The Tribe of Runners Podcast

In this episode of Tribe of Runners, Christie Brinker I lay out their race plans for No Business 100 and talk through what we’re expecting, what we’re preparing for, and how we plan to get themselves through 100 miles together.
After months of training and a course recon that didn’t exactly go according to plan, it’s time to put everything we’ve learned into action. We break down their approach to the course, when to run versus power hike, how to tackle the challenging back half, and why breaking the race into smaller sections will be key to keeping things manageable.
We also get into the practical details that can make a huge difference over 100 miles, including:
Drop-bag organization and race-day gear

Water crossings, wet feet, and foot care

Hydration, fueling, and caffeine strategy

Preparing for cold, wet conditions

Managing low points when the race gets hard

How we’ll support each other without holding each other back

Taper madness and the final days before race day

We want to finish. We want to have fun. And we know that 100 miles probably won’t go exactly as planned.
This is a real look at the decisions, strategy, nerves, and last-minute preparations that go into tackling a 100-miler. Especially when you’re coaching yourself and figuring it out as you go.
Subscribe to Tribe of Runners for more ultrarunning stories, training conversations, coaching insights, and the lessons we learn out on the trails.

From a major life reset to 200-mile races and chasing Badwater 135, Vin Kennedy is always looking for the next challenge.

In this episode of Tribe of Runners, I sit down with Vin Kennedy to talk about his journey from college baseball, lifting, and physique goals to marathon running and ultrarunning. We get into the life changes that led him here, including sobriety and a period of going into “monk mode,” and how he eventually found something in ultrarunning that really clicked.

Vin shares the story of his first 200-mile race, including the stomach issues, sleep decisions, and injury that made an already brutal experience even harder. We also talk about the $1 Ultra in New York City, a last-man-standing style race that tested his ability to adapt when things didn't go as planned.

But this conversation goes beyond the races themselves. We talk about ambitious goals, believing in yourself before you have all the proof, using competition as motivation, and figuring out what you actually want instead of chasing whatever fitness trend happens to be popular.

Vin also opens up about how running has influenced the people around him and why pursuing something difficult can have an impact that extends far beyond your own finish line.

Whether you're an ultrarunner, dreaming about your first ultra, or simply someone who likes chasing big goals, this episode is a reminder that there's no single path into endurance sports and sometimes the distance that challenges you most is the one that makes you feel most at home.

Tune in to hear Vin's story, the lessons he's learned the hard way, and why Badwater is the next big goal on his radar.

Find Vin Kennedy on IG: @vkennedy18

Find my Personal IG: @itslizmyers
Podcast IG: @tribeofrunners
For EASY ACCESS to all the Link HERE  https://linktr.ee/itslizmyers
Check out Everyday Ultra Website for races and coaching HERE https://www.theeverydayultra.com/

The training camp did NOT go according to plan.
What was supposed to be a three-day course recon for No Business 100 quickly turned into lost headlamps, poison ivy, a stolen water and Coca-cola stash, motion sickness, river crossings, overgrown trails, and a whole lot more driving than either of us wanted.

In this episode of Tribe of Runners, Christie Brinker and I recap the chaos of their training camp and, more importantly, what we actually learned from it.

There were plenty of moments where things didn't go according to plan and where we had to reroute, make decisions on the fly, change plans, and figure out when pushing forward wasn't worth the risk. But those messy moments ended up being some of the most valuable parts of the weekend.

We break down what they learned about the No Business 100 course, including the punchy terrain, vertical gain, power hiking, water crossings, technical sections, and why those final 10 miles might be much harder than expected.
We also talk through the training changes they're making after the camp, from hydration and sweat rate to vertical training, longer power hikes, treadmill work, step-ups, poles, and even changing shoes after seeing what the course actually looks like.

It wasn't the perfect training camp. It was messy, frustrating, hilarious, and occasionally a little ridiculous. And somehow, we walked away feeling more prepared and more confident than when we started.

Because sometimes the best training weekends aren't the ones where everything goes right. They're the ones that teach you what to do when everything goes wrong.

Find Christie Brinker on IG: @cbrink_ 
Find my Personal IG: @itslizmyers
Podcast IG: @tribeofrunners
For EASY ACCESS to all the Link HERE 
Check out Everyday Ultra Website for races and coaching HERE

In this episode of the Tribe of Runners Podcast, I sit down with Vanessa Kline, a Badwater 135 finisher, race director, pacer, and endurance athlete who has built an incredible life around running.
Vanessa's running story didn't start with ultramarathons. After burning out as a high school runner, she stepped away from the sport for nearly a decade. Eventually, one marathon changed everything and reignited the competitive side of her that she thought was gone.
That comeback eventually led her to the world of ultrarunning and all the way to Badwater 135, where she finished as a top-10 female.
But getting through 135 miles in Death Valley is about much more than running. Vanessa and I talk about the behind-the-scenes reality of Badwater 135: crew logistics, pacing, heat management, fueling, sodium, nausea, sleep, and the mental decisions that keep you moving when your body is begging you to stop.
We also get into the other side of Vanessa's running life. Through Beast Pacing and Beast Coast Production, she has built a community of pacers and helps put on races ranging from 5Ks to 100-milers and 48-hour events.
In this episode, we talk about:
Vanessa's journey from burned-out high school runner to ultrarunner
The marathon that brought her back to competitive running
Making the jump from marathons to ultras and eventually 100 miles
What makes Badwater 135 so uniquely difficult
Why Badwater is as much a crew and logistics puzzle as it is a running race
Heat, hydration, sodium, nausea, and fueling in extreme conditions
The mental strategies Vanessa used when things got difficult
How pacing became much more than simply running alongside another athlete
Building a business and community around pacing
What it takes to organize and direct races
Balancing running, parenting, business, and all the other things life throws at you
Why every ultra can become a mental toolkit for whatever hard thing comes next

Vanessa's story is a great reminder that you don't have to have your entire running future figured out. Sometimes you step away.
Sometimes you start over.
Sometimes you discover that you're capable of much more than you thought. And sometimes the hardest race you've ever done just becomes preparation for the next thing.

Find Vanessa Kline on IG: @vanessajkline

Find my Personal IG: @itslizmyers
Podcast IG: @tribeofrunners
For EASY ACCESS to all the Link HERE 
Check out Everyday Ultra Website for races and coaching HERE

Training for a is about more than just building mileage! Sometimes you need a few really hard days to figure out whether your plan is actually going to work.

In this episode of Tribe of Runners, Liz Myers and Christie Brinker dive into the importance of training camps for 100- and 200-mile races. With our race (No Business 100) coming up we talk about our training camp to get some course recon coming up, we talk through our own three-day training block, why back-to-back long days matter, and what we're looking to learn from being out on the course.
We discuss using a training camp to dial in your race effort, test fueling and hydration, practice power hiking, using poles, and seeing how your body responds when the miles and fatigue start to stack up. We also get into the gear and logistics that are easy to overlook. Remembering to test out shoes, poles, packs, bottles, clothing, chafing, and all those little problems that you really don't want to discover on race day.
And while training camps are meant to challenge you, Liz and Christie explain why the recovery before and afterward is just as important. Not to mention how the information you get from a training camp can help you course-correct your training before your taper.
If you’re training for a big race, considering a training camp, or wondering how to make those big training weekends actually useful, this episode is for you.
Because a training camp isn't just about seeing how much you can do. It’s about figuring out what you need to fix before your big race day comes.

Find Christie Brinker on IG: @cbrink_ 
Find my Personal IG: @itslizmyers
Podcast IG: @tribeofrunners
For EASY ACCESS to all the Link HERE 
Check out Everyday Ultra Website for races and coaching HERE