Dirt Nap Diaries

Brittany Olson
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Fitness

A trail running podcast for everyday trail runners juggling training with real life. Hosted by women’s trail running coach Brittany Olson, it’s where the messy, funny, and real parts of running meet strength, joy, and the reminder that you’re more than “just” a runner.

  1. 1d ago

    Episode 46: Born to Climb: My Journey to Vert

    I didn't build a love for climbing. I just finally stopped being surprised that it was already there. In this episode, I'm answering a question from one of my athletes and friends — how did I actually build my capacity for vert? Were there numbers that scared me? How did I get here? How I fell in love with climbing before I even knew what vert wasRim to rim in the Grand Canyon three weeks into trail runningShowing up to races without looking at the elevation profile — and what that taught meWhen I actually started paying attention to vert and how it changed my trainingHow I structure long runs and training blocks around elevation profilesWhy poles took so long to enter my life and what changed when they didGetting faster near the top — not slower — and what that meansWhat climbing actually feels like and why it's always been fun, even when it's hardLinks & Resources for This Episode Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

    52 min

  2. Jun 9

    Episode 45: Cocodona 250: Your Questions Answered

    You asked, I answered. This episode is a full Cocodona 250 Q&A — your questions about training, gear, crew, the mental game, recovery, and everything in between. If you've been curious about what actually goes into running 253.4 miles, this one's for you. In this episode: How long my training block actually was and what peak weeks looked likeHeat prep, shoe swaps, and nutrition that held up (mostly)Crew and pacer logistics — and how half my pacers weren't even plannedThe mental side: mantras, doubts, and aid station to aid station thinkingRecovery timeline and what finishing this changed for meLinks & Resources for This Episode Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

    59 min

  3. Jun 2

    Episode 44: Cocodona Mile 176 to the Finish: Left on Birch

    Made it! The final stretch. Mile 176 to the finish line at Heritage Square in Flagstaff. This episode covers the solo section through the Foxboro habitat where I was navigating a tracker scare, chatting with a woman from the UK named Jen, and trying out AirPods for exactly 30 minutes before deciding music just isn't my thing out there. Then Amanda, my very first athlete and longest client, shows up at Munds Park to pace me through the coldest night of the entire race. We talk about who she was when she first came to me and who she was that night in the dark, and I will just say she crushed it. From there it's Cat coming back for a second leg, egg and bacon burritos at Walnut Canyon that I absolutely inhaled, Meg pacing me seven miles we both remember fondly, and Wayne, if you've watched the Golden Hour you know, who we passed about a mile from Wildcat Hill. Then it's the gear check, the buckle moment I didn't see coming, and 19 miles solo over Mount Elden in the dark with nothing but a headlamp and some hallucinations for company. In this episode: The solo Foxboro section, a tracker scare, and 30 minutes of AirPods before I gave up on music entirelyAmanda, my first athlete, pacing me through the coldest night and every dirt nap in betweenCrying on a hill because I was just tired and Amanda not saying a word, just keeping me movingRenee at Fort Tuthill, five minutes before her own race start, and why that hug hit so hardCat coming back a second time knowing she'd miss my finish for her son's piano recitalEgg and bacon burritos at Walnut Canyon and the moment I just completely lost all table mannersMeeting Meg for the first time at mile 227 and how easy it wasWayne and the ultra lean, if you know you knowThe gear check guy who told me to go get my buckle when I left the aid stationMount Elden in the dark, alone, hallucinating ships, legs shaking on the edgeLeft on Birch and everything that came after itWhat 253.4 miles actually taught me about time goals, gratitude, and showing up for peopleEnjoying the show? If this episode resonated, share it with a friend. Make sure you’re following or subscribed so you don’t miss future episodes. Ratings and reviews help more than you know. Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

    48 min

  4. May 26

    Episode 43: Cocodona Mile 75 to Mile 176: The Long Middle

    Mile 75 to mile 176 — and this stretch had everything. In this episode, I'm taking you from Whiskey Row through Watson Lake, across Fain Ranch, up and over Mingus Mountain in the dark, down into Jerome, across the Verde River, through red rock country, and up the Hangover Trail into Schnebly Hill. We cover 18 hours of puking, a sodium crisis caught mid-climb, dirt naps on cold ground, hallucinations that were equal parts terrifying and fascinating, and the moment my mind couldn't push my legs any faster and I had to accept that moving forward was enough. In this episode: Leaving Whiskey Row still sick and the GPX file that sent a small crowd of us the wrong directionThe low point at Fain Ranch and the one time I asked Greg out loud: can I do this?Courtney showing up early and hitting 100 miles for the first timeMingus Mountain in the dark, sodium awareness, and a descent that humbled meJerome, the Verde River crossing, and 26 miles with Kat through red rock countryHot dogs with extra mustard, hallucinations, and the longest dirt nap of the raceThe Hangover Trail at mile 160+ on no sleep and Kristen talking me through every single stepAnd the thing I keep coming back to: find your people. And when it's their turn, show up in the dark for them.Enjoying the show? If this episode resonated, share it with a friend. Make sure you’re following or subscribed so you don’t miss future episodes. Ratings and reviews help more than you know. Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

    1h 8m

  5. May 19

    Episode 42: Cocodona Day One: The Desert, the Dark, and Why It Still Feels Like a Different Race

    Day one of Cocodona 250 covered 75 miles — through the Sonoran desert, up into the Bradshaws, through the first night, and into Whiskey Row in Prescott. And honestly? It still feels like it happened in a completely different race. Maybe that's what 27 hours on your feet alone does to your brain. In this episode, I'm taking you from packet pickup and a pre-race cry-and-puke in the van all the way to Greg's face on Whiskey Row. We cover the Cottonwood Creek gauntlet, the Senator Highway ridgeline at night, the first sunset of the race, running through black bear country in the dark, puking somewhere after Arrastra Creek, a volunteer who tucked me in with three blankets, a dirt nap that ended when my brain said "bear," and finally — legs throbbing too much to sleep in a real bed but still moving forward. In this episode: Pre-race logistics, packet pickup, and the crew/pacer spreadsheet that was already doomedGreg as crew chief — what that actually looks like from mile zeroThe Cottonwood Creek mandatory water carry and why that first section is the hardest terrain on the courseEarly pacing discipline and why it matters more in a 250 than anywhere elsePoles, gels, chews, bananas, and the electrolyte mistake I didn't know I was making yetThe Senator Highway ridgeline...first sunset, first night, first solo dark milesMelissa...the training run stranger turned puking-and-rallying partner through the BradshawsCamp Wamatochick, the volunteer with three blankets, and 30 minutes in an anti-gravity chairHitting Prescott pavement, a stranger with Tums, and locals handing out candy bars and Hot Hands at sunriseChanging into the H1s and what shoe rotation actually looks like in a multi-day raceAnd the moment I realized: I'm still here. I'm still moving. That's enough.Enjoying the show? If this episode resonated, share it with a friend. Make sure you’re following or subscribed so you don’t miss future episodes. Ratings and reviews help more than you know. Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

    48 min

  6. May 12

    Episode 41: Cocodona 250: What I Wish I Said at the Finish Line

    This week’s episode isn’t a full race recap yet because my brain still feels a little scrambled from five days across Arizona. But after sitting with the experience, I wanted to talk about the things that mattered most once the finish time goal slipped away. We’re talking about adapting when things change, the privilege of getting to do something like this in the first place, and the overwhelming amount of support it took to get me to that finish line. Crew, pacers, volunteers, friends, texts, DMs, random encouragement at aid stations…it all mattered more than pace ever did. And somewhere out there between the puking, dirt naps, hallucinations, sunrises, and emotional swings, the experience itself became enough. In this episode:  Why my original time goal stopped mattering  The difference between adjusting and giving up  The privilege of running and having access to these spaces  White privilege, representation, and outdoor endurance sports  How support changes everything in ultras and life  Dirt naps, aid station resets, and learning to slow down  Why the experience itself became the real win  What I wish I would’ve said at the finish line interview This one is messy, reflective, emotional, and very much recorded by a woman whose brain is still somewhere on trail between Black Canyon City and Flagstaff. Enjoying the show? If this episode resonated, share it with a friend. Make sure you’re following or subscribed so you don’t miss future episodes. Ratings and reviews help more than you know. Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

    27 min

  7. May 5

    Episode 40: There’s more than one win: Celebrating all the things

    You trained for it. You showed up. And somehow…you’re still telling yourself it wasn’t enough. In this episode, I’m talking about something I see all the time—runners finishing races (or not) and immediately going to what went wrong. Missing the point entirely. Yes, goals matter. Finish lines matter. But if that’s the only thing you’re celebrating, you’re ignoring everything that actually made you the runner who got there. This one goes beyond race day. We’re getting into the invisible work, the real wins during a race, boundaries, and why this hits differently for women who are juggling way more than just training. Also…by the time you’re listening to this, I’m somewhere out on the Cocodona 250 course doing exactly what I’m talking about in this episode. In this episode:  Why feeling disappointed is normal—but living there isn’t helping you  The “invisible work” you’re not giving yourself credit for  What to actually celebrate during a race (it’s not just the finish)  Why women showing up to start lines is a bigger deal than we talk about  How boundaries in training and life are part of the win  Solo runs vs. running with others—and why both matter  Reframing DNFs and missed goals without throwing everything away  Why tying your worth to outcomes will burn you out Cocodona Live Tracking and Live Stream Enjoying the show? If this episode resonated, share it with a friend. Make sure you’re following or subscribed so you don’t miss future episodes. Ratings and reviews help more than you know. Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download hereCocodona Live Tracking and Live Stream

    36 min

  8. Apr 29

    Episode 39: How Training Actually Builds: From General to Specific (And Why It Matters)

    Training isn’t random—even if it sometimes feels like it when you’re in the middle of it. In this episode, I’m breaking down how a training block actually builds over time so you can stop second-guessing every shift in your plan. From early intensity to later volume, from general fitness to race-specific prep, this is the big-picture view of what’s happening and why it matters—especially when life is full and you’re just trying to keep showing up. I recorded this one in the middle of Cocodona prep, so you’ll also get a little behind-the-scenes of what that looks like right now…including a dining room that looks like trail running exploded all over it.  In this episode, I talk about:  How training moves from least specific to most race-specific  Why volume increases while intensity comes down over time  What you’re actually building in each phase of a training block  Why working on weaknesses early matters more than you think  How to stop panicking when training starts to feel different  What it really means to trust the process (without overthinking it) If you’ve ever wondered if you’re doing enough…too much…or the “right” kind of training—this one’s for you. Enjoying the show? If this episode resonated, share it with a friend. Make sure you’re following or subscribed so you don’t miss future episodes. Ratings and reviews help more than you know. Follow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

    24 min
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About

A trail running podcast for everyday trail runners juggling training with real life. Hosted by women’s trail running coach Brittany Olson, it’s where the messy, funny, and real parts of running meet strength, joy, and the reminder that you’re more than “just” a runner.

Information

  • Creator
    Brittany Olson
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    47
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Dirt Nap Diaries
  • Show Website
    Dirt Nap Diaries

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