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#HURDLEMOMENT: Everything You Should Know About Trail Running With Mirna Valerio · Hurdle with Emily Abbate

0:00
Speaker 1: If I had to ask you how trail running makes
0:03
Speaker 1: you feel? How does trail running make you feel?
0:06
Speaker 2: So many words come to mind, human like, because I
0:11
Speaker 2: think this is what my body is meant to do,
0:15
Speaker 2: you know, as a human being, is just like moving
0:17
Speaker 2: with my own two feet across the earth, and that's
0:21
Speaker 2: exactly what trail running is.
0:37
Speaker 3: Hey, everyone, Emily and body.
0:39
Speaker 2: Here.
0:39
Speaker 1: You are listening to another installment of Hurdle Moment from Hurdle.
0:46
Speaker 1: I'm in such a good mood today because it has
0:49
Speaker 1: been a minute since I have caught up with today's guest.
0:53
Speaker 1: Her name is Myrna Valerio, and you may recognize her
0:57
Speaker 1: name not just because you've probably seen her obscenely.
1:01
Speaker 3: Motivating posts on Instagram.
1:03
Speaker 1: Her handle is over at the Myrnovator, but also because
1:08
Speaker 1: she is a past Hurdle guest. Myrna and I first
1:12
Speaker 1: connected for the show about a year ago. I'll link
1:15
Speaker 1: to that episode in the show notes, and today she
1:18
Speaker 1: is coming back into the mix to chat all about
1:22
Speaker 1: trail running.
1:23
Speaker 3: Here's the deal.
1:24
Speaker 1: Right now, summer prime time to hit the trails. Fall
1:28
Speaker 1: actually is my absolute favorite time to hit the trails.
1:31
Speaker 1: But if there's anyone who knows a thing or two
1:34
Speaker 1: about getting out into the great outdoors.
1:37
Speaker 3: It is mRNA.
1:38
Speaker 1: Every time I swear I look at her page, she
1:40
Speaker 1: is on another trail doing something else, whether she's hiking
1:43
Speaker 1: or biking, or running or now.
1:45
Speaker 3: She says in today's episode that she's a big fan
1:47
Speaker 3: of skiing.
1:48
Speaker 1: Like Myrna loves to be in nature and that's why
1:52
Speaker 1: I knew she was the perfect person to chat with
1:54
Speaker 1: about this. We talk about everything from her best practice
1:58
Speaker 1: advice for getting out there doing it safely.
2:01
Speaker 3: We also talk about gear. miRNA is a Meryl sponsor
2:05
Speaker 3: in athletes.
2:05
Speaker 1: She gives some really great recommendations for footwear from that brand.
2:10
Speaker 1: We also talk about nutrition, hydration, doing it with friends
2:14
Speaker 1: versus doing it alone. So much goodness in this episode,
2:18
Speaker 1: and like I said, and put a smile on my face,
2:20
Speaker 1: I think it's going to put a smile on yours.
2:22
Speaker 1: And it's always awesome and fun for me to have
2:25
Speaker 1: a chance to connect with someone who I've chatted with
2:27
Speaker 1: for the show before. If you missed the note, last week,
2:31
Speaker 1: I launched a special project that I've been working on
2:34
Speaker 1: with Spotify.
2:35
Speaker 3: It's called Music and Talk Unlocked.
2:37
Speaker 1: In my episode, which is called Conquer feels appropriate to
2:40
Speaker 1: the show. I am coaching you through a forty five
2:43
Speaker 1: minute interval run. I would love, love, love for you
2:47
Speaker 1: to check it out, and if you do, make sure
2:49
Speaker 1: you tag me over on Instagram. I'm over at Emily
2:51
Speaker 1: Body and also tag Spotify over at Spotify. Make sure
2:55
Speaker 1: you are following along with Hurdle on social at Hurdle Podcasts.
2:59
Speaker 1: And with that, let's get to the trails. Let's get
3:03
Speaker 1: to hurdling.
3:13
Speaker 3: Today. I'm sitting down with Myrna Valerio.
3:16
Speaker 1: She is an endurance athlete extraordinary a second time a
3:21
Speaker 1: Hurdle podcast guest.
3:24
Speaker 3: How you doing.
3:25
Speaker 2: I am doing great, great, I'm doing really really great.
3:29
Speaker 4: You know.
3:30
Speaker 1: In fact, I know, isn't it like kind of sweet
3:33
Speaker 1: when you really take a step back and you're like.
3:35
Speaker 3: Actually, I'm doing really well right now.
3:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, Like despite all the stuff that's going on in
3:40
Speaker 2: the world, you know.
3:41
Speaker 4: I have a pretty good life.
3:43
Speaker 2: I am healthy, I'm able to do the things well,
3:46
Speaker 2: most of the things that I'd like to do.
3:48
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, I'm feeling really good right now.
3:50
Speaker 1: I love to hear that. I love to hear that,
3:52
Speaker 1: and I mean, speaking of things that you love to do.
3:54
Speaker 1: Summer a prime time to do many of those things.
3:57
Speaker 1: How has your summer been treating you?
4:00
Speaker 4: I was a little boring.
4:01
Speaker 2: I spent seven weeks in Colorado, you know, like cycling
4:07
Speaker 2: and running and you know, hiking and.
4:10
Speaker 4: Stuff like that.
4:11
Speaker 2: So was really Yeah. I mean I wish I could
4:13
Speaker 2: have been doing something like more exciting.
4:19
Speaker 3: But here you are, and now you're back in Vermont.
4:22
Speaker 2: I'm back in Vermont. I haven't left my apartment in
4:24
Speaker 2: three days.
4:26
Speaker 3: Sometimes you need a little reprieve.
4:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, but I'm excited to go back outside.
4:30
Speaker 3: Any Colorado highlights to share with the family.
4:32
Speaker 4: Oh my god, so many.
4:33
Speaker 2: So I'm a little injured, right, what's going on? Better
4:36
Speaker 2: have a I have a heel spur that I just
4:39
Speaker 2: got an X ray four. If it's not one thing,
4:41
Speaker 2: it's another. But you know, that's you know, anyone who
4:44
Speaker 2: is an athlete or in sports, you know, that's just
4:47
Speaker 2: kind of a reality.
4:48
Speaker 4: So so I'm working on that.
4:50
Speaker 2: But so I did a little bit of trail running
4:52
Speaker 2: out in Colorado. I was supposed to lead out the
4:56
Speaker 2: early starters for the Trans Racky six day stage race,
5:00
Speaker 2: so I didn't get to do that, but I got
5:01
Speaker 2: to announce for the race and so it could kind
5:04
Speaker 2: of be an MC. So that was really really fun.
5:06
Speaker 2: I got to crack jokes about people. And then and
5:09
Speaker 2: I did get to do a little bit of running
5:11
Speaker 2: and boulder and Golden out in Silverton, I did a
5:15
Speaker 2: lot of gravel riding. It was actually really fantastic. I
5:18
Speaker 2: also crewed my own running coach at hard Rock, So
5:23
Speaker 2: it was amazing to be in a community of trail
5:26
Speaker 2: runners who were they just wanted to do hard things
5:28
Speaker 2: and to test their bodies and not have all of
5:30
Speaker 2: the hullabaloo and stuff about them, and it was it
5:34
Speaker 2: was an incredible experience that I want to do over
5:36
Speaker 2: and over again. But just crewing and just seeing the
5:39
Speaker 2: grit of people and seeing them like work through really
5:41
Speaker 2: really low points and feed them and massage their feet
5:45
Speaker 2: and so like that was like really cool. And then
5:47
Speaker 2: that was a part of running that I hadn't I
5:50
Speaker 2: hadn't yet done.
5:51
Speaker 4: And so anyway, so I can go on and on,
5:52
Speaker 4: and I.
5:54
Speaker 3: Love this for you.
5:55
Speaker 1: I feel like for some you just describe perhaps their
5:58
Speaker 1: own version of personal health with the massaging and the feet.
6:01
Speaker 3: But for you, if that works, I know, you know,
6:04
Speaker 3: because you're giving back.
6:05
Speaker 2: You're giving back to a community that has given you
6:07
Speaker 2: so much.
6:08
Speaker 1: So I totally hear you. I totally hear you. What
6:10
Speaker 1: an amazing opportunity. It sounds like you had a blast.
6:13
Speaker 1: You also touched on the heelspur. I know this is
6:16
Speaker 1: also coming off of the tail of you having surgery
6:19
Speaker 1: within the last year.
6:20
Speaker 3: Is so yeah.
6:21
Speaker 2: So I'm taking a little bit of a break, which
6:24
Speaker 2: is necessary, and like, I miss it so much. I
6:28
Speaker 2: miss going out for like just a five mile run
6:30
Speaker 2: on the trails I love in Vermont and so they're
6:32
Speaker 2: trails all around.
6:34
Speaker 4: But you know, soon I will be able to get
6:37
Speaker 4: back on the trail and you know, be doing that again.
6:40
Speaker 1: Be out there, be out there for someone who is
6:43
Speaker 1: dealing with injury like you are at the moment. I
6:46
Speaker 1: know that you have been through the ringer with all
6:48
Speaker 1: of this stuff. What advice do you have for them
6:51
Speaker 1: to navigate that? Because I think, especially right now so
6:55
Speaker 1: many people I'm following on social training for Fall marathon,
7:00
Speaker 1: injury right now is like a hot topic. When those
7:03
Speaker 1: long runs start to add up, this is where the
7:05
Speaker 1: injury really starts to add up as well. So what
7:07
Speaker 1: what kind of advice do you have for these people
7:09
Speaker 1: about keeping a positive headspace and doing what you got
7:12
Speaker 1: to do for your body.
7:13
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, it's really hard to keep a positive
7:15
Speaker 2: headspace when you're sitting and looking out your window and
7:19
Speaker 2: seeing people run, you know. And I have to admit
7:22
Speaker 2: that I was, you know, a year ago, I was
7:25
Speaker 2: in a pretty dark hole of you know, anxiety because
7:30
Speaker 2: I was not able to run at all. At least
7:32
Speaker 2: I'm able to run a little bit now. And but
7:35
Speaker 2: what I did and what my coach actually helped me.
7:38
Speaker 2: Do you know the one whose feet I rupped is
7:42
Speaker 2: to just turn to something else for now. And that's
7:45
Speaker 2: that's why I got on a bike. You know, I
7:47
Speaker 2: did it very reluctantly, but then it gave me a
7:50
Speaker 2: lot of things that I was missing, you know, that
7:52
Speaker 2: endorphin rush, that the ability to be outside and be
7:55
Speaker 2: to be on a trail. I also got a mountain
7:58
Speaker 2: bike too. I'm not gonna at that at all, but
8:02
Speaker 2: but yeah, it gave me opportunities to be outside and
8:05
Speaker 2: to to sort of approximate that feeling that I get
8:08
Speaker 2: when I am out running on the trail. Not the
8:10
Speaker 2: same thing, but I am so deeply appreciative of that.
8:13
Speaker 2: So like, find some some other way to move whether
8:17
Speaker 2: it's maybe you work more in your strength, maybe you
8:21
Speaker 2: hike slowly, maybe you start swimming, maybe you learn a
8:27
Speaker 2: new sport while you're healing so that you can continue
8:31
Speaker 2: to train, which was very important for me. You you know,
8:36
Speaker 2: you don't touch that edge of like you're so anxious,
8:41
Speaker 2: you get depressed and like then you don't want to
8:43
Speaker 2: do anything. But anyway, that's what worked for me. Yeah,
8:46
Speaker 2: definitely look look to something else. And also if you
8:50
Speaker 2: can try to frame it as an opportunity to do
8:55
Speaker 2: something different and just to move your body in different ways,
8:58
Speaker 2: you'll be the better for it.
8:59
Speaker 4: Like I I learned to ski this year. Special I
9:03
Speaker 4: am and I'm obsessed. I'm totally obsessed.
9:07
Speaker 3: I love to hear that. I love to hear that.
9:09
Speaker 3: And I mean you touched on the buzzwords mental health.
9:12
Speaker 1: I think when it comes to injury, yes, I can
9:15
Speaker 1: totally relate to what you were saying at the top
9:16
Speaker 1: of that, being super anxious, being really frustrated. It's hard,
9:19
Speaker 1: especially when you identify in this way, right, Like you
9:22
Speaker 1: identify as a runner and as do I, So when
9:24
Speaker 1: you can't run, it's like, well, what the hell am
9:26
Speaker 1: I doing with my life? But there is a really
9:29
Speaker 1: beautiful opportunity there to remember and work on understanding that like,
9:34
Speaker 1: we are more than how we may often define ourselves.
9:39
Speaker 1: So there are so much more to Emily, There are
9:42
Speaker 1: so much more to Murna than just being athletes. We
9:46
Speaker 1: are amazing contributions to society even if we can't do
9:49
Speaker 1: these things. Yes, yes, so much to offer, so much
9:53
Speaker 1: to offer, Okay, our pep talk for ourselves here we're
9:56
Speaker 1: sharing with everybody else. I'm glad that we started off
9:58
Speaker 1: like this, but we are here to talk about something
10:00
Speaker 1: that you love, which we just kind of hinted at.
10:03
Speaker 3: Trail running.
10:04
Speaker 4: Yeah, so I love it.
10:06
Speaker 1: We want to give the hurdlers like the four one
10:10
Speaker 1: one about what they need to know so that they
10:13
Speaker 1: can get out there and start to enjoy it just
10:15
Speaker 1: as much as you do.
10:17
Speaker 3: So before we.
10:17
Speaker 1: Give some like concrete actionable advice tips, give me just
10:22
Speaker 1: a little bit of insight into your journey with trail
10:25
Speaker 1: running and how you got started with it.
10:27
Speaker 4: Sure.
10:27
Speaker 2: I I'm from New York, Brooklyn, but I live in
10:33
Speaker 2: Vermont now, And so it was nineteen ninety nine and
10:38
Speaker 2: I had been a runner since high school. The nineteen
10:40
Speaker 2: ninety nine I was in my early twenties and I
10:44
Speaker 2: was two years out of college and I was taking
10:46
Speaker 2: this running clinic that was sponsored by the Hospital for
10:50
Speaker 2: Special Surgery in New York City, and you know, they
10:55
Speaker 2: took us through a whole program that got us running
10:57
Speaker 2: ten k for it used to be called the avon
11:00
Speaker 2: Any Marathon. It's called something else now. So that was
11:02
Speaker 2: my sort of taste of just doing races all the
11:06
Speaker 2: time and signing up for things, and so I would
11:09
Speaker 2: just sign up for everything. And once I used to
11:12
Speaker 2: live across the street from Van Cortland Park in the Bronx,
11:15
Speaker 2: and so I signed up for this race that was
11:17
Speaker 2: a ten k. I was like, oh, yeah, you know,
11:19
Speaker 2: I got ten k in the bag. I'm you know,
11:21
Speaker 2: I've done many ten k's. I didn't realize it was
11:26
Speaker 2: a trail run. So we started on there's a big
11:29
Speaker 2: sort of crush cinder loop in Van Cortland Park, and
11:34
Speaker 2: I thought we were just going to be doing loops
11:35
Speaker 2: on that, and so I was like, I was ready
11:37
Speaker 2: for that because I trained on that, and so I
11:41
Speaker 2: felt really good. And so after about a quarter of
11:44
Speaker 2: a mile, we go into the woods and I had
11:47
Speaker 2: been in the woods hiking, right, but I hadn't you know,
11:50
Speaker 2: been more than a mile into the woods, and so
11:53
Speaker 2: like we're like in the woods.
11:54
Speaker 4: I'm like, why are we running in the woods? Is
11:56
Speaker 4: so weird, And so.
11:58
Speaker 2: We just kept running and running, and all the arrows
12:00
Speaker 2: were pointing, you know, further and further down the trail,
12:03
Speaker 2: and so I'm like, oh, I guess.
12:05
Speaker 4: This is where the races.
12:08
Speaker 2: And so it turned out to be two five k
12:11
Speaker 2: loops and I, no joke, face planted in exactly the
12:16
Speaker 2: same place twice twice. But I popped up each time,
12:22
Speaker 2: and I was like, whoa, whoa, Oh my goodness, I'm
12:26
Speaker 2: a stunned.
12:26
Speaker 4: But I just kept running, right, and I was like, oh,
12:28
Speaker 4: I love this. It was.
12:30
Speaker 2: It was the face planting that just sealed the deal
12:32
Speaker 2: for me, and I just became obsessed with the idea
12:36
Speaker 2: of running in the woods.
12:37
Speaker 4: Right, And I was nineteen ninety nine.
12:39
Speaker 2: Unfortunately I didn't do any other trail races until ten
12:43
Speaker 2: years later. I kept doing road races because that's what
12:46
Speaker 2: was available to me. I didn't have a car because
12:48
Speaker 2: I live in New York, you know, in your car, right,
12:50
Speaker 2: And so ten years later, when after I'd had my
12:54
Speaker 2: health scare, I I was having a heart attack. I
12:59
Speaker 2: signed up for another race, knowing that it was a
13:01
Speaker 2: trail run, but not knowing what the level of difficulty
13:05
Speaker 2: would be. And this was a New Jersey Trail Series
13:07
Speaker 2: race in New Jersey, and so I signed up for
13:13
Speaker 2: this ten miler.
13:14
Speaker 4: I do one loop. It kills me. I didn't eat before.
13:18
Speaker 2: I didn't because usually I could just go out and
13:19
Speaker 2: run five miles or ten miles, you know, you don't
13:21
Speaker 2: have to really eat that much. But this was a
13:24
Speaker 2: trail race and there was a lot of vert that
13:28
Speaker 2: I didn't really know about at that point. So I
13:31
Speaker 2: did one loop and I was like I'm done. Yoe,
13:33
Speaker 2: Like I'm finished, and Rick McNulty, who is the race director, says, hey,
13:39
Speaker 2: you know, we'll wait for you. Go go out and
13:40
Speaker 2: do another loop. That's fine, We'll wait, you know, as
13:43
Speaker 2: long as it takes. I was like, dude, thank you
13:45
Speaker 2: so much, but no, I will not be doing that.
13:49
Speaker 2: But that spirit is what really really attracted me to
13:54
Speaker 2: the community.
13:54
Speaker 4: I was like, oh, they would wait for me.
13:56
Speaker 2: Not everybody waits for everyone, but you know, I just
13:59
Speaker 2: thought that was so sweet and kind. And so I
14:01
Speaker 2: signed up for his next ten miler. I finished it
14:05
Speaker 2: because I prepared a little bit better, you know, didn't
14:07
Speaker 2: have just a half a Lara bar before it, and
14:10
Speaker 2: because that's what I had the last time.
14:13
Speaker 4: And I just you know, and I just loved it.
14:15
Speaker 2: And I was like, this is this is how I
14:16
Speaker 2: felt when I was running in Van Cortland Park that
14:20
Speaker 2: one time, and I felt like I'd always loved hiking.
14:23
Speaker 2: I always loved the outdoors, even though I grew up
14:26
Speaker 2: in New York City, because I had lots of opportunities
14:28
Speaker 2: to do stuff at Bear Mountain and in other you know,
14:31
Speaker 2: green spaces.
14:32
Speaker 4: And that was it.
14:33
Speaker 2: That was two thousand, two thousand and nine, and I
14:37
Speaker 2: have not looked back, have.
14:39
Speaker 3: Not looked back.
14:40
Speaker 1: I love how you're alluding to just the feeling of
14:43
Speaker 1: freedom that you get when you get into the woods,
14:46
Speaker 1: a sense of freedom that maybe previously you hadn't found
14:49
Speaker 1: on the road.
14:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, oh absolutely, you know there. I mean it's different.
14:54
Speaker 2: I mean, I don't think you can really compare the two.
14:56
Speaker 2: I mean, obviously you're running, right, and you're it's the
14:59
Speaker 2: same sort of machare you know, you're doing a road
15:01
Speaker 2: five k or ten k or half marathon or marathon.
15:03
Speaker 2: It's one thing and it makes your body feel one way,
15:05
Speaker 2: and then there is a sense of a freedom when
15:07
Speaker 2: you're running on the road.
15:08
Speaker 4: This is a different kind of freedom.
15:09
Speaker 2: This is like where you are enveloped, you know, in
15:12
Speaker 2: whatever those the chemicals that trees releasing other than oxygen,
15:17
Speaker 2: there's a different kind of freedom. There's a different kind
15:19
Speaker 2: of humanity that I feel when I am when I'm
15:22
Speaker 2: running in the woods.
15:23
Speaker 1: We have some insight into why you love it so much.
15:26
Speaker 1: It's the same reason that many people love it so much.
15:28
Speaker 1: I also love what you had touched on, which is
15:32
Speaker 1: that so much of the greatness that comes hand in
15:35
Speaker 1: hand with trail running and even a little bit of
15:38
Speaker 1: trail racing, is that oftentimes it really isn't about the time.
15:43
Speaker 2: No, no, you know, I think for elite people, maybe
15:47
Speaker 2: it is about the time and or just winning, or
15:52
Speaker 2: like beating your best time. I think everybody wants to
15:55
Speaker 2: or a lot of people want to beat their best time.
15:56
Speaker 2: Maybe not everybody, but you know, I think there's a
15:59
Speaker 2: different sense of.
16:00
Speaker 4: Time when you're out in the woods.
16:02
Speaker 2: Right for me, there is no sense of time unless
16:05
Speaker 2: I'm at a race and I have to be the
16:06
Speaker 2: cut off. But I just I just want to be
16:09
Speaker 2: out there for hours like it's time is very very different. Uh.
16:13
Speaker 2: It takes you longer to do things because you're dealing
16:16
Speaker 2: with various textures and dirt and you know, vert vertical gain,
16:23
Speaker 2: and you're also dealing with like branches that are hanging low,
16:27
Speaker 2: you know, and trying not to impale your eyes. Been there,
16:31
Speaker 2: done that because I was looking down, you know. And
16:34
Speaker 2: you have to have a certain awareness about you right
16:37
Speaker 2: where you are in space or that prope exception. That's
16:40
Speaker 2: that's going to be a slightly different experience than you
16:44
Speaker 2: know when you're running.
16:45
Speaker 4: On the road.
16:51
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Speaker 1: percent off Absolute trailnewbie, They ask you, what do I
19:38
Speaker 1: need to know before I go trail running?
19:40
Speaker 3: Where do you even start?
19:43
Speaker 4: Who?
19:45
Speaker 2: Okay, well, throw out all ideas of pace, just like
19:47
Speaker 2: we talked about, Just throw it out, especially for your
19:51
Speaker 2: first couple of trail runs. It's not going to be
19:53
Speaker 2: the same as when you're out on the road. I
19:55
Speaker 2: actually like encountered these people once I was on Bear Mountain,
19:58
Speaker 2: doing like the North Face Endurance Challenge when the existed,
20:01
Speaker 2: and these people were like, I run an eleven minute mile,
20:04
Speaker 2: I've done the New York City Marathon. I don't understand
20:07
Speaker 2: why I'm going so songs like because you're climbing a mountain.
20:10
Speaker 2: It's different, you know, and this mountain is different than
20:13
Speaker 2: First Avenue. Okay, anyway, that's one thing.
20:17
Speaker 4: The other thing is.
20:18
Speaker 2: You want to get used to your body moving in
20:21
Speaker 2: different planes. Right, So when you're road running, typically you're
20:26
Speaker 2: just you're running forward, right, sometimes you have to step
20:30
Speaker 2: up to a curb or down. But in trail running,
20:33
Speaker 2: you're on a trail. There are features on a trail.
20:35
Speaker 2: There are rocks, they're branches, they are roots, There are
20:40
Speaker 2: really serious inclines and declines. So those all of those
20:44
Speaker 2: things you have to be prepared for. So anything that
20:46
Speaker 2: you can do to become stronger in that other than
20:49
Speaker 2: just being on the trail, is going to enhance your experience.
20:54
Speaker 2: You know, moving from side to side laterally moving obviously
20:57
Speaker 2: moving forward, but also sometimes you got to move backwards, right,
21:00
Speaker 2: and you know, so forward and backward in that sagittal plane.
21:03
Speaker 2: Sometimes you have to move diagonally. You're gonna step up
21:06
Speaker 2: on a rock at a forty five degree angle. So
21:08
Speaker 2: those are all things that you need to be ready for,
21:10
Speaker 2: you know, strength wise, and flexibility wise, and also mentally.
21:15
Speaker 4: The other thing is, oh, we didn't talk about shoes.
21:17
Speaker 3: Not yet, Not yet. We're gonna let's let's talk about gear.
21:20
Speaker 2: Okay, shoes. Hello, you need shoes. I mean some people
21:23
Speaker 2: don't run with shoes, but you know, you.
21:25
Speaker 4: Do, you you're doing. You like shoes. I like shoes.
21:33
Speaker 2: Number one, get fitted for a pair of shoes. You know,
21:36
Speaker 2: I work with Meryl and I've been wearing their shoes
21:39
Speaker 2: for six years. Your trail shoes are going to be
21:42
Speaker 2: different from your road running shoes, and that there's gonna
21:44
Speaker 2: be a rock plate, so that makes your shoes a
21:46
Speaker 2: little bit more sturdy. The upper of the shoe, you know,
21:49
Speaker 2: that outer sole, that is going to be a little
21:52
Speaker 2: bit more sturdy, you know, and it will help you
21:56
Speaker 2: not help your feet not get poked by branches and stuff.
22:02
Speaker 2: The sole is going to be like a thicker, more
22:05
Speaker 2: hardy rubber. They're gonna be lugs and soles, lugs and souls.
22:09
Speaker 2: There's gonna be lugs in the soles so that you
22:13
Speaker 2: have a little bit better traction when it's wet, when
22:15
Speaker 2: it's slippery, when it's muddy, or if it's like really
22:19
Speaker 2: really dry.
22:21
Speaker 4: So trail shoes are an absolute, absolute necessity.
22:25
Speaker 2: Some of my favorite marrows are the Moab Flights, and
22:30
Speaker 2: those are based on the actual hiking shoes, which is
22:33
Speaker 2: one of the most popular marrow shoes, which is the Moab.
22:37
Speaker 1: And something something to point out here is that you're
22:39
Speaker 1: talking about trail running sneakers, which are obviously different.
22:43
Speaker 3: Than boots that you would wear when you were hiking.
22:45
Speaker 1: So that's something to keep in mind for an absolute newbie,
22:48
Speaker 1: is that you're going to have sneakers that you're that
22:51
Speaker 1: are meant for trail running specifically.
22:53
Speaker 2: Yes, I mean, uh, if you are on a hike,
22:57
Speaker 2: for example, and you want to try out trail running
22:59
Speaker 2: and you have happened to be in hiking boots, you
23:02
Speaker 2: can try.
23:03
Speaker 4: A little bit.
23:03
Speaker 2: But it's those shoes are not going to be designed
23:05
Speaker 2: for running, right, They're not going to you know, have
23:10
Speaker 2: the flexibility that that a running shoe has, right, because
23:17
Speaker 2: remember you are running, so I would you know, I
23:20
Speaker 2: would definitely look at trail running shoes, uh, and actually
23:26
Speaker 2: trail running shoes you can also use for hiking, so
23:30
Speaker 2: it doesn't go both ways. But you know, if you
23:33
Speaker 2: want to, if you're a fast hiker and if you
23:35
Speaker 2: want to like incorporate a little bit of running into
23:36
Speaker 2: your hike, definitely wear trail shoes. And they're like all
23:40
Speaker 2: different kinds.
23:41
Speaker 4: You know.
23:41
Speaker 2: They're the kinds for like beginners or people who have
23:46
Speaker 2: access to trails that are pretty well groomed and don't
23:50
Speaker 2: and that don't have a whole lot of features that
23:52
Speaker 2: would be like a mo ap flight. And then my
23:54
Speaker 2: favorite shoe is the the Agility Peak shoe, which has
23:59
Speaker 2: really thickus. They're a little sturdier or actually a lot sturdier,
24:03
Speaker 2: and you're you know, that's when you're on a trail
24:06
Speaker 2: with a lot of rocks, with a lot of vertical gain,
24:09
Speaker 2: with a lot of you know, branches and leaves and
24:14
Speaker 2: boulders and all of those things that you might find
24:17
Speaker 2: on a trail. They will protect your feet, they will
24:20
Speaker 2: allow you to move. They have some flexibility in them,
24:24
Speaker 2: but they're not like overly flexible, so they really really
24:27
Speaker 2: protect your all bones on your feet and stuff. Yeah,
24:29
Speaker 2: definitely get yourself a pair of trail running shoes. And
24:34
Speaker 2: not just sure, you could use your road running shoes,
24:37
Speaker 2: but you want to protect yourself in the best way
24:40
Speaker 2: that you can. You want to make sure that you
24:43
Speaker 2: are the most agile, the most sturdy and stable on
24:49
Speaker 2: the shoes that you're wearing totally.
24:51
Speaker 1: And then besides the shoes, when it comes to other gear,
24:54
Speaker 1: what are some things that we should keep in mind
24:57
Speaker 1: when it comes to what you're wearing on the trail.
25:00
Speaker 2: Sure, you know, I wear essentially the same thing that
25:03
Speaker 2: I wear when I'm out running on the road. I
25:06
Speaker 2: always wear tight because that's just the that's a preference
25:09
Speaker 2: of mine. You know, wear your shorts if you were
25:11
Speaker 2: like to wear loose shorts, do that. Make sure that
25:15
Speaker 2: you look at the weather though. It's very very important,
25:18
Speaker 2: Like especially if you go on a trail, the weather
25:21
Speaker 2: can change, you know.
25:23
Speaker 4: In a flash.
25:25
Speaker 2: You want to make sure that you know you are
25:27
Speaker 2: prepared for rain or wind. Maybe you need an extra
25:31
Speaker 2: layer if you're going up in altitude. I don't wear
25:35
Speaker 2: cotton ever, ever, ever, ever. And that's not just like
25:38
Speaker 2: a judgment, that's like a safety thing.
25:40
Speaker 1: Right.
25:41
Speaker 2: So cotton stays wet, doesn't dry, it keeps you cold, right,
25:45
Speaker 2: look at technical wool and in terms of socks, in
25:47
Speaker 2: terms of your midlayers and your bass layers. Look at
25:50
Speaker 2: the weather. You look ahead, Maybe you need some sunscreen
25:54
Speaker 2: if it's super sunny out, or even if it's not
25:56
Speaker 2: sunny out, I'm black, I still wear sunscreen.
25:59
Speaker 1: Right, something else you may check ahead of time. You
26:02
Speaker 1: mentioned to checking the weather. Also being really sure about
26:05
Speaker 1: where you're going, especially on the trails. It's always important
26:08
Speaker 1: to know where you're going, hopefully on a run, but
26:11
Speaker 1: when it comes to trail running specifically, you could very
26:14
Speaker 1: easily lose service when you start to get into mountains
26:17
Speaker 1: or wooded areas, So knowing exactly where you're going is
26:20
Speaker 1: super critical.
26:22
Speaker 2: Yes, I make it a point number one to tell
26:24
Speaker 2: people where I'm going. I tell my son all the time.
26:28
Speaker 2: He's like, why are you texting me?
26:31
Speaker 4: When I'm saying, so.
26:32
Speaker 2: You know where I am and when to expect me back?
26:34
Speaker 2: Right where you're going, when to expect me back? And
26:37
Speaker 2: if I change my itinerary, I let him know I
26:41
Speaker 2: decided to go on this trail as opposed to the
26:43
Speaker 2: other trail.
26:44
Speaker 4: I always wear a watch.
26:46
Speaker 2: I do because that has GPS capability and it's a
26:49
Speaker 2: watch that can like reverse the route that I've taken,
26:52
Speaker 2: just in case that in case of me getting lost.
26:56
Speaker 3: What watch are you wearing these days?
26:57
Speaker 2: I am wearing the Garmin Nick's six Sapphire. It's my
27:03
Speaker 2: favorite favorite watch. I have another one. I have the
27:06
Speaker 2: Solar one. I really really like this one. It's a
27:08
Speaker 2: little bit. I like to wear a hefty watch that
27:11
Speaker 2: I can feel on my wrist. And it has a
27:12
Speaker 2: lot of bells and whistles and I use a.
27:14
Speaker 4: Lot of them. Yeah, And it has a map.
27:16
Speaker 2: I can actually look at the map on my watch
27:19
Speaker 2: and I'm not drawing any battery power from my phone.
27:21
Speaker 2: I do carry my phone all the time because I
27:23
Speaker 2: like to take pictures and I like to do stories
27:25
Speaker 2: on Instagram, but I have my phone in airplane mode
27:30
Speaker 2: so I don't drain the battery.
27:31
Speaker 4: Okay, smart again.
27:33
Speaker 2: And then also study the map. Study the map of
27:36
Speaker 2: where you're going.
27:36
Speaker 4: I use all trails.
27:38
Speaker 2: But there's also MTV project and some other apps that
27:41
Speaker 2: you can download for either free or like a minimal cost.
27:45
Speaker 2: But you know, I think you should invest in your
27:46
Speaker 2: own safety, so and then and there and with all
27:49
Speaker 2: of the apps, you can download a map, you know,
27:52
Speaker 2: without having to utilize GPS or the battery. So so
27:56
Speaker 2: do that. Look at the map at the trailhead, take
27:59
Speaker 2: a picture of it, study it for a little bit.
28:01
Speaker 2: Say out loud, I'm a teacher. I'm like, I'm very
28:04
Speaker 2: very fond of like attacking things in different ways. Take
28:07
Speaker 2: a picture, say the things out loud of what your
28:10
Speaker 2: plan is. You know, Oh, I'm going to make a
28:12
Speaker 2: left at this trail junction where it says blah blah
28:15
Speaker 2: blah blah, and I'm going to go three miles up
28:17
Speaker 2: and then I'm going to make a right on this
28:19
Speaker 2: trail junction. So so yeah, there are tons of ways
28:22
Speaker 2: to have a little bit more safety while you're out
28:26
Speaker 2: on a trail. A lot of people are really scared
28:29
Speaker 2: about going out on trails. I would suggest maybe going
28:33
Speaker 2: on an organized hike at.
28:35
Speaker 4: First, you know, and Park Cole and Park.
28:38
Speaker 2: Actually there were all these organized like bird watching hikes
28:41
Speaker 2: and nature walks, and that actually got me out on
28:43
Speaker 2: those trails and I became more familiar with those trails.
28:45
Speaker 2: So when it was time for me to go out
28:48
Speaker 2: on those trails by myself, I already had a familiarity
28:51
Speaker 2: with them.
28:52
Speaker 1: Ease into it, get more acquainted with your surroundings that
28:54
Speaker 1: you can feel more comfortable doing what you want to do.
28:57
Speaker 3: Something we haven't touched on just yet.
29:00
Speaker 1: Nutrition when it comes to trail running, especially if you're
29:02
Speaker 1: going to be out there for a while. What are
29:04
Speaker 1: your top nutrition tips for a newbie trail runner.
29:09
Speaker 4: Carry food with you.
29:11
Speaker 2: You don't always know how long you're going to be
29:14
Speaker 2: out right, what if you do get lost. You need
29:16
Speaker 2: calories to keep your body moving and also to keep
29:19
Speaker 2: yourself warm if it gets cold. Always always carry water always,
29:25
Speaker 2: you know, it could be a handheld, It could be
29:27
Speaker 2: a hydration pack. You know, I think when you're first
29:29
Speaker 2: starting and maybe you don't need a big old hydration
29:31
Speaker 2: pack with all the cut the you know, the pockets,
29:35
Speaker 2: this and the bungeees and this and that until you're
29:37
Speaker 2: like really really comfortable going out there. So maybe a
29:40
Speaker 2: handheld a Nathan or something like that, a little flask
29:43
Speaker 2: that's eighteen ounces or a little bit more where you
29:46
Speaker 2: can have some water on you just in case or
29:49
Speaker 2: like or just because you need water. I actually carry
29:54
Speaker 2: water in a flask, or I carry electrolytes, very concentrated
30:00
Speaker 2: electrolyte concoction in a flask. And then when I and
30:04
Speaker 2: then I also carry just plain water.
30:06
Speaker 3: Super important stuff.
30:07
Speaker 1: Okay, so hydration is important, electrolytes are important, making sure
30:11
Speaker 1: you have some sort of food. Obviously, if you're going
30:13
Speaker 1: out for a thirty minute trail run, I wouldn't worry
30:16
Speaker 1: so much about this stuff. But if you are going
30:17
Speaker 1: out for something that's going to take you a few hours,
30:19
Speaker 1: you're going to be out there for a while. All
30:21
Speaker 1: of this, all these tips and tricks are super super
30:24
Speaker 1: useful to keep in mind. It's something you mentioned going
30:26
Speaker 1: on a hike with some friends to get acquainted with trails.
30:29
Speaker 3: I think that's a great idea.
30:30
Speaker 1: I also think this brings up another really great suggestion,
30:33
Speaker 1: which is when you're just getting started, trail running could
30:36
Speaker 1: be really great to bring other people into the mix.
30:38
Speaker 3: So, whether it's just a friend, or you're leaning into.
30:40
Speaker 1: A local group or a club that goes on these
30:43
Speaker 1: runs together, a really fun way to perhaps meet new people, socialize,
30:47
Speaker 1: and also, as we're talking a lot about here, stay safe.
30:51
Speaker 4: Yes, I agree.
30:52
Speaker 2: Although I prefer to go out on my own, going
30:55
Speaker 2: out with somebody else, especially when you're just starting, alleviate
31:00
Speaker 2: some of those fears and anxieties that you might have
31:02
Speaker 2: about being on the trail.
31:04
Speaker 1: If I had to ask you how trail running makes
31:07
Speaker 1: you feel?
31:08
Speaker 3: How does trail running make you feel?
31:10
Speaker 2: So many words come to mind, human like, because I
31:15
Speaker 2: think this is what my body is meant to do.
31:19
Speaker 2: You know, as a human being, is just like moving
31:21
Speaker 2: with my own two feet across the earth. And that's
31:25
Speaker 2: exactly what trail running.
31:26
Speaker 3: Is moving your body.
31:28
Speaker 1: Okay, So we talked about hydration, we talked about nutrition,
31:31
Speaker 1: we talked about gear, we talked about knowing where you're
31:35
Speaker 1: going and some safety tips. Is there anything we haven't
31:37
Speaker 1: covered when it comes to hitting the trails?
31:39
Speaker 2: Yes, this is I think the most important thing. Okay,
31:44
Speaker 2: you had on a trail, which probably means you are
31:47
Speaker 2: surrounded by a lot of nature. Like you're surrounded by trees,
31:52
Speaker 2: there might be some wild flowers if you're out in
31:55
Speaker 2: the west.
31:55
Speaker 4: Oh, actually in the east. Two.
31:57
Speaker 2: You know, there's you know, the Recreate Responsibly movement. Definitely
32:03
Speaker 2: look into that. There are some really awesome guidelines for
32:07
Speaker 2: how to be in nature so that we can actually
32:09
Speaker 2: continue to have nature and so that others can enjoy it.
32:12
Speaker 2: And there's also you know, so you're in nature, it's
32:17
Speaker 2: okay to stop and look right, it's okay to even
32:21
Speaker 2: like I'm always running with my watch. I always want
32:24
Speaker 2: to know how many miles I'm running, and you know
32:26
Speaker 2: what my pace is, even though it's real slow, but
32:29
Speaker 2: and you know what my heart rate is. But you know,
32:31
Speaker 2: I will pause it or I'll just look at it
32:33
Speaker 2: and stop and hug a tree. I do hug trees.
32:36
Speaker 2: It's a thing. I hug trees because trees have this
32:39
Speaker 2: kind of energy that nothing else has, right, and they
32:42
Speaker 2: are in the in the winter. There is warmth coming
32:45
Speaker 2: from trees, by the way, So like if you're running
32:48
Speaker 2: in the winter on snow on a snowy trail, like
32:50
Speaker 2: stop in hug a birch. I mean, you know, there's
32:53
Speaker 2: there's warmth coming from it. I you know, I sometimes
32:56
Speaker 2: will like stand and do a whole like force bathing thing.
32:59
Speaker 2: I will try to tune into all of my senses,
33:02
Speaker 2: you know what, you know, what what what am I feeling?
33:04
Speaker 4: What textures am I feeling? What am I smelling?
33:07
Speaker 2: Is there petrocore in the air, that's like the smell
33:09
Speaker 2: of the forest after a rain, you know? Can I
33:12
Speaker 2: see sunlight streaming through the trees? That's another uh major
33:17
Speaker 2: tenet of forest bathing. You know, do I see the
33:20
Speaker 2: light streaming through the trees? Do I hear that's my
33:22
Speaker 2: favorite word ever. Do I hear sythhiurism? And that is
33:27
Speaker 2: the sound of the wind rustling the leaves like And
33:31
Speaker 2: I really really try to tune into all of those things.
33:34
Speaker 2: It makes me very present, very aware of where I am,
33:40
Speaker 2: what I'm doing, who I am, where I'm going, you know,
33:44
Speaker 2: And it's and it's a cool practice to have. And
33:46
Speaker 2: then there're all there's all this research that you know
33:49
Speaker 2: says that it, you know, lowers your blood pressure and
33:52
Speaker 2: you know, calms anxiety, and that's exactly what it does
33:54
Speaker 2: for me.
33:56
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I love that.
33:58
Speaker 1: And I thought, you know, where I thought you were
33:59
Speaker 1: going to go with us, which is not where you
34:01
Speaker 1: went with this, But I thought you were going to
34:02
Speaker 1: talk to me about going to the bathroom while you
34:04
Speaker 1: were in the woods.
34:05
Speaker 2: Oh well, I mean that's the other thing. Facilit trees.
34:08
Speaker 2: That's all I have to say.
34:10
Speaker 3: Facilit trees. And I don't know if I've ever actually
34:15
Speaker 3: heard that before. I love it.
34:18
Speaker 1: Okay, Well, we don't need to we don't need to
34:19
Speaker 1: go into the ins and outs of using the bathroom
34:21
Speaker 1: in the woods. I think the listeners are actually quite
34:23
Speaker 1: responsible and can figure that out for themselves. Great tips,
34:28
Speaker 1: and this is so much good stuff. Do you have
34:29
Speaker 1: anything in particular you're looking forward to right now?
34:32
Speaker 2: You know, I'm looking forward to healing my foot, Yes,
34:36
Speaker 2: and getting back.
34:38
Speaker 4: On the trail. You know, I want to.
34:40
Speaker 2: There are a bunch of hikes that I want to
34:42
Speaker 2: do on the long trail here, hikes and runs that
34:44
Speaker 2: I want to do on a long trail here in Vermont,
34:47
Speaker 2: since mostly I'm going to be on the East coast
34:49
Speaker 2: for the next couple of months. Yeah, and I actually
34:52
Speaker 2: have I have a retreat going on in the Azores
34:55
Speaker 2: next May that will end with the Azors trail run.
35:00
Speaker 4: I'm really excited about that.
35:02
Speaker 2: And if you have not been to the Azores, it
35:04
Speaker 2: is for the Source as they call it in Portuguese.
35:08
Speaker 2: It is basically Hawaii in the Atlantic.
35:11
Speaker 4: Wow, way cheaper.
35:13
Speaker 3: Sounds amazing. Looks like I got a book, a book,
35:16
Speaker 3: a trip.
35:18
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for all of your tips and
35:19
Speaker 1: your tricks and your insight and into how the hurdlers
35:23
Speaker 1: can get trail running MYRNA.
35:25
Speaker 3: How do the hurdlers keep up with you?
35:28
Speaker 1: How do they follow along with you give us all
35:30
Speaker 1: of your details.
35:31
Speaker 2: Sure, I'm mostly on Instagram. I have a TikTok yet
35:35
Speaker 2: but I haven't used it yet, but mostly on Instagram at.
35:38
Speaker 4: The Renovator and I'm on.
35:42
Speaker 2: Facebook for all of you people who are in my
35:46
Speaker 2: generation as Myrna Valario Dash the Renovator or fact Girl Running,
35:52
Speaker 2: which is one of the iterations of me of who
35:55
Speaker 2: I was back then. I still use the name I'm
35:59
Speaker 2: I also have this amazing group on Facebook sixteen thousand
36:03
Speaker 2: plus called Fact Girl Running all one word, all caps
36:06
Speaker 2: and anybody can join. We talk about running. There's no
36:09
Speaker 2: we don't talk about weight loss. We don't talk about
36:10
Speaker 2: diet culture. We talk about the We talk about running
36:14
Speaker 2: and being athletes. You know, you can talk about all
36:17
Speaker 2: that other stuff in other places, but like we focus
36:20
Speaker 2: on pure athleticism.
36:22
Speaker 3: I love it.
36:23
Speaker 1: I'm over at Hurdle Podcast at Emily Body another hurdle conquered.
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Speaker 3: Catch you guys next time.