This week we’re talking to Ryan Hall, coach, podcaster, husband, father, weightlifter, Stanford Alum, American Record holder for the Half-Marathon, and unofficial American record for the marathon! We talked to Ryan 10 days after he coached his wife, Sara Hall to the second fastest marathon run by an American woman. We talk about his experience watching The Marathon Project (and his slight FOMO) and his current passion for weightlifting, coaching, and fatherhood, then we dig into a deep conversation about mental health, performance, and how Ryan grappled with his own body image issues and comparison.
Some highlights from our conversation:
🚲 The difference between coaching a marathon and racing a marathon
😰 The sense of responsibility he feels as a coach
💑 Why Sara has fired (and rehired) him as a coach hundreds of time
🧩 How his identity outside of running helped him navigate retirement from running
🏋️♂️ Why he hated lifting when he was running
🙌 Realizing that his journey as a runner was more about sharing what he learned with other people
👟 How his thoughts have evolved on super shoes
🔬 Physical breakthroughs versus technological breakthroughs
⏳ The evolution of his coaching philosophy
🔑 How the pieces of our lives outside of running are often the keys to performance gains
🏃♂️ His own struggles with body image, comparison, and competition
❄️ How he finally said his proper good-bye to the marathon after retirement
Follow Ryan on Twitter and Instagram @ryanhall3, learn more about his coaching at Run Free Training, and check out his podcast is Run Free. Follow @runfree_training on Instagram.
Check out The 41st Day on Amazon Prime.
You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @Runnersofthebay
Check out our website www.runnersofthebay.com and send us an e-mail at runnersofthebay@gmail.com.
This week’s episode with Ryan Hall is brought to you by:
EverAthlete, the online strength and mobility training community for outdoor enthusiasts! Visit evertathlete.fit and use code ROTB50 to get 50% off your first month!
UCAN. Go to ucan.co/discount/ROTB/ for 15% off your order!
Music is California by The Spectacular Fantastic.
