no timelineLinks & Resources for This Episode Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

Mog 100 is Saturday, y'all. It's a stacked week, a concert tonight, beer night with an extra reason to celebrate, my friend Catherine in town, a cabin trip Friday, and I am nowhere close to packed. But since most of my life right now is training, tapering, and figuring out logistics, I figured I'd just bring you along for it. This is a follow up to the taper episode from earlier this year, episode 38, linked in the show notes, so I'm not rehashing the why here, just what my actual two week taper has looked like in real time, the good, the restless, and everything happening behind the scenes to get me to that start line. What a two week taper actually looks like week by week, and why the second week cuts even more than the firstThe behind the scenes prep that keeps me calm heading into race week, crew, pacing, and allWhat I'm doing, and skipping, with strength, mobility, and recovery work right nowThe honest truth about the doubt and restlessness that shows up during taper, and why it's not a red flagWhy trusting the work you've already banked is the entire point of this phaseLinks & Resources for This Episode Episode 38: The final phase of training: Taper like you mean itFollow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

I'm tired. Like really tired, and I don't fully know why yet, work's fine, running's fine, life isn't bad, but I've been running on empty for a while now, struggling to get out of bed for a trail run, struggling to sit down and program my athletes, struggling to want much of anything. I've got blood work coming to rule some stuff out, but in the meantime I recorded this one straight from the middle of it. This episode gets into what running on empty actually looks like, in training, coaching, and work, and makes the case that lowering the bar on purpose isn't quitting, it's what keeps you in the game long enough to come back stronger. Running on empty doesn't always mean overtraining, sometimes it's just a seasonLowering the bar on purpose isn't quitting, it's how you keep goingGood enough or nothing beats perfect or nothing, every timeSmall and consistent beats big and unsustainableMaintenance protects the progress you already made, and that counts as growthLinks & Resources for This Episode Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

Signing up for something big changes your day to day whether you like it or not, but what that actually looks like depends on your job, your family, your flexibility, your life. Racing back to back all year doesn't make you more legit than the person doing one big race every year or two, and comparing your training to someone else's is a losing game since you have no idea what season they're actually in. This episode gets into the real trade offs a training block asks of you, and makes the case that the off season isn't giving up, it's just as much a part of the plan. Training costs you something real, happy hour, Friday nights, early alarmsRacing once a year counts just as much as racing back to backComparing your training to someone else's is a losing gameOff season isn't giving up, it's part of the planLife shifts, and your training gets to shift with itLinks & Resources for This Episode Stability in Motion (SiM) - SiM is all about reminding people how to be playful, creative, and enjoy lifeFollow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

It's still my birthday month! In case you were wondering. This episode gets into something I've been chewing on: seasoned runners and the trap experience can turn into. We start with the good stuff, reading an elevation profile, understanding how your body handles heat and altitude, knowing your warning signs before they become a real problem. Then we flip it, because experience isn't always a win. Sometimes it turns into six pairs of shoes you didn't need, overanalyzing a race course until the fun's gone, giving advice nobody asked for, or telling people to rest and fuel right while you're out here ignoring your own rules. If you've been at this a while, some of this might sting a little. If you're newer, consider it your permission slip to stop assuming the loudest voice on the trail knows best. Key takeaways: Experience gets you real skills: reading elevation profiles, understanding heat and altitude, pacing by feel, and knowing your body's warning signs before they escalateA closet full of gear you don't use isn't experience, it's overbuying, know what you actually need before you swipeOveranalyzing a race course can steal the fun right out of it, and so can refusing to look at the map at allUnsolicited advice, especially the kind nobody asked for, pushes new runners away instead of pulling them inIf you're telling people to rest, fuel, and train a certain way but not doing it yourself, that's the real problem, not your years on the trailLinks & Resources for This Episode Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

A text from one of my athletes got me thinking about solo running, and it turns out I have a LOT of feelings about it. Some of you won't run alone, ever. Some of you love it but won't admit it to your run crew. And some of you are the friend who keeps saying "come with us!" until it stops feeling like an invitation. In this episode I'm making the case for why solo miles matter, for your training and for your life, and I'm not doing it with a "just get over it"...fear of running alone is real, especially for women, and we're talking about how to work with it, not around it. In this episode: The 4 types of runners when it comes to solo miles... and which one you areWhat always running with others actually costs your trainingThe voices in your head, and why race day is a terrible time to meet them for the first timeHow solo runs build boundaries and confidence that carry into the rest of your lifePractical steps to start running solo if fear or nerves are holding you backYour homework (yes, there's homework this week)Links & Resources for This Episode Stability in Motion (SiM) - SiM is all about reminding people how to be playful, creative, and enjoy lifeFollow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

A bunch of you have been asking me about running uphill, so this is the tactical episode I promised. I'm getting into what those grade percentages actually mean (so you know if a hill is legit steep or you're just making shit up in your head), why "runnable" is about you and that hill on that day and not the hill itself, and why your lungs staging a protest doesn't mean you're not an uphill runner. It just means you're not there yet. Plus actual workouts you can take with you, including treadmill versions, because it is HOT out there. In this episode: The grade cheat sheet, from sneaky 2% grinders to hands-on-thighs steepMy five rules for running uphill at easy effort, starting with don't auto-hike just because the trail tiltedWhy runnable vs. non-runnable can change between people, and even within the same runSample VO2 max, tempo, and power hike workouts with treadmill optionsThe "yet" mechanism and why easy hilly runs are your weaponLinks & Resources for This Episode Episode 17: The Ups and Downs of Trail Running: How to Move Efficiently on Every HillFollow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

I'm back from Europe and I finally get to tell you all about the Tour du Mont Blanc... 10 days circling Mont Blanc (around it, not up it), about 105 miles and 33,000 feet of climbing through France, Italy, and Switzerland. This one has everything: the logistics of booking through a company, huts with beer and Coke in the middle of nowhere, the wonderful humans I met from all over the world, and the day 9 ladders that had me crying for 30 minutes before I climbed them anyway. Booking through a company vs. DIY, and why we chose Adventure BaseWhat to actually pack (yes, you need poles... and how to fly with them)Hut life: refuge dinners, hiking beers, and half board explainedThe exposed ladders, my fear of heights, and the advice from a stranger I needed to hearA trail etiquette rant... please step aside, peopleHow to train for 10 back-to-back mountain days (you don't have to be an ultrarunner)The real lesson: take your days, unplug, and find the thing that's for YOULinks & Resources for This Episode Several pics of the ladders can be found in this blog or this YouTube.Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

The race is over, the crowd is gone, and everything is quiet again... and that quiet can feel really loud. It's been about eight weeks since Cocodona, and I finally named what I've been feeling: post-race blues. Except mine don't look like what everybody talks about. No restless "what's next" searching, no beating myself up over my time goal... just fog, fatigue that doesn't add up, and a flatness I didn't see coming. So I'm sharing all of it, because if coaches expect honesty from their athletes, we've got to show up the same way. In this episode: Why my post-race blues looked nothing like the version I'd always heard aboutThe sneaky symptoms... brain fog, weird fatigue, emotional flatness, and the good cry that finally named itThe physiology behind it: stress hormones, the dopamine drop, and why recovery takes months, not weeksHow I'm actually recovering... doing the minimum, protecting my promises, and letting the rest waitWhy this isn't just about 200-milers... it can follow any big thing, running or notYou're not broken, you're not failing at recovery. You did something really hard, and now your body wants rest. Links & Resources for This Episode Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

I'm off hiking around Mont Blanc while you're listening to this, but I couldn't leave y'all hanging...so today we're talking about the two extremes I see all the time as a coach: doing too much and doing too little. Sometimes in the same athlete, in the same training block. We're human, life happens, and both extremes usually come from the same place...not trusting the plan, or not trusting yourself. In this episode: Why training guidelines (yes, even the Koop book) are guidelines, not gospelThe sneaky ways we overdo it...feeling good and adding more, chasing elite workouts, following a friend's planWhat athletes won't always tell their coach, or themselvesThe skip-and-shame spiral, and why double stacking runs is never the answerBuilding a plan for your real life, not your aspirational oneThe plan done mostly right, most of the time...that's what gets you to the start line ready. Links & Resources for This Episode Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here