Road to the Trials

Jereny is back on the show for her second appearance this season. Since her first episode, and running 2:47 at the Houston Marathon, she has done some shorter races in the Orlando area. In this episode, Jereny continues to share her open and honest feelings about her training, how she approaches it mentally, and how she reacts during a race when things aren't going well. Jereny also open us about what this process means to her in the short term and long term. Finally, Jereny discusses what changes she is making to her marathon racing schedule and why.

In our second episode with Carmen Graves she details a recent breakout performance - top 10 at Gate River/USATF 15k Championships. As always, the field was loaded with stud endurance athletes. As Carmen said afterwards, "I think I’m officially a long distance runner now." Carmen details this important race, the strategy she used, and the training that led to this breakout performance. In the second half of the episode Carmen details her thoughts on only 3% of American distance runners being African-American the lack of those runners who have broken 3:00 hours in the marathon. This is a subject that Carmen is passionate about and it was an honor to hear her perspective. 

Dani Moreno is a professional trail runner for adidas living in Mammoth Lake, CA. Over the last couple of years, Dani has established herself as one of the best shorter distance and sub-ultra trail runners in the world. Last season, Dani finished on the podium of both the Mont Blanc Marathon and OCC. This year Dani is taking on a new challenge: Qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the marathon. Following her journey from one of the best trail runners in the world to potential elite marathoner will be on of the best stories in the running world over the next 12 months.

Ramiro "DJ Curly" Guillen is next up in our series of introductory interviews for season three and what a story he has to tell!

Ramiro is a our first masters runner in Road to the Trials and the self-proclaimed "World's Fastest DJ." Ramiro's athletic journey is filled with twists and turns that include leaving his college team and quitting running for 7.5 years and also winning the first marathon he entered. At the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials he sprained his ankle at mile five before limping all the way to the finish. Three years later, he is back seeking redemption after that heartbreaking experience.

Carmen Graves began distance running after becoming a 5 time All-American in the 800m at Roanoke College where she also played soccer. After college she decided to opted to pursue pro running. She found the 3k steeplechase which tested her endurance, speed, and athletic abilities.

Like many elite runners, Carmen prioritizes her training outside of long work hours. She works in the non-profit sector as a Program Advisor for the Center of Work Education and Employment, coaches horizontal jumps at Englewood High School, and is the meet director for the Denver Twilight Mile.

Despite a full schedule, she is training hard, competing regularly in bigger track events, and has her sights set on some big goals: making the US team in steeplechase and qualifying again for the Olympic Trials in 2024.

Jereny started running in 2015 and ran her first marathon in 5 hours and 25 minutes. Since then, she's lost over 50 lbs. and knocked 2.5+ hours off her time. Last month she ran a 2:47 in Houston and she has been smashing several shorter races in-and-around her local Orlando running scene. Jereny is in a similar position to where Stefanie Flippin was in season one - her big stretch goal is to qualify for the trials. An enormous feet and one that will require all of Jereny's considerable will and drive. In this episode Jereny details why this goal is so important for her, how she intends to give herself a chance to reach it, and why she is excited to share the entire process in a public way. Most of all, this episode really show's Jereny's incredible intelligence, will to succeed, and openness that will be a joy to follow over the next year.

You can learn more about Jereny's back story in episodes 276 and 417 of the Rambling Runner Podcast.

Sara Vaughn started her elite running career as a middle distance track star before turning to the marathon in 2021. In addition to being one of America's best runners she is a mom of four and a full-time realtor. She ran her third marathon this past fall at the Chicago Marathon where she placed 7th in a time of 2:26:23. 

We will be following Sara over the next year as she prepares for the Boston Marathon and a full-time track season. 

As busy as Sara's life is, she has taken on a new and impactful venture. Sara and her husband just launched the Vaughn Childcare Fund to provide support for parenting undergraduate student-athletes. One of the big parts of Sara’s story is that she had her first baby while she was a junior in college as a student-athlete. She did not have a lot of resources herself so she has made it her mission to help provide people in similar situations with resources. As the NCAA slowly adapts to include parents in their mission of education, inclusiveness, and well-being, they are still a highly underserved population. The Vaughn Childcare Fund is going to help to fill that gap with financial support for childcare, mentorship, policy writing, and policy adoption.

In our second profile of season three we are highlighting Nico Montañez. Nico is a 2:09 marathoner, National Champion in the 15k, and a top-3 finisher in a stacked field at the 13.1 National Championship. Nico shares his unique journey that began in Tuscon, Arizona, went from junior college to BYU, and landed at Mammoth Track Club with Deena and Andrew Kastor. Nico also talks at length about how his work with a therapist and sports psychology has helped him as an athlete and person.   

The Road to the Trials has returned for season three and we are fired up! We will be bringing you a yearlong, behind the scenes, look at the training and racing of some of America's best runners as they prepare for the Olympic Marathon Trials on February 3, 2024. In this amazing season we will be following Nell Rojas, CJ Albertson, Sara Vaughn, Dani Moreno, Nico Montañez, Carmen Graves, Ramiro “Curly” Guillen, and Jereny Rivera.

In this episode we are joined by Stefanie Flippin and Peter Bromka. Stefanie is a professional ultra runner and doctor who co-owns her own practice. She was also featured in season one of Road to the Trials! Peter is one of the best running-focused writers in the country and has chronicled his own quest for an OTQ over the past five years. In this episode the three of us dive into the eight runners that we will follow this season while Stefanie and Peter share what they learned from their own journeys and their thoughts on the year ahead. 

Follow season three's runners:

Our Road to the Trials recaps continue with the extraordinary Olivia Baker.

Olivia didn't have the lead-up to the Trials that she had hoped for but was holding out hope that it would all come together in Eugene. The women's 800m was maybe the deepest event at the entire meet and it was amazing to witness each round. Unfortunately, Olivia was unable to make the final after running well in a stacked opening heat.

After the Trials Olivia stayed in racing condition and finished second at a loaded 800m race last week. This result has led to a series of decisions that Olivia must make in the coming days as she weighs her professional running future and a career in medicine. She shares her thought process about everything that has happened over the past six months and how she will make her next huge decision.

*Podcast photo credit to Chuck Utash*

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a four mile tempo in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

After months of following along with eight athletes as they prepared for the Olympic Trials, we are rounding out the series with recap episodes.

First up - Frank Lara. Frank competed in the 10k gunning for top three and the Olympic standard. It was a daring run and one that showed the grit and toughness for which Frank is known.

Since the Trials, Frank has stayed in top form. He just got runner-up in a stacked field at the Bix 7 Miler. An effort that showed, once again, that Frank Lara is just getting started and will be a force in American running for years to come.

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a four mile tempo in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

At the beginning of 2021 Abe Alvarado spoke about the importance of peaking at the right time. He and his Atlanta Track Club coaches were planning so that at the end of June he'd be ready to roll. Kudos to them as that is exactly what has happened. Abe is now on his way to Eugene with fantastic recent results in both the 800m and 1500m. In this episode, Abe talks about how he is feeling going into the Trials, his raceday routine, his mindset at the starting line, and how excited he is race both the 800m and 1500m.

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a four mile tempo in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

The Olympic Track Trials start this week and Olivia Baker is ready! In her final episode before she races the 800m in Eugene, Olivia talks about the last two races she participated in, how she is feeling, and what she is doing to prepare for race day. At the Platinum PT track meet in Massachusetts, Olivia was startled to discover that she simply didn't have her legs with 250 meters to go. She fell off the lead and finished way back from the leaders. With the Trials only four weeks away she leaned heavily on her support network. That group helped remind her that she's Olivia Freaking Baker and that she has put in the work to compete with the best. 

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a four mile tempo in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

Sometimes the road to the Olympic Trials takes a detour and that is exactly what has happened for Keira D'Amato. Keira, one of the favorites in the 10k at the start of 2021, has been battling a hamstring injury for a few months. That injury seemed to be a minor hiccup - until it wasn't. Ultimately, it simply wouldn't allow Keira to do the hard training necessary to compete at the highest level.

In this episode Keira opens us about injury, her thought process over the last six weeks, what it feels like to have a dream taken away when it felt so close, her vision for the future, and so much more.

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a four mile tempo in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

Frank Lara is fresh off a 10k PR at the Track Meet presented by Sound Running and a scorching 13:26 5k at the Portland Track Festival - the day after pacing the 10k to a 14:00! In short, it's all coming together for Frank and just the right time. 

In this episode, Frank give us a deep dive into the races. Especially the 5k. He provides wonderful insight into many aspects of racing that we haven't covered with any guest in the past. We also touch on his final preparations for the Trials. 

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a four mile tempo in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

After months of training Dana Giordano is now fully in race mode. Over the last couple of weeks she has competed at the Track Meet - Sound Running, NYC Qualifier - Trials of Miles, and the Adidas Boost Boston Games. Those events meant racing the 5k, 1500m, and the road mile respectively. 

In this episode, Dana provides an open and honest analysis of each race and puts each on into the larger mosaic of her season and what she learned from those experiences. 

Olivia Baker is back on the show with some exciting news to discuss. Two week ago she qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 800m with a 2:01:38 at the prestigious Mt. Sac Relays! Her heat was absolutely loaded with talent (Kate Grace, Brenda Martinez, Ellie Baker, Rebecca Mehra, among others) and Olivia ran incredibly well. With that said, and as we discuss in this episode, as excited as she is for her trials qualifying time she is eager and ready for more with three more tune-up races before heading to Eugene. 

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a four mile tempo in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

Tyler returns to the show to share some unfortunate news. I'll quote him from his recent Instagram post:

"It's been a struggle trying to be a professional runner. Being able to only do two races and get sidelined for most of my rookie campaign, I wanted to bounce back in a big way from my injury and actually feel like a professional runner. Sadly, my struggles are continuing and I had to make the tough decision to end my season and ending my journey to this year's Olympic Trials.

This was not an easy decision, but knowing I am early in this professional life, I want to get to the bottom of this injury and not prolong it any further. I'm bummed and frustrated that I have to deal with this injury when I was lucky enough to be healthy for my whole running career up to this point. But, this is part of my profession. Everyone has to deal with injuries at some point and so will I. Thank you for all the support."

We talk all about the process that led to this decision, what his injury prognosis/diagnosis looks like moving forward, and a variety of other random topics that always come-up when Tyler and I get to talking.

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a four mile tempo in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

It was great to get Dana back on the show in the midst of her high altitude training in Park City, Utah. She is there with her BAA teammates Elaina Tabb and Erika Kemp. Dana takes us through what the trip to altitude is like, how it has/hasn't affected her training, and how she is preparing for the 5k. Dana also gives an honest account of what it is like to train and live with two other high level athletes and what it's like from a friendship and competition perspective. Finally, with the Sound Running track meet around the corner, she let's us know what she does to make sure she is ready to compete at the highest level on race day.

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a four mile tempo in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

Keira D'Amato is back and feeling good. After battling a small injury she is back to training at 100%. In this episode, Keira details why she has taken a conservative approach in her return to racing and a potential timetable for an upcoming race schedule. We also discuss a pending milk challenge between Keira’s husband and Ben Bruce. Finally, we take a fun deep dive into the famous D'Amato Family Competitions and potential new challenges.

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a four mile tempo in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

Abe Alvarado is back with a full recap of his race experience at the Drake Relays. Abe competed in the USATF Road Mile Championship and the 1500m. Abe continues to improve week-after-week and these races, against some stiff competition, were no exception.

In the road mile Abe was able to stay back during Jeff Theis's strong push from the gun. Once the field entered the stadium he used a big push over the final 300 meters to finish fourth in 4:00.40, holding off a late charge from Daniel Herrera. 

In the 1500m Abe ran in the top three (minus the pacer) for almost the entire race and crossed the line just steps behind winner Clayton Murphy finishing third in a time of 3:39.70. You can watch the race here:

Frank Lara is back from the Drake Relays where he had a successful weekend that has him excited for more. He dropped a 5k PR of 13:36 at the legendary meet against a quality field. As happy as he was with the PR, Frank makes it clear in this episode that he’s eager to continue working on his closing speed and preparing for one his pre-trials “A” races in two weeks.

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a four mile tempo in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

Tyler is back on the pod and shares his insights on a wide variety of topics. We discuss his training (he's getting closer and closer to feeling 100%), which shoes he likes and how they feel on his healing achilles, how his nutrition has/has not changed over the past year as a pro, watching races as an injured runner, his standing on NAZ Elite re: jokester or punching bag, and more.

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a 4 mile temp in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

Frank Lara is back on the show with a jam-packed episode. First, Frank breaks down the USATF 15k Championship (Gate River Run) where he won last year and ran very well again this year. Then he details what it's been like in Boulder, CO for him, and his team, and his community after the tragic shooting last month. Finally, he gives a preview of his upcoming 5k at the prestigious Drake Relays on Friday night.

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a 4 mile temp in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

Abe Alvarado has raced the 800m three weeks in a row and he is starting to feel it. After a second place finish he has notched two consecutive victories in opposite fashion. In this episode we dissect each race, take deep dive into his training, learn was race day is actually like (hint: there's much more it that than you may think), and talk about pacing his progress so he is ready to peak at the right time of the year. 

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a 4 mile temp in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

Keira returns to the show to discuss a wide variety of topics - from the fun, to the important, and many things in-between. We cover her recent injury that prevented her from racing in the Gate River Run (the USATF 15k Championship), her excitement over her recent focus on intense speedwork, races against a local high schooler, the Great American 5000 featuring Team Slugs vs Team Studs, plus much more.

The Texas Relays is an historic event that has traditionally brought some of the best high school, university, and professional talent together in one meet. Last weekend Abe Alvarado and Olivia Baker both competed in the 800m and both finished in second after barely getting out-kicked coming down the homestretch. Their times, 1:48 and 2:03 respectively, were solid efforts (all-thing considered, as you'll hear in the episode) and portend a bright spring campaign. In this episode you'll hear how each of their races played out, what their focus was in training heading into the weekend, what their focus will be in April, and much more.

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a 4 mile temp in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

Dana is back on the show with some good news to share. In our first conversation she detailed the foot injury that derailed her at the beginning of 2021. She has been steadily working her way back and things are progressing well. In this episode, we take a deep dive into what that rehab has looked like, the various benefits of having training partners, and how her plans changed a little bit regarding race selection for the spring.

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a 4 mile temp in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

Tyler Day is back on the show to talk about the rehabilitation of his right Achilles tendon. In this episode he takes us through the steps he and his support team have taken over the past three months to get him physically and mentally prepared to return to training. This week he had his first true workout in months and, as you will hear, he is stoked at the prospect of returning to action.

In our last intro episode of season two we feature the speedy and inciteful Abe Alvarado. Abe's start in running was later than most of his peers but he progressed quickly from there. Recruited by Diljeet Taylor, a coaching legend who currently works at BYU, Abe found his stride under her tutelage and elevated himself into a three time All-American. Abe's accomplishments also include 2020 USATF Indoor Championships 800m bronze medalist and 2019 USATF Indoor Championships 800m silver medalist. His PR's are as follows:

800m:  1:46.53
1000m:  2:18.01
1500m:  3:36.82

Olivia Baker is one of the best 400 and 800 meter runners in the country and will be battling tooth and nail for a spot on the 2021 Olympic Team. It was an honor to have her on the show to discuss her training pre-COVID and how it has looked over the past few months, balancing elite track with her desire to be a neurosurgeon, pushing through performance limits, and her upcoming spring schedule.

Last weekend the Trials of Miles Racing put on the extraordinary Texas Qualifier meet in Austin, TX and it was a huge success. Citius Mag showcased the event through their YouTube channel and covered a truly elite collection of U.S. track talent. Both Keira D'Amato and Frank Lara participated, in the 10k and 5k respectively, and fared very well. The conditions in Austin were tough, the humidity had a huge effect - especially in the 10k, but Keira and Frank were up to the challenge. 

In this episode, they both detail there training leading into the Texas Qualifier and give a full breakdown of their races.

Tyler Day is a professional runner for HOKA Northern Arizona (NAZ) Elite. Day was planning on focusing on this year’s U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in the 10k. As a Northern Arizona University sophomore, Day finished ninth at the 2017 USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships at 10,000 meters. In 2018, he was ninth again–this time at 3,000 meters at the USATF Indoor Championships. A year later Day earned a spot on the U.S. team that competed in Lima, Peru at the Pan American Games where he was tenth over 5,000 meters. Last winter Day had a breakout season that included a personal best at 3,000 meters (7:45.70) as well as his American collegiate record at 5,000 meters (13:16.95)–the latter of which saw him go toe-to-toe with Olympic Silver Medalist Paul Tanui, losing by just one second.

Right now Tyler is battling an injury while trying to recover quickly with plenty of time to earn his OTQ standard then makes waves at the Trials. A process that so many runners can relate to.

The Road to the Trials Podcast is presented by COROS Wearables – makers of Performance GPS Watches that help athletes train to be their best. Athletes like World Record Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and Multi-time US Champion Emma Coburn trust COROS watches to track their training from Long Runs to Track Workouts. With their innovative Track Mode, you can measure your next track workout to near perfection, whether you’ve got 400 meter repeats in Lane 1 or a 4 mile temp in lane 5, you can trust COROS to provide the stats you crave.

Diljeet Taylor is the women’s cross country and distance coach at BYU and one of the best coaches in the country, at any level. Last fall her Cougars finished second in the NCAA Championships after improving year after year since she took over. How did that same team do during the Indoor Championships? Cancelled. How about the Track Championships? Cancelled. In this episode Diljeet dives into how COVID-19 has affected her athletes, her team, their training, her coaching, and her potential recruits.

Follow Matt: