The Break Down, A ZenduranceNow Podcast

Meghan and Sean talk about trends in the endurance sports world and life as whole. Some are exciting, some are bothersome. There are some rants and there may be some careless whispers you’ll have to listen to hear. The trends we discuss during this podcast are: 1) Outdoor Apparel as fashion 2) Training women as women 3) Is the hundred mile distance the new marathon? 4) Speakerphone phone talkers 5) The death of the album 6) Technology and social media in sport. Of course there will be many side bars and digressions, per the usual Meghan and Sean.

Music is LIFE! Meghan and Sean talk about their top 6 current songs. Use this link for ZenduranceNow Apple Music Playlist: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/zendurancenow-comfortably-uncomfortable/pl.u-KVXByaWTZzbpLo Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5rRJastdmFuAyCndrEDmNS?si=7vQClUOHSNKMLvNq28BJBw Sean’s corrections: Linkin Park singer is Chester Bennington Anthrax and Public Enemy Bring the Noise not Anthrax and Run DMC The make a wish child was 16 yr old Kenny Sykaluk, and Only the Young was released on Journey’s Warrior Album in 1984 Meghan has no corrections because Sean does the editing and Meghan doesn’t remember that far back. If she said anything in error, let us know and we’ll fix it.

Talking about life and shootin’ the sh*t. Meghan catches us up on the status of her recovery from her most recent surgery, how she’s doing, and her feelings about PT and recovery. The discussions dissolve into conversations about recent concerts and Covid. They talk about Meghan’s injury, Sean’s allergies, bomb threats, shooter drills, and the helplessness of it all. They also chat about whale sounds, Chewbacca, and Civil War re-enactments. Conversations wrap up with discussions about biking, bikes, and the irony of Meghan being forced to bike because of the very thing that caused her injury in the first place.

Meghan and Sean explore the ins and outs of the consistency required to train for endurance events. There is no magic pill to training, training sometimes requires an athlete to grind it out. Making excuses and turning into a weekend warrior only leads to disappointment and injury. The social mediaziation of endurance athletics isn’t the real story. The real story is the grit involved in the training. The tears and blood shed on the trails are the truths that Meghan and Sean address. Being disciplined  is important for the results one is looking for. At times the priorities need to be adjusted to suit life’s requirements. Sometimes short term adjustments need to be made and we’d rather see a something done than an all or nothing approach to training. Finally, if you’re unsure if you want that commitment, go check out an event, see if it’s a community you want to be a part of. Just know nothing is free and it all takes grit.

Encore! Our very first podcast is born! Welcome! Sean and Meghan talk about where their lives are now, why this podcast is important, and they make a decent attempt to recreate the conversations they have during long runs.

This is a bittersweet show for Coaches Meghan, Sean, and Sam. Sean has made the decision to leave the podcast due to time constraints. We have chosen this episode to look back at our favorite podcast moments. Listen and enjoy!  Part 2 Meghan's Favorites: Whale Sound Podcast epidode 4, Talking about Sam's Genesis Album in episode 49, Sam's hippie brown car jamming music story episode 24, when Meghan Almost Died episodes 41 and 42, Sam and Sophie episode 46, and The Arborist episode 31 Outtake Songs: "Junkie Man" Rancid, "No Easy Way Out" Robert Pepper, and "My Way" Sex Pistols

This is a bittersweet show for Coaches Meghan, Sean, and Sam. Sean has made the decision to leave the podcast due to time constraints. We have chosen this episode to look back at our favorite podcast moments. Listen and enjoy!  Part 1  Sean's Favorites: B roll bloopers, ASMR episode 28. Sams's favorites: Sean Pooped his Pants with Finn episode 48, Marc Kelley episode 52, Hannah and Matt episodes 57 and 34, Phil Garcia episodes 38 and 39 Outtake Song: "Goodbye to You," Patty Smyth

When you spend a lot of time outside weird things are bound to occur- right? At least this is what Sean and Meghan are telling themselves. Please join us for our listener submitted stories. We laugh a lot and there's a lot of head shaking. Here's a list of the stories that were told: John Lennon Death Race Hallucinations Sean’s Virgil Crest Matt’s poop story Rick Vomit at Infinitus Rick DNF’s stories cut 18:47-21:07 Fernando Chases a girl Chest bumps gone aray Sean goes out too fast again (Bart Yassosightings) Meg gets struck by lightning Sprinklers can be dangerous (sewage) Whips and mattresses Cold weather streaker Carrying logs  Pooping in snowbanks Troll toll Zebras in VT Scooby- Doo glow sticks Weird stuff happens in FL   Outtake Song: "Alabama" - Cross Canadian Ragweed

Matt Shinn began his 888k race at The Infinitus Trail Races. That's 888 kilometers/552 miles at the Infinitus Trail Races in Vermont from May 16-26. Please send him your best wishes, mojo, stretch, prayers, vibes, whatever you've got. He has worked and trained and he is ready. Also, his partner Hannah Hawley will be supporting him because as we all know, endeavors like this can't be done without support.    Meghan and Sean talk with Matt Shinn and Hannah Hawley. Matt and Hannah met while Matt was thru hiking the Appalachian Trail. They are now married and share a love for the outdoors. The conversation starts off with shared experiences at The Endurance Society’s Infinitus races that took place 2 weeks ago in Vermont. The conversation continues with thru hiking adventures and past and future including stories from their honeymoon on the Pacific Crest Trail. Matt’s talks about where he’s from, his training, and his future FKT plans. Hannah tells us about her outings at Tuckfest and plans to get more people out on the trails. The conversation wraps up with silly things and animals we’ve all seen on the trails.  If your interested in checking out Matt: https://www.instagram.com/hikertrashmatt/ Or Hannah: https://www.instagram.com/thehannahhawley/ Outtake Song: "Walking Slow" Animal Years

If you are easily offended, well, you won't like Sean very much, and maybe this isn't the podcast for you. Be warned, Sean may have topped himself in how inappropriate one can get on the podcast. If you're aren't easily offended, well, then, you're welcome for the laughs. Meghan and Sean discuss Sean's recovery from a broken leg. Sean explores missing the beginning of New England's race season. Meghan talks about the lack of community and talks about Sebastian Junger's book Tribe. And if that's too nerdy for you, they dumb it down and talk about the new movie "Ricky Staniky" and it's ridiculousness. Adventure on Tribe! Outtake: Social Distortion, "Prison Bound"

Meghan checks in with Sean to see how is feeling after his skiing accident. Sean reports that he broke his tibia and describes his accident, surgery, and stay in the hospital. Sean ponders his plans for the remainder of the year and is cautiously optimistic about his rehab and prognosis for the fall. Thanks to Coach John Harris for filling on our last podcast. Outtake Song: "Pressure," Billy Joel

Welcome to a another episode of Comfortably Uncomfortable: Not Another Running Story. In this episode, we discuss the experiences of being an athlete and the surprising injuries that come with it. John Harris, an experienced podcaster and athlete, steps in to fill for our co-host Sean Meehan's unexpected absence. Sean's unfortunate skiing accident sparks an emotional dialogue on personal experiences of injury, recovery, self-care and resilience. Join us as we reminisce on a unique 12-hour old-school ultra race, as we share a laughter about banana spiders and a casual feline that stunned Meghan mid-trail race. Get a glimpse of our personal lives as we chat about recent life updates; from John's recent wedding to his experiences on dental surgery and how it led to a dialogue about dental fears and coping mechanisms. Tune in to the podcast to gain some delightful insights into the love for outdoor activities, the complex realities of physical injuries, and the challenges and joys of personal and professional life transitions. Check out all things Coach John Harris at https://www.teame4e.com/ Outtake Song: "Late in the Evening," Paul Simon

Sean gets hit in the head and seeks an Arborist to tell him he's not at fault. Meghan discusses her love of horror movies. Sean discusses Gleaming the Cube and Dr Giggles. The discussion moves into summer plans, camping in Acadia and trying to fit all of the fun into life. Sean discusses how race lotteries in December start to influence the summer family calendar. And Sean hates dogs and denies his family canine love and companionship.  Outtake song: "Folsom Prison Blues" Johnny Cash

Back in time... enjoy our first episode! This is where it all began. Our very first podcast is born! Welcome! Sean and Meghan talk about where their lives are now, why this podcast is important, and they make a decent attempt to recreate the conversations they have during long runs. Outtake song: Drive by Truckers, We Ain’t Never Gonna Change

We continue profiling stories from the mid pack and bring mid pack athletes onto the podcast. In this episode Meg and Sean down with Marc Kelly a Connecticut ultrarunner and Sean's friend. Marc lets us into his “why” and his internal motivation and how he stepped up his training in recent years and with renewed focus has created a world he loves being a part of. This is highlighted by Marc regaling us with stories from the Jigger Johnson 100 mile trail race. If after listening to this podcast you don’t want to hit the trails with Marc you might not have a soul. His personality and love of his family and friends shines through in this episode. Outtake song: Dylan Gossett, "Coal"

Coaches Meghan, Sean, and Sam talk with Chris Wristen founder of Mass Ultra. Chris created Mass Ultra covers ultra races in Massachusetts. Chris talks about moving to Massachusetts with his wife and how he used his education in journalism and background to help him become a part of the ultra running community. He discussed how the ultra community and sport has grown over the past ten years. Chris discussed his thoughts on the recent UTMB controversy. Chris also talks about the importance of the stories from the middle of the pack a focus for us on this podcast. If you’re interested in checking out Chris and what’s going on in the Massachusetts ultra scene here are some links to find him.  Twitter: https://x.com/massultra_ma?s=21&t=fFkYrFMB62n_xLa6NZhjMw Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100063523571955 Chris' Websites: https://chriswristen.com & https://massultra.com

Chaos, laughter, and fun continue with the whole ZenduranceNow Gang! Coaches Meghan, Sean, and Sam talk about their favorite full length records. We hope you have as much fun listening as we did recording this. This is part 2 of 2.  Outtake Song: "Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Part 2" Pink Floyd

We have a great podcast for you! Chaos, laughter, and fun with the whole ZenduranceNow Gang! Coaches Meghan, Sean, and Sam talk about their favorite full length records. We hope you have as much fun listening as we did recording this. This is part 1 of 2.  Outtake Song: "Songbird," Fleetwood Mac

You are in for a big treat. Join us for this special Christmas podcast episode with Finn Meehan. Finn was coached by his dad, our very own Coach Sean. Finn talks about his first 5k and then about his most recent 5k when he beat his previous time by 10 minutes!! Finn made us laugh so much and even told very embarrassing stories about his dad that had Meghan laughing and doubled over in tears. Finn is an incredible young man and is a great reminder that our sport can be challenging but it should always be fun. Outtake song: The Pogues, "Fairytale of New York"

Meghan and Sean sit down with the amazing Race Director and athlete Amy Rusiecki. We talk about how she was introduced into the ultra/trail running community and her personal accomplishments in the sport. We discuss how Amy went from running the Bill Koch Ski League to  becoming the race director of the Vermont 100 mile and 7 Sisters trail races. We dive into inclusivity in ultra running and how Amy is using her platform to promote LGBTQ+ and women in sport. Finishing up we all discuss the upcoming race season and Amy talks to us from both her perspective as a race director and as a runner.  If you are interested in checking out any of Amy’s races you can find them here: https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.org/beast-coast-trail-running-series, https://vermont100.com. If you’d like to read some articles from Amy you can find them in Ultrarunning Magazine https://ultrarunning.com.  Outtake Song: OK Go, "Here it Goes Again"