More Than Running with Dana Giordano

“How I would like people to see me is ‘She didn’t give up.’ I’ve had so many times where I’ve had to come back from injuries – even as recently as this past summer. I remember calling coach Sparks after I hurt my hip again and literally sobbing to him on the phone that my running career was over because I thought that was it. After my surgery two years ago, they had given me a 50% chance of being able to run competitively again. They didn’t know if the surgery was going to take. It’s really difficult having to deal with that and mentally realizing this is the thing I love the most in the world and I may never get to do this again. I don’t know if it’s because I’m too dumb to do anything else but it was just this thought that I can’t quit now because I feel like I haven’t done the things that I’ve wanted to do yet and this feeling that I’m leaving something on the table. I know that I’m capable of more but if I don’t sort everything in my life and get over this victim mentality or get through some of these things, I’m not going to get there. That’s why I feel like there’s never been another thing that I love as much as this. That’s why even though I couldn’t run for six months. I just keep coming back to it."

The first guest on 'More Than Running with Dana Giordano' is Molly Seidel. Just a few weeks after finishing second at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta, Dana and Molly sat down in her Fenway–Kenmore apartment to discuss how her much her life has changed since making her first U.S. Olympic team. The conversation was recorded before the coronavirus pandemic led to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics to 2021.

Topics touched upon in this episode include:

The build-up to the biggest race of her life

Putting us in her shoes for her marathon debut

Speaking up in response to the criticism of her Olympic teammates Aliphine Tuliamuk and Sally Kipyego for being Kenyan-born Americans.

The media’s coverage of her after the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and why she felt uneasy about it.

Handling the spotlight since being a star as a high school

How life changed after making the Olympic team

Donuts, hot ham and rolls

Seeking out a group and the perfect training set up with coach Jon Green

What she and her coach expected that she would place at the Olympic trials

What she wants to leave behind as her legacy within the sport

Advice for younger generations of runners: Just because you fail doesn’t make you a failure.

Showing off different bodies and diversity on the starting lines in the sport

And much more...

➡️ Follow Molly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bygolly.molly/

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Recommended listen:

Molly on Running on Om with Julia Hanlon | https://runningonom.com/podcast-225/

Photo for this episode's cover art by Kevin Morris | https://www.kevmofoto.com/

“ In fact, maybe the only way to get to where you want is to detour from that path that you had in mind originally, or that, you know, is the traditional path of doing things and, and trusting that those people in your support network will actually...Be excited about it”

Vanessa Fraser joins the More Than Running Podcast to discuss some big changes in her life. We recorded this in my living room in San Francisco, which will play a big role in her career moving forward.

For those who may not be as familiar, Vanessa joined the Nike Bowerman Track Club after graduating from Stanford in 2018 as a seven-time All-American. As a member of the Bowerman Track Club, Fraser set personal bests of 4:09.74 for 1500m, 4:37.33 for the mile, 8:53.11 for 3,000m (indoors), 14:48.51 for 5000m (indoors) and 31:52.11 for 10,000 meters.

She has decided to relocate to San Francisco for a new job with a VC firm but will still run under contract with Nike and be coached by Shalane Flanagan, who is an assistant coach with the Bowerman Track Club and just joined the University of Oregon track & field and cross country program as an assistant coach under Jerry Schumacher.

We touch on her career, her interests and so much more in this conversation.

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

@HaywardMagic is the Instagram home for the true track & field diehards, dreamers and fans. They are sharing the magic of the sport and elevating the athletes that push it forward. Follow them on Instagram @HaywardMagic.

Taylor Treacy is a former UNC volleyball athlete. After graduating, Taylor played volleyball professionally overseas where she developed several mental health struggles. Inspired by her own journey and wanting to help others she founded the Virago Project. "Virago" means female warrior and its mission is to provide empowerment tools for female athletes. I hope these resources are helpful to you or someone you love. I’ve been focusing on mental health this season of MTR because we all have unseen struggles.

SPONSOR: Do you want to run further and faster and recover quicker and easier? Do you want to feel healthier than you've ever felt before? You need to make a change and that's what InsideTracker is all about. Founded by leading scientists in aging, genetics and biometric data from MIT, Tufts and Harvard, InsideTracker is a personalized health and wellness platform like no other. They used a patented algorithm to analyze your body's data to paint a clear picture of what's going on inside you. They then give you a concrete, science-backed trackable action plan for reaching your performance goals and feeling your best.

For a limited time, InsideTracker is offering the ultimate prize package giveaway to a lucky listener of More Than Running. One lucky winner will get more than $1,500 in InsideTracker value. To enter go to http://insidetracker.com/dana

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"Time moves forward. There is the next step and there is an action to be taken...It's no fun to have a disappointment but you fully control what happens next. Your decisions and actions can make whatever happens next...so why not make something good of it or at least try?"
We kick off the new season of 'More Than Running' with Kate Grace, who is coming off one of the best seasons of any American middle distance runner. After finishing seventh in the women's 800 meter final at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, she picked herself back up to run four sub-1:58 performances in the event including a personal best of 1:57.20 (which puts her at No. 8 on the U.S. all-time list). She also finished second in the Diamond League final in Zurich.
In her conversation with Dana, they discuss how she overcame the disappointment and her lessons on how she makes herself feel the most powerful and confident version of herself on the starting line.
SPONSOR: The new season is powered by Nike. Finding the motivation to run during the pandemic has been challenging. Keep going with Nike Run Club App and check out the guided runs and training plans to find that motivation and ways to keep yourself accountable. Watch how Mariah Dyson of GirlGangCrazy has used the app to find community around the world. For more info visit https://www.nike.com/running/run-fearless.

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Angel Piccirillo graduated from Villanova University with a clear plan in mind: run fast, secure a contract, join a training group, represent national teams, and repeat the process. However, little did she expect that, despite being a 9-time All-American and graduating in 2017, she would find herself on her fourth training group in just six years, finally hitting her stride as a professional athlete in 2023 setting a personal best in the 1500 in 4:07 this past April.

In this episode of More Than Running, we delve into Angel's remarkable journey, beginning with her training in Philadelphia alongside Ajee Wilson and Raeyvn Rodgers. From there, she transitioned to the Oiselle Little Wing Group under the guidance of coach Lauren Fleshman, followed by a stint with the Oregon Track Club in Eugene, Oregon. Now, she finds herself in North Carolina, training with the Puma Elite Training group under the coaching of Alistair and Amy Cragg. This journey would have tested even the most resilient of athletes, requiring immense persistence and the challenge of maintaining a long-distance relationship with her husband, Australian Olympian Patrick Tiernan. Through it all, Angel's unwavering self-belief in her own potential has been a driving force.

More Than Running is supported by COROS! Use code DANA for a free accessory

The new COROS Update brings a redesigned app and significant upgrades to the entire COROS training solution with an all-new running fitness system, improved EvoLab, brand-new Explore page, location and map manager, and many more improvements. Whether you're training for a goal or exploring outdoors, the ultimate GPS watch just got even better.

More Than Running is edited by Mike Zurzolo.