Hey y'all, I'd love to get your recommendations for a virtual coach. I'm a fairly new trail runner, coming from a hiking background. I've done a couple trail half-marathons and am training for two trail 50Ks and R2R2R in the spring. I'd like to work up to some bigger "sky racing" goals, a fifty-miler, or perhaps even a multi-day, unsupported event - I'm not really sure yet what I'm going to like the most.

I've never been part of a track team or running group, so my ideal coach is someone who understands how to work with an athlete who lacks that sort of formal background and doesn't have much road-running experience. At the same time, I've nailed down nutrition and developed good "listening to my body" skills through my hiking pursuits, so instead of starting with a blank slate, I'd like my coach to help me shift those skills and experiences in ways that are helpful for running. Lastly of course I'm looking for an individual training plan with good communication - regular phone or video calls, support over email, etc.

I'm in the US so someone in the US or Canada would probably be best for timezone alignment.

I find them extremely relaxing after a long day

I keep searching the web and past Reddit posts for recommendations but it seems everyone is against waterproof shoes when it comes to trails, but this is usually because the trails they have in mind are goopy and wet.

The trails I run on are usually paved with bark chips, and my only concern / desire for waterproof is it rains a lot here + the occasional shallow puddle

Does anyone have a rec in the $100-200 range?

Hi everyone!

I’m offering free coaching to 2-4 people (through trainingpeaks). I’m looking to work with athletes from beginners to those with moderate experience who want to simplify the complexities of endurance training and build long-term, sustainable progress.

A bit about me:
I hold a master’s degree in biology, specializing in microbial metabolism, but I currently only read literature on human physiology. I’ve been running for 5 years and have studied a variety of coaches training methods, including those from Arthur Lydiard, Jack Daniels, Renanto Canova, Mike Smith, David Roche, Inigo San Millán, Kilian Jornet, and others. Over the past four years, I’ve gone from a 4:24 marathon, 22-minute 5k, and 14:50 mountain 50M to a 2:55 marathon, 9:52 mountain 50M (3rd place), and 17-minute 5k.

While I’m not the most talented athlete around, I’ve had moderate success in coaching, taking one female athlete from barely running to completing multiple 50-mile races, winning a local 50k, running a 1:47 half marathon, and a 22-minute 5k in 3 years.

Coaching Focus
My coaching philosophy centers on sustainable progress, with an emphasis on building a lasting relationship with your body through running. I don’t believe in “hacks”, rather I focus on consistency and year over year development.

Training Approach

• Volume Tracking: I track training volume by time, not miles. I believe that this is a better metric especially for ultrarunners whose speed is heavily dependent on the terrain you are running. This gives us a better understanding of internal load, and a more simple way to track progression.
• Aerobic Threshold: The most important factor in ultramarathon training is your velocity at aerobic threshold. We’ll target this through lactate threshold intervals and moderate long runs.
• Speed Before Distance: I prefer to start training blocks by focusing on speed through short VO2 intervals and strides. This creates room to improve both lactate and aerobic thresholds in the specific phase of training for ultras.
• Efficient Long Runs: I don’t believe in long, slow slogging for hours. We’ll incorporate appropriate distance long runs and possibly back-to-back long efforts, but the aim is always quality work over excessive duration that will potentially leave you depleted.
• Fueling: I’ll guide you through optimizing your fueling strategy — I successfully take in 90g of carbs per hour in my races, and I believe fueling during training is just as important. If you’re seeking a low-carb coach, I’m not your guy.
• Doubles & Cross-Training: I’m a strong advocate for increasing easy aerobic volume through doubles and cross-training, especially when needed for recovery or variety.

What I’m Looking For
I’m offering this coaching for free in exchange for your honest constructive criticism, and hopefully future endorsement.

Reach out on here if you're ready to chat about training, or to see if you think this would be a good fit.

https://youtu.be/lohoBD2spqI?feature=shared

https://xeroshoes.com/go/Cwcomfy

Great deals on trail shoes and boots

After 12 years of no running due to back issues (and a long and somewhat all consuming affair with rock climbing) I am suddenly at 39 able to run pain free again, yeah!

Good news is I live in an amazing place for trail running. 1k from a mountainous national park with trails for decades and very close to the beach for morning runs and swims.

The downside to my proximity to the beach is that getting to the best trails always require doing 400 meter of elevation within the first 1,5k. About 800 meter of this is steep and rocky and takes me about 25 minutes. I love very technical and rocky trails, but this is mostly just steep and rocky steps. It isn't really a downside, more like a feature, but sometimes I find it hard to motivate myself for the hill to get to my favourite trails.

I can drive around and start a bit higher, but I really prefer to start at my front door and just go.

So here is my question: How do I learn to love my local climb?

I understand that time and consistency is the obvious answer, but do you have any hacks? Anything you have done to train mentally or physically to make this kind of climb more enjoyable? I would love to get to the point of looking forward to this as my warm-up and shaving 5-8 minutes of my time. But mainly, I want to love my first climb instead of dreading it...

Thought I’d just give a little bit of my personal experience with injinji socks. I’ve completed 3-4 10+ milers using them, with a decent bit of ascent and descent.

Being merino wool and having the individual toe holes they are designed to help prevent blisters on the toes especially by reducing that skin on skin friction. I didn’t quite find this to be the case for me unfortunately. I had high hopes of avoiding a reoccurring blister that I get on both feet.

As for overall comfort I do find the feeling of having my toes in an individual toe hole a bit strange. It does provide a weird sensation just for a heads up if you plan on getting yourself some.

Now here’s the biggest issue. While taking on any descent whether it’s a gradual drop or something steeper you get what I can only describe as toe wedgies… not ideal. Which as you can imagine becomes really quite uncomfortable and borderline painful when it’s a steeper, faster or longer section of downhill.

As for me personally I will be avoiding using these on any outings other than those that are pancake flat. I do believe you could probably get the benefits these give from alternatives that use that lovely merino wool but without having your toes bullied with wedgies each time you hit a downhill.

Hello everyone, I am raising money for adaptive sports and individuals this Giving Tuesday. 💚

I have committed to run the Vermont 100 mile endurance race in 2025 to raise awareness for adaptive athletes thru Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports.

Because the positive power and impact of sports are so important for everyBODY.

This Giving Tuesday, donations are matched up to $100k today and tmrw (Tuesday)!

To learn more visit: VinRuns.com 💚👏🔥

https://www.pledgereg.com/5336/vinframularo

#fundraising #fundraiser #givingtuesday #ultrarunning #trailrunning #adaptivesports #veterans

Does anyone have any shoe recs for a duck footed trail runner in Australia?

My feet are genuine T-bones. I wear mens 4e width in road shoes and Topo MTN racer is the widest shoe I've been able to find yet it's still too narrow. I'm running my first 50k next year and need something wide enough to spare me from tonnes of blisters.

Does anyone else afflicted with wide wide feet have any reccos or shoe lacing hacks they could impart? 🙏

Anyone have any dry needling recommendations around Seattle or the East Side? I’ll be paying out of pocket, so if you could share the cost per session that’d be great too!

Hi all,

Is there someone that has experience with training schedules for 100k runs?

Some background, my furthest run was 55k in a training run and my fastest marathon run was 3:19. A month after my 55k run I got severly injured and had surgery on my ankle a year later, as they only discovered the real reason for my pain a year after. Now, after 2 years I'm finally able to start running again after a long recovery. I'm still planning on doing a 100k but searching for a somewhat zero to 100k running schedule.

Hello!

I've done 2 ultras so far and currently training for a 100k in May 2025.

I'm currently using the Salomon XA 15 which as been decent so far (I like the cinch system although would like a zippered opening), but I was thinking of upgrading to the adv skin 15 or similar. I'm also happy to try a different brand.

The only problem is that I cannot for the life of me find a suitable pack (~15L) that comes in white. Does anyone know of any packs that come in white?

I’m trying to understand, and ideally correct, my running gait. I supinate on both feet, landing on the most outer edge, but my right foot strikes on the midfoot and my left foot strikes closer to the heel. I recognize that asymmetry is likely, but I find it interesting that each foot has basically the opposite wear.

Any guesses as to what tightness or weakness may be at play here?

I don't get to trail run very often anymore so most of my miles have been pavement or treadmill recently. 30-35 mpw the last few weeks. 22 ish half marathons in the last few years, a handful of triathlons this summer/fall, and ran my first full marathon at the Flying Pig this spring.

I ran a trail full marathon with a lot of elevation change yesterday. I walked some. It took me 6 and a half hours. I was really stiff and in pain last night, took a hot shower, put my knee high compression socks on, drank a bunch of water and electrolytes...and was very surprised when I woke up today, I'm not really hurting at all? I expected to feel like I did after the flying pig--it took me days to comfortably be able to get down the basement stairs after that, and my back and legs felt awful. But this trail marathon, even with all the up and downhill singletrack--Why am I not in pain today? My knees feel great. Getting to the basement is easy. I'm stiff, but nothing is bad.

Given I'm not sore, any advice on how I should recover? When am I safe to go back to running, cycling or swimming? Is this just how a trail full is compared to pavement?

I am looking for some Christmas gift recommendations for my friend (40yo M), who is a big trailrunner. He typically runs at least 1 100-miler each year, among other races.

I was thinking of trailrunning-related accessories like socks or even trail shoes but am open to any other ideas!

I know he loves the Saucony Peregrines, which I assume are not maximally cushioned and have a bit more stability/ground feel? Because he mentioned that he's not into maximally cushioned shoes like Hokas which have made him feel less stable. He also has tried Altras, but they were a bit too roomy for him, I think.

If anyone has any recommendations, especially products that you have really enjoyed yourself, even high-quality performance socks or anything, I would really appreciate it hearing about it!

I think this mainly applies to places where they've upgraded the store to a "Dicks House of Sport" but I'm sure its any place they've got a large clearance section.

I was resisting buying a 3rd pair of road trainers and browsing what they had out, and stumbled upon a pair of Brooks Catamount 3's. They were marked as being $112.97, but were priced in a way that meant I got an additional 50% off....

So yeah I got new trail runners for $56...

They also had a bunch of Pegasus Trail runners for around the same price but only in all white...and who wants trail runners in all white?

Hi all, been running trails in the Nike Kiger 9, it’s an awesome shoe, wide enough for my feet and a really good at quicker runs, I’m looking for a shoe of similar width but with more cushion for an upcoming ultra

Are these shoes decent? I am beginner, planning to run 10km in the start. Or should i spend more money? More expensive shoes are better for my joints?