On The Floor: Conquering Leadville with Danielle Pellicano

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Parker Condit (00:05):
Hey everyone, welcome back to Exploring Health
Macro to Micro.
I'm your host, Parker Condit.
If you're watching, you canprobably already tell this is a
slightly different formatalready, because we're not in
the normal studio and DaniellePelicano is here live in person,
so this is going to be anotheron the floor, but we're actually
going to do a race recap from arace we did this past weekend

(00:26):
here in Leadville, colorado.

Danielle Pellicano (00:28):
And don't worry, I do have pants on Again
without the context.
It's a little deceiving therefor a second.

I do have shorts on Without the context of the
video.
That might be confusing, fairAnyway.
So if you're listening just onaudio, I suggest you watch this
on YouTube.
So, danielle, I think theeasiest place to start is just
describing where we are, whatrace we're doing and then,
probably for people who don'tknow, explaining your sort of
professional background tounderstand why we're sort of

(00:56):
across the country racing in aremote area.

Perfect.
So Parker and I last seasondecided like we should have one
race a year where we race eachother.
So I picked Leadville, thinkingI would be an advantage because
I've been staying in Aspen forthe entire summer here country

(01:20):
because it starts at 10,000 feetand it climbs all the way to
about 13.1, or 13.2 is MosquitoPass.
So it is a gut-wrenching half,heavy half and full marathon
that they offer this month andthen each month they tack on
bigger distances and thenfinishing off the season up here

(01:41):
in Leadville with the 100 miler.
So I say we go big or we gohome, parker.
So that's why I pickedLeadville.

Leadville was an interesting choice.
I've run a half marathon uphere before on the road.
Very different experience, aswe'll end up getting into.
But can you just explain, like,what you do and why there's a
bunch of us here in this house?
Absolutely.

So I'm a-time endurance coach.
I've been coaching for the last20 years now and Leadville has
always been a pivotal race formost of my clientele, because my
business originates out ofMinnesota, which Lifetime
originates out of, and this hasalways been a bucket list event
and I built a lot of myendurance coaching around

(02:23):
getting people ready for theseruns and bike races.
So for me, endurance coachinghas always been my background.
I roster about 30 athletes ayear and I was excited to have
Parker a part of us this teamevent this weekend and I think
it really is a humbling eventand I think you really grow as
an athlete and person to do anevent that's this challenging.

So Danielle and I know each other from personal
training and coaching back inColorado, if people don't have
that backstory already.
But then we did a race.
This is the second race thatwe've done against each other.
The first one was in Las Vegastwo years ago, half marathon.
It was a fast race because itwas downhill.

Yes.

And we didn't start at exactly the same time
and I saw you at the very end ofthat race.
So I was like, ooh, I knew shestarted before me and I thought
you were like a minute or two infront of me, based on how far
as we were coming up to thefinish line.
I was like it's going to beclose when we check the timing
chips and you beat me by like aminute Correct and seven seconds

(03:26):
right, it was annoyingly close.
So Danielle, had that hangingover my head for the past two
years.

Correct.

So this was the second race in our sort of
interpersonal series and goinginto this I was not particularly
confident, just, I mean for avariety of reasons that we'll
get into.

But do you want to go to the results now?
Oh, absolutely, um drum rollplease.
So I came in at 331 45 I think,and coach d came in at 337,
which puts parker at a sixminute lead on coach d.
From the beginning and I only Ithink I clipped off one minute
on my descent, but I knew he hadit.
When I saw him come downMosquito Pass I looked at my
watch and I'm like, okay, he'sgot 10 minutes on me right now.

(04:16):
And then I started to fly downMosquito Pass in what would be
considered an unsafe descents toothers around me but I felt
really good about it.

But yeah, we'll end up talking about the descent
portion, but we got it.

I mean you got to give a high five to
Parker beating coach D atLeadville in what is one of the
hardest races, and I have beenat altitude for a month, so all
of those factors are reallyimpressive.
So great job.
Thank you, it was a I wanted tosay it was a fun race.

It wasn't, it was a very it was a fun race.
It wasn't, it was a very.
It was a very hard race.
I'm so, I'm happy now that it'sover A hundred percent.
How do you feel today?
Fine, Like I'm a little sore,but like wrecked yesterday.
Wrecked Absolutely wrecked.

I can contest that I saw it.

So the race was challenging, to say the least.
Um going into it knowing thatit was going to be at elevation,
I wanted to do a race recap forthis video, just because there
were so many variables.
So I was training in Phoenix,which is about a thousand feet
of elevation.
It's very hot there at thispoint, so the elevation was
going to be a big variable.
And the fact that there's lessoxygen for you here and there's
really not a great way to trainfor that unless you're at
elevation, so that was going tobe a huge variable.

(05:26):
And then also it's the end ofJune, which is very hot in
Phoenix, so my ability to trainjust tapered off so hard over
the past month.

Yes.

I peaked like in the middle of May probably.
I can see that.

So that was one of the big challenges.
I ruminated about this allnight.
Don't worry on these trainingpractices, because I, too, lived
in Scottsdale the last time Idid this race, which I think was
2019.
And I remember being at my mostfit as a runner, living there,
and I had to think about it fromthe perspective of lots of

(06:05):
things.
So, when you live at altitude,you're clearly at an advantage.
You just have had time toacclimate, you're used to that
feeling of less oxygen period.
I will say, though this is whatI was ruminating about last
night Arizona is a prime stateto train as a runner, and I was
thinking about this when we werecoming down Mosquito Pass,
which is extremely bouldery rock, loose rock, sharp rock and all

(06:31):
I thought about was likeGateway Trail right.
I realized you can run inArizona and add miles of that
type of training pretty easily,like in a positive way.
The heat is actually whatstudies have shown to be the
only way you could stress thebody to let people feel what it

(06:52):
could be like to be at altitude,so that training ground was
actually ideal, whereas, beingup here so I'm in Aspen most of
my runs were at eight, 9,000feet, but everything is
immediately up, so you becomevery proficient at power walking
, which helped at Mosquito Pass.
We should do a shot every timeI say Mosquito Pass, okay,

(07:13):
parker.
Recording at 8 am.
I mean it's only 8 am.
I mean, come on, but anyways,why I say that is?
That is the difference, I think, of understanding.
I've been living here.
You are able to push a verygood fast power walking pace,
which actually was even betterthan jogging or trying to jog,

(07:34):
but you can't mimic terrain.
So I think, to be fair, arizonaactually speaks more to the
landscape of Leadville Coloradothan some of the lower valley.
That was just an observation Imade yesterday.

Yeah, I did as little prep and research into
this.

I think that was a good into this course as
possible yeah I.

I don't think I could have done that race with
any prior knowledge of how hardit was going to be.
Like I went into a with pureignorance and I thought it was
going to be.

I knew it was a trail race yes I thought
it was going to be all like uh,like jeep trails and like dirt
roads I told parker there was noelevation gain and don't worry
about it, you don't need anyhill training, you'll be fine.

So I was training gateway in arizona, which is
incredibly bouldery, yes, um,and like that type of running
for me.
It just takes so much out of mylegs.
So I'm just getting crushed in100 degree weather, basically
walking the whole time and likethat never feels good from like
a oh, am I really pushingperformance Cause I'm just
walking the whole time?
Yeah, but I'm like, oh well, atleast it's going to be like a

(08:34):
smoother trail.
I'm like I'm going to pick uptime there.
It's not going to be as hot.
And then we get here.
The first two and a half milesis like a smooth Jeep trail road
and then it's not.

Yes.

For the rest of it.

And I remember saying this I kind of
just blackout races I've done inthe past A I'm usually not a
repeat offender because there'sso much I want to see and do
that.
Leadville is probably the onlyhome base that I've done it
multiple times.
Their events up here A I loveto support them, them be.
It's just an awesome trainingground.
But yesterday, I kid you not, Ido not recall Mosquito Pass

(09:13):
being that long I literally keptlooking up and I'm like, are
those people?
I'm like this is a lot fartherthan I remember and that can.
It was just.
It was a slow march foreverybody and whoever could keep
the most consistent marchprobably had the best race
yesterday.

(09:33):
And I also feel, because wetalked about this, I used this
race with when Scott and us werediscussing it yesterday.
For any of you who have doneSchwamm again, I always use this
as a reference.
It's a mountain bike race butit starts in Rosie's Field, so
it's a big rollout on a grassknoll but you all bottleneck to
a trailhead.
I feel like that would be mycoaching tip takeaway yesterday

(09:55):
was, if you could grind outthose first three miles and
create your position, you prettymuch solidified where you were
going to stay in that race.
Obviously I didn't know thatyesterday, but today, as I think
back, even because we werepushing it in the beginning like
we were together oh, I lovethis too, by the way.
Everybody I told like a mile,it was a mile and a half.
Michael parker, I think weshould at this point, we should

(10:18):
stay together at a mile and ahalf.
And he was.
Well, why don't we just see howthings play out?
And?
And I'm like nice, of course.
And then, after like the secondmile, this little spread
started and so now I'm behindhim and anytime he would pick it
up a little bit, I'd pick it upa little bit, and then when he
would stop, I'd try to go likefive more seconds.
Then I would power walk behindhim and I was like this strategy

(10:39):
is totally going to work.
And then the descent happened,and then it was another power,
and then I saw it kind of notworking anymore and that lead
was starting to build.
And then at mosquito pass, Inever saw you again till you
were coming down, and then I hadno gauge which worked to my
advantage.
It works both ways if someone'sthe lead or the tail For me.
I'm like you cannot stop, like Iwanted to, a few times, like

(10:59):
for real I was feeling verylightheaded.
I'm like no, no, every littlestep matters here, because
Parker might be like doubledover up top.
I have no idea.

Yeah, a few times .

Until I see you come down is when I stare at
my watch.
But I still had no idea thataround the bend there was still
another push, so that at thatpoint it was a 10 minute gap at
mile 7.5.

Yeah.

And so I got I closed four minutes on you,
but that was it.
Yeah, I was really proud of you.
I think I saw you one more time.
I said that last night, but Iwas trying to eagle eye your
compression socks.
I'm like, is that him?
But I couldn't confirm it, so Ijust stayed where I was at and
it was good.

Yeah, so early on the race we were sort of
yo-yoing back and forth and Ididn't think that was going to
be a good strategy for me.
Yeah, Just like kind offollowing you.

Of course not.
I did it for my own.
I want to tether you to me fora minute.

No, not for any reason other than like, like,
that way, like then, you're notrunning your own race For sure.

And I wouldn't.
And what's great, was anyonelistening to us that I've
coached are like you guys.
I could tell Parker had it inhim and I was like, ooh, I'm
going to try to hold this guyback as long as possible.

I was regretting how hard I went once we got to
Mosquito Pass.

No, that was what did it for you.

Yeah, so to give people listening an idea of what
this is, it's a 7.7 mile outand back and then the first aid
station is at like mile 4.5, 4.6, and then the next aid station
is at the top.
So you have about three milesbetween that aid station.
So you just know that going tothe top and you're like I've

(12:34):
been walking so slow for over anhour and I still can't see the
top.
I know, and like then you'reclimbing, you're climbing
through elevation, like you youmentioned it a few times like
how, not lightheaded, but thisis the first time I felt that
way.

I'm going to be honest I it was a true
lightheaded, almost euphoricstate where I'm like I didn't
feel like I needed to stop, butI was almost like stepping
laterally, like I felt a littleoff.
Let's put it that way.

Did you stop at all?
Yes, oh yeah, I stopped manytimes.

I mean, I had yeah, I told you I I, my
resting position is my hands onmy knees, and you never, by the
way, want that to be yourresting position, cause everyone
will walk by and be like do youneed a medic?
You, okay, you doing all right.
I'm like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm great.
I'm like what's the point ofresting if you can't put your
hands on your knees for a second?

(13:28):
Kids Happened every time,though, so it was a good buffer
again to get me to keep movingand not to do that.

And again, not easy terrain to walk up, so
steep and really uneven footing.

Yes, no, it's unforgiving, and we were
talking about this yesterday.
I think trail running ingeneral requires a very strong
body.
You need to train in theelement.
It curbs so many runnersbecause that descent on Mosquito
Pass, for example, everystabilizer in your body is

(14:00):
working for a solid 30 minutes.
That's a long time, and thenthey gift you with a real
flatness, which then your calvesusually seize up or your quads.
After bounding gingerly downmosquito pass.
It is jarring on the body andthat was the word I would use
where it is taxing.
It is not for everyone.

(14:21):
You need to train descendingoften to do well at trail
running.
In my opinion, you could tiptoeit down, but the descent needs
to be where.
It's the only thing that makesme realize I still enjoy it.
I'm like there has to be someenjoyment here.
Oh good, we're going to run downall of this.
Fantastic, that is a very rarementality.

(14:42):
I think most are like wow, thisis really treacherous.
I have to watch my footing.
People were still using theirpoles on the way down and that's
great too, but that's a longday.
Then I just look at it that way.
I'm like if you're not able tokind of pick up your gate and
look at that as free speed,that's a long day.
That would make most of thatrace unrunnable.

Then, if you think about it, and for somebody
who's never done like a longtrail run or trail race like
this, I I've only ever run roadraces, pretty much where it's
like you will maybe walk, orI've done like spartan races
where there's a little bit ofwalking involved.
Yes, I probably walked for twohours yesterday of a three and a
half hour race.
I probably walked for two hours, if not more.

(15:19):
Absolutely, absolutely.
That's weird to do and be likeI'm doing well, walking way more
than I'm running in a race in arunning race.

So here there was a woman oh, the woman
we started with, that was on myleft, that we were talking to,
and she's like oh, I live hereand we, you know, had probably a
five minute conversation.
She and I ended up together bymile 11.
Ok, and she had one pace and Iremember her saying like,
because everyone will always belike good job, as I'm like
blowing by them, but then I cometo a dead Holt and power walk

(15:48):
for 30 seconds, then I almostsprint and then I'll power walk
for 30 seconds on this.
When we got to like that 11th,12th mile.

Yeah.

I just had to, because I went so hard down
Mosquito Pass that my legsliterally started to seize a
little bit.
That started to seize a littlebit.
That was lack of sodium orsomething, so I tried to pop a
gel.
But we'll get on to that.
All of us had a poor nutritionday, meaning we were taking it
in, but we were all nauseous.
Yeah, and that is an.
That is a.
A it's.
It happens most times, and notat this altitude.
It's just challenging.

(16:17):
So that seizing or that thatdepletion is almost a gamble,
right so that's why I was doingthat as my, and so this woman
comes by and I was like, hey,she's like, oh, you're doing
great.
I'm like sorry, she's like Ionly have one speed and this is
it.
She never not lightly jogged,yep, the the rest of.
I mean, I was watching, butwhat's interesting is I I

(16:38):
probably beat her by fiveminutes yep just a give or take
is going to be my guess, andthat was with a fast run, dead
halt walk.
So everything's different.
You know what I mean?
There was no formula foryesterday or in that type of
race in general, so it'swhatever works for you, where
you're just being mindful thatyou're staying on some type of
consistency.
So if you're like I'm going todo that, then your splits need

(17:00):
to be like that, like I wouldnever let myself walk for longer
than 30 seconds, and that feltlong actually, but my heart rate
would come down just enough,which is usually 10 beats where
I'm like cool, even if that feltmore mental than physical.
I'm like great, you could berunning again.

Go yeah.
The other thing that wasinteresting again, the ignorance
of going into this.

I think you were that ignorant.

I genuinely didn't want to tell you anything
because it was a step up forcoach d yeah no, it was uh well,
I'm glad you did it, because Iwouldn't have done it if I would
have been like.

Oh, partners is the hardest wars race in the
country.
Come join me, please.

I was just doing math.
I was like, okay, there's 3 000feet of elevation gain over
seven and a half miles.
Yes, I'm like there's going tobe some ups, there's going to be
some downs, but 3 000 feet overseven, over seven miles, I'm
like it can't be that aggressive.

It was so aggressive so no, I, I know we
came out, we come around a bendand and all like, we're all like
looking and we're like I'm like, oh, like those are people
still.
Yep, like I thought the, Ithought the summit was where I
thought it was and when Irealized it wasn't, it was a bit
soul crushing because I did themath and I'm like, if that's

(18:12):
wrapping around and those littleants are people that I see, I
have at least another half hourand it was easily and I was like
wow.

Yeah, I was doing the math not on time because I
was like I didn't look at mywatch a lot.
No, you shouldn't, but I justknew, like you, you, you feel it
buzz.
So I was like, all right, Iknew I'm at mile six and I'm
like, oh, so another.

Yeah, and I'm like that's it.

Another 1.7.
At this pace I'm like you know,every 30 seconds.
I was stopping.

Yes.

Yeah, Cause you just not like a steep edge, but
you'd kind of step off to theside so people can walk past you
and you're like I could fallover.

I wish there would've been like a halo of
light over where you were.
It would've been very helpfulfor me.
Yeah, I'm stop here.
Just push through thisdiscomfort for another three
minutes and you're going toclose the gap another minute on
him, so I'm just messing arounduh, do you want to go over
anything else on, like the therace details?

they might come up kind of throughout as we talk
about nutrition and stuff likethat.

No, let's just shoot another question off
all right, uh, let's talk aboutfueling.

Uh, pre, during and post.
Yeah, I think I failed on.

Definitely post those are not the right
words.
Nope, Nope.
This is not a race.
That is unless you have beenable to come up here and do a
true training run.
Nope, not even a week.
If you could have come up hereat this altitude and put in an
eight mile effort, out back fourmiles and got to play around

(19:47):
with that, felt like youprobably could have dialed in
what was going to be settling toyour stomach more.
What we also have to prefacebecause this is such a bigger
conversation.
All of you guys came in fromMinnesota the night before, so
half the group was Minnesota.
You were Arizona Flatland, flatseal Not here, Correct.
That is not wrong.

(20:07):
This is something where coachesall have their own opinion.
If you could be up here a weekprior, great.
Most can't do that.
So I never let that be a factorthat you can't do the race.
You're better off flying injust a day before.
It's always worked for all ofus.
It worked yesterday as well.
However, you probably all camein a little dehydrated.
It's just a fact with traveland maybe you don't think to

(20:29):
drink as much the altitude andhow you can digest calories is
just going to be what it's goingto be.
That day, because we allstruggled, we didn't switch
anything.
But I was very mindful the daybefore, where I was crushing
electrolytes more than I usuallydo, but to the point where I

(20:50):
felt like I wasn't going to thebathroom all the time.
It didn't feel like I was justpeeing out all of what I'm
trying to keep in, to be fair,but I was really mindful that I
was getting at least a hundredounces that day where every
other bottle had electrolytes.
I ate frequently on Friday,smaller meals and was two days
out really focusing on goodcarbs and fat, but that's a fuel

(21:11):
source that works for me.
The day of I woke up, I saw youand you started your feeding
window three hours before thestart time, which was very smart
.
Actually, I don't know if it'sbecause of what we had the night
before, which was chicken, rice, veggie or a salad like all
good choices.
Oh, nothing I wouldn't havenormally done.

(21:32):
I just felt so bloated and fullthe next day that for me I like
barely got down those eggs thatyou made.
And then I had a banana an hourout with some peanut butter and
I still was like, ooh, I don'tfeel awesome.
Started having some hydrationscratch in a bottle an hour out
from the race and I felt lightand good at the start, to be

(21:55):
fair, and it was fine.
I just think that's somethingwhere you can only do your best
to try to get in what you can,but you can't.
You have to force it a little,and yesterday felt forced the
whole race and that is abnormalfor me personally and it seemed
to be what all of us experienced.

How many calories do you think you took in during
the race?

I filled my bladder with 50 ounces.
I emptied that thing at the endof yesterday and I still had
like 15 to 20 ounces in it.
So, I probably only did 30ounces, which is terrible, um,
and I felt like I was drinking alot.
I had 200 calories in that.
And I really like Morton gels.

(22:35):
They work for me.
It's the gelatin of those gelsreally work, especially at high
altitude like that, becauseyou're not, it's not syrupy, it
just goes down.
They're a hit or miss forpeople, but the ones that really
like them, we love them.
I had that at the 40 minutemark and then I was still
feeling weird, so then I hadanother one like at 35 minutes

(22:55):
in there and then I just hadbananas.
The rest of that race, did youbring bananas?

with you.
No, I just.

I thought, uh, plug for Leadville.
Their aid stations werefantastic, those were deep in
all the things.
So that is very rare, so thatwas awesome that.
And they did a good job lettingyou know what was going to be
there.
So that helps with planning.
Um, but I think my limitingfactor yesterday was actually
hydration and then mosquito passran out of water.

(23:23):
That's okay, it happens.

Um, so you couldn't even do that if you
wanted to at the top.
Luckily I had.
I probably had eight ouncesleft.

Yeah, so I knew, and it was a descent, so I
knew it was all downhill yeah.

So I was like I've got something to get down
to the next aid station, but butI was really.
I was really looking forward togetting some water.

Yeah, um, so I probably one, two, three
under 400 calories yesterday forthree and a half hour effort,
which I probably should havebeen at.
Six is my guess.
Um, I don't think it played atotal role in my performance.
To be fair, I think I wastopping off just enough to be
okay, yeah, but I never feltlike it was like a nitro boost,

(24:05):
which'll be honest with you,usually I'll hit a morton's and
I'm like 10 minutes in afterdoing it, I'm like I, I just you
feel it almost I, I didn't feelany of that yeah, I carried 700
calories with me.
Yes, took in four which is, andwe said, you should have done
six when we started, when wetalked in the morning.
So so you did, you did well.

But like again, all of it was forced Correct, it
was just like at certain timeintervals.
It's like I I know I haven'tconsumed anything for a while.

Yes.

My body probably needs something.
It felt horrible, yep, everysingle time.
Like the gels I did goo gels,yes, just going in.

That's when I probably drank most of my
water, just so I could likecorrect them down.
Um, and then I did have a pieceof bacon and normally I'd be
like I mean, that'd be likegiving coach d like a t-bone
steak.
I'd be like, yes, I that.
That's how unwell.
I felt like nothing soundedgood yeah and the guy's like
bacon, peanut butter, jellysandwich, tortilla wrap.
I'm like I'll take a piece ofbacon.
Still helps, but that was justlike biting.
It felt like chewing on jerky.

(25:11):
I was like ah, I don't know.
Yeah, I was striking out alittle bit, but that's all good.
My but I never looked depletedlike.
This is us giving you like theinternals of how we felt, but
from an external perspective,and I'll post videos on my recap
reel we looked damn good comingdown mosquito pass, like at
miles eight, nine, ten, like wehad a solid race.

(25:32):
We crossed the finish linestrong, like I never felt like I
appeared slow or like today's,not the day.
I, internally, though, feltlike like this is real hard.
That was in and I expected it,so, yep, no, I think we did
great.

I'm like going on mosquito pass.
I'm like if there were areasonable way to stop right now
, I would, but it's like it'sjust the entire way back.
So I'm like you might as welljust go up and just go back down
because that view was.

No one's gonna see that view.
It was beautiful.

I, that's what I was trying to focus on the whole
time.
I'm like I feel horrible, butwhat a pretty view.

I'll say it's been unseasonable weather
across the country this summer.
This day yesterday forLeadville was one of the
prettiest days I have ever racedup here.
The temperature at the startwas awesome.
It was cloud coverage when youneeded it for three, four miles
to get the sun to peek out asyou are ascending mosquito pass,

(26:27):
to have that view of thatvalley is unbelievable.
I've never seen it like that.
So those things do carry youthrough a race.
They just they have to yep forsure.
Because people ask us all thetime like why would you like?
Where's the why?
Where do you find the joy inthese things?
I'm like, I always find the joyin them.
You know, what really makes mehappy is when we wake up the
next day.
I'm like, oh, I feel good, likeif I was like Parker.

(26:50):
We're going to do a three mileshakeout.
You bet Cool, I could run today, 1000%.
I don't want to, but Well, me,neither I.

I'll say, on the fueling side I ate a lot.
I had two bagels, so that was500.
Some calories In the morning,yeah.
With butter, so it was probablyclose to 700.
And then two bananas and someeggs.

So I probably killed it.

So I probably close to a thousand calories,
yeah, yeah, but like bigger body.
So I know I need it and that'sthe one thing I did find,
because I've never I've neverrun seriously enough to like
take my nutrition that seriously.
But I had to start doing itthis year, training for this
earlier on, like going out forthose long runs where I was like
, oh, if I actually have a bageland a banana before I run, I

(27:34):
feel a lot better Of course, andI think we also have
complicated things.

Let's be real.
You find foods that fuel you.
You try to make good choices,Like when you walked in with
like your textbook white bagels.
I was like they're not glutenfree.
What is going?

on here.

Kidding Like , are you joking?
I have one this morning.
I'm like delicious, it'ssubstance period.
And as a coach, because we'vecomplicated it and I'm not

(28:15):
saying all of these newerstudies aren't great, everything
like more elite conversation,but you have a running goal, a
weight you like to be at whenyou feel your best.
That's where numbers matter.
The source of your food.
We, as coaches, always try toencourage you to choose smart
foods, but I give my people alot of autonomy there because A
I'm not going to meal plan foryou because everyone has become

(28:36):
very fickle in what they canhave.
And I'll be honest, right, itmatters that you understand what
you require and that is a hugepart of your training.
You need to be mindful of it.
You need to practice it.
So the biggest thing I thinkwith my runners is like when you
go out and do your longer runson the weekend, you need to
practice how you're going toplay.

(28:56):
You need to purchase yournutrition.
You need to practice how you'regoing to play.
You need to purchase yournutrition.
You need to practice yournutrition, even if you're like,
oh, but this is a short run, I'monly out here two hours.
Anything that exceeds 45 minutesneeds to start having a caloric
intake replenishment and youneed to start working on those
things.
And if you're someone thatcramps all the time, like you
can't, it's not going to fixitself as you get closer to race
day.

(29:16):
So those things should be, andneed to be, dialed in well
before that race comes to.
That's why yesterday wassurprising to all of us because
we were all on those things butall of us were just the altitude
kind of one.
I think it was really hot.
This was a.
This was hot for Leadville.
It finished hot Um, to be inand for for Scott and the guys

(29:36):
that did the marathon to be infull sun for the majority of
that race.
That is where hydration.
I don't even know if you couldhave stayed ahead, but everyone
looked good.
I never saw a lot of people outthere that were really
struggling.
No, I didn't see any carnage?

No, which is surprising.

For that race, for sure.

I mean, I guess it probably self-selects a
certain type of athlete to thisrace.

I remember we're in the corral about to
start and I look at Parker.
I'm like these are my peopleand I do.
I mean it.
I look around like that energyis so different and so
contagious that it makes mesmile and it also calms me
because you're like it.
We're just a different breed.
Like the amount of sacrificeyou make to show up for things

(30:23):
like this.
Just from a trainingperspective, this is your
vacation time.
It's a funky town.
Let's be real, it is.
It's just so.

Everything about it's unique, but everyone is
just, they're just cool peopleand it's just a really neat
environment the whole weekendyeah, yeah, leadville is like an
old mining town, right, correct, yeah, and it's like two hours
from aspen, it's two hours fromdenver, it's like nothing's
close to it no, no, very remote,it's awesome do you want to

(30:54):
talk about your training leadingup to this?

yes, oh, you know what was, what was a real
win.
Yesterday, when my watch beeped,it said that my performance
score was a plus four I was likeI have no excuses not to bury
parker in this race today, um,but in all fairness, I I felt
very rested coming into the race.

(31:18):
I felt definitely undervolumed,but this is something I have
been saying my entire careerbecause I prioritize my coaching
and my athletes more than myown training.
That is not me making excuses.
I think yesterday was afantastic race.
I did very well.
I was very happy with how Iplaced.

(31:39):
Think yesterday was a fantasticrace.
I did very well.
I was very happy with how Iplaced.
I my takeaway yesterday was Ihave done very little anaerobic
zone four since I've gotten tothe valley, so this past month
has been a lot of zone two, bigefforts but nothing.
High heart rate for longerperiods of time and I realized
that was definitely a missingelement for me yesterday.

(32:01):
Totally fine, and that is whereI, as an athlete, have always
been able to positively haveself-talk and reflection during
races.
I don't beat myself up over it.
I accept what I was prepared todo and yesterday I executed
exactly where my fitness was at.
Is that make sense?

(32:23):
High altitude training likethis and that power walking?
It required me to have beenmore comfortable in the upper
160s, lower 170s and I have notbeen training in those 170s.
Even like a max heart rate forme now is like a 182, I think,
or something right, um, andthat's okay.
Like typically, I would getthat on the bike and I've just

(32:46):
gone back to cycling a coupleweeks ago, so it all.
I feel like this was a very,very well placed race for me to
have a boost in how theremainder of my summer will go
for other races.
I'm thrilled that my body feelsgood.
So from a strength perspective,I've been really focusing on
getting my body back after myrib injury, so I've had to

(33:09):
prioritize the foundation.
And that brings us full circleto what I am saying on mosquito
passings like that.
I needed to be strong, strong,so I've been working more on
getting those things back.
I will always be able tomentally push myself in a
discomfort in races because I'vebeen doing it my whole life
right how much strength trainingor like let's talk about, like,

(33:32):
wheelie volume.

If you want to talk about that, do you know
like roughly how many miles youwere doing a week?

My peak weeks were no more than 30.
Okay For a race like this tohave been faster, because I was,
in my opinion, capable of doinglike a three hour.
I probably could have shaved 30minutes, which people are like
no, I for sure could have if Ihad been building out way more
volume, yep, and that would havebeen like a standard week.
A low week would have been 30.
Yep.
Like I for sure could have if Ihad been building out way more

(33:59):
volume, yep, and that would havebeen like a standard week.
A low week would have been 30.
Yep.
Normal weeks for this raceshould have been 45, 50 miles,
or not even to say that.
That's why I asked you, becauseyou were, you did a good job
making your long run.
That's what I was asking you.
I'm like well, what was thetime on your longest?

(34:26):
I didn't care about thedistance.
You're like two and a halfhours.
I'm like great, I should haveexceeded at least a four-hour
effort.
To just understand.
Do you know what I mean?
Yesterday I mean yesterday wasa three and a half hour race.
So for me to have exceeded thatdistance would have been my
protocol.
I don't typically train a lotof my people that way, because
you you gamble with injury andfatigue at the start for them,

(34:48):
then so if they so, that's allI'm going to say there.

Yeah, I guess, as we were going any, any race
that I'm going into my strengthis always going to be my
strength.
Yes, right, that I'm going intomy strength is always going to
be my strength.
Yes, right, I'm a bigger person, I'm like one, 90.
Um, and I don't think I did 30miles at all.
Okay, maybe in the middle of MayI hit it like a higher volume
week and then like a 13 milelong run on the weekend.

(35:14):
Um, so like at, at the veryleast, I'm going to have strong
legs that are going to have tocarry me throughout this,
Absolutely yes.
But I did a lot of strengthtraining, especially leading up
to probably June.
The beginning of June I wasdoing like heavy squats two
times a week and then I didreally long sets of alternating

(35:36):
step-ups, Like I would just do20.

Yes, 100%.

Yeah, like 20, 30 minutes at a time Awesome From
a strength training perspective.
That's basically all I did formy lower body.
It was just those two thingsand what's so funny.

How old are you?
35.
Okay, I knew it.
I just wanted to get it onrecording Because I know this is
important.
So I'm 44.
And I will say the only what'sbecoming a recurring discomfort
is a post-tib issue and mostlisteners that are in their 40s,
women that are runners.
It's just it's.

(36:06):
I don't know if it's it's wearand tear, in my opinion, um,
I've had to shift my mindset.
I, I lift compound movementsheavy, compound movements heavy.
But I have to do a ton ofstabilizer band, ankle, peroneal
, like almost before I run nowas a primer.

Yep.

And I have to do plyometrics.
So I've reincorporated jumproping, box jumps, landing.
It's just the shift that is.
It's A how I always enjoyedworking out, but it was
different.
Now it's a, now it's like anecessity.
1000%, yeah, um, I don't.
It doesn't have to look pretty,it doesn't have to be like you
used to jump, but it's soimportant and that, in my

(36:50):
opinion, is I need to bebuilding strength from the
ground up and and I felt thatyesterday, like I woke up today
with no post-dib issue, that is,I'm so grateful and it doesn't
it just it's something that cancurb you as a runner period and
obviously there might be aninstability, et cetera, all
those things.
But for me, I'm like, no,you're going from.
You just go into really hardthings and you always expect

(37:13):
your body to respond.
There's a point where you haveto be a little smarter, and so
I've been in that arena for awhile too.

Yeah, I was thinking about, as we were
coming down Mosquito Pass, kindof bounding down the mountain.
So when you're running downhillor when you're sprinting, it's
approximately at a maximumsprint, it's approximately 7X
body weight per footfall, whichis so like just think about that

(37:50):
for a second where you're like,oh, I do calf raises with 145
pounds on.
Yes, so I was just thinkingabout, like as we're you know,
you try to keep the mindoccupied when you come down the
mountain, like don't slip.
But also from a trainingperspective, how would this work
, finding ways to like mimic thevery extreme amount of weight
that's landing on each footfall?

in a not safe position, correct?

So, yeah, I was thinking about that depth a lot
on the way down yesterday.

And I made a comment like you had two body
types out there yesterday, youhad our bodies and like I'm a
bigger runner too, to be fair.
I mean not from a weight, froma, just an aesthetic, like I'm
all legs really, but they'rebigger than most runners.
There were a lot of women likethey're strong man.

(38:37):
I was looking around like thisis awesome, yep Dudes like you,
like I always call themgladiators, I love it, but like
built men.

Yeah, and I love it.
I usually call them like skinnyboys.
There were not a ton of skinnyboys out there, but that was my
other.

So it was like you had us, yep, and then
you had your lean machines, yourlean machines, and I call them
the billy goats, not becausethey're slow, by the way, it's
because they never stop, andthey're they're not walking
either, by the way, they'rejogging, and this is goes for
the women and the men.
So you had lean, lean, lean,gracefully, didn't even look
like their feet touched theground.
And then you had us, and therewasn't too much in the middle,

(39:14):
yep, and it was really cool tosee.

Yeah, for reference.
So our times for the half werelike 330, 335.
The guy who won did it in 152.
Thanks a lot.
The guy who won the full did itin 357.

Hold on, but I'm going to put this in
perspective.
Parker and I did this lastnight.
You would be Parker, and Ifinished in the 28th percentile
of time yesterday.
Yeah, that's legit for thewomen.
I was in the 18th.
I didn't look up you for themen, but I looked at us as our
overall placement in the entirerace and we finished in the
upper 28th percentile.
Like that's freaking great.

(39:50):
Yeah, I'm sorry, it's a greatday.
Very happy with that, and thoseare things I do look at, because
finishing every factor isdifferent.
Like you try to reflect onprevious times, from previous
years, I've learned that, yeah,you can use that as a benchmark
a little, but it could have beenfreezing last year.
It could have been snow toppedat.
Mesquite.
There's so many factors thatcould change overall times.

(40:13):
So those those.
That's why I'm not saying Ijust try.
I try not to compare myself tomy former self.
I use that as an exampleearlier just to set a foundation
of things as a runner.
But like that matters you ageperiod, it's part of the, it's
part of the process.
It's awesome if you're stillout here still performing, but

(40:33):
it is fun to see how you arelining up amongst your peers and
the overall field.
So for us to come in the 28thpercentile in the overall field,
I think it's a really great day.

Yeah, and I'm on a hard race.

Yes.

One of the things that I do on long runs is like
once I get past an hour I try tothink and visualize like what's
happening from a physiologicalyou didn't listen to music, not
yesterday.

That's my boy.

So I don't either ever I will say this um proud
of you.
I'm gonna give everyone contexton, like the, how the race
finishes.
So it's two and a half milesdown yeah downhill.
So it's a nice cruise into thefinish line, but at that point,
like running on flat ground, Icouldn't even do for more than a
minute, correct?
Um, just because I was like sotrashed, like we got down
fromquito Pass and like we gotto flat ground, it's like I need

(41:21):
to walk.
Yes, I'm like I don't have themountain pushing me down.
So that's kind of where I was.
I also know that Danielle isexcellent at descending.
Thank you and I didn't knowwhere she was Correct.
I knew approximately.
I had her like eight minutesbehind me when I passed her on
the way down.
But again, like I know, youdescend really well and I was
trying to descend quickly but Iwas like I had to end up walking

(41:44):
at some points and I was likeshe might be running right now.

Yeah.

So the last two and a half miles into town.
I was just looking over myshoulder because you were
dressed in all black and a redvest.
So I was like I knew I'd beable to identify you.
At least I thought.

I'd be able to yeah, yeah, yeah.

So I lost many places because I would like look
back and see you went there.
I'd be like I want to walk for10 seconds.

I, I did, I gave it my all.
You won fair and squareyesterday.
Like you owned that six minutemargin period period, like I
never let up or felt like I wasrunning less.
I, I ran strong.
There was no.
I know, I know what you'rereferring to.
I will that just my idea.
My lower half wasn't going tosupport anything sub like seven

(42:31):
which was very doable on astreet descent for me easy, but
it was too much of a gamblebecause I I could.
My legs were starting to seizeman yeah, I was also like and I.
It's.
That's what.
That's the beauty of racing,though, like I still was going
very fast compared to everyonearound me, but I'm like, yeah, I
can't close.
That would have been what I'mgonna put in perspective.

(42:51):
I would have literally had togone from like a 745 split which
is what I was doing towards theend to a 530 to have closed
that margin.
That was not happening.

Yeah, like I didn't know that was not
happening.
I didn't know if you were sixminutes behind me or.
Oh yeah, very much so.

Or two minutes.
No, that was to your advantage.

Yeah, it's awesome, I love when you were
like, oh my God, I hate beingchased.
It was only that last littlebit.
But yeah, at some point Ipulled out my phone.
I was like I want to put onsome music.
When I thought I was good, Iwas like I'm going to need
something to take me home.
For the past last like 10minutes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And I tried.
I was so tired, I was like justtrying to find something on my
phone, I was like it wasn't inlike my, my light songs.

I was like, forget it, there was no, I never
use music.
See and hear and take all ofthe racing in.
But that is a huge advantage.
Like it's not wrong becauseit's a conversation we have all
the time about thoughts on music.
I'm never going to say don't doit.
If that's how you train andthat's what gets you through,
absolutely, it's just yeah.
Like I would have loved, like aNicki Minaj song to come in on

(43:54):
at the last mile Don't get mewrong.
I would have been like, come,come on, danielle, just grind it
, let's go.
But no, like I enjoy.
I have some of my clearestthoughts and thinking on races.

Yeah, I totally get that.
Um, so what I was going to saywas on longer runs, the thing
you know you can think ofwhatever you need to you can
distract yourself in those runsI tend to think of, like I try
to visualize the physiologicchange that's happening in my
legs.
Smart, I'm like okay, so I'mcreating, uh, more capillary
density at this point I loveyour mind so of course it is, if

(44:25):
you just think of like a river,like a vein, as like a river
that's kind of running throughlike your quad yes and then you
get these like the adaptationyou get is like more tributaries
.
So the more tributaries you getand build, the more blood,
which is oxygen, can go to moreof the tissue.
So that's the type of thingthat I think about.

I adore you.
I'm looking at you with aweright now.
Of course, that's what youthink.

But yesterday, going at Mosquito Pass, I had a
flip switch, yes, or a switchflip, probably around the seven
mile mark, so it was less than amile to the top.
Yeah, it levels out a little bit.
But I was like I have not beenfocusing on my breathing at all,
oh, this whole time.
Okay, and I was like my.
I was feeling my hamstrings alot at that point and at that

(45:12):
point I was trying to use moreof my quads just to give my
hamstrings any sort of break,but I was like they're starving
for oxygen right now.
And from that point on,throughout the rest of the race
I was like I I probably had 10minutes where I wasn't really
deliberately focusing onbreathing, whereas really
heavily inhaling through my nose, like doing double inhales
through my nose and then kind ofa softer exhale.

(45:34):
I'm like it wasn't theclearance that was the issue.
But like two minutes into doingthat, I was like my legs felt
way better and like I almostfelt immediately like, as I was
breathing I was like my legs,the the stress in my hamstrings
was gone.

I was like there's a mindfulness that comes
to the sport.

I feel like I'm pulling oxygen to the tissues I
need.
It's not it's not.

That's a real thing.
Yep.
That's also why I'm also likedon't tune out your race.
Yep like.
That's why I want to that's whyI I will say this and people
that have trained with me backwell, in any gym setting, I do
not let you train with music ina gym setting.
I prefer that you just didn'ttrain with it at all.
But I've had to not be thatmuch of a naysayer I have no
clients, but no it.

(46:15):
You need to hear your gate, youneed to hear your breathing.
At times, especially if you arenew to running or you are
struggling with something thatis just a chronic injury or
something that keeps presentingitself, you have to be very
present.
So everything you're saying isvery true.
It's not just like voodoo, it'slike the, it's being mind, it's

(46:37):
mindful running.
Yep, um, I yesterday never feltlike my body was not able to
sustain the terrain at all tillthe flat out at mosquito.
Like you said, were you the?
That flat mile was probablywhere I could have gained on you
in hindsight.
Yep, knowing strategy right,but I too didn't have that.

(46:58):
Next, like I lit all my matchespretty much.
I was like no, you, you need towalk, and then let's power walk
again up that other mile, 10 yepum but anyways my issue
yesterday is I felt realtightness in my chest that I've
never felt like I my.
That hydration vest felt likeit was suffocating me and that
is.
That is somewhat mental, but Irarely.

(47:21):
I mean I had to take the straplike almost completely off, so I
had nothing binding me and thatI that was a first, so for me
it was very heart rate drivenrace.

Okay, do you want to talk about gear?

Yes, I was so impressed to see a thater
showed up not in slippers, withhis laces untied.
That was a humongous, humongousstep yesterday, watching you
lace up actual running shoesthey're cross trainers.
Well, don't let them know thatI was.
You wouldn't know that unlessyou really look closely yeah

(47:57):
still a step up, and they're nothokas.

If anyone wants to look these up.
The first race we did together,I ran in the shoes that I'd
worn for years, like I wore themfor training everything but
never tied them.
They're Innovate.
F-lite 195s.

Say that again and slow it down, slow it
down.
This is a road half marathon,one of the fastest in Vegas and
Parker, legitimately full laces.
Never tied them.

I actually don't know how your shoes stayed on
your feet.
I just worn them for so long,like I knew exactly how they
felt.
Yes, and I was way morecomfortable running, it's just
it's how I trained, yeah yeah,yeah, like the only time I think
I tied them was for like if Iknew I was way more comfortable
running.
It's just, it's how I trained.
It's like the only time I thinkI tied them was for like if I
knew it was going to dosomething where I could
physically jump out of my shoes.
But it's like.

I knew it was when we actually did the
gateway.
I think that day, and I thinkthat was the turning point where
you're like I actually think Ineed new shoes.

They're also very thin.
So if anyone don't say itbecause they're not maybe bad
shoes, they're just that forwhat you were using.
I don't think they make themanymore.
Uh, they're innovate f light195s and 195 is for grams, so
there's like nothing to thesethings.
Slippers yeah, I was wearingslippers, um, but yeah, so I
wore actual shoes.
This time.

No, you looked legit.
I was like no, you were, youwere ready got that.

Uh, I bought a running vest yes, you did.
Um, I had the things on thefront just because I wanted the
weight on the front.
I didn't want to have a bladderin the back and rocking the
Garmin watch.
I've had the same Garmin.
What's it called Forerunner,please?

agree that Garmin is superior.
You have to have a Garmin watch.
I've had it for 10 years.
That makes it superior and it'sawesome.

Yes, it doesn't give me like a training score or
anything like that.

It will when you upgrade Baby steps, the
shoes were first.

Why would I upgrade when it still works?
Because you're a runner now.

Parker, you need the latest software.

I do one race every two years.

Well, we might have to change that.
Anyways, and then here's whatwas interesting.
Parker's a little burnt today.
Parker did apply sunscreen ornot?

I did, but.

I sweated all off.
You have a golfer foreheadtoday.

I'm not sure if you can tell where my headband
was?

Oh no you absolutely can, you very much
can.
You're still very handsome, butyou got the golfer forehead and
your neck the back of your neckis just burnt.

Yeah.

So no sunglasses, no hat.

Correct.

It's all personal preference.
I rolled yesterday without ahat, probably the first time in
a very long time, and I will sayI don't know if I would do that
again.
So, starting from the floor up,I love Nike Pegasus Pegasus for

(50:42):
life over here.
I love their trail shoe shoe.
It has a really good grip butit's a pretty relaxed it's.
It has made me have strong feet, let's put it that way.
I feel good in them.
They give me enough stabilitybut it's a pretty relaxed shoe.
Yep um, I went with viore,running tight.
Still love them.
And here's a big reason.
I will either go with a longjam, short, we'll call it,

(51:04):
because I chafe, so I cannothave my thighs exposed.
They burn.
Ladies, you know what I'mtalking about.
I can only put so much Aquaphoron them to hope that it keeps
it at bay.
But I'm a big fan of the fulllegging at this point.
It also offers a littlecompression, keeps you warm, etc
.
I went with a dry, fit, craftlong sleeve and that was perfect

(51:26):
.
I try now to cover myself asmuch as I can in anything that's
long distance with sun.
A lot of that might be aged, tobe fair, because most of those
girls out.
There were, like in pretty muchbooty shorts and a tank top.
How you can wear a tank topwith a hydration vest with your
skin exposed, I'll never know,because I literally have to
lather myself up Like I missed aspot on my back and under my
bra here.
Literally have to lather myselfup like I missed a spot on my

(51:48):
back and under my bra.
Here I it's like raw and guesswhat.
That's that little thing thatwas bothering me the whole race
on my back, because I'm sittingthere and I'm constantly like
trying to like readjust wherethat's you know, but it's your
hydration vest against yourshirt, against the bra.
It is what it is.
It's fine, but you're you'relike burning down to the skin on
those things.
So my takeaway is I didn't putenough Aquaphor on everything.

(52:11):
I do put Aquaphor on my feetand I don't put a ton, but I've
always put it on the balls of myfoot, between my toes and a
little on my heel.
I would like to say I pridemyself on having really nice
feet for a runner, and a part ofthat is because, a I want
really nice feet still, but B Idon't get blisters and I
typically keep all my toenailsand all the things it actually

(52:34):
matters.
So that's a nice tip for all ofyou runners.
I like the Salomon hydrationvests.
I think they do a really goodjob.
I will say this hydration vestsare size specific.
You need to try it on.
You can order it online, butyou will be shocked when you
actually find one that fits you.
I speak more again to women onthis, based on your breast size

(52:55):
etc.
Where that hits you matters.
Most women can't do bladders inthe front if they are bigger
chested, so having just thebladder on the back matters, but
that changes the kind of vestthat you have, so you need them
to be very fitted around yourframe, otherwise that could be
just a nuance that isn'tnecessary, so that can feel like
really heavy by the end, like Ifelt like I had a lot on me

(53:17):
yesterday.
At the end I was just wantingthat off.
Um rolled with the new oakleysunglasses.
I liked them and they wererequired almost once I got to
the top because I realized I wassquinting, so much I was, it
was giving me a headache.
Um, had I had a hat on, maybewould have been different.
I don't know why I didn't dothe no hat yesterday.

(53:38):
I don't know.
Maybe I just want to roll withsomething different, but I would
probably have gone with the hatover the sunglass.
Typically I don't do the combo,so I don't know Everyone's
different.

So I guess I'll just do ground up.
Uh, the shoes were Saucony freemen's freedom five, I think
that's what they're called,something close to that.
Uh, I wore smart wallcompression socks, which I wear
for any sort of long run.

Yeah.

Uh, 10,000 shorts .
Uh, 10 000 shorts.
Uh, with a liner just the sameshort I've trained in for the
past two years.
So just something verycomfortable with yeah uh, garmin
watch, garmin highway monitorchest strap and a nike dry fit
running long sleeve shirt umheadband, no sunglasses.
I never run in sunglasses,never run in the hat, so I just

(54:23):
didn't want to change anythingno for sure.

Um, I roll with the garmin phoenix watch.
It's important, love it.
Uh, and I'm really a big fan ofbomba socks.
Okay, your foot, your sock wearmatters as well.

I wore two socks really yeah, interesting, so I
always do that because I nevertrain in compression.
Socks okay, but they're thinneroh wow, I did not know that I
train in a thicker, smart woolsocks normally okay, and I put
on.
I put on the compression socks.
Yesterday I was like and put myslipped into my shoe.
I'm like, nope, too thin, sojust put on a sock on top of

(54:58):
that.
Oh wow, no blisters no, becauseI wanted the same thickness no,
I get it, I get the logic.

Cool, yeah, and I had to.
You have to have chapstick Idid not I know, I know that's
why you're burnt and I'm notyour racecraft is admittedly
much better than uh, it'sbecause I don't want to look 1
000 years old before I'm 50.
yeah, um yeah, this, this, thesesports that I choose, don't
exactly age us gracefully if youdon't do it the right way.

(55:25):
So, yeah, skincare is veryimportant at this point, but,
yes, that would have been likean Achilles heel had I not had
ChapStick.
That would have been bad.
That is a horrible feeling, inmy opinion, because you're just
depleted.
Let's be real, yep.

Yeah, I feel like a lot of it kind of comes out
through your mouth and actuallyis a lot to that.
Yes, yeah, you get mud, you getdehydrated.
Faster mouth breathing than youdo nasal breathing.
Yes, as much as you can tryingto keep your mouth closed.
That was not happeningyesterday yeah I think we were.
Uh, I think we started.
I walked for the first time twominutes in you have to.

You're going right up.
Your heart rate skyrockets.
Everyone's billy-goating it.
We no, we did better than youthink on that.
We hung in our pack.
I mean, we started in thesilver.
Our time finishing, ourfinishing time yesterday was
still in the silver.
That was the second corral outof five deep.
That's legit.
So I'm going to keep bringingthat back to how well we did,

(56:24):
because we did really well.
Um, I wish I would have droppedyour ass and never looked back
and just buried myself.

For the first three miles is my takeaway and
just power walk the rest of myhead too if you had done that, I
probably would have taken outmy phone, put on some nice music
and be like we're just gonnaenjoy the rest of today no,
yesterday was your day.

I'm glad I told parker.
My mother when I was done askedlike you know, she's always
like how was the race?
Great, well, but how did parkerdo?
Did he beat you?
I'm like he did.
She goes.

I'm glad I was really rooting for him I had a
few people in my corneryesterday yeah, you did, it was
great yeah, so we're tied up inthe race series.
Uh, I think we're gonna pauseit right here.
See if there's any questionsfrom the other racers.
Oh good, and then we can uhpossibly just wrap up.

They've been real quiet, yeah questions.
Oh, I love positive self-talkyeah.

That'll be good and then we'll just wrap up
Unless.
Feel free to pop out if there'smore questions that we get in
the trap of, unless you agree,okay, and then trying to make it
in a true on the floor fashion,we'll take a few questions.
One of them was what do youtell yourself when it's getting
really hard out there?

(58:02):
Like what is the inner dialoguethat keeps you going or doesn't
?
I guess it can really go eitherway.
Hard out there, like what isthe inner dialogue that keeps
you going or doesn't?
I guess, um, it can really goeither way.
So this is more your domain in.
Like you, do you have to dealwith so much of this from the
coaching side and like kind ofprepping people leading up to it
to help with that.
But I guess you can talk to itfrom a coaching perspective oh,
I could do a whole podcast onthis question.

I wish people had more positive
self-talk when things aregetting challenging.
I think it comes with puttingyourself in that environment
more often, because it is also atrain.
The brain is a muscle.
It requires it to be fatiguedand trained and challenged and
you have to put yourself inenough positions from a training

(58:46):
perspective to start tohopefully overcome.
Here's why Positive self-talkis going to come from positive
result.
If you have good training daysand races, you're already having
success.
You should be drawing on thatsuccess in future races and

(59:07):
positions you're puttingyourself in that aren't ideal.
Yesterday I, I can't, I don'twant to use myself because
people are like well, obviouslyyour ego is strong, I'm like,
you have to have ego in thissport.
I hope you have an ego.
It does.
That's not a bad thing as longas you keep it in check.
But that ego should be apositive self-talk that sits on
your shoulder thinking like wow,look around you, you are a 1%,

(59:31):
or today in the US, that is forsure.
That is a very unique race tovoluntarily sign up for and
train for and be at the high oneof the.
It's the highest race in thecountry.
You can't not look at yourselfand be extremely proud, excited
and feel privileged to even beable to be in an event like that
.
So if those are not selfreflections that you're having,

(59:55):
part of me thinks you are doingit for the wrong reason and I
know it's a very bold statement,but it's true.
So, as you age in the sport andI said this to Scott he's 60.
He had a great marathonyesterday.
He's 60.
I'm not saying he's old, butthat is a legit athlete who's

(01:00:16):
aging in a very hard sport.
Yesterday, when he finished ofgratitude and excitement, that
is what I'm saying Like that issomething that just it's not,
like it just happens or itdoesn't.

(01:00:36):
You have to have thatconversation with yourself in
those moments where you want itto be negative, and that's where
you start flipping theconversation and you need to
start learning to do that foryourself.

Parker Condit (01:00:46):
You touched on a lot of the good points.
I'll just kind of go into whatI was thinking yesterday, which
was I knew I went out hard andwe briefly touched on this
earlier where I was like Ireally wanted to run my own race
, where I knew I was going somuch by feel of like I think I'm
just going to be able to ridethis line today, of like pushing
hard.

(01:01:06):
And there were a few timeswhere I was like it might've
been too hard, um, but it's inthose moments where I'm like
look around, it's beautiful,take your photo, take a photo of
this.
Um, you know, there's no reasonin kind of like burying
yourself mentally, of like howhard it is when you can just
look around and be like we're inthis beautiful place.
Also, everyone else there.
I'm like they're just going.

(01:01:27):
I'm like if they can do it, Ican do it too.
Right, they're just going tocontinue going up the mountain.
I'm like I can do it too.

Danielle Pellicano (01:01:33):
It's also an endurance.
Endurance is longevity.
It's not the definition, butit's what.
And if you have self-doubtwithin the first 10 minutes of a
race that you know is going tobe at least two to three to four
hours, you need to realizeyou're like.
This too shall pass.

It will pass.
We didn't know how long it wasgoing to be.

No, but I'm saying yes, you knew that you
were going to be out there atleast three hours.
That is not a short race.
You can't be telling yourselfwithin the first 30 minutes
today's not my day Becauseeveryone's going to say it for a
second.
It's your day.
You need to walk because youneed to, because you know you're
going to be out there for along time.
You're going to hit your stride.
As you age, your stride comes alittle later.

(01:02:17):
Scott and I were talking aboutthat.
I start feeling good about 45minutes into a race and or run
these days, 45 minutes.
I 45 minutes into a race and orrun these days, 45 minutes.
I don't feel great until I evenhit that point.
Some people, that is their runfor the day, do you know what?
But it's different and that isgetting pushed out as I keep
getting older, and that's okay.
So those are the things thatyou learn about yourself.

(01:02:40):
It's no different than atriathlete of mine in the water
and before they even get to thefirst buoy, they're like I'm
going to drown.
Today's not my day, I'm nevergoing to make this race.
No, you need to calm yourself.
You need to get around thefirst buoy.
You need to settle in, but youwill figure out how that works.
But you have to learn to findwhere you settle, because then
it's like a flip and then you'relike, okay, this is going to be

(01:03:00):
a good day, and maybe sometimesit isn't your day.
I'm serious, I'm not going tobe completely naive.
Some days you're like, yeah,everything went to shit, you
didn't get good sleep, you don'tfeel well, all the things.
Then you know what that's goingto happen, but I'm sure you're
going to learn something aboutthat and you'll use it for
future training.
It's not always going to bethat way.

Yeah, the only thing I'll add on that.
I think there's anotherquestion coming.
Great Is like focus on what'sin your control, right?

Correct.

So that's like.
That was the point where I wasreally not in a great place.
I was like you're?
I was like why focus and trainso much breath work if you're
not going to use it now, correct.
And I was like okay.
And then I spent the rest ofthe race just so focused on like
draw in that oxygen.

Yes.

You need so much oxygen, like, make that your
focus.
Yeah, I think it's going tohurt.
Focus on that.
You can control that.

Yes.
Is this race only accessible totop tier athletes?
No, you are top tiered.
When you show up on that line,though you are real fit.
You are top tiered.
When you show up on that line,though you are real fit.

(01:04:10):
So I would say the lead bill asa whole series is not something
you can take lightly.
That is also why I never letany of my athletes think less of
their accomplishment, becauseit's a huge accomplishment,
regardless of your time orwhatnot, to be able to get up
here and perform in a run orbike event at Leadville.

(01:04:31):
You are elite in a lot of areas.
Do I think this is somewhat?
No, I'm okay saying it.
Do I think this is a race thatjust anyone can do?
No, I don't.
Why are you laughing?
No because I'm fine.
Being matter of fact, I'mpretty matter of fact.
I don't, because I think youneed to take this race seriously

(01:04:54):
.
You need to prep for it and youhave to dedicate a lot of time.
If you're an 18 year old andyou want to do a couch to this
because you live here, that's adifferent conversation.
For the majority of people,yeah, I think this is something
that you work up to, but I don'tnecessarily think this is like
your first race bucket list.
That's my perspective.

What would be a good if somebody's never done a
half before.
What would be one be like?

this would be a good prep half for you, and
then this one A good first halfis any race that you are going
to be able to work on all thethings successfully.
That scares you a little bitbut is within your wheelhouse to
achieve it and keep youmotivated to finish it.
When people pick goals that are, in my opinion, a little bit

(01:05:43):
too big out of the gate, there'svery little joy that comes with
the training because there'salways self-doubt and that's
just not a place that I wantpeople to train at.
So that's probably a better wayto have answered that question.
It shouldn't be something that,out of the gate, you're like am
I going to be ready?
No, you will always be ready ifyou do the things right.

(01:06:04):
Pre-training races leading upto bigger races are necessary.
So your hometown anything isalways a good one.
Wherever you can have a crowdand a support system would
typically be the race I'd pick.

Yeah, it's confidence built on demonstrated
performance.
Correct, that's a good way toput it.

I love how you can sum up something I say
for seven minutes in like forceforward.

Also, I don't think the question actually is
going to get picked up.
What?

do you?

mean, she just said it to us.

Okay.

The question was oh, I see, okay, we'll do a
Chiron on the screen orsomething.
Yeah, any other questions?
That's it, okay, yeah, so thishas been our Leadville race
recap.
Uh, we're going to recordanother episode, not from this
location, but while we'rephysically together, so we'll
end up doing another on thefloor.

(01:06:59):
They'll come out probably amonth from when this one's
released Perfect.
You have any closing thoughts?

I think it was an awesome day yesterday and
I love when we get to spendtime together.

Yeah, this is very fun.

Yeah.

All right, Thanks everyone.
Bye, hey everyone.
That's all for today's show.
I want to thank you so much forstopping by and watching,
especially if you've made it allthe way to this point.
If you'd like to be notifiedwhen new episodes are going to
be released, feel free tosubscribe and make sure you hit
the bell button as well.
To learn more about today'sguest, feel free to look in the
description.

(01:07:30):
You can also visit the podcastwebsite, which is
exploringhealthpodcastcom.
That website will also belinked in the description.
As always, likes, shares,comments, are a huge help to me
and to this channel and to theshow.
So any of that you can do Iwould really appreciate.
And again, thank you so muchfor watching.
I'll see you next time.

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