* Not for audio listening

Of course. Same thing, just now with a little personality so people don’t feel like they’re being scolded by a disappointed gym teacher.

You can’t out-train a messy life. This episode gets into the stuff people don’t want to hear—how your habits, mindset, and personal growth (or lack of it) show up when things get hard in a race. You can follow the perfect training plan, hit all your miles, and still fall apart the moment things stop going your way, because training doesn’t magically fix inconsistency, avoidance, or your ability to panic the second something feels uncomfortable.

When the race gets tough—and it always does—you don’t rise to the level of your fitness, you fall back on your patterns. The way you cut corners, the way you deal with stress, the way you talk to yourself… all of that shows up whether you invited it or not. It’s like bringing your entire personality to the start line and hoping no one notices. Spoiler: the race notices.

If you keep blowing up mid-race, it’s probably not just bad luck or that one gel you ate at mile 17. It might be worth asking if there’s something deeper going on. Because at some point, the race stops being about running and starts exposing everything else—and unfortunately, you can’t blame that on your shoes.

You can’t out-train a messy life. This episode gets into the stuff people don’t want to hear—how your habits, mindset, and personal growth (or lack of it) show up when things get hard in a race. You can follow the perfect training plan, hit all your miles, and still fall apart the moment things stop going your way, because training doesn’t magically fix inconsistency, avoidance, or your ability to panic the second something feels uncomfortable.

When the race gets tough—and it always does—you don’t rise to the level of your fitness, you fall back on your patterns. The way you cut corners, the way you deal with stress, the way you talk to yourself… all of that shows up whether you invited it or not. It’s like bringing your entire personality to the start line and hoping no one notices. Spoiler: the race notices.

If you keep blowing up mid-race, it’s probably not just bad luck or that one gel you ate at mile 17. It might be worth asking if there’s something deeper going on. Because at some point, the race stops being about running and starts exposing everything else—and unfortunately, you can’t blame that on your shoes.

* Not for Apple or Spotify listening

This week we talk about what it really looks like getting the property ready for Big Al’s and Snaketail. Trails buried in storm debris, dragging piles of limbs off the hills, a tractor deciding to break right when we needed it most, and Jon getting into a philosophical disagreement with an ACE Hardware employee about chainsaw chains.

In between the chainsaws and brush piles, we get into something we care a lot about — the kind of people we want showing up at races like Mid State. Résumés and race results are one thing, but character, community, and how you treat the people beside you on the trail matter a whole lot more.

Also covered: snakes in the yard, why big jobs only get done one bite at a time, and the kind of friends who show up with excavators when you really need them.

In this episode, we set out to talk about ultra running… and immediately don’t.

Instead, we get into where we’ve been mentally lately—which is somewhere between “functioning adult” and “staring into the void but still mowing the yard.” Turns out you can have everything technically fine and still feel completely off. Love that for us.

We also discover that a broken chainsaw is basically the perfect metaphor for training. It worked great… until it absolutely didn’t. And that’s kind of how we approach running too—ignore the small problems, hope for the best, and then act surprised when everything falls apart on race day.

We talk about the classic ultrarunner mistakes: repeating the same bad training, pretending nutrition doesn’t matter, and blaming the race instead of admitting we might be the problem. (We said might. Relax.)

Somewhere in there, we also spiral into the mental side of things—how easy it is to get stuck in your own head, convince yourself you’re the only one suffering, and forget that literally everyone else is also tired, hot, and questioning their life choices.

This week we talk about what it really looks like getting the property ready for Big Al’s and Snaketail. Trails buried in storm debris, dragging piles of limbs off the hills, a tractor deciding to break right when we needed it most, and Jon getting into a philosophical disagreement with an ACE Hardware employee about chainsaw chains.

In between the chainsaws and brush piles, we get into something we care a lot about — the kind of people we want showing up at races like Mid State. Résumés and race results are one thing, but character, community, and how you treat the people beside you on the trail matter a whole lot more.

Also covered: snakes in the yard, why big jobs only get done one bite at a time, and the kind of friends who show up with excavators when you really need them.

* not for listening on Apple

In this episode Jon and I are back with a new setup, strong coffee, and absolutely no shortage of opinions. We talk Music City Trail Ultra, questionable aid station pickle etiquette, a brand we’re genuinely obsessed with, and some of the wildest recent chaos in the running world—from wrong turns and race drama to medals, integrity, and the real risks people love to ignore.

It’s a little ridiculous, and somehow includes pubic hair and pickle jars.

In this episode Jon and I are back with a new setup, strong coffee, and absolutely no shortage of opinions. We talk Music City Trail Ultra, questionable aid station pickle etiquette, a brand we’re genuinely obsessed with, and some of the wildest recent chaos in the running world—from wrong turns and race drama to medals, integrity, and the real risks people love to ignore.

It’s a little ridiculous, and somehow includes pubic hair and pickle jars.

This week: we officially got moved. Not “we’re almost there.” Not “we’re transitioning.” Fully moved. Living at the farm. Yes, the one affectionately (or concerningly) nicknamed Murder Mile. Which sounds like a true crime podcast but is actually just… our address now.

We’re talking about what it feels like when a place stops being an idea and becomes your real, everyday life. The mental shift. The quiet shift. The “oh, this is permanent” shift.

We get into the two-hour raw milk drive — because apparently this is who we are now. People who will commit two hours round trip for dairy. Is it about the milk? Is it about the ritual? Is it about needing a reason to leave the property and remember civilization exists? We unpack it.

There’s running. There’s long stretches of thinking. There’s that strange recalibration that happens when life slows down but your brain doesn’t immediately get the memo. What feels different. What feels the same. What feels slightly unhinged but in a growth-oriented way.

It’s about choosing a life on purpose. Even when it’s inconvenient. Even when it’s far. Even when your GPS looks concerned.

Press play if you’ve ever committed to something big and then had to sit with the reality of it.