Dirt Nap Diaries

Brittany Olson
  • 5.0 (5)
  • 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. 4d ago

    Episode 58: Taper Diary: Live From Week Two

    Mog 100 is Saturday, y'all. It's a stacked week, a concert tonight, beer night with an extra reason to celebrate, my friend Catherine in town, a cabin trip Friday, and I am nowhere close to packed. But since most of my life right now is training, tapering, and figuring out logistics, I figured I'd just bring you along for it. This is a follow up to the taper episode from earlier this year, episode 38, linked in the show notes, so I'm not rehashing the why here, just what my actual two week taper has looked like in real time, the good, the restless, and everything happening behind the scenes to get me to that start line. What a two week taper actually looks like week by week, and why the second week cuts even more than the firstThe behind the scenes prep that keeps me calm heading into race week, crew, pacing, and allWhat I'm doing, and skipping, with strength, mobility, and recovery work right nowThe honest truth about the doubt and restlessness that shows up during taper, and why it's not a red flagWhy trusting the work you've already banked is the entire point of this phaseLinks & Resources for This Episode Episode 38: The final phase of training: Taper like you mean itFollow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

  2. Sep 2

    Episode 57: The Case For Good Enough: Running On Empty

    I'm tired. Like really tired, and I don't fully know why yet, work's fine, running's fine, life isn't bad, but I've been running on empty for a while now, struggling to get out of bed for a trail run, struggling to sit down and program my athletes, struggling to want much of anything. I've got blood work coming to rule some stuff out, but in the meantime I recorded this one straight from the middle of it. This episode gets into what running on empty actually looks like, in training, coaching, and work, and makes the case that lowering the bar on purpose isn't quitting, it's what keeps you in the game long enough to come back stronger. Running on empty doesn't always mean overtraining, sometimes it's just a seasonLowering the bar on purpose isn't quitting, it's how you keep goingGood enough or nothing beats perfect or nothing, every timeSmall and consistent beats big and unsustainableMaintenance protects the progress you already made, and that counts as growthLinks & 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

  3. Aug 25

    Episode 56: Trade offs and the off season: Why they're both part of the plan

    Signing up for something big changes your day to day whether you like it or not, but what that actually looks like depends on your job, your family, your flexibility, your life. Racing back to back all year doesn't make you more legit than the person doing one big race every year or two, and comparing your training to someone else's is a losing game since you have no idea what season they're actually in. This episode gets into the real trade offs a training block asks of you, and makes the case that the off season isn't giving up, it's just as much a part of the plan. Training costs you something real, happy hour, Friday nights, early alarmsRacing once a year counts just as much as racing back to backComparing your training to someone else's is a losing gameOff season isn't giving up, it's part of the planLife shifts, and your training gets to shift with itLinks & Resources for This Episode Stability in Motion (SiM) - SiM is all about reminding people how to be playful, creative, and enjoy lifeFollow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

  4. Aug 18

    Episode 55: The Seasoned Runner: The dark side and a little about the brightside

    It's still my birthday month! In case you were wondering. This episode gets into something I've been chewing on: seasoned runners and the trap experience can turn into. We start with the good stuff, reading an elevation profile, understanding how your body handles heat and altitude, knowing your warning signs before they become a real problem. Then we flip it, because experience isn't always a win. Sometimes it turns into six pairs of shoes you didn't need, overanalyzing a race course until the fun's gone, giving advice nobody asked for, or telling people to rest and fuel right while you're out here ignoring your own rules. If you've been at this a while, some of this might sting a little. If you're newer, consider it your permission slip to stop assuming the loudest voice on the trail knows best. Key takeaways: Experience gets you real skills: reading elevation profiles, understanding heat and altitude, pacing by feel, and knowing your body's warning signs before they escalateA closet full of gear you don't use isn't experience, it's overbuying, know what you actually need before you swipeOveranalyzing a race course can steal the fun right out of it, and so can refusing to look at the map at allUnsolicited advice, especially the kind nobody asked for, pushes new runners away instead of pulling them inIf you're telling people to rest, fuel, and train a certain way but not doing it yourself, that's the real problem, not your years on the trailLinks & 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

  5. Aug 11

    Episode 54: Alone on the Trail: Why Solo Miles Matter

    A text from one of my athletes got me thinking about solo running, and it turns out I have a LOT of feelings about it. Some of you won't run alone, ever. Some of you love it but won't admit it to your run crew. And some of you are the friend who keeps saying "come with us!" until it stops feeling like an invitation. In this episode I'm making the case for why solo miles matter, for your training and for your life, and I'm not doing it with a "just get over it"...fear of running alone is real, especially for women, and we're talking about how to work with it, not around it. In this episode: The 4 types of runners when it comes to solo miles... and which one you areWhat always running with others actually costs your trainingThe voices in your head, and why race day is a terrible time to meet them for the first timeHow solo runs build boundaries and confidence that carry into the rest of your lifePractical steps to start running solo if fear or nerves are holding you backYour homework (yes, there's homework this week)Links & Resources for This Episode Stability in Motion (SiM) - SiM is all about reminding people how to be playful, creative, and enjoy lifeFollow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

  6. Aug 4

    Episode 53: The Hill Is Not the Problem: A Tactical Guide to Uphill Running

    A bunch of you have been asking me about running uphill, so this is the tactical episode I promised. I'm getting into what those grade percentages actually mean (so you know if a hill is legit steep or you're just making shit up in your head), why "runnable" is about you and that hill on that day and not the hill itself, and why your lungs staging a protest doesn't mean you're not an uphill runner. It just means you're not there yet. Plus actual workouts you can take with you, including treadmill versions, because it is HOT out there. In this episode: The grade cheat sheet, from sneaky 2% grinders to hands-on-thighs steepMy five rules for running uphill at easy effort, starting with don't auto-hike just because the trail tiltedWhy runnable vs. non-runnable can change between people, and even within the same runSample VO2 max, tempo, and power hike workouts with treadmill optionsThe "yet" mechanism and why easy hilly runs are your weaponLinks & Resources for This Episode Episode 17: The Ups and Downs of Trail Running: How to Move Efficiently on Every HillFollow me on InstagramVisit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.comWant to work together? Learn about 1:1 CoachingFree guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

  7. Jul 28

    Episode 52: I Cried, Then I Climbed: The Tour du Mont Blanc

    I'm back from Europe and I finally get to tell you all about the Tour du Mont Blanc... 10 days circling Mont Blanc (around it, not up it), about 105 miles and 33,000 feet of climbing through France, Italy, and Switzerland. This one has everything: the logistics of booking through a company, huts with beer and Coke in the middle of nowhere, the wonderful humans I met from all over the world, and the day 9 ladders that had me crying for 30 minutes before I climbed them anyway. Booking through a company vs. DIY, and why we chose Adventure BaseWhat to actually pack (yes, you need poles... and how to fly with them)Hut life: refuge dinners, hiking beers, and half board explainedThe exposed ladders, my fear of heights, and the advice from a stranger I needed to hearA trail etiquette rant... please step aside, peopleHow to train for 10 back-to-back mountain days (you don't have to be an ultrarunner)The real lesson: take your days, unplug, and find the thing that's for YOULinks & Resources for This Episode Several pics of the ladders can be found in this blog or this YouTube.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

  8. Jul 21

    Episode 51: Post-Race Blues: When the Finish Line is Behind You and You Still Feel Off

    The race is over, the crowd is gone, and everything is quiet again... and that quiet can feel really loud. It's been about eight weeks since Cocodona, and I finally named what I've been feeling: post-race blues. Except mine don't look like what everybody talks about. No restless "what's next" searching, no beating myself up over my time goal... just fog, fatigue that doesn't add up, and a flatness I didn't see coming. So I'm sharing all of it, because if coaches expect honesty from their athletes, we've got to show up the same way. In this episode: Why my post-race blues looked nothing like the version I'd always heard aboutThe sneaky symptoms... brain fog, weird fatigue, emotional flatness, and the good cry that finally named itThe physiology behind it: stress hormones, the dopamine drop, and why recovery takes months, not weeksHow I'm actually recovering... doing the minimum, protecting my promises, and letting the rest waitWhy this isn't just about 200-milers... it can follow any big thing, running or notYou're not broken, you're not failing at recovery. You did something really hard, and now your body wants rest. Links & 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

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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
    59
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Dirt Nap Diaries
  • Show Website
    Dirt Nap Diaries

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