Special episode popping into your feed today, live from Every Woman's Marathon, featuring Molly Huddle and Des Linden. Huddle's a 2x Olympian, and recently toed the line in Scottsdale for her first marathon since having her second child six months ago. Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon Champion and fellow Olympian, recently ran the TCS New York City Marathon alongside first-timer Anthony Ramos.

In this conversation, Huddle and Linden get candid about the highs and lows of training and competing, offering advice on how to conquer big goals while remaining honest and compassionate with yourself.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Molly Huddle’s first marathon back postpartum

• Des Linden’s experience running the New York City Marathon alongside Anthony Ramos

• How to conquer the “pain cave” during a hard race

• The importance of self-compassion and being honest with yourself

• Mental strategies for running a marathon (staying present, embracing the challenge)

• The significance of celebrating the small wins

• Advice for first-time marathoners

QUOTABLE MOMENTS

On Mental Toughness & The Pain Cave

• "You're stronger than you think." – Des Linden (as parting advice to the audience)

• "You didn't train so that this would be something easy. You trained so you'd be prepared for when it got difficult." – Des Linden

• "The best thing to do for that [the pain cave] is to just stay in the moment." – Molly Huddle

• "When you cross the finish line, you're going to just have that tool in your pocket of like, 'Look what I did, look what I can do.'" – Molly Huddle

On Strategy & Planning

• "I like to just think bottle to bottle ... you can pretend you're starting over again." – Molly Huddle

• "Stay here... You're strong... Hang on." – Molly Huddle

• "What can I get out of something that's not going my way?" – Des Linden

• "If it was easy, everyone would do it." – Emily Abbate

On Life, Balance, and Identity

• "This year I will have made a baby, ran a marathon, and I'm like writing a book. Like, what's wrong with me? Like, why am I feeling like that's not enough stuff?" – Molly Huddle

• "You put in work, and you stay committed, and have this self-belief, and if you keep looking forward, there's always things to tackle that are out in front of you." – Des Linden

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Team Milk

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Talking about why it was a good call for me to forgo my annual turkey trot in favor of taking it easy. Also, answering a listener question about hot to get more comfortable lifting weights.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
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On this week's episode of Hurdle, Emily sits down with professional runner Sara Hall. Sara is an athlete whose longevity, incredible range, and commitment to the sport are truly inspiring. She's also the only American athlete in history to win USATF National Titles in both the mile and the marathon.

Recorded in New York City on the weekend of the TCS New York City Marathon, this conversation highlights the depth of her incredible career. In it, Sara opens about her journey, the perseverance required for success, and the mental fortitude it takes to navigate the inevitable challenges—whether that’s a tough injury cycle, the complexities of competition, or even online critics.

IN THIS EPISODE

• The Power of Perseverance: We dive into the grit required for a long and successful professional running career.

• Love Over Fear: Sara opens up about the decision to adopt four children from Ethiopia and how that was rooted in choosing love over fear. The adoption included four girls, ages 5 to 15, all at once.

• The Emotional Tax of Sport: Sara discusses how to navigate the mental fortitude required to deal with challenges like injury cycles, competition complexities, and online criticism.

• Doping & Disappointment: Sara shares how she copes with the deep emotional tax of competing against athletes who were later disqualified for doping.

• Learning from Failure: She reveals how her biggest failure—coming in last at a US Championships—was actually a profound turning point in her life, helping her understand God's unconditional love.

• The Meaning of the Grind: Sara talks about what the "grind" means to her specifically at this chapter in her life, and her upcoming book, For the Love of the Grind.

• Rebounding: Sara shares her advice for moving on from big disappointments, including "slamming a bunch of coffee" and setting a new goal.

QUOTABLE MOMENTS

On Resilience and Perseverance

• "I want to be good period, not just good for my age."
• "What you speak over yourself is powerful."

On Motherhood and Family

• "We just chose love over fear... it was just like closing your eyes and jumping off a cliff and just choosing faith."

• "The word 'Berchi' [Amharic for 'Be Strong']... I was like, I want them to be like keep their Ethiopian toughness."

• "When you're happier, you run better."

On Identity and Self-Worth

• "You have to really have a love for the process, and an excitement to just continue to believe in what you're doing that holds you through all of it."

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Talking about the importance of prioritizing yourself in order to handle when things get crazy, whether that's in a busy work season or the holiday craze. Also, answering a listener question on the protein craze and how much you really need, and the dangers of the protein craze.

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Welcome Kate Martin to Hurdle! This week on the show, the WNBA player for the Golden State Valkyries and Unrivaled competitor takes us on a deep dive into what it takes to thrive in the professional game, sharing how she's constantly evolving both on and off the court. Kate opens up about the major adjustments she’s made since leaving college—not just to the rigorous WNBA schedule, but to her own mindset. She discusses the chaotic travel and the importance of finding those small windows to optimize her body, sharing the hydration and mobility hacks that are her non-negotiable recovery tools.

Martin gets honest about her struggles with negative self-talk and how the identity of being the "glue" teammate actually helps her play better. Plus, Kate talks about the mental and physical comeback from a devastating ACL tear, explaining why that difficult experience taught her how to be a cheerleader first—a skill that has shaped her entire career.

IN THIS EPISODE

• The Post-College Grind: How she manages the WNBA travel schedule by prioritizing mobility work and drip-drop hydration (electrolyte packets) on every flight to combat dehydration and stay ready for immediate workouts.
• The Power of NIL: Her personal experience navigating the NIL landscape in college, and the hilarious story of how she was completely blindsided by her own draft pick while expecting to be fully focused on supporting Caitlin Clark.
• The Best Version of an Athlete: Why she is focused on becoming a more well-rounded player by working on attacking the rim and being consistent when shooting under fatigue.
• Adversity as Fuel: Why she views her major ACL injury in college as the "best thing that ever happened to me" because it taught her empathy and the importance of showing up as a great teammate.
• Personal Identity: Why being labeled an "underdog" doesn't bother her, and why she is okay with the balance of being a great athlete and a great person who prioritizes her family.
• Simple Wellness: Her simple, non-negotiable wellness routine, which includes chicken, rice, and cold tubs for physical and mental reset.

QUOTABLE MOMENTS

On self-talk:
"I would definitely say that [negative self-talk] is still a work in progress for sure. I would sit here and tell every single one of my teammates, 'Don't be so hard on yourself, negative self-talk is terrible, it benefits nothing.'"

On what she sees in the mirror:
"I want people to see a good person who cares about her teammates and who is a lot more than just a basketball player."

On coming back from injury:
"If you have a bad day, that's okay, too. Because you're going to have bad days... and you're going to eventually start trending upwards if you continue to do the right things."

On coming back after a loss:
“You cannot linger in the past, you really just got to keep pushing and looking forward. You have to have that goldfish mentality."

SOCIAL

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Talking through the latest changes to Hurdle, what will be different on the listener side, and why this new chapter is just so meaningful to me. On not giving up, perseverance, and the power of progress (even when it's not at the pace you'd hope). Also, answering a listener question about how to know when you need to buy new sneakers!

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