For The Long Run: Exploring the Why Behind Running

Latest Episodes:

The Mental Shift That Took Her From Hating Running to Racing Triathlons Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

Kelsey Walla is a CPA by day and a triathlete, runner, and community builder by everything else. She grew up hating running, never touched a weight until college, and didn't get on a bike until she found one at a garage sale for twenty bucks. Then she had a serious skiing accident that took away her ability to walk, and everything changed.

This is a conversation about what happens when your body forces you to stop — and what you do when it lets you go again.

Topics covered:

The skiing accident that ripped everything in her knee and why she's grateful for it
Going from hating running to signing up for a half marathon at elevation
How hitting one goal immediately creates the next one
Building Wild Coyote Club in Longmont and why she walks at the back every Monday night
Creating space for the middle and back of the pack runner
What community actually means and why it changes everything
The relationship that made her believe she could do the impossible
Imposter syndrome — why even Olympic medalists feel it and why it might be a good thing
Sharing the real and raw parts of life on social media and what that's led to
Working with Popfly and professionalizing her content while keeping a full time job
Why YOLO is both her mantra and possibly her next tattoo

Stay connected:

Kelsey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wallakelseyy/?hl=en

Support our sponsors:

Training Peaks

The coaches behind UTMB winners and the athletes you've heard on this show are all using the same platform — and that's not a coincidence. Get 20% off Training Peaks premium with code FTLR here!

Boulderthon

Whether you're hunting for a PR or just looking for an excuse to visit Colorado in early fall, Boulderthon has a race for you. Register at Boulderthon.org and use code FTLR2026 for $20 off the Half or the Full.

Tifosi Optics

From bright sunshine to overcast mornings, Tifosi offers performance eyewear designed for every running condition, with prescription options available as well. Shop at TifosiOptics.com and use code FTLR2026 to save 20% on your order.

Kila makes custom 3D-printed insoles out of super shoe foams, built to your exact feet and shipped straight to your door. Head to kilarun.com and use code FTLR for $50 off your first order.

Molly Seidel on Her Western States Debut & the Ego Death of Being a Rookie Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

Molly Seidel was running well at Western States. In the top ten for the first fifty-ish miles, racing where she knew she belonged. Then by mile sixty-two she was ready to quit, in pain, angry at herself, with thirty-eight miles left and nothing to race for competitively.

She ran them anyway.

This is a conversation about what those last twelve hours taught her that the first fifty never could have — about trail running, about herself, and about why finishing a race you're no longer competing in can be more meaningful than winning one.

Topics covered:

What went wrong at Western States and why she kept going
The ego death of being a rookie after winning an Olympic medal
Whether trail can save itself from becoming what road racing already is
The people in her corner — Kelly Newland, Cliff, Steph Howe
What she'd say to the Molly of 2021 and 2024
OCC and Javelina coming up this fall

Stay connected:

Molly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bygolly.molly/

Support our sponsors:

Training Peaks

The coaches behind UTMB winners and the athletes you've heard on this show are all using the same platform — and that's not a coincidence. Get 20% off Training Peaks premium with code FTLR here!

Boulderthon

Precision Fuel & Hydration

Precision Fuel & Hydration's new Watermelon Chew was developed with trail ultrarunner Rachel Entrekin to help athletes combat flavor fatigue while fueling long efforts. Shop at Precision Fuel & Hydration and use code LongRun26 for 15% off your order at precisionhydration.com

Go Brewing

This episode is brought to you by Go Brewing, a small family-run brewery outside Chicago making non-alcoholic IPAs, lagers, and hazies that actually taste like beer, with most cans under 60 calories and no added sugar, so try favorites like the Jab Jab Grapefruit IPA, New School Sour Berry, or Baller Melon at gobrewing.com and use code FTLR2026 for 20% off your first order.

Hildee Weiss on Becoming a Runner at 46 and Embracing the Inner Athlete Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

Hildee Weiss is a wife, mother of five, grandmother, freelance writer, and runner. She started running at age 46 with a hand injury, a trainer named Jeff who believed in her before she believed in herself, and a head full of reasons why she couldn't do it. Twelve years later she has run 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons, Spartan races, and trail runs. She has broken bones, had surgery, lost her motivation, and found it again. And she just wrote a book about all of it.

This conversation is about what happens when you finally decide to do something for yourself after years of doing everything for everyone else. It's about identity, self-belief, the difference between I have to run and I get to run, and why it's never too late to start.

Topics covered:

Who Hildee was at 46 and what finally pushed her to make a change
Why she looked out the window at runners and thought not me
Meeting trainer Jeff and what it means to have someone believe in you before you believe in yourself
Her first 5K, her broken foot, and how she came back from both
What running unlocked in the rest of her life — raising five kids, handling hard things, finding inner strength
The shift from I have to run to I get to run
How a surprise five-mile group run helped her find the joy again after surgery
Why she stopped obsessing over pace and data and had her fastest run in years
Writing the book Embracing My Inner Athlete and what the process looked like
What success actually means — and why it has nothing to do with pace or medals
Why she wants to be that woman on the podium in her eighties
The night run in Jerusalem she's training for with her kids

Stay connected:

Hildee's book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Embracing-My-Inner-Athlete/Hildee-Weiss/9798894410326

Hildee on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momoffive68/

Support our Sponsors:

Boulderthon

Whether you're chasing a PR or looking for an unforgettable race weekend, Boulderthon offers a 5K, 10K, half marathon, full marathon, and kids races in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. Register at Boulderthon.com and use code FTLR2026 to save $20 on your half or full marathon registration.

Precision Fuel & Hydration

Tifosi Optics

Go Brewing

Shad Mika on What Two Decades of Ultras Actually Teaches You Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

Shad Mika has been running ultras for over twenty years. He went from two hundred and forty pounds and a divorce to a duathlon, to Leadville, to Hardrock — and he's still going. He DNF'd his first two hundred mile attempts before he finally figured out it was supposed to hurt that bad. He's paced friends through Cocodona, volunteered at Hardrock for twelve years before he ever got in, and left his dog's ashes on top of Handies Peak. He blogs about it all at a site he's kept going since 2006 and has no plans to stop.

This conversation was recorded the week before Hardrock with wildfires burning near Ouray and real uncertainty around whether the race would happen. He showed up anyway.

Topics covered:

How running found Shad after a divorce and two hundred and forty pounds
His first trail run on the Mesa Trail in REI shoes and why he never looked back
Sleeping under the bleachers at Leadville watching people finish all night and deciding he had to do it
DNFing his first two Leadville attempts and what it taught him about suffering
Why he's still scared at every single start line after twenty plus years
The memories he makes with friends out there and why pacers matter to him
Twelve hours running through the jungles of Hawaii in silence after a volunteer dumped water on his hearing aid
The yin and yang of trail running's growth — old school culture versus the UTMB era
Hardrock and why fewer people have finished it than have climbed Everest
East Coast versus West Coast trail running and why they're basically different languages
How to pick races that actually inspire you
What doing hard things has taught him about everything passing
His first two hundred mile attempt at Tahoe next year and why his fiancée is on board with it
Guidance for road runners who are trail curious

Support our Sponsors:

Boulderthon

Precision Fuel & Hydration

Tifosi Optics

Go Brewing

What Elite Athletes Actually Eat — A Live Panel with Charlie Sweeney, Dr. Marc Bubbs, and Jason Fitzgerald Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

This one is a little different. Jon hosted a live panel in Boulder with three people who between them have worked with Olympic athletes, NBA teams, professional runners, and tens of thousands of recreational athletes. The topic was fueling, strength training, and the fundamentals that most runners are still getting wrong.

Charlie Sweeney is a professional marathoner who has lived the training load most people only read about — 140 miles a week, two sessions a day five days a week, and 110 grams of carbohydrate per hour at Boston this year. Dr. Marc Bubbs is the founder of ProBio, a performance nutritionist, and author who has spent his career in elite sport locker rooms translating research into what athletes actually do every day — from Canada Basketball to NBA and NHL teams to Olympic track clubs. Jason Fitzgerald has been coaching runners since 2010 and works primarily with adult recreational athletes.

The conversation is practical, honest, and occasionally funny. There's pizza involved.

Topics covered:

What runners think they're doing right that might actually be hurting them
Why fueling is deeply individual and how to stop copying what your favorite runner eats
How carbohydrate recommendations have changed and why the pendulum has swung so far
Fast carbs versus slow carbs and when to use each
What 700 grams of carbohydrate a day actually looks like in practice
How Charlie went from 20-mile runs on water to 110 grams per hour at Boston
The 75 to 90 minute threshold for when to start fueling during a run
Why the marathon specific long run is the one workout you should fuel at 100 percent
What ProBio is, why it exists, and the compliance problem it was built to solve
Vitamin D, B12, magnesium, and why elite bloodwork is often surprisingly average
Why you can't just eat plants if you're running 140 miles a week
Charlie's strength training breakdown — 90 minutes once a week, earn the massage first
How to periodize strength training alongside your running
When to taper your lifting before race day and what race week actually looks like in the gym

No sponsors on this one. If For The Long Run is a show you look forward to, you can support it directly at forthelong.run/subscribe — $8 a month or $80 for the year. The goal is fewer ads over time, and eventually none at all. That happens with your help.

Andy Blow on Fueling Smarter, Building a Brand Athletes Trust, and High Carb Fueling Jul 03, 2026

Show notes

Quick note before you press play. This conversation with Andy Blow first aired on Long Run Labs, Jon's podcast about the business of endurance and the outdoor industry. Andy is the co-founder of Precision Fuel and Hydration and one of the most thoughtful people in the sport when it comes to how athletes should actually be fueling. Precision sponsors For the Long Run, but this episode wasn't recorded out of obligation — it was recorded because Andy's story is genuinely worth hearing and there's a lot of tactically useful information in here for anyone who runs long.

If you like going behind the scenes on how the endurance world actually gets built, Long Run Labs is worth finding. Guests include sports marketers from Salomon, Garmin, ASICS, and Amazfit, founders from brands like Ketone IQ and Lagoon, and athletes turned media like Des Linden, Kara Goucher, and Dylan Bowman.

Andy Blow started Precision as a sweat test, not a product. He was a triathlete who kept ending up in the medical tent with hyponatremia in hot races, figured out he was a heavy sodium sweater, changed his approach, and built a company around the idea that electrolyte loss is individual and most athletes have no idea what their actual numbers are. Fifteen years later, Precision is crewing eleven athletes at Western States and working with Rachel Entrekin on the data that backed her Cocodona course record.

This conversation covers the science and the business in equal measure.

Topics covered:

Why Andy ended up in the medical tent at races and what that led to
How sweat testing became a product line and then a company
Why Precision separates fuel from hydration and what the three levers actually are
The low carb debate and what the pro peloton actually proves
What amateur athletes are still getting wrong about race nutrition
The free fuel and hydration planner and how to actually use it
How Precision builds athlete relationships and why authenticity isn't just marketing language
What F1 taught Andy about sports science and brand building
What he believes now that he would have laughed at in 2011
Stepping out of the CEO role after 15 years and what comes next

Boulderthon

Precision Fuel & Hydration

Tifosi Optics

Lindsey Dwyer: The Runner Who Always Chose Longer (And Never Checks Her Watch) Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

Lindsey Dwyer started running before she could remember choosing it. Her mom ran while pregnant with her, and Lindsey was in a stroller on the course not long after. By seventh grade she'd quietly trained for and finished a half marathon without telling anyone until she needed a ride to the start line. By college, marathons felt routine. So she went longer.

Now she's one of the top finishers at Cocodona 250, a point-to-point 253-mile race through Arizona that's become one of the most-watched ultras in the world outside of Western States and UTMB. This year she finished fifth overall, running the final 200 miles with a knee injury that started at mile 50 and never went away.

Jonathan and Lindsey get into what it actually takes to compete across 80-plus hours of racing, how she thinks about crew and pacing at that scale, and why she believes the mental puzzle of ultras is the whole point. They also talk about the role of gratitude when things get hard, what her first 50-mile race recap on Facebook revealed about how little her navigation skills have improved, and how the "gap and the gain" framework applies to an athlete who's been quietly building toward this her whole life.

Lindsey is also heading to Tahoe Rim Trail and Mammoth 200 later this season and is partnered with Precision Fuel & Hydration.

Topics covered:

Growing up running alongside her mom and sneaking into a half marathon at 13
Why she chose longer over faster when marathons stopped feeling like a mystery
What she loves about long runs and why she never looks at her watch
Racing Cocodona 250 twice, finishing 2nd in 2024 and 5th in 2025 seven hours faster
Managing a knee injury from mile 50 through the final 200 miles
How to crew and pace well, and why communication before the race matters more than anything said during it
Using gratitude as a practical tool in a low point
The Gap and the Gain, and why reflecting back matters as much as looking forward
Fueling strategy and how she ended up working with Precision Fuel & Hydration
A very important Facebook post from her first 50-miler, featuring 48 Oreos and 6 bonus miles

Go Brewing

Boulderthon

Precision Fuel & Hydration

Vacation Races

The Rocky Mountain Half and 5K in Estes Park, Colorado this August. Run both and earn the Elk Double. Use code FTLR when you register at vacationraces.com.

Zach Miller on Punching His Golden Ticket, Training Curiosity, and Racing Western States Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

Zach Miller is one of the most recognizable names in trail and ultra running — a nine-year North Face athlete, self-coached competitor, and someone who has lived everywhere from a cruise ship to an off-grid cabin to a bus. He's been competing at the highest level for over a decade, watched the fields get dramatically deeper, and just punched his golden ticket to Western States at Canyons Hundred K. This conversation is about what it takes to still be here.

Zach talks about self-coaching and curiosity as a training philosophy, the mental switch that separates good races from great ones, what it felt like to question whether his career was over, and why lining up at Western States this year means more than it ever would have before.

Topics covered:

Who Zach is and why he's hard to fit in a box
Running big volume and what actually stokes the fire
How his nutrition approach has matured beyond just doing more
The North Face Fifty showdown with Hayden Hawks in 2016 and what's changed in a decade
Why deeper fields are driving faster times across the sport
Self-coaching and why curiosity is central to how he trains
The mental switch — going from hobbling to running with authority mid-race
His knee injury, the doctors who said it was basically over, and why he kept going
What it felt like to punch his golden ticket at Canyons knowing there are no guarantees anymore
Cool weather versus hot weather and the complicated answer to which he'd prefer at Western
His dark horse pick for the women's race
What he'd do if the North Face Fifty came back

Sponsors of the show:

Amazfit

If you're heading to Western States as a runner, pacer, or crew member, join us for a shakeout run in Olympic Valley before race weekend. Learn more about the new Amazfit Cheetah 2 Ultra and connect with the community that helps make race day possible. Visit Amazfit.com and use code FTLR2026 for 10% off

Boulderthon

Whether you're chasing a PR or looking for an unforgettable race weekend, Boulderthon offers a 5K, 10K, half marathon, full marathon, and kids races in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. Register at Boulderthon and use code FTLR2026 to save $20 on your half or full marathon registration.

Precision Fuel & Hydration

Tifosi Optics

Go Brewing

Tommie Runz on Western States, Running as a Black Man on Trail, and Trusting the Long Game Jun 12, 2026

Show notes

Tommie Runz is a runner, a dad, and someone who spent years building one of the most authentic presences in running before he ever needed it to pay the bills. He qualified for Boston, ran the six majors, and has now set his sights on Western States — one of the most competitive hundred-mile races in the world — with a simple mission: show people who look like him that they belong out there too.

This conversation covers the long game, the trust economy of social media, what curiosity actually looks like in a hundred-mile race, and why black skin looks good on trail.

Topics covered:

Who Tommie is and what he's trying to show people who look like him
Why the message isn't just "go run a hundred miles" — it's an invitation to find your own trail
Alcoholism, sobriety, and how running became the place to channel the same perseverance
Working with a coach since day one and what patience actually looks like over eight years
Four hundred and twenty-five miles in May and why it didn't feel like a big deal
How to use other people's content as motivation without letting it define your own progress
Working with multiple brands versus one brand and how to do either well
Why the product should speak for itself inside your story rather than beside it
What he's most curious about heading into Western States
The Alchemist, holding goals loosely, and how trail running mirrors life
Black Skin Looks Good on Trail and what he wants that statement to open up

Stay connected:

@tommie_runz on Instagram

Black skin looks good on trail t-shirts

Support our sponsors:

Amazfit
If you're heading to Western States as a runner, pacer, or crew member, join us for a shakeout run in Olympic Valley before race weekend. Learn more about the new Amazfit Cheetah 2 Ultra and connect with the community that helps make race day possible. Visit Amazfit for more information.

Good Ranchers
Good Ranchers delivers high-quality, American-sourced beef, chicken, and seafood directly to your door, making it easier to stay on top of your protein and nutrition goals. Shop at Good Ranchers and use code IRON to save $25 on your first order, plus receive a free protein of your choice every month with a subscription.

Boulderthon
Whether you're chasing a PR or looking for an unforgettable race weekend, Boulderthon offers a 5K, 10K, half marathon, full marathon, and kids races in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. Register at Boulderthon and use code FTLR2026 to save $20 on your half or full marathon registration.

Precision Fuel & Hydration
Precision Fuel & Hydration's new Watermelon Chew was developed with trail ultrarunner Rachel Entrekin to help athletes combat flavor fatigue while fueling long efforts. Shop at Precision Fuel & Hydration and use code LongRun26for 15% off your order.

Tifosi Optics
From bright sunshine to overcast mornings, Tifosi offers performance eyewear designed for every running condition, with prescription options available as well. Shop at TifosiOptics.com and use code FTLR2026 to save 20% on your order.

Mark Dowdle on Backyard Ultras, Keeping Promises to Yourself, and What Hour 60 Reveals Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

Mark Dowdle is a backyard ultra competitor who found running after college football and lacrosse, not because he loved the sport, but because he needed somewhere to put everything he was carrying. What started as 3:30 a.m. runs to eliminate excuses has turned into one of the more compelling stories in ultra running right now — a guy who washes windows and umpires youth baseball between races, shares his unfiltered thoughts on social media like he's writing in his journal, and keeps showing up to races specifically to find out who he is when everything is telling him to stop.

This conversation goes deep on suffering, faith, identity, and what it actually means to keep a promise to yourself.

Topics covered:

From football and lacrosse to 3:30 a.m. runs and how David Goggins started it

Working three part-time jobs while chasing a dream that hadn't paid off yet

Why running is what he does, not who he is

How he uses hour 60 of a backyard ultra to find out if he's been keeping his promises

The Nike Boston ad and what it means to actually stand for something

How faith gives him the freedom to explore without the outcome defining him

What his wife said on the drive home from BPN that stopped him cold

Stay connected:

Mark on Instagram: @mark.dowdle

This episode is supported by:

Precision Fuel & Hydration - Dial your fueling in this year. Use code “LONGRUN26” for 15% off your first order at www.precisionhydration.com.

Boulderthon - Our favorite Colorado race event with a variety of distances. Use code FTLR2026 for $20 off the marathon or half marathon when you register at www.boulderthon.org.

Tifosi Optics - If you've been curious, now's a great time to try them. Head to tifosioptics.com and use code FTLR2026 to tell ‘em i sent you!

Eternal - The app I've been waiting for is finally here. Your labs, your wearable, your training, all in one place that actually does something with it. Download Eternal Health in the app store at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eternal-health/id6504541107

Good Ranchers - Better training starts with better inputs. Good Ranchers delivers high-quality, American-sourced meat and seafood so you can stay consistent with your protein and iron. We heard you! The code IRON is now worth $40 and offers the ability to try out a box before subscribing, but if you want to jump in on a subscription you get $100 off the first three months (total) plus a free bonus protein. Visit goodranchers.com to start shopping!

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

For The Long Run: Exploring the Why Behind Running

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected