The Rambling Runner

10 years ago, at the age of 30, Hebah Hefzy realized she needed to make a change. Hebah graduated from high school at 16 years old and medical school at 22. Her drive and talent were elite . Her academics and career were a priority for Hebah but her physical fitness had taken a backseat. She was alarmed when she felt out of shape climbing a flight of stairs. As a doctor, Hefzy talked to patients about the importance of exercise but she was failing to walk-the-walk. Hefzy couldn’t run a mile, but decided running was something she could fit into her schedule. At the time she was married with three children and working as a vascular neurologist in Detroit, Michigan. During her lunch breaks she would change in a Starbucks bathroom, run for 10 minutes, then go bac to work. It wasn't ideal but it was a start. In the following 10 years Hebah attacked her running goals with energy and optimism, even when some of the people closest to her insisted that she stop. Now Hebah is a six time Boston Marathon qualifier, has r

At first glance Matt Choi's evolution from college athlete to 3:05 marathoner and ultramarathoner doesn't seem remarkable. However, the more you dig into his athletic history the more remarkable it is. Matt Choi is an absolute beast and an amazingly energetic person. Matt played football at Monmouth University and worked his tail off to get to that level. As an Asian-American, Matt didn't have anybody to model his game after. He learned to set his own path and made the most of his opportunities. After college Matt was unsure what to do next but he knew that sport would play a major role. Then COVID hit. Matt made a decision that would change his life. He decided to pursue endurance events with 100% effort and document the journey. Three years later Matt has completed a 100 miler and is knocking on the door of breaking 3:00 in the marathon. All while continuing to lift hard and be a well-rounded athlete. Following him on Instagram and TikTok at mattchoi_6 is always entertaining, informative, and complete with

Our new monthly running shoe episodes with Tommie Runz are back and it now has a name - Mind, Body, and Sole. In this episode we bring you two segments. In the first Tommie and I detail our two favorite underrated shoes and our most overrated shoe. Once we finish that breakdown we take a first-look at the new Asics Metaspeed Sky+. Tommie got the shoe a couple weeks ago and has taken it out for runs at several different paces. We compare it to the original Sky, the Metaspeed Edge and Edge+, and other highly productive carbon plated racers. About Tommie: Tommie Runz is making big moves within the broader running community. Several years back Tommie was the picture of ill-health. He had an alcohol problem, was eating poorly, and was doing little exercise. They one-by-one he addressed all of these issues until he became the man and runner he is today - fast, fit, vegan, host of the Run Eat Sleep Show, and owner of Chip Time Running. A truly magnificent transformation for a man who's an even better person than he

Now that it's starting to heat up we are brining you a timely and important Coach's Corner episode. Alison Staples and Corrine Malcolm bring their varied experiences to provide a boat load of expertise that will be helpful to runners of all abilities and distances. Alison is a coach at Run to the Finish and the &Running Studio. She is also a physical therapist assistant and a crew leader for Riot Squad Running. Corrine is an elite trail and ultra runner for adidas Terrex and coaches at CTS Train Right. She is also one of the hosts of the fantastic Trail Society podcast. In this episode we discuss: Heat adaptation What the heat/dew point does to a runner's body How summer conditions affect performance Nutrition and hydration adjustments Scheduling workouts for harsh conditions Tips and tricks for summer running You can follow Alison at www.instagram.com/alioop_0_o_runs and Corrine at www.instagram.com/corrinemalcolm. Sponsor: As runners, we spend a LOT of time outdoors in the sun, and it’s so importan

Today on podcast the we are continuing a new format that has been a huge hit - a 360 degree review of an athlete's improvement. First we speak with Ari Hendrix, and then her coach Sydney Devore, about her remarkable improvement over the last three years. Ari Hendrix ran a 3:57 in her first marathon ten years ago. Prior to starting her running journey Ari was a college basketball player and basketball coach. As soon as she crossed that finish line she fell in love with a new sport. Since that day she has improved nearly every year and in enormous fashion. In fact, Ari just ran 2:42 in the Bayshore Marathon. That amazing performance boosted her to the 5th fastest U.S. born African American woman in history! In April of 2019 she ran 3:05 and it was then when she hired Sydney Devore, a coach at McKirdy Trained and one of the best marathoners in the country. Since 2019 Ari has worked through some significant difficulties. Three serious injuries, panic attacks, and mental health challenges. Through it all, Ari and

The second episode of our new monthly feature on the Rambling Runner Podcast, For the Love of The Run with Carolyn Su, is out and we couldn't be more excited. An awful lot has transpired since our episode last month and, as usual, our lives seem to parallel each others in various ways. Here is what we discuss: Carolyn's not so excellent marathon adventure Dealing with/working through a goal deferred Planning for summer running when the kids are out of school and you're trying to fit in summer family fun. DiverseWeRun Spotlight - Erica Moore Simu Liu's autobiography, We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story For the Love of the Run is presented by Tracksmith. Both Carolyn and I been wearing and loving Tracksmith for years and we couldn't think of a better brand to partner with on this endeavor. They have incredible running attire that fits great and can last for years, even in tough New England weather. You can visit our link at www.Tracksmith.com/loveoftherun to see their new arrivals and

Regina Lopez is a rare professional athlete. She started taking running seriously at the age of 17 - far later than almost all of her peers. After graduating from Cal Poly Pomona, where she ran competitively, she qualified for and competed in the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. After that day she spontaneously pivoted to trail running. Shortly thereafter she tried her hand at ultra running. And she excelled at all of them. She is a Spartan Trail Champ, finished 2nd at the USATF 50k, and at the 3rd USATF 100k. In this episode Regina talks all about the winding path her career has taken, why she has made the choices that have defined her running life, and what she is doing to maximize her ability as she embraces new challenges. You can follow Regina at www.instagram.com/getfitwithreginalopez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andy Wacker is on the show today and it was an honor to talk to one of America's best runners. Andy's resume speaks for itself (his 2021 accolades are listed below and they career's worth of achievements) and easily puts him in the top tier of the country’s best trail runners. Andy wasn't always the top of his class, however, He was a walk-on at University of Colorado during some of the school’s prime running years. His time in Boulder had some high points but also some struggles. During those down periods he learned to head to the trails. Those forays away from the team would lead to a paradigm shift as a runner that continues to serve him well today. 2021 was an encapsulation of that journey. Here is how Andy wrote about it in an end of the year post on his Instagram feed: "2021 has been “A JOURNEY”. If I have learned anything, it is to be grateful for the good days. Be optimistic. Positive thinking can take you so far! BELIEVE. You can and will get through even the darkest days. And after all, 2021 was an

Dr. Jess Mena DPT is here for our monthly collaboration and, as always, she is bringing loads of energy and fire. In this episode we discuss a couple big topics for runners. First we cover Jess's new running group that she started in the Valley just north of Los Angeles. Jess organized the group after she finally had enough of driving 90 minutes to workouts only to be harassed on the streets while running. We talk about that and what it's like for folks who are interested in joining a running group but may be reticent to giving it a go. In the second half of the episode we take a deep dive into the important of strength training for runners and what exercises benefit novices and experts alike. Follow Jess at www.instagram.com/tempo_with_jess. Follow Matt: Instagram - @rambling_runner Twitter - @rambling_runner YouTube - www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ83E0U8M4V7klqZB8BF3wA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shayla Manitowabi-Huebner is on the show and she's got a great story to tell. Last month at the Boston Marathon, Shayla ran 26.2 miles in prayer. She only had eight weeks to prepare her body and spirit for this distance after she was selected to run the race to represent Native Women Running. She carried sacred medicine and prayed for healing—for all of her relations. Shayla placed cedar in my shoes and prepared asemaa (a tobacco tie) that she carried on her left shoulder. The prayer and medicine was powerful. Going into the race, she knew it was going to be a lot more than physical. She would bring in mental, emotional, and spiritual directions to create balance in her running. Shayla felt good, ran steady, and kept her spirit and thoughts positive. Shayla ran the entire race without stopping, resulting in a Boston Marathon qualifying time of 3:25:25. In this episode we discuss Boston but also so much more. Shayla talks about how she grew to fully embrace being Anishinaabe from Wiikwemkoong First Nation afte

Our new monthly running shoe episodes with Tommie Runz have arrived and we are starting with a bang - choosing a carbon plated racer! We take a deep dive into almost ten different popular plated racing options and choose the best ones for each of us at the marathon distance. We also do a segment on Tommie's Boston Marathon experience and PR Project. Specifically, how Tommie approached the final month of training and race day when an injury popped up and derailed his training. It was a common question that many of us have experienced - how/if we run our goal race when we aren't at healthy but can complete the distance despite not being at our best. Tommie Runz is making big moves within the broader running community. Several years back Tommie was the picture of ill-health. He had an alcohol problem, was eating poorly, and was doing little exercise. They one-by-one he addressed all of these issues until he became the man and runner he is today - fast, fit, vegan, host of the Run Eat Sleep Show, and owner of Chi

Today on podcast the we are trying a new format that I am really excited about - a 360 degree review of an athlete's improvement. First we speak with Diane Neubauer, and then her coach James McKirdy, about her remarkable improvement over the last three years. Diane is a fantastic runner, incredibly hard worker, military wife, and mother of two. She ran her first marathon in 2013, finishing in 3:50. Three years later, she ran a 3:36 in Boston. Four years after that, with a 3:07 marathon PR and her sights set on breaking 3:00, she started working with coach James McKirdy. She had been self-coached to that point, and nobody would argue that she had seen some amazing progress. In fact, with a 3:50 debut seven years prior, many people would probably think that she had squeezed out all of her potential - that squeaking under 3:00 might be the best she could hope for. Maybe some would think even that was a little greedy. How often do we hear that we should “chip away at it” rather than take a big swing? But instead

Today we bring you a live show recording from the Eugene Marathon with Jenny Grimshaw, Carly Gill Larios, Theresa Hailey. All three of these amazing women have been on the show before and were three of our most popular guests. In this panel discussion, Jenny, Carly, and Theresa reflect on their participation in the Olympic Trials Marathon and how they are approaching the new 2024 standard of 2:37. Their first OTQ experience was something they will never forget. Not just the race, but the entire qualification process. They take a deep dive into that and how that experience informed their reaction to the new marathon trials standard and how they feel now with some time and momentum on their side. Follow Jenny: www.instagram.com/jenny_gshaw. Follow Carly: www.instagram.com/carlysheree. Follow Theresa: www.instagram.com/runninggingerly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am excited to announce a new monthly feature on the Rambling Runner Podcast - For the Love of The Run with Carolyn Su. Carolyn has established herself as a change maker, resource, advocate, and megaphone within the world of running. Her desire to lift up people and stories of all kinds has made a tangible impact on many throughout the world. Ever since she started the DiverseWeRun Instagram account her work has been featured across running media over and over again. She even graced the cover of Runner's World! Now, Carolyn will be joining the show as a co-host the second week of every month to talk about running, goals, family, and to highlight a runner from the DiverseWeRun account. In our inaugural episode we discuss: Matt's marathon recap - digesting a bitter pill Carolyn's marathon preview!!! Post-Boston story/reflection that will stay with us for a long time DiverseWeRun shout-out featuring Serghino Rene Family Jam!!!! Funny/entertaining/frustrating/difficult (or all of the above) family story fro

Meaghan Murray-Neuberger is back on the show and for good reason. Have you ever had a goal that you worked for years to accomplish only to fall short by the slimmest of margins time and time again? It takes a strong person with a sense of mission to keep getting up and striving for that goal instead of giving in. That is exactly what Meaghan Murray-Neuberger did when she broke the 3:00 at the Woodlands Marathon two weeks ago. Meaghan is a three-time marathon winner with a previous marathon PR of 3:00:19. At Woodlands she ran a blistering fast 2:56:33 - 6:44 pace per mile.  What comes next after you finally achieve a huge goal? That's exactly what we cover in this episode. In the year since her breakthrough at the Woodlands Marathon, Meaghan has continued to improve a remarkable rate culminating in a 2:48:34 at the 2022 Boston Marathon. On the podcast Meaghan talks about what she learned from her first breakthrough and continues to use today, how she re-focused on a new goal, going for it when raceday provides

”If all we did was acknowledge the time on the clock... we'd be giving a standing ovation. If all we did was acknowledge that a record was broken and that the impossible had been accomplished... we'd be celebrating for weeks and then life would move forward as it does. But the reality is that what Heather Knight Pech accomplished in the Boston Marathon is far more than her finish time of 3:03:47. It's far more than winning the division (60-64). And it's certainly far more than breaking the record held by Joan Benoit Samuelson. It's been 3 years since since Heather last finished Boston - a race that lives in her soul. It's been a bit over 1.5 years of injury that left Heather wondering if the best was behind her.  But the success Heather found on Monday isn't found in the result... it's the in-between time where the story is truly told. The injury. The heartbreak. The self doubt. The loneliness of not being able to do what she is so clearly meant to. But to know Heather is to know what it means to not give up.

Kara Woody is a veterinarian, mother of two, Navy wife, and a multiple sclerosis, She is also one heck of a runner who as run nine marathons with a PR of 3:32 and a three time Boston Marathon qualifier. A self described couch potato in her 20's, Kara started to run around the same time she was diagnosed with MS and she certainly made up for lost time. She has become one of the most inspirational people we've ever had on the Rambling Runner Podcast. In the last six months she has run the Boston Marathon twice and has done so with the kind of spirit and courage that so many of us aspire to embody. There are days where the runs get so tough that she wobbles. When it's too hot, she loses control of her legs and overheats. If it weren't for the life changing medicine she's on... her days would be vastly different. Several years ago she wasn't sure if she'd ever live a normal life. Then, in a moment, everything changed. Follow Kara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/runnervet06. Follow Matt: Instagram - @rambling_ru

There aren't many people in the world and thoughtful, caring, and inspiring as Phil Shin. It was an absolute honor to have Phil on the show. He has endured liver cancer twice, received a liver transplant, run multiple marathons, qualified for Boston, and that doesn't even come close to summarizing what this man has accomplished for himself and others. Phil ran the 2022 Boston Marathon along with his good friend and live liver donor Mark Murphy. It was a special weekend for both men as it was Mark's first marathon and Phil was able to honor his friend's sacrifice, that saved his life, in grand fashion. All a few weeks after Phil put it down at the iconic Way Too Cool 50k. Follow Phil on Instagram: www.instagram.com/pshin8670. Phil's episode on The Morning Shakeout: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-197-with-phil-shin. Follow Matt: Instagram - @rambling_runner Twitter - @rambling_runner YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ83E0U8M4V7klqZB8BF3wA Rambling Runner Podcast Community Cor

Rachel Gersten is a New York City therapist with a passion for helping people lead their healthiest lives possible. She completed her undergraduate degree at the Arizona State University where she double majored in psychology and human development. She attended Columbia University and earned two master’s degrees (Ed.M., M.A.) in Psychological Counseling. Rachel is also a dedicated amateur runner who has completed several marathons including the 2021 New York City Marathon. In this episode, we talk about the mental and emotional dip some people go through post-marathon (or any big race/event) and how we can minimize some of those challenges, celebrate even in the face of disappointment, and how we can learn from our experiences. You can learn more about Rachel at www.vivawellnessnyc.com. Follow Matt: Instagram - @rambling_runner Twitter - @rambling_runner YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ83E0U8M4V7klqZB8BF3wA Rambling Runner Podcast Community Corner private Facebook group - www.facebook.com

If you love a comeback story then get hyped to hear from the unconquerable Jon Rizzo. In the fall of 2020 Jon was flying high. This muscle bound endurance athlete was strong from another training cycle and looking to set some new personal bests. Then his legs stopped working. Literally. Soon it took this former military member and ultra runner a momentous amount of effort to simply climb the stairs. On the drive home from his MRI, an appointment he almost flaked on before his wife Jamie set him straight, he was called with urgent news - get to the emergency room. In this episode Jon takes a deep dive into this near tragic experience that almost left him at death's door. We also discuss how Jon got through this experience to finish on the podium at the Naked Prussian 50 Miler and what big hairy audacious goals now populate his calendar. You can learn about one of them, the 24 Hour Stationary Bike Ruff Ride hosted by Team Foster, here: https://www.pledgereg.com/3969/Team/18216. Follow Matt: Instagram - @rambl