In this episode of Trail Society, we dive into the UTMB races, discussing the fast race times, podiums, breakthrough performances, and top USA athletes. We also spotlight the latest advancements in the WNBA and NWSL, and discuss the impactful “Here For the Women’s Race” initiative that is reshaping women’s trail running. Our conversation reveals how these developments are driving change and opening new opportunities for female athletes at every level.

Hillary shares an intimate and insightful account of her recent UTMB race experience, detailing her training journey and the pivotal moment when she chose to prioritize her health and happiness over finishing the race. Her candid reflection on why she decided to stop rather than push through underscores the importance of listening to one’s body and the long-term value of maintaining passion for the sport. This episode offers a powerful blend of race analysis, sports evolution, and personal wisdom, making it a must-listen for anyone passionate about running and female athleticism.

Sponsors:

• This episode is brought to you by Freetrail @runfreetrail (www.freetrail.com). Subscribe and JOIN US IN SLACK.
• Our Title Sponsor is The Feed!!! Follow the link to get $20 to spend every quarter ($80 every year!): https://thefeed.com/trailsociety + a cool Trail Society water bottle!

• Keep sliding into our DMs with your messages, they mean so much to us! @trail.society

Articles:

• Support Tara: https://support.girlsontherun.org/fundraiser/5607331
• Past TS episodes on Hydration: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3RuFrJPbF46NlCdq4hTtbm?si=XAMscA3xSFuhEBfTRQiA4g

This week’s podcast kicks off with a recap of recent competitive races, including record-breaking performances and intense competition. We discuss standout moments from the Leadville 100-mile and Headlands 50km, celebrating impressive achievements and new champions.

Then, we delve into a recent study on the impact of bone stress injuries in female runners, revealing key insights from recent research. We explore which factors are linked to high-risk stress fractures and what this means for athletes aiming to stay injury-free.

In our main segment, we tackle a thought-provoking issue: the role of envy and other traits in athletic performance. Can the drive to succeed come at the cost of personal integrity? We dissect this intriguing question, examining how competitive traits might shape not just an athlete’s career but their character. Tune in for a deep dive into the intersection of sports, values, and the pursuit of excellence!

Sponsors:

This episode is brought to you by Freetrail @runfreetrail or head to www.freetrail.com to subscribe and JOIN US IN SLACK

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Our Title Sponsor is The Feed!!! Follow the link to get $20 to spend every quarter ($80 every year!): https://thefeed.com/trailsociety + a cool Trail Society water bottle!

Keep sliding into our DMs with your messages, they mean so much to us! @trail.society

Articles:

Tenforde, et al. High v. Low Risk BSI in Female Athletes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11110515/

Article on Cheating by Sabrina Little: https://aeon.co/essays/does-it-take-a-bad-person-to-be-a-good-athlete

Article on Olympics, Nike, and Ultrarunning by Sabrina Little: https://www.irunfar.com/what-we-learn-from-paris

In this episode, Keely and Corrine delve into the 2024 Olympics Games, which marks the first Olympics to achieve gender parity. They discuss notable moments in sports that emphasize mental health, embracing femininity, and celebrating all body types. They also highlight some of the top moments in sports witnessed at the games. Furthermore, they candidly reflect on their own experiences with injuries and burnout, discussing coping mechanisms, the role of sports in shaping identity, and providing valuable tips for overcoming the challenges posed by injuries.

Sponsors:

This episode is brought to you by Freetrail @runfreetrail

www.freetrail.com - subscribe and JOIN US IN SLACK

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Our Title Sponsor is The Feed!!! Follow the link to get $20 to spend every quarter ($80 every year!): https://thefeed.com/trailsociety + a cool Trail Society water bottle!

Articles:

Gender Parity at Olympics 2024:https://www.npr.org/2024/07/31/g-s1-14470/paris-games-is-gender-equal-olympics

Post injury depression in athletes: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/149233074.pdf

Narrative review on injury and mental health: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/3/145.short

Sports Injury and Stress Disorders: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9189434/#:~:text=Traumatic%20stress%20disorder%20is%20seen,from%20returning%20to%20

Visualization techniques in sport: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344587632_Visualisation_techniques_in_sport_-_the_mental_road_map_for_success

In this episode, Corrine, Keely, and Hillary talk with Shalaya Kipp. Shalaya Kipp was an All- American out of CU Boulder and a 2012 Olympian in the 3000m steeplechase, among other amazing running endeavors. She got her feet wet in exercise physiology by studying the energetics of the steeplechase and energetics of super shoes at CU Boulder where she got her Masters in integrative physiology. She then obtained her PhD from the University of British Columbia in exercise physiology with an emphasis on the respiratory system focusing on sex and age and is now at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota as a research fellow. In this interview we dive into some of her early work on the development of the super shoe, think Nike 4%, talk about her Olympic career and the transition to full-time research candidate and mother, and finally dive into her latest work with a deep dive into sports bras.

You can follow Shalaya here: @shalayakipp

If you are a 40+ Master's athlete who has been in endurance sport for a long time and are interested in her latest study, find more here: www.mayoclinic.org/athlete

Sponsors:

www.thefeed.com/trailsociety

$ 20 feed credit to spend

That’s a $20 every quarter! $80 year

Links:

Knix and your Period: https://knix.com/blogs/knix-blog/megan-rapinoe-talks-about-period-stigma-and-the-sport-your-period-campaign-with-knix-founder

Sports Bra Restriciton on Respiratory Mechanics: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/abstract/2024/06000/sports_bra_restriction_on_respiratory_mechanics.18.aspx

Running economy improved with high support

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9237383/

In this episode, Keely, Corrine, and Hillary discuss various life events and races before delving into recent research. First, they explore the current state of menstrual cycle research, highlighting areas of improvement and those that still have a way to go. They then discuss the impact of menstrual-related symptoms on mental health and spatial performance. As coaches, they share their approaches to addressing the menstrual cycle for athletes who menstruate, including tracking the cycle and adapting training to meet individual athletes' specific needs. Finally, they touch on Low Energy Availability (LEA) and RED-S, highlighting recent research showing that LEA can manifest in as little as 3 days. They also discuss coaching strategies for helping athletes recover from short-term and long-term LEA periods. Disclaimer: This podcast does not provide medical advice, but rather shares recent information in these two areas. Listeners are advised to always discuss their unique needs with a licensed professional.

Sponsors:

This episode is brought to you by Freetrail @runfreetrail

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Our Title Sponsor is The Feed!!! Follow the link to get $20 to spend every quarter ($80 every year!): https://thefeed.com/trailsociety + a cool Trail Society water bottle!

Articles Referenced:

Menstrual Cycle and Performance:

Smith ES, Weakley J, McKay AKA, McCormick R, Tee N, Kuikman MA, Harris R, Minahan C, Buxton S, Skinner J, Ackerman KE, Elliott-Sale KJ, Stellingwerff T, Burke LM. Minimal influence of the menstrual cycle or hormonal contraceptives on performance in female rugby league athletes. Eur J Sport Sci. 2024 Jun 15. doi:10.1002/ejsc.12151. PMID: 38877892.

Menstrual Cycle and Birth Control

Nolan, David, et al. “The Effect of Hormonal Contraceptive Use on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy, Power and Strength Adaptations to Resistance Exercise Training: A Systematic Review and Multilevel Meta-Analysis.” Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 27 Sept. 2023, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37755666/, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01911-3. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023.

Ihalainen, Johanna K., et al. “Self-Reported Performance and Hormonal-Cycle-Related Symptoms in Competitive Female Athletes.” Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, vol. 32, no. 1, 2 July 2024, journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/wspaj/32/1/article-wspaj.2023-0102.xml, https://doi.org/10.1123/wspaj.2023-0102.

Menstrual Cycle, Behavioral, and Cognitive Parameters

Ronca,F., et al. Attentional, anticipatory and spatial cognition fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle: Potential implications for female sport. In- Press. Neuropsychologia

17 May 2024. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028393224001246?via%3Dihub

Kullik, Lisa, et al. “The Prevalence of Menstrual Cycle Symptoms and Their Association with Mental Health and Sleep in German Exercising Women and Athletes.” Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 1 Feb. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2024.02.008.

LEA, return to sport, impacts of short-term LEA, and menstrual dysfunction

De Souza, Mary Jane, et al. “Randomised Controlled Trial of the Effects of Increased Energy Intake on Menstrual Recovery in Exercising Women with Menstrual Disturbances: The “REFUEL” Study.” Human Reproduction, vol. 36, no. 8, 24 June 2021, pp. 2285–2297, https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deab149. Accessed 25 Nov. 2021.

Hutson, Mark J, et al. “High‐Impact Jumping Mitigates the Short‐Term Effects of Low Energy Availability on Bone Resorption but Not Formation in Regularly Menstruating Females: A Randomized Control Trial.” Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, vol. 33, no. 9, 26 June 2023, pp. 1690–1702, https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.14437. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

Hutson, Mark J., et al. “Effects of Low Energy Availability on Bone Health in Endurance Athletes and High-Impact Exercise as a Potential Countermeasure: A Narrative Review.” Sports Medicine, vol. 51, no. 3, 21 Dec. 2020, pp. 391–403, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01396-4.

In this episode, Keely, Corrine, and Hillary discuss their experiences at both the Western States 100 and Lavaredo trail races from last weekend. They kick off the episode by talking about the “Here for the Women’s Race” movement at the Western States 100 and then dive into a viewer question about hiking versus running on steep terrain and how to determine when one is more efficient than the other.

The Western States 100 produced the fastest times in history, with Katie Schide and Jim Walmsley winning the women’s and men’s race, respectively, in the second fastest times in course history. They talk about the rest of the field, fun storylines, and Keely talks through her experience pacing Rachel Drake to a top 10 finish. Disclaimer: they got skunked!

Sponsors:

This episode is brought to you by Freetrail @runfreetrail

www.freetrail.com - subscribe and JOIN US IN SLACK

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Our Title Sponsor is The Feed!!! Follow the link to get $20 to spend every quarter ($80 every year!): https://thefeed.com/trailsociety + a cool Trail Society water bottle!

Articles:

Running versus hiking on steep terrain:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26607247/

https://freetrail.com/climb-the-mountain-when-to-run-hike-or-pole/

WS 100 results: https://www.irunfar.com/2024-western-states-100-results#:~:text=And%20in%20the%20end%2C%20after,dramatic%202024%20Western%20States%20100.

In this episode, Corrine and Keely delve deep into the women’s elite field at the Western States 2024. But first, they discuss the importance of running shorter, harder races and workouts in ultra and trail running. They also talk about some new research on sports bras and the impact of improper fit on breathing mechanics. Then, they delve into how athletes who are mothers, first-timers, and masters athletes may impact the race this year for the infamous cougar in Auburn.

Sports bras and breathing mechanics:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38350462/

Sports bras and running mechanics: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19401901/

Sponsors!

This episode is brought to you by Freetrail @runfreetrail

www.freetrail.com - subscribe and JOIN US IN SLACK

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Our Title Sponsor is The Feed!!! Follow the link to get $20 to spend every quarter ($80 every year!): https://thefeed.com/trailsociety + a cool Trail Society water bottle!

In this episode, Corrine, Keely, and Hillary cover some fascinating topics. They start off by discussing the recent UTMB press release about their new drug testing policy and the involvement of WADA. Then, they dive into the importance of maintaining iron stores in athletes for optimal recovery and performance. Finally, they explore the significance of prioritizing recovery after races and how this can vary based on factors such as race effort, season placement, and race result. They also share some uplifting stories about the positive impact of effective post-race recovery, highlighting its essential role in an athlete's success.

Links:

UTMB Drug Testing: https://andorra.utmb.world/races-runners/runners/anti-doping-resources

Iron Overview in Athletes: Sim M, Garvican-Lewis LA, Cox GR, et al. Iron considerations for the athlete: a narrative review. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2019;119(7):1463-1478. doi:10.1007/s00421-019-04157-y

Oura Perimenopause study:

https://ouraring.com/blog/clue-berkeley-perimenopause-study/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Sponsors!

This episode is brought to you by Freetrail @runfreetrail

www.freetrail.com - subscribe and JOIN US IN SLACK

&

Our Title Sponsor is The Feed!!! Follow the link to get $20 to spend every quarter ($80 every year!): https://thefeed.com/trailsociety + a cool Trail Society water bottle!