Running with Problems

Mildly Athletic Couple
  • 5.0 (1)
  • FITNESS
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

A podcast about the lives of runners and the problems we face.

  1. 1D AGO

    JC Returns: 350 Mile Iditarod Invitational

    For John Clark’s (JC) full bio revisit season 3 episode 4: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2437656/episodes/16363345 We sit down with JC to unpack his first winter ultramarathon finish at the Iditarod Trail Invitational 350, where dragging a gear sled through Alaska’s deep cold turns basic tasks like eating and navigation into real risk. We also talk through the behind-the-scenes prep, the gear, and the small decisions that add up over ten relentless days.  • what makes the Iditarod Trail Invitational so dangerous and so compelling  • hauling a 50 to 55 pound sled across lakes, rivers, and mountain passes  • gear failures leading to frostbite • how the ITI qualifier camp teaches wet-gear survival and vapor barriers  • gear iteration under extreme cold including sleeping systems and face coverage  • early navigation mistakes and why staying on the packed route matters  • Rainy Pass rescues and the winter ultra culture of helping others  • the mental grind after the pass with long gaps between aid and sleep  • the final push with shiver bivies and trail naps  • what JC would change before trying the race again  If you want to check out some frostbite, go to our Instagram.  Look for another episode on this epic event dropping next week.  Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run. Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.

    1h 20m

  2. MAR 26

    Andrea Feucht- Long COVID: Recovery and Coming Back

    We talk with Andrea Feucht about long COVID in endurance athletes and why you can look fine, keep racing, and still be nowhere near healthy. We compare relapse stories, data signals, and the hard lesson that rest and a slow return may be the only choice available to athletes.  • why long COVID can look like “just getting slower” in runners  • the emotional cost of being told you look fine  • how athletes notice subtle post-viral changes first  • using Strava exports and heart rate trends to validate decline  • why HRV and heart rate zones can mislead during illness  • Andrea’s symptom set including chest tightness, GI issues, and circulation changes  • radical rest, vagus nerve breathing, journaling, and cautious hiking as recovery tools  • relapse after a later virus and the fear of pushing too hard  • why traditional medicine often offers reassurance without clear treatment  • Jon’s overlapping sinus infection and the value of ruling out fixable problems  • Andrea's advice: making room for awe as a stabilising life practice  Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run. Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.

    1h 8m

  3. MAR 11

    Michael Morrison is Back: Prevent, Treat, and Recover from Tendinopathy

    Michael Morrison from Red Hammer Rehab is back on the pod to discuss all things tendinopathy.  • tendinopathy explained as a continuum from reactive to degenerative • common sites in runners including Achilles, patellar, and gluteal tendons • pain scale rules to guide training and rehab load • isometrics for fast pain relief and deshielding of lazy fibers • slow heavy strength with tempo reps and reps in reserve • soleus versus gastroc loading and why knee angle matters • plyometrics for energy storage and release capacity • MEDS ecosystem: stress, sleep, diet, and programming load • collagen plus vitamin C timing, hydration, and protein targets • neural mapping, external cues, and variable drills for durable form • reminder to use PT for maintenance, not only emergencies Thank y'all for your patience in waiting for this episode, and we will get back on the horse recording more episodes for y'all. Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run. Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.

    1h 17m

  4. FEB 10

    Katie Grossman: On Fighting to Return as a Runner

    We open with life updates and stress, then welcome Katie Grossman to share a raw, relentless story about postpartum complications, medical gaslighting, a rare tumor, and the long road to a labral tear diagnosis and surgery. The goal shifts from podiums to presence, from finish lines to finding flow and community again. • why Katie’s story matters to the ultra community • we met Katie crewing at Utah 115  • Katie's early ultras, Havelina chaos and learning the hard way • the magic of hundreds and the mid-race flow • Hardrock dreams, Kroger’s Canteen and belonging • pregnancy hip snap and years of dismissal • emergency C-section and abandoned postpartum care • rare sarcoma, multiple surgeries and core reconstruction • “you’re not worth fixing” and finding the right surgeon • labral tear surgery, patient advocacy and recovery truth • redefining success with a coach and consistency • voluntary pain versus chronic injury pain • birth shame, a healing second delivery and perspective • running for her daughters, skiing and learning new skills Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run. Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.

    1 hr

  5. JAN 18

    Dave Scheibel - An Ultrarunner’s Wake-Up Call On Overtraining

    We talk with Dave about the slow, messy slide into overtraining syndrome, the missteps that worsened it, and the practical tools that brought him back to strong, sustainable running. Along the way, we share a content warning about a graphic post-credits medical story and explain why health metrics and honest pacing matter. • Catalina 50-mile recap and the mental game on long grinds • What overtraining syndrome is and why tests look normal • Early flags: insomnia, excess sweat, dizziness, migraines • Diagnosis by exclusion and the limits of quick fixes • Hormones, low testosterone, mood changes and trade-offs • Gut findings: H. pylori, candida and systemic stress • Returning via true easy training, vert, and HRV trends • Using rest, fueling, and life stress management • Why “listen to your body” is a performance skill • Publishing the OTS case series and shared patterns After we say bye, stay for the post-credits story. Trigger warning: blood, injury, intense medical condition, male sexual organs. Dave shares a personal story and has a few notes: "Sharing and laughing about the experience has given me a sense of control over it, and sharing it more broadly feels like a continuation of that. A penile fracture isn’t all that uncommon, but it’s rarely talked about—probably out of shame or embarrassment. My hope is that sharing my story could help others. Maybe runners will be a little more cautious with OTS too!" Check out the article on OTS we referenced in the episode: LINK TO FULL ARTICLE Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run. Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.

    1h 10m

  6. 2025-12-31

    2025 Year End Recap

    Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run. Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.

    1h 5m

  7. 2025-12-17

    From Borderline Diabetic To Podium OCR: John Castle’s Late-Career Rise

    A single photo can flip your life. That’s where John Castle’s story begins—49 years old, 45 pounds heavier, borderline diabetic, and staring at a version of himself he didn’t want to keep. Fast forward to today and John is a force in obstacle course racing, stacking Spartan Ultras, conquering World’s Toughest Mudder, and chasing Barkley dreams with an approach built on simplicity, routine, and a ruthless mindset. We dig into the craft behind his late-career rise. John lays out his daily hill—900 feet from his front door to the county high point—and how he threads running with functional strength: burpees at half-mile marks, rock carries, rope climbs, pull-ups in the woods, and box jumps on a cable spool. He explains why he quit the gym, modeled training after top OCR athletes, and switched to high-rep bodyweight work that solved decades-old knee pain and sharpened his grip, durability, and efficiency. Race day strategy gets real. John talks pacing a 50K with 60 to 70 obstacles, keeping his heart rate honest, and using transitions to refuel without ego. He shares what didn’t work (carb loading) and what did (beet juice, steady hydration, clean habits). We unpack the art of not quitting: finishing a lap with a fractured finger, course-finding at the Barkley Fall Classic by reading footprints in mud, and staying composed when fatigue blurs judgment. His take on aging is refreshing—best fitness at 58, faster times through consistency, and zero interest in shrinking goals. If you need a shove to recommit or a template to rebuild, this conversation delivers practical, repeatable ideas: build a route you can start daily, align training with your event, keep the work simple, and let consistency do the heavy lifting. Listen, then tell us the one habit you’ll change this week. Subscribe, share with a training partner, and leave a review to help others find the show. Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run. Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.

    1 hr

  8. 2025-12-04

    Mark Marzen - Coaching and The Long Road Of Getting Faster

    We’re excited to share Mark Marzen’s story with yall. Mark has been Jon’s running coach for almost two years. His story is inspiring, choosing running, learning to coach, and slowly improving to become a fast mountain ultra runner. Check out https://www.golden-endurance.com/ for coaching and PT. === AI-Generated Description Follows === Ready for a true glow-up story from mid-pack grit to mastery? We sit down with coach and ultrarunner Mark Marzen to trace how a messy early chapter—late nights, little structure—gave way to a decade of deliberate training, smarter fueling, and better movement that culminated in a 100-mile finish in 15 hours and change. That milestone isn’t just a time; it’s proof that consistency, context, and community can transform a life one season at a time. Mark rewinds to the days before GPS watches and Strava, when finding trails meant mailing lists and mentors. He shares the hard lessons from his first 50 and 100—blisters, IT band blowups, and midnight hallucinations—and how those setbacks shaped his coaching philosophy: the best plan accounts for your whole life, not just your splits. As a coach with Golden Endurance, Mark supports athletes across the spectrum, from brand-new 5K hopefuls to podium chasers. We break down how to choose a coach you click with, why communication is the true training multiplier, and where tools like AI fall short without human context. You’ll hear candid talk about burnout, post-race blues, and the mindset shift from chasing highs to building a long-term identity as a runner. Plus, a recovery ritual we fully endorse: donut week. If you’re navigating winter motivation, planning your next ultra, or debating whether coaching is worth it, this conversation offers practical guidance and grounded inspiration. Subscribe, share with a running friend, and leave a quick rating to help more athletes find the show. What’s the next brick you’ll lay this season? Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run. Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.

    1h 7m
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About

A podcast about the lives of runners and the problems we face.

Information

  • Creator
    Mildly Athletic Couple
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    75
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mildly Athletic LLC
  • Show Website
    Running with Problems

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