EPOC Coaching

I am super stoked to share that I’ve joined @cts_trainright as a Coach for Trail and Ultrarunning! Since I first got involved with the sport, I’ve looked to CTS as the gold-standard for coaching. At the sharp end, their athletes have won every major race you can name, including Western States and Hardrock last Summer. More importantly, they offer the same level of excellence to all their athletes, no matter where they are in their ultra journey. I am very excited to broaden my experience and my resources when it comes to helping athletes chase their goals. If you’re interested in hearing more about coaching with @cts_ultrarunning , please send me a DM!

Current training status: abducted by speed work. 🛸 Would ask for rescue, but I think it’s making me faster… so carry on. Alien @turtlefur tube for the vibes. 👽

Last week I snoozed my alarm and paid the price. By the time I started to get into my (new weekly!) track workout a full-on high school gym class had exploded across it. Soccer balls, basketballs, jump ropes flying everywhere. I grumbled, pivoted, and did the tempo workout scheduled later in the week on the rail trail, frustrated with myself. Why can’t I just be one of those 5am workout people? Sometimes I am, but only if I fall asleep with a concrete plan. Otherwise I’m guilty of the snooze button. 🫣 On Sunday, when I filmed this video, I ended up having the most beautiful sunny afternoon on the track. The frustration melted into pride for simply getting it done. And this week I learned my lesson. I finished the workout on schedule and still avoided the 5am wakeup. 😝 I think the lesson here is that flexibility is okay. And surely a helluva lot better than not doing the work at all.

So much for heat training! Still a very quality day - the Bulldog 50k being back to back loops allows you to immediately compare and contrast as fatigue builds. It very directly shows you what you need to work on - making it the perfect race to use for training for longer ultras. Not to mention it was a blast running with friends from near and far. Next up, @berlinmarathon as a final long threshold session before @javelinajundred

San Gorgonio (11,503 ft) via Vivian Creek 18+ miles, 5k+ feet of gain Thursday, July 3rd I have 10 spaces on a permit DM for RSVP *you’re obviously welcome to book another permit to create more spaces #LAsucksforRunning

BEFORE ➡️ AFTER So proud and so stoked for EPOC Coaching athlete @shelbzzf who ran an amazing race to finish 4th at @cocodona250 ! In February of last year, Shelby broke her foot at @blackcanyonultras 100K. Unable to put weight on it for months, she slowly built back to walking and then eventually some running. We were finally able to start more traditional training in October of 2024. Just seven months later, Shelby ran a stupid strong race, facing horrible weather and 257 damn miles across the Arizona mountains. She called her shot and worked her way through the field to take 4th. She finished so strong that you’d think the race was less than half as long. With all ultras and especially these extra long challenges, it takes a village. As a coach, it’s important to know the limitations of your expertise and I’m super thankful to the additional experts Shelby surrounded herself with. Dr. @jeff.r.hammond not only got her foot to the starting line, but worked every crew station to make sure it got to the finish looking pristine. @jason_gerhart ’s out of the box strength programming made sure that once Shelby was able to run, she wouldn’t have to make up as much ground as most people who had been off for 6+ months. Major injuries require a major effort to build back, but they aren’t impossible. Shelby’s journey over the last year is proof that when you bet on yourself, it pays off! What’s next?

If you’re not shouting F U [insert coaches name] from the top of a mountain at some point during your training, maybe it’s time for a new coach. At least that’s my personal opinion. 💁🏼‍♀️ I might’ve undersold “the perfect hill” when I excitedly told @martinltorres I needed to do repeats on it. But I do believe you need hard workouts to draw from when you’re racing. That “oh right, remember the night I took a Lyft to spend hours running up and down a rocky offshoot 4 miles up Rampart Range Road and then sat in a sauna and walked home at midnight” — a reminder when things get tough that you trained for exactly THIS. Get out of your head. 🤘🏽

We don’t get stronger all at once, it’s the little things that stack up. 💪🏽 
After breaking my foot last year, I’ve been more intentional about the in-between work: PT, mobility, rest. Still not perfect, but every small action matters and they’re adding up. See you at Cocodona 250 in 10 days. I’m so lucky to be partnering with @sidas_usa and @hammondfootandankle to keep my feet happy through all 250 miles. Let’s gooo! 🏜️🧦👣

RYB Back when I worked in bike shops, we had a response for customers who came in wanting to discuss or purchase niche upgrades; things like titanium cassettes, latex inner tubes, or any number of carbon fiber doodads. “But have you tried RYB?” Immediately they’d want to know about this magic upgrade - how much does it cost? How many grams or watts does it save? And we’d look them straight in the face and say: “Ride Your Bike” Marginal gains and hacks can be fun (take it from someone who built a sub 17lbs mountain bike), but the core of all training is consistency. Shaving 80grams in parts is meaningless compared to your fitness. This is just as true for running, where there’s a barrage of new devices, supplements, or gear available every day. You want to run a race in a faster time? Go Run Get up a hill easier? Go Run Tackle a longer distance? Go Run All it takes is getting out there consistently. With that goes consistent fueling and recovery. It’s wholistic consistency, but it’s also as simple as GO RUN! So, next time you’re considering spending more than you’d like on the latest gimmick or fancy device that maaaybe promises a fraction of a percent in improvement, think to yourself: RYB (or maybe now it’s GR)

Going all-in on process for 2025 There are no finish lines (footage via @sonomastateuniversity )

UTMB 2024 🇫🇷🇮🇹🇨🇭 110 miles. 33,000ft of gain. 3 countries. 1 run. 32h32. Completed it mate 💥 . It’s been 2 weeks since finishing this monster and I’m still struggling to fully process what I put my mind, body, and soul through. The fanfare of UTMB week in Chamonix mixed with the calm serenity of traversing these stark remote mountains at night. The feeling of being fully prepared for this race mixed with the inevitable breakdown of anything and everything that can go wrong. The demons of remembering you couldn’t complete this race last year, transforming into the pure joy of running it in 12 months on. There isn’t one overarching feeling that summarises this experience, but a cacophony of chaos that I guess is the embodiment of UTMB & ultrarunning in general! & I absolutely fckn love that! . I am immeasurably proud of what I accomplished here, and of the love and support of @minjie_g along with @martinltorres @kaiitlynyoung_ and @m00sesdad . I’m equally eternally humbled by this sport and reminded that it will continue to be a complex puzzle that can never truly be solved, but simply built up more and more. . Progress over perfection. I’m looking forward to taking some time now to simply be and let this fully settle in. But then, onwards and upwards. Excited to see what’s next!

So proud of both these dudes! It’s an understatement to call @utmbmontblanc challenging - roughly 109 miles and 33k feet of vertical gain through some of the most beautiful mountains and valleys in the world. The beauty is misleading though, there is a hidden trial built in to these trails that will push you to your limit. Somehow this race already knows your vulnerabilities and will do its best to exploit them. It takes courage to toe the line at something like this. For all the fanfare and hype, you’re having to put your soul at hazard. You’re asking a question that you don’t have the answer for and you might not like the answer you get this day. For one of these athletes, it was time to close the book on a journey that began more than a year ago. Making it all officially official and moving on. …but we both know there will likely be a sequel! For the other, it was just the first chapter in a bigger story. One step along the hero’s journey. Whether it’s these same mountains or others, the battle will be decided another day. For me as a coach, it was a whirlwind trip with minimal sleep and a ton of learnings and experiences to add to what I can offer athletes in the future. A weekend well-spent all around. PS - quote of the weekend belongs to Kevin’s dad whitnessing the start: “This blows the Boston Marathon out of the water!”