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Grayson Murphy on her road to becoming Mountain Running World Champ, Airplane arms, Training, Fueling, Goal setting and Running logs
195 Plays2 years ago
Movement can come in many forms. The variety is what keeps things interesting and fun, even if it’s all within the same sport. I think that’s what I loved so much about my triathlon days, the excitement of training in different disciplines for one event always kept me guessing.
On today's episode of Just In Stride I broke things down with an elite runner and mountain running world champion, Grayson Murphy.
She got into soccer growing up but switched over to competitive running because it was a way to make new friends while still having that team aspect.
Today, Grayson competes at an elite level on the road, on the track and on the mountains too. She holds U.S National Titles, World Titles and looks to add the Olympics to a growing list of BIG goals. But always tries to keep it fun, as you might guess by her catchphrase “Airplane arms or you’re doing it wrong”.
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Thanks for tuning in to the Just In Stride Podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts. With your feedback we’ll be able to make the show even better and it’ll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram @justinstridepod and YouTube @justinstridepod for all the latest episodes and updates. Glad you came along for the ride with Just In Stride!
Transcript
Introduction to Justin's Drive Podcast
00:00:06
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Justin's Drive podcast. I'm your host, Justin Puleze. If you love endurance sports, you've definitely come to the right place. On this show, we'll talk to athletes, coaches, and professionals who can help us reach our true potential. Being a student of distance running for over 10 years and interviewing people in the sport for the last five, I've learned a ton, but there's always more to discover. Everyone has a story, and I know you'll resonate with each of our guests as we embark on this new journey together.
00:00:36
Speaker
Join us at home, on the road, or while you run. Together, we'll have some fun.
Social Media and Discounts
00:00:42
Speaker
So follow along on Instagram at justinstridepod and your favorite podcast platform and prepare to be inspired. Come along for the ride with Justin Stride.
00:00:53
Speaker
This episode is presented by our friends at Exact Nutrition, a tasty and healthy way for you to fuel your body before, during, and after a solid training session. I can't leave the house without a few fruit bars in my pocket and they never make it back home. Exact is offering you 50% off your order when you use the code justinstride. So head to exactnutrition.com and fuel your goals today.
00:01:16
Speaker
Movement can come in many forms. The variety is what keeps things interesting and fun, even if it's all within the same sport. I think that's what I love so much about my triathlon days. The excitement of training in different disciplines for one event always kept me guessing.
Grayson Murphy's Athletic Journey
00:01:30
Speaker
On today's episode of Justin Stride, I broke things down with an elite runner and mountain running world champion, Grayson Murphy.
00:01:38
Speaker
She got into soccer growing up, but switched over to competitive running because it was a way to make new friends while still having that team aspect. Today, Gracing competes at an elite level on the road, on the track, and on the mountains too. She holds US national titles, world titles, and looks to add the Olympics to a growing list of big goals, but always tries to keep it fun as you might guess by her catchphrase, airplane arms or you're doing it wrong.
00:02:06
Speaker
Hey Grayson, welcome to Justin Stryde podcast. Thanks for accepting the invite. Hi, thank you so much for having me. Yeah, so you're coming off a pretty big event. It definitely flashed up on my radar, world mountain champ. And like, can you just maybe now that time has gone by a little bit, like how your emotions setting in kind of after that? Yeah, it was a crazy week.
00:02:36
Speaker
We were there for almost two weeks because the two races were so far apart and then getting over jet lag and stuff. So it was really nice to get home and just kind of like relax with my family and take a breather for a second. So this last week I was back into training, but I did take a full week of like pretty low training and just enjoyed time with family. And I think that helped kind of like the come down from
00:03:04
Speaker
the craziness that was at Worlds. Right. So can you, for people that don't know what like mountain running is or this type of event, I know, you know, people are really familiar with marathon. It's more, I think promoted and all this stuff. Can you kind of maybe describe like how that event kind of plays out a little bit? And you mentioned jet lag too. Like, is that something you do like show up early and kind of get used to the time change as well? Yeah. Yeah. So,
00:03:32
Speaker
People, there's like a rule of thumb. Some people want to get there one day early per hour. Um, but I feel like that's a little unreasonable when you're like, I was traveling from Arizona to Austria, so that's nine hours. So I can't get there nine days early, but, um, everyone definitely tries to get there a good amount of time early, like at the bare minimum three or four days. Cause it does take a couple of days to get over jet lag. And if you want to race, well, um, you need to not be thinking that it's.
00:04:02
Speaker
like eight hours later in your body. And then the, so this is the second year they've combined
00:04:10
Speaker
Mountain running and trail running world
Mountain and Trail Running World Championships
00:04:12
Speaker
championships. The first year was last year in Thailand. So there's four events over four days There's the vertical race 40k 80k and then the classic race I think it's really cool like typically they were two separate events on different dates in different locations and now we get four teams all in one place from each country, which is pretty neat and
00:04:37
Speaker
I think the hype is a lot bigger for it just because it's easier to promote like something like that as opposed to two separate events. Yeah, it was my first time doing it that way. The first year I ran in One World was 2019 and it was just the classic race standalone. There was nothing else.
00:04:57
Speaker
So it was cool to have the team there, but then, or sorry, there was a long distance race too, but it was only 40K, which this time was called the short trail. Even though it's a marathon. So it was just cool to have all of the team there and supporting each other through the four days. And how's that team aspect work? You guys take on different events or is there a relay race there as well?
00:05:27
Speaker
No, really, but every country can send or enter up to five people per event. And then you're scored as teams as well as individuals. So every event also has a team score. Some of them work like cross country where it's your place is your score. But then in the 80 K.
00:05:48
Speaker
I think just the 80K. It was your cumulative time. So they added like all the times together for the top three people. And that was your team score was like your team time.
00:06:02
Speaker
So it was pretty fun. It's like an added element of competition. And if you saw the ADK finish, they were sprinting to the finish together, like literally sprinting after ADK, just because they were, it was down to like seconds trying to beat France for first. And so they were just trying to like cut down on the overall score, even though the places were the same. So that was pretty cool.
00:06:31
Speaker
It makes everyone feel like more of a true team in the camaraderie over the week. It's pretty fun. For sure. And how did you strategize going in for yourself personally, would you say?
00:06:42
Speaker
Um, just to do my best in my events, the place is what matters. So if I could win or be top three, then basically like the lowest place you can get the best for the team. So that was my personal goal, not for the team really, but, um, it has happened to help the team score. It's kind of got that cross country feel a little bit, you know? Yeah, it's fun.
00:07:08
Speaker
And so this team that got put together, are they, are they people that you are familiar with already or like people you train with or you kind of just are coming from different places and the teams assembled and then you go? Well, you have to qualify. So USA's was held in April for the vertical and classic race. Um, the top four from each race qualify.
00:07:34
Speaker
froze a little. Yeah, so you have to qualify. So that was at Santa P this April and they take the top four at the US championships. So everyone goes to that hoping to qualify for Worlds and then top four get to go. So I do know most of the people, but it's because Rachel lives nearby in Williams and I'm in Flagstaff most of the time. And then
00:07:58
Speaker
Allie is a friend and I feel like the circle is just so small. Everyone is already friends, which is nice. Yeah, and fun to get away to, right? I'm sure like being in Europe and experiencing a different place too together. Did you have time to enjoy the surroundings as well?
00:08:15
Speaker
A little bit. We went to the Swarovski Crystal Museum, which was like on my bucket list. I know that was pretty cool. I like sparkly things. But most of the time we just kind of were training and trying to lay low.
00:08:31
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. So how did this one feel different than the one you competed in in 2019? That was your debut and, you know, big win there as well. So how did they compare and how were they maybe different, maybe different feeling for you?
00:08:49
Speaker
The team aspect was a big difference which was cool and I was a lot less nervous this time going into it just because I've been there once before already and kind of know what it's like and what to expect. This race was pretty a unique layout I would say. It was 50% tarmac and only 50% trail which was interesting for being a mountain race.
00:09:17
Speaker
And there's two loops. The other course was one loop So there's different tactics involved I think but overall it's a lot less nervous and more excited to be there and I was injured last year so having this Kind of finally happened. I was supposed to be on the team last year, too That was big like big bummer You have to pull out of that so it was fun to finally get to do it after waiting so long and then
00:09:47
Speaker
getting to do it in two events was cool too. Cause last time in 2019, I just did the classic race. Um, so having like two chances to prove yourself was better. I thought also maybe, you know, is it more tiring too? Because, you know, I think a little, I think, well in the moment, I think you don't realize you're just like, um, you're just on the whole time. So you don't realize how tired you are, but then,
00:10:16
Speaker
on Sunday when it all ended, I was like, oh man, I'm pretty tired. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. That's great. So with that intro that you had, how did you, you know, you said it was a big, you know, anytime you got to pull out of a competition, I think it's tough for all athletes, let alone like professional runners like yourself. How do you, how do you, how did you get through that and, you know, move forward after? Um, it was tough. Like there were lots of hard days for
Injury Management and Coaching Decisions
00:10:45
Speaker
sure. And,
00:10:46
Speaker
I'm glad I have my family and my fiance's like a support system for that. I couldn't have done it without them. Um, but it was also kind of a strategic play because we knew that eight months later it was going to be happening again in other worlds. And I probably could have run through that injury for Thailand, but I didn't want to
00:11:09
Speaker
miss another one or show up to like the next world's hurt as well. So having that in mind kind of helped too. It was like, okay, you just have to get through eight months. It's not four years later. Um, now we are on track. That was still a COVID year. Thailand was postponed. So now it is every other year. So I think
00:11:34
Speaker
had the same thing happen this year, I probably would have run through it because it's two years to the next one. But I think having that carrot like helped me focus on something and get through the winter.
00:11:47
Speaker
and just keep trying to get healthy, getting stronger. So that was the only thing I was like tunnel visioned on for the last couple months. Yeah, it gives you that goal, right? So something at the end to kind of, okay, I got to skip this, but at least I know what's coming up. Right.
00:12:05
Speaker
Yeah. So how did you get stronger? Like, did you, this type of, you know, injuries for everyone are different. Was this something you feel like you could have prevented? I know, like, again, as professional athletes, it's like, you guys are going, going, going. You have these goal races and it becomes really important, but at a certain point, you know, you got to take care of yourself too. So is it something you had experienced before? And like, how do you avoid that down the line?
00:12:33
Speaker
Yeah, it was a really weird injury. And I've never experienced anything like it before. It was like nerve pain. And I don't know that there's a ton like biomechanically you can do to prevent nerve pain. I still don't know like what caused it, but I know what fixed it. And that was just a lot of work in the gym.
00:12:58
Speaker
training basically my body to like reuse the nerve paths that seemingly had become damaged. So I'm not sure how to prevent that in the future, but I've just continued to do what healed it, hoping that that will keep it from coming back. Um,
00:13:15
Speaker
I think like there could be an argument for over training, maybe like your overall nervous system breaking down and just kind of getting fried. So, um, training has not been as intense as it was last year leading up to that. And I think that helped. I was with a different coach too. So I think there's just like a lot of things maybe that went into it that with the nerve stuff, I think nerves are tricky. I don't quite know what they're doing. You can't see them. So it's hard to.
00:13:44
Speaker
like understand exactly what's going on. But maybe with this weight training too, now you're, you're supplementing maybe, uh, the intensity with some, something else, which is, you know, maybe giving you a better, better balance. You feel that way or, um, I think it's just overall, like, I think last year the training was more like five K 10 K focus. And this year it's been like 10 K half marathon. So the like paces, the speed that you're,
00:14:14
Speaker
running, it might be more volume, but it's less speed. And I think for whatever reason, my body just responds better to that. Okay. Okay. Good. And what, what sparked the, I always like asking about coaching changes and like how you select the coach, especially at your level, like it's, you've been doing this for a while, you know, what you're, what you're doing, but you know how that works and the selection process. And you know, it's different for everyone of course, but I'm always curious about that. Yeah. Yeah.
00:14:43
Speaker
The coach that I was briefly with for just a couple months last year, I think we just realized I wasn't a good fit in terms of like what I wanted to do and personalities and training stuff. And then the coach I'm with now I was already with a couple of years prior.
00:15:02
Speaker
for mountain stuff. He's David Roach. He's like one of the most well-known mountain running coaches and trail. He just had a bunch of people do well at Western State. So he's just one of the best out there. And I worked with him before, so I knew that that was already a good setup.
00:15:22
Speaker
So I went back to him cause I realized this year I wanted to be more trail focused as opposed to track and road as in the past. Okay. And then how do you know that like from year to year? I mean, I read that, you know, that you're into road track and trail like, and you're being competitive in all facets where a lot of athletes, maybe they're just, they're going for the marathon or they're going for one particular distance. So why that choice?
00:15:51
Speaker
I think it's fun and I don't feel like there's a reason to pick one if I can do them all and be competitive at them all so they're different too which is nice because I can get bored easy so it's nice to be able to like mix it up and if like trails feeling kind of stale then hop on the road and throw in some track stuff too. It depends on what's going on in the year too like this year was a world year so
00:16:22
Speaker
I made the decision to make it more trail focused where next year there is no trail world. So maybe I'll make it more road or track focused. Okay. And is that always coming from you would you say, or does your coach have some input too? And then kind of like how you plan the schedule? Um, no, it's me. I mean, like I'm driving the ship and they're like,
00:16:42
Speaker
I'll tell them where I want to go and then they can make suggestions. But yeah, they're just like my sports system and mentors and they're not my boss, which I've had that situation my first year out of college too. And for me, that just doesn't work because running is
00:17:00
Speaker
It is my job, but it's also something I do for fun. So it can't be like a coworker or boss employee relationship. It needs to be more wholesome. Right. Yeah. More like organic and you got to listen to your athlete and similar, you know, you got to respect what the coach is saying too. Right. So take us back a little bit to like,
00:17:24
Speaker
a younger you, like, did you grow up as a runner? Did you, like, what were you interested in as a kid? And, and kind of how did you get to that point?
00:17:34
Speaker
Yeah, I didn't start running until my sophomore year of college. I was 19 and I played soccer growing up. And then I played soccer my freshman year of college for a different college. And then I transferred and didn't want to play soccer anymore. So walked on to the track team and the rest is kind of history. But me and my, I have a twin sister.
00:17:58
Speaker
We were really active as kids, so while we weren't training, looking back, I'm like, oh, we were all over the place. We were doing all the sports that our parents would let us do. We biked everywhere.
00:18:14
Speaker
didn't run really but like we're running around for games and stuff so it was like hidden I think in all the activities that we were doing and we both just love being outside and being active so I think that like played into helping keep us healthy but also fit for kind of whatever we wanted to do later.
00:18:36
Speaker
Right. And why the split, why did the breakup with soccer? I had something similar happen to me. So I think soccer is a great base for running. And I realized that talking to more and more runners that like, you know, I will hockey and soccer for me, but yeah, I kind of gave that up and said, like, if I'm going to start running, I can't like have my ankles and knees and Jeffrey here.
00:18:56
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Yeah. For me, it was I just was pretty burnt out of soccer and soccer in the collegiate system wasn't the same as the club team that I was on in growing up in high school team, which I thought was just
00:19:13
Speaker
It's the most fun I've ever had. It just wasn't the same and I was kind of over it and I'd been working so hard at this one goal and then realized like, oh, maybe this isn't all that there is for me. Just kind of shifted. I transferred schools too, so it's kind of like a fresh beginning in all senses and I was like, well, I'll try something new, I guess.
00:19:39
Speaker
And how did that go? Like, was it an instant love with running or, you know, did you have some growing pains? Yeah, I approached it with a lot of curiosity and I was there for fun and to make friends. So it wasn't like a judgment per se on the sport, but it was hard at the beginning. I mean, it's still hard. It's hard. But it was particularly hard at the beginning and.
00:20:05
Speaker
I didn't have the right equipment. I had no idea like training philosophy. I knew nothing about, I didn't know about race it. Like I went to my first cross country race and I had to ask the coach how we started. Cause I'd never even seen a race like that.
Running and Mental Health
00:20:23
Speaker
Um, and my teammates are like, why is she on our team? But I was still good. Like I was our first score in cross country that year.
00:20:35
Speaker
So I think that like eased their frustrations with me not knowing like what shoes to wear that GPS watch was a thing So they were great actually and they I can't thank those teammates enough and those coaches for teaching me pretty much everything about running Right. Yeah, I think you changed their mind pretty quick, right? Oh
00:20:58
Speaker
And so, you know, did you realize a potential in yourself? Like do you have that ability to say like, no, I'm good at this. Or was it a coach or parents or friends that told you, Hey, like, like, you know, maybe that's not just driven by results, but that you could actually take this somewhere. I think I kind of realized myself, well, I just like improved so exponentially that first year that I was surprising everyone, including myself. Um,
00:21:28
Speaker
And the coaches were always really supportive too, and they're like, you're really good at this. So I think after the first year, I was like, oh, I'm pretty good at this. But it wasn't until the second year that I realized or even knew that running professionally was a job that you could have. I didn't know people did that or got paid for that. So that's kind of when I thought, oh, maybe I'd like to do more with this, but I also
00:21:55
Speaker
just wanted to do more at the collegiate level so I transferred after the second year to Utah where I ended up finishing just for more resources and a scholarship because I wasn't on a scholarship at Santa Clara and I thought well at the very least I can get two years of school paid for with this newfound talent and that would be amazing so I think kind of it was a process but also kind of deep down
00:22:24
Speaker
I knew that's where I wanted to get to eventually. To be professional. Okay, yeah. And all the while, you were studying something that you might be able to use later on in life? Yeah, I studied civil engineering, which was fun. I like math and I love school, so I picked a hard major. Okay, yeah.
00:22:50
Speaker
Um, and so like, well you like math, so you like the numbers too, I guess of running and splits and stuff like that. So yeah, oddly enough, I think that's why I don't like track very much. Um, I think I like road and trails more because it's not so black and white and it's not all about the numbers or the splits. And there's just a lot more variables, which can be bad, but also it's a little liberating, at least for me to have like more gray area.
00:23:20
Speaker
And I'd rather be dealing with that than the track or like you either hit a time or you don't. And so it's either a win or a lose. I'd rather have.
00:23:30
Speaker
more to juggle. Yeah, totally. I think it takes the stress out of us too. When we're just so focused on the numbers, you can't let yourself kind of flow. And also, I think by not knowing what the numbers are, sometimes you surprise yourself and hit these new potential. If you're limited by numbers, that can be a challenge for sure.
00:23:57
Speaker
Have you ever, have you always had like a good relationship with running? Cause I know sometimes in school it can get tricky, you know, and you hear stories like that, but, um, would you say it's always been a positive relationship? Um, for the most part, I think I'm, I'm human. Notice I go through like phases, like everyone else, probably where you have weeks or months where you're like, this isn't that fun right now. Um, or just not enjoying it. 2020 was pretty hard. I'm sure everyone would say that.
00:24:26
Speaker
But at the end of 2020, I was like, what am I doing? Cause I, my job was to race, but there were no races. And I felt like I was just kind of a waste of a human. Like I wasn't contributing to the greater good by just training and not doing anything. Um, so that was kind of hard and it's taken a couple of years to find like peace in that. And then how I can contribute to my community and be more than just a person that has race results.
00:24:57
Speaker
Yeah. And I mean, the pandemic, let's face it was difficult for, for everybody. Did you, I mean, and just finding, um, meaning like you're saying, like, can you draw any, any positivity from, from that very difficult situation to maybe a change of mindset or perspective? Yeah, I think it was a learning experience. Um, and I know like, maybe I,
00:25:23
Speaker
I wasn't hating running looking back. It wasn't like running. It was the overall like life circumstances, I think, but I was taking it out on running. And so now when I start to feel like, oh, the running is not fun, I make sure I like check myself before I wreck myself. And I'm like, is it running or is it like something outside of running? And you're just kind of taking it out on running. Um, and I learned to like, I can train by myself and I enjoy that, but not all the time.
00:25:52
Speaker
That was a pretty valuable lesson. Um, so yeah, there were some good things that came out of it. I'm sure everyone kind of feels similar, but definitely wasn't everyone's first choice of how 2020 was going to go. Yeah. No kidding. I mean, would you say like your, your, you prefer to train with people or like healthy mix of both is good. Maybe like workouts with people and easy run solo or.
00:26:19
Speaker
Yeah, I think a good mix, kind of sprinkle in people here and there. It's hard because the way I train is a little bit unique with the track and road and trail stuff. So I kind of have to be more of a free agent and kind of like insert myself in different, if it's like a road workout, go find road people to work out with. But if it's a trail day, go find trail people and
00:26:43
Speaker
Sometimes no one is available. So then I have to be okay working out alone too. So I think just being flexible has been the key. And then my motto has turned into like, if no one's my teammate, then everyone is my teammate. Meaning like I'm not on the team formally, but that means I can make everyone my teammate and just kind of be flexible with it.
00:27:08
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. And like I know I read too that you bounce around from like your hometown and Bozeman and Salt Lake. Yeah. Does it depend on like the time of year or is it like, is that strategic for you? You also mentioned Arizona too. So yeah, that's more, I guess just life circumstances. My fiance is a professional Nordic skier, so he's in Bozeman. So that's why I come up here to see him. And then in the winter when he's in season,
00:27:37
Speaker
There's not really reason for me to be up here because he's probably gone and you're up racing anyway. So then I'll be in salt Lake where my family is or flag staff, um, where it's just good training. And yeah, it just kind of depends on like where other people are. And then I follow them. Yeah.
00:27:56
Speaker
I'm going to have to have him on the podcast. Is that challenging for you guys? Or is it a good balance? I know athlete to athlete relationships are sometimes difficult, especially at a professional level.
00:28:11
Speaker
Yeah, it's hard. I think just the long distance part is hard. Like we'll go months without seeing each other and then see each other for like a week. And now we've got three weeks together and in the spring we got a month together. So I think just the long distance relationship anyone would tell you is not ideal, but we're both doing what we want to be doing and chasing something cool. So I think we've both realized like it's worth it for that.
00:28:42
Speaker
There will be an end to it. So we just have to get through this time and then we'll get time together.
00:28:49
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. And also like support somebody in a different kind of atmosphere too, you know, it gives you something else to talk about other than just running or just skiing. It's like this crossover. Are you doing a bit of skiing yourself too? I do. Yeah, it is fun. I joined a Nordic local Nordic ski team in Flagstaff this winter and I did some races and that was pretty fun. Oh yeah. And how did you do?
00:29:14
Speaker
I won. Of course you did. I have a good teacher. Yeah, no kidding. And would you call yourself like a really competitive person? Like when you're going out and racing, I mean, obviously as a professional it's better if you're winning, but you know, is the goal always to win and how do you handle, you know, defeat?
00:29:37
Speaker
Yeah, I guess I'm competitive. I think I'm more competitive with myself than with other people in the moment, in the heat of the moment. Usually I'm thinking like, how much faster can I run? Not can I beat this person? I think that helps with like road and trail stuff. And I don't think it was as useful in track because I think track is a little more head to head combat.
00:30:06
Speaker
So yeah, I guess it's kind of fun, but I try and like tone it down too. And outside of actual race scenarios, I don't like to be overly competitive about things. I get competitive with board games, but like I try not to be like that person. I like to be like someone you want to hang out with. That's not trying to like compete with you at the coffee shop for some reason.
00:30:31
Speaker
Yeah, just like have fun with it kind of thing. Yeah. Not take it, even though you have to be serious about the work you're putting in, not take yourself or it too seriously. Yeah.
00:30:43
Speaker
And I saw, I read a piece too on like these airplane arms that you wrote. And I love that. I love that. The origin story of the airplane arms. Do you want to maybe share that a little bit? But, you know, at the end of it, it's like it's coming from more of a place of, you know, a lot of the times we get wrapped up in this run game or whatever we're in.
00:31:08
Speaker
And we lose that child's play in ourselves. And I thought that was really great. You want to maybe talk about that a little? Yeah, I always say airplane arms or you're doing it wrong. And
00:31:21
Speaker
kind of came, there was a run I did here in Bozeman actually. And I just was having so much fun on the run that I was doing airplane arms on the switchbacks, because I feel like that's the best time to do airplane arms. And I realized like, oh, if I'm not doing this, like every run or most runs, I'm not doing this right. Because at the end of the day for me, at least running is supposed to be fun. And kind of like you said, an outlet and child's play and getting back to like your
00:31:52
Speaker
true self and if I'm not like spontaneously doing airplane arms because I'm having so much fun doing it then maybe I'm taking it too seriously and I think actually that was right during COVID or right after COVID
00:32:09
Speaker
When I had struggled with like the meaning of running for me, too So I've kind of held on to that because it feels Natural and now I can be like if the run is sucking or I feel like I'm going too slow I can kind of pull myself out and be like just do airplane arms
00:32:27
Speaker
either literally do it or just think about doing it and think like at the end of the day, it shouldn't be that serious, even though it is my job, but it shouldn't be taking it that seriously. Right. And then what is, what is the meaning of running for you? I think, yeah, just joy or experiencing joy and fun and being happy. Um, the competitive aspect is fun certainly and winning is fun, but
00:32:57
Speaker
I think you do a lot of not winning. Like I'm not going out every day on training runs winning. Um, so most of the time, 98% of the time I'm running, it should be just something I'm doing for fun. Uh, cause I also do it a lot. So if it's not fun, that's a lot of like unsustainable time that I'm spending doing something I don't like. Um, so kind of for, yeah, needs to stay in the fun category for me.
00:33:26
Speaker
Yeah, I think it comes down to also, like, if you're not enjoying the process, like they say, like, trust the process. There's a lot of process talk in running. You're maybe doing it for the wrong reasons, you know? Results come years and years and years down the road. Speaking of, like, down the road, like, what's, like, you know, you mentioned, like, your wildest running dreams, like, what's your
00:33:55
Speaker
How do you envision your career looking? Do you think you're going to go more in the trail direction? Do you think you'll run, you know, half same marathons? I know you like to mix it up, but do you have like a big picture idea of where you want to go? I think I'll just keep doing the mix that I've been doing. I don't see a reason to change or stop that and I enjoy it. And I have big goals on the road and I have big goals on the trail.
00:34:24
Speaker
don't feel like I want to compromise one for the other. And I don't think I need to either. So yeah, I think I'll just keep doing the same thing. And mostly just what I want out of my career is that it was fulfilling for me and that it hopefully made a difference with someone too. I'm hoping that more people will realize they can do
00:34:46
Speaker
trail and road they don't have to pick and that that's not like everyone's first question and also that like mountain running isn't ultra running because people love to ask me that question too um but I don't think like mountain running is not a means to an end to get to ultra running for me like I like mountain running for what it is and I don't think you need to be like western states isn't everyone's goal but I think people just don't realize that there's a whole world outside of
00:35:15
Speaker
100 mile races that matter too. So I think maybe proving those two things and then just being fulfilled personally, which can come in a lot of forms. So the airplane arms is one. And I think, yeah, I think you bring up a good point.
00:35:33
Speaker
I'm running marathons, for example. Um, I do like running trails, but like automatically my brain. So, I mean, I've ran 65 K races before, you know, it's maybe no longer stuff, but I'm automatically, my brain goes to the 100 mile. But I think to your point, like there's, there's this, there's, there's that whole.
00:35:55
Speaker
gap, you know, that you're, that people are missing. It doesn't have to be a hundred. It can be, you can hit the trails and do twenties. You can do forties. You can, I think that's maybe you think it's gaining popularity a little bit because of races like Western States, but like maybe more accessible for beginners. Yeah, I think so. And I think it's definitely more of an issue in the U S in Europe. They're like very aware of.
00:36:22
Speaker
mountain running. Italy has a mountain running team like year round. They have more races that are mountain and sub ultra.
00:36:32
Speaker
I think it's kind of a US issue that hopefully we're shedding some light on and like just making people aware that there's more that you can do than just ultras, but it is more accessible to be like, Oh, come run this 10 K. Um, you don't have to train for six months. You can just hop in and see if you like it as opposed to Western states. You can't just hop into a hundred mile race, like with no training. So.
00:37:00
Speaker
I think it is more accessible and hopefully people realize that it doesn't have to mean that you're going to ultras too. You can stay in the sub-ultra category. Right. Is that on your list maybe one day, like a Western States? Maybe in the very, very distant future or 10 years from now, maybe. Yeah. And what about like Olympics,
Future Plans and Aspirations
00:37:25
Speaker
anything like that? Do you have aspirations for that?
00:37:28
Speaker
Yeah, I'll do the Olympic trials again this coming February for the marathon. And yeah, I think that will be fun. I think I'm more interested in like running the majors than making an Olympic team just for, I think it's more fun. And then hopefully, I'm hoping they'll add mountain running as like an exhibition event in 2028. We've got a good case and a lot of people are,
00:37:57
Speaker
within world athletics and WMRA are kind of pulling for that. So hopefully we can get that added too. Are they kind of lobbying for that to become an event? Yeah, for LA. Um, we think it should be the vertical because people seem to be really into the vertical race at worlds. It was digestible for most people because you could just point up and be like, they're running to the top of that. And people can kind of comprehend that where I don't
00:38:25
Speaker
I can't even comprehend what running a hundred miles is like. And it's short enough, vertical races usually take between 30 and 50 minutes. So it's like a short enough thing that it could be televised and within people's attention span. And it doesn't have to take all day or 15 hours to run. And then hopefully that's like a good gateway to get people interested in mountain and trail running.
00:38:51
Speaker
Yeah. Cause that's, uh, that's something you, you bring up a good point. Like you want to watch like a hundred mile race. It's like, you're going to be sitting there for at least 14, 15 hours. And that's, you know, that's if your favorite runner comes to the finish, otherwise it's much longer than that. So that's, uh,
00:39:10
Speaker
That's it. Where do you see the sport going? I know that you're kind of, I don't know, you seem like an ambassador for the sport. You've kind of taken it on your own and where do you see it going? I hope that it continues to get more competitive and that more people
00:39:39
Speaker
want to do it I think in the past is even when I started just four years ago with trail stuff it felt like people thought that was an afterthought so like once you got too slow on the track or the road oh then I'll do trails um because it's for slow people and my hope is I've proven over the last four years that it's not for slow people you still like it is advantageous actually to be fast and do it
00:40:07
Speaker
Um, and then you don't have to give up trail or track and road stuff just to do trail stuff. Like, I think if you want around a hundred miles, you start to get into, you're going to lose some speed territory, I think. Um, but if you're keeping it sub ultra, like 50 K and less, I think you're fine. And you can train for marathons, half marathons, 10 K's, and then still be really good on the trail too. And vice versa.
00:40:37
Speaker
Yeah, I'm sure the trails also helps your road stuff too. The climbing and gives you a different kind of cardio and a different kind of fitness as well. So yeah, that's, uh, that's going to be beneficial to your, to your road stuff also. So that's, that's awesome. Yeah.
Training Log Product Development
00:40:57
Speaker
Are you coaching at all or? No, I don't coach. Yeah. No, no. But you have these training logs and planners that you do, right?
00:41:07
Speaker
Yep, that's my version of coaching, I guess. It's got a lot of encouragement. So what's behind that? So I started, I made one for myself, like hand-drawn. I was bored five, six years ago now. And then people were asking where I bought it. So then I thought, oh, I'll make one for you. It's just been every year since this was the fifth edition.
00:41:34
Speaker
I've just kind of like tweaked it every year and it's finally to a point I think where this year it won't be much different. But it's just a fun way, it's a fun business venture for me. I've always had like an entrepreneurial spirit even when I was a kid, like lemonade stands and we were always trying to like make a business. So I like that aspect of it and I've learned a lot too.
00:41:59
Speaker
Because I definitely, like I said, did not study business in college, so it's been fun to learn something totally outside of what I studied.
00:42:08
Speaker
It's been a fun way to connect with people too outside of like race results. And that's part of my thing too with like how I'm contributing to the running community as a whole. Um, I can give them this and like connect with people on a base level outside of like race results only and training only. And that's been really helpful and there are mental health, um, components in there and just like fun things that look at you as a holistic person.
00:42:38
Speaker
and not just a runner. And that's been a fun way to like show myself, but also connect with other people. Yeah. So you created this as a way to kind of help yourself. And I mean, I can, I could definitely use one and I'm not a great planner by any means. Um, but that's kind of how it, I mean, and a lot of businesses start that way, right? Like you find a need for yourself and then someone's like, Oh, that's cool. And you're like,
00:43:05
Speaker
Like you said, you know, I'll make you one. And then you find that like, it's going to help way more people. Um, so was that created as a, like I said, a way for, for you to kind of plan or sort through life? Yeah, it always.
00:43:20
Speaker
In college, I always had the academic planner that they give to for free at the beginning of the year. And then I had a training log too, because I wanted to keep track of training. And I like Strava also, but I think there's something to be said for writing down your training with notes and not just all the data parts, because I don't know that data numbers don't adequately capture training a lot of the time.
00:43:47
Speaker
But I wanted it all in one place because I was sick of carrying around like two books and I felt like There are times when I'm really busy in life and that can definitely impact training But I would be missing that so now in mind they're like right next to each other for each day And I feel like it helps me see oh if I'm really busy and then training sucked that week maybe that it's for a reason outside of training like maybe it's because I was really busy in life and I
00:44:16
Speaker
I think that's even more poignant for people that have full time jobs and maybe you're a nurse or a doctor and you're on your feet all day or a teacher. And I think having that visual is pretty good. And then it's easier to be easy on yourself when it comes to like, Oh, am I tired? And why?
00:44:38
Speaker
So what kind of things can people put in here? What would be something that you would put in there? Because I find it really interesting. I think, like you said, I'm an Australia guy. I just want to know the numbers for my week, just roughly, whatever.
00:44:53
Speaker
Um, or how workouts went, you know, if I'm trying to get through a workout, maybe try and do it more on feel and then look at my numbers later to kind of see if it's reflective, but also give some thought to how my week was. Did it get some good sleep? So is that all kind of stuff you're adding? I think this is great for people, beginners, elites. I think it's an awesome tool. Yeah. Yeah. So the general setup is.
00:45:15
Speaker
every day there's a week on the page well two pages when you open it so every day has a life section and a training section and it's meant like for me I'll usually put in the life section like meetings or podcasts or just stuff I have to do in life that's not training and then in the training section I put what I did for training that day and then there are totals
00:45:40
Speaker
monthly and weekly and daily. Um, so you can still get your numbers fixed and their habit trackers and graphs on for every month too. So you end up creating basically a straw of a graph, but by paper and yourself. And I like to track like miles and cross training hours and compare the two graphs. Um, and then habit trackers, it might be sleep or,
00:46:07
Speaker
water or gym days or cross training days, core hurdle work if you're steepling like I was. So just stuff like that where that's not stuff that you do track on Strava normally, but it is helpful to know. And if you have a bad session, you can look back and see like, oh, like maybe this is why. Or if you get injured, you have like a whole lot more to look at than just numbers to try and figure out what happened.
00:46:36
Speaker
Yeah. And I could definitely use the water. That's really good. And do you find yourself going back a lot to see, to reread? Yeah. Yeah. I like, uh, like when I was injured, I did kind of dive in deeper and like, was there anything like any big red flags that I missed or, um, what happened? And I think with women too, like tracking your cycle and comparing that to how you feel can be a good way to realize like,
00:47:05
Speaker
It was a day out of your control maybe that you just felt bad and that's totally okay. So I think having that stuff and there's a lot more, we're humans and there's a lot going on and it's really hard to put it all into numbers and I think you really can't. So having that extra bit of information is nice and
00:47:24
Speaker
writing it down is nice and sometimes I just go back to see like what was I doing last year on this day for fun just to see so yeah it's a fun process I think. I'm gonna ask you a question just about the feedback you get but what do you do for fun?
00:47:42
Speaker
For fun, um, outside stuff. Yeah, I have a problem finding hobbies that aren't active outdoor things. I don't think I'll do anything outside. I've decided when I was injured and like couldn't really do too much. Um, I could paddleboard, which is nice, but I decided one of my hobbies was going out to eat.
00:48:05
Speaker
Cause I really liked food and I really enjoyed good food and finding new restaurants. And I decided that was a perfectly fine hobby to have. And I will gladly spend my money on good food. Yeah, you need fuel, right? So what are you after? What's your go-to in terms of nutrition?
00:48:24
Speaker
Um I'm pretty like just all everything works to try and get enough to that's kind of my first goal is get enough of things and then once you have enough calories then you can start tinkering with like the nutritional part but I think
00:48:43
Speaker
Basically what I like is like a lot of beans and rice and vegetables and bowls, and luckily that happens to get me most of what I need. And then I do blood tests every three months to make sure I'm like on track, but for the most part, it's pretty intuitive eating. Is it like, are you on a plant-based diet?
00:49:04
Speaker
No, I eat, um, meat and dairy and yeah, everything, but yeah, getting enough is my top priority. Oh yeah. That's for sure. Yeah. Cause we need, you've got to eat to do the things we want to do to, to, you know, climb that mountain or do that workout or whatever. So, and, and so back to the planner, like what kind of feedback are you getting from people? Like.
00:49:29
Speaker
people really enjoying that? Or are you hearing some like stories from people sharing with you like how it's impacted them? Yeah, yeah, it's been really fun the last five years to get stories. And I have an Instagram account for just the training log now. And so I do get a lot of people messaging me and I try and share if they tag me or chag the training log in a story. But it's cool to see people are like PR and using it or they hit their goal race or
00:49:58
Speaker
maybe they didn't but they had like some other revelation or something that's been really cool and Some people have been buying it for the whole five years, which is like amazing, too They have like a collection of them now and it's just cool to see that they support me But also that it's something that they think is worth buying that many times over five years to help them with that
00:50:23
Speaker
like whatever their goals are. Some people it's like coming back from postpartum or just starting running for the first time or like not even running goals. Like some people it's a non-sports specific training log. So you could use it for cycling or skiing or whatever sport you do. So it's cool to see that too kind of come to life. Cause I do other sports too. So I wanted to make sure like it would fit everything that you could want in it.
00:50:53
Speaker
Right. And you sell that on your website, right? I do. Yeah. They're sold out this year. Um, they usually sell out probably April or May. Um, cause they are dated. So yeah. Uh-huh. Yeah. So you got to bump up production. I know. Yeah. Well, I got to keep the demand high in the supply. Okay. So limited supply. Yeah. There's a hundred available. They're numbered. Yeah.
00:51:20
Speaker
they each come signed by it's racing Grayson, right? Yeah. Where'd you get that name? In college, one of my teammates called me that and then I thought, Oh, that's pretty funny. I'll do that. And that was maybe my first year running. So I really wasn't like,
00:51:37
Speaker
into running that much at that point um but it's stuck and then it's a good run so people it's really taking off nice play on where yeah like this podcast justin strut yeah you'd be surprised how many people though think my first name is raisin last name grayson no who would name their kid that
00:52:02
Speaker
That'd be a pretty amazing first name, I think. It kind of sets a precedent for your life. I know. It really pigeonholes me into things. You better be racing. That's pretty funny. Yeah. And so you also sell other things on your website too. Some like apparel as well. Yeah, we were doing t-shirts that was on Gone for a Run. So this year the partnership will look a little different and
00:52:32
Speaker
It'll be with Saucony, which will be cool. And yeah, so those look a little bit different, but we're trying to get some things that we can sell some fun apparel. I really am trying to convince them to sell a unitard like the one I wore at Worlds for people to buy their own version. So not Nike, but we'll see. That'll take some convincing, I think. So you were allowed to wear a team uniform kind of thing, even though
00:53:01
Speaker
Yeah, you have to when you're competing for Team USA. So it's like the Olympics. We're not everyone sponsored by Nike, but you have to while you're there because the event is funded by USATF. Okay. Becoming a professional or is being a professional runner, everything you thought it would be, did you have any idea?
Realities of Professional Running
00:53:25
Speaker
And like, is it what you thought? I don't even know what I thought it would be.
00:53:32
Speaker
I think it pretty much is in ways and then in some ways it's not. I think there are like ugly parts to every job I think and you find those out when you're in the job. So there's been some of that but then I think I realized too it's a lot more than just running and I've wanted to make it more than that for myself.
00:53:55
Speaker
And realizing that that's possible has been cool. Cause I think kind of the generation or two before mine, like Galen Rupp kind of generation, it kind of felt like all they did was run and run fast. And that's all that mattered. And, um, they are not even like a figure in the community. Like they're kind of a legend that no one even talks to because they're so like far removed. And I think.
00:54:23
Speaker
Humanizing the prison or profession for me has been Good and realizing like you can be a human and a good person in your community and still run fast They're not mutually exclusive and you don't have to be like a monk to run fast You can be happy and do it and live a well-balanced life. So I think that's been like a positive thing. I've learned about it Yeah, and I find like you you are super accessible. Not everyone is
00:54:53
Speaker
Um, you know, at your level. And I think that's, that's really important too. You know, that we, that you're able to share with others who are not at your, at your level too. Like, do you find people like messaging you a lot and asking you questions and stuff? And I know that might be hard for you too. At the same time.
00:55:12
Speaker
Yeah, I try and answer as many as I can. As long as they're like well-meaning questions, there are definitely some that I'm like, that's a block for me. But yeah, I try and if it's like a well-meaning question or someone has a question about how to get started or what is mountain running, I try and
00:55:35
Speaker
really answer them and I obviously can't have to have boundaries too for myself because I can't spend all day on my phone so I can't have like full conversations with everybody but I do try and like do the best I can to at least answer even if it's not super lengthy or not a full-blown conversation. So let's answer that question for for people. How do you get started?
00:56:02
Speaker
Yeah, good question. I think it depends on where you live. I know it can be hard if you live in a place that maybe doesn't have trails or trail access. But I also would say too, you don't have to have mountains to run up to get fit for mountain running because all of my workouts are on the track or the road, all my interval workouts.
00:56:30
Speaker
So I don't think like you need to be doing vert all the time That's not a focus of mine and it seems to be working Okay, so I think if you live in a flat place like don't panic. There's still ways to do it And like I said, if you want to train for a 10k or half marathon on the road I think that will translate really well to fitness on the trail and then it would just be a matter of like getting comfortable on the terrain and
00:56:58
Speaker
So maybe you go a couple days early or you do some trips throughout the year to a mountainous place to practice, but, um, you don't have to be living in that place to get started. What is running in the trails, like do for your own, you know, mental health and wellness?
00:57:19
Speaker
It's so fun, the airplane arms again. So yeah, as long as I can keep that at the forefront. I just like being out there and seeing stuff and like Montana is so wild, which is cool and lots of wildlife to see, lots of bear spray to carry.
00:57:38
Speaker
Yeah, I think it's just cool. And like seeing the places I get to race to, um, Patagonia and Alps and the Dolomites and places like maybe I never would have gone otherwise. It makes me really grateful to have trail running in my life. Where's your favorite place to run? I really like running in Salt Lake city. I think just cause it's home. So it feels good, but, um, yeah, the Alps are crazy. Like they're,
00:58:07
Speaker
So cool. Um, Patagonia was sweet too. That's like a landscape that's really different than a lot of other places with all the lakes and mountains. That was pretty neat to see too. Yeah. I'm living in Switzerland now. So I'm getting pretty, uh, pretty good access to these, uh, these mountains. Yeah. Straight up. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, absolutely. Um, so what would you say that running has brought to your life?
00:58:37
Speaker
people, first people, really good people, and then I guess a sense of like
00:58:46
Speaker
that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing purpose, um, in my life too. And that I am passionate about something. I don't think I've ever been this passionate about something. So it's cool to feel that it's like feeling love for the first time or something similar where like you just feel like you're doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing when you're supposed to be doing it. And it all makes sense. And you think like you'll know when the time comes where
00:59:15
Speaker
Do you think you'll always run or do you think if you can't do it competitively anymore that you would kind of switch to something else? No, I think I'll always be a runner regardless of if I can race or not. But luckily, like running is a great sport because you can race until you're super old if you want to. Maybe not as an elite, but you can still race and I think that's pretty cool.
00:59:40
Speaker
Amazing. Any last thoughts, anything you want to share with people, like a message through running? Don't forget your airplane arms. Yeah. Yeah, that's a good one. I'm going to try that one as soon as this afternoon. Yeah. Grayson, it's been amazing talking to you. You got such an amazing positive outlook on the sport. And I think that's not always the case.
01:00:07
Speaker
And I wish you all the best for this upcoming season. I saw your reschedule, so that's great. Let's get started. I'll get on the waiting list for the planners for next year. Yeah, coming out soon. Yeah, thank you for having me. It was great to talk to you. No problem. Take care.
01:00:24
Speaker
Thanks for tuning in to the Justin Stride Podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts. With your feedback, we'll be able to make the show even better and it'll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram at JustinStridePod for all the latest episodes and updates.
01:00:49
Speaker
Of course, this show wouldn't be possible without a solid team behind me. With logo and design by Vanessa Pugliese, as well as audio, music, and editing by Forrest McKay, a huge thank you goes out to both of them. Guest outreach, social media, writing, and advertising are handled by me, your host, Justin Pugliese. Finally, we'd like to thank you, our listeners, for coming along for the ride with Justin Strad.