Your watch doesn't know you. It doesn't know you had a rough night of sleep, that you're in your luteal phase, that you've been stressed all week, or that you're climbing in 90-degree heat. It just spits out a number. And yet somehow, that number has the power to make or break a run.

In this episode, I'm going deeper on one of my favorite coaching topics: why your body doesn't know your pace, but it absolutely knows your effort. We've talked about RPE before, but this time I'm getting under the hood on the actual physiology, what's happening in your body when conditions stack up and your pace drops, and why that's not a bad run. That's just your body doing its job.

• What heat, humidity, sleep, stress, terrain, altitude, hormones, and fueling actually do to your pace (and why none of it means you're falling apart)
• Why chasing pace in your training blocks is quietly undermining your fitness
• How VO2 max, lactate threshold, and endurance blocks each connect back to effort-based training
• What to do with all of this information when you're standing at the trailhead about to lace up

Effort is the stimulus. Pace is the result. You control one of those. Let's talk about which one.

Links & Resources for This Episode

• Episode 4: Your watch is lying to you: Ditch the data (RPE vs HR)
• Episode 19: Your Watch Is Being Dramatic: A Trail Runner’s Guide to Chill
• Episode 31: Effort Over Pace: Their Effort is Not Your Effort
• Follow me on Instagram
• Visit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.com
• Want to work together? Learn about 1:1 Coaching
• Free guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

I didn't build a love for climbing. I just finally stopped being surprised that it was already there.

In this episode, I'm answering a question from one of my athletes and friends — how did I actually build my capacity for vert? Were there numbers that scared me? How did I get here?

• How I fell in love with climbing before I even knew what vert was
• Rim to rim in the Grand Canyon three weeks into trail running
• Showing up to races without looking at the elevation profile — and what that taught me
• When I actually started paying attention to vert and how it changed my training
• How I structure long runs and training blocks around elevation profiles
• Why poles took so long to enter my life and what changed when they did
• Getting faster near the top — not slower — and what that means
• What climbing actually feels like and why it's always been fun, even when it's hard

Links & Resources for This Episode

• Follow me on Instagram
• Visit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.com
• Want to work together? Learn about 1:1 Coaching
• Free guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

You asked, I answered. This episode is a full Cocodona 250 Q&A — your questions about training, gear, crew, the mental game, recovery, and everything in between. If you've been curious about what actually goes into running 253.4 miles, this one's for you.

In this episode:

• How long my training block actually was and what peak weeks looked like
• Heat prep, shoe swaps, and nutrition that held up (mostly)
• Crew and pacer logistics — and how half my pacers weren't even planned
• The mental side: mantras, doubts, and aid station to aid station thinking
• Recovery timeline and what finishing this changed for me

Links & Resources for This Episode

• Follow me on Instagram
• Visit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.com
• Want to work together? Learn about 1:1 Coaching
• Free guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here