Carrie interviews marathoner and internal medicine doctor Justin Grunewald! They discuss how he met his wife Gabriele, her battle with cancer, and his future racing goals.
Show notes for this episode can be found at ctollerun.com.
Justin Grunewald
Justin graduated from the University of Minnesota where he ran cross country and track for the Gophers. Justin is a 3-time Cayman Islands Marathon champion and qualified for the 2012 US Olympian marathon trials. He is a recent graduate of the Abbott Northwestern internal medicine residency program. Justin lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife and training partner Gabriele Grunewald.
Carrie interviews Olympian Alysia Montaño! They chat about food, racing during pregnancy, athlete sponsorship, and much more!
Show notes for this episode can be found at ctollerun.com.
Alysia Montaño
Alysia attended Canyon High School in Santa Clarita, CA where she became a multi sport standout in basketball, soccer, and athletics.
Under Tony Sandoval at the University of California Berkeley, is where Alysia will become the 800m specialist she is today. In 2007 as a junior, Alysia recorded the best season in Cal Berkeley history finishing undefeated and claiming both the indoor and outdoor NCAA titles as well as her first USA Championship title.
Heading into the 2008 season, Alysia was ranked #1 in the USA and she was more focused then ever to make the Olympic team. Rounding out her senior year coupled with intense training, the pressure began to take a toll on Alysia and, throughout the indoor and outdoor season, a stress fracture formed in her navicular bone and finally gave in at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Alysia rehabbed in San Diego at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista during 2009 where she was under the watchful eye of Juaquim Cruz, Brazil's 800m '84 gold medalist.
At the end of the year, Alysia realized Chula Vista was not the place for her so she made the move back to Berkeley to resume with Tony Sandoval. 2010 was Alysia's comeback year and she was back with a vengeance. Alysia started off the season by earning a bronze medal at the 2010 World Indoor Championships in Doha then went on to claim another outdoor USA title. Alysia finished the season with a PR and the worlds fastest time by winning Monaco's Hercules Diamond League with a time of 1:57.34.
For the next three years, Alysia defends her title as USA Champion to go on and become a finalists in the 2011 World Championships(4th), 2012 Olympics(5th), and 2013 World Championships(4th).
With disheartening finishes at every major event, Alysia decides to take the 2014 season off year to start a family. During pregnancy Alysia maintained fitness by continuing to run and at 34 weeks pregnant, Alysia decided to take advantage of her qualifying standard and enter into the 2014 Outdoor USA Championships just to have fun and advocate for fit pregnancies. Little did she know it would make headlines world wide and become a major topic of discussion on almost every news outlet. With some calculations of web analytics. Alysia's pregnant run had 5 times as many hits as all of her championship wins combined.
In 2015 Alysia planed on slowly returning to form and use it as a building block for 2016, but Alysia surprised everyone (including herself). Claiming her first indoor championship in the 600m 6 months after giving birth, Alysia set the tone for 2015. In March at the 2015 World Relays, Alysia anchored the USA 4x800m relay team to an American Record with the fastest split of competition with a time of 1:58.90. In June, Alysia went into USA Outdoor Championships as an underdog because of a nagging injury. Alysia adjusted her game plan and changed her running style and advanced through each round running with the pack and against all odds Alysia claimed yet another USA title bringing her total to 7 and earning a spot on USA's 2015 world Championship team. Keeping her schedule light, Alysia opted for the Pan Am Games and earned herself a gold in the 4x400m relay and a silver in the 800m. In Beijing, China Alysia's 2015 World Championships were cut short; with about 200m to go in the first round, Alysia was tripped by a runner trying to pass on the inside thus bringing her down to the track.
Carrie goes for a walk with the legendary Dick Beardsley! He discusses his struggle with addiction, his passion for the sport, and moving back to Minnesota to open a Bed and Breakfast in Bemidji.
Show notes for this episode can be found at ctollerun.com.
Recorded June 16, 2017
Dick Beardsley
Dick Beardsley is a best selling co-author and champion - in running and in life. Although his competitive running career as an elite athlete ended in 1988, Dick is still one of the top American distance runners of all time, reflected with a time of 2:08:53 in the 1982 Boston Marathon. Best known for his 1982 Boston Marathon "Duel in the Sun" with Alberto Salazar, Dick is also a two-time Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier. He is a two-time winner of the Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, with a time of winning 2:09:36 and winner of the first London Marathon, with a time of 2:11:48 in 1981. Dick is also the course record holder for the Napa Valley Marathon, with a winning time of 2:16:20 in 1987. Dick is more than a running champion, he is a fighter. After a series of near-fatal accidents and a journey of self-discovery, Dick has turned his life around and is enjoying life to its fullest. Dick has held and continues to hold several running camps and offers online coaching in efforts to help people reach their fitness goals. Dick and his wife, Jill, are also the Innkeepers and owners of the beautiful Lake Bemidji Bed and Breakfast.
Carrie goes for a run with author and podcast host Alisha Perkins! They discuss how Alisha got into running and her struggle with anxiety. Alisha also gives listeners a sneak peek into the life of a professional baseball family.
Recorded June 14, 2017
Alisha Perkins
Alisha is a born and raised Minnesotan who loves to run! She is a mom to two girls and wife to Glen Perkins (3-time All-Star Minnesota Twins closer). She started blogging in 2012 after she discovered running and found her voice. Her blog focuses on running, battling anxiety and family life. Alisha is on the board of directors for Girls on the Run Twin Cities and the PrairieChild and Family Fund. She is also a freelance writer (Women's Running, Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, Another Mother Runner, The Red Current, Minneapolis Running, Star Tribune and more). Alisha and Glen founded the Fifteen's 5k race, held in Minneapolis in August benefiting the PrairieCare Child and Family Fund. She is author of the book Running Home, and co-host of The Mind Full Podcast.