Ep. 71 – “Relative Unknown”: with Ben Eidenschink

This week’s guest is Ben Eidenschink, a Wisconsin native who currently lives and trains in Boulder, Colorado. Ben recently made waves when he finished 6^th overall at the 2022 U.S. Cross Country Championships as an unsponsored, relatively unheralded runner, winning the “Em ‘n Ben” co-ed scoring challenge with his girlfriend, Alicia Monson. 

Ben has personal bests of 13:56 for 5000m and 28:20 for 10,000m, but this was a breakout performance on the national stage and surely the start of a big 2022 season. We talked about his attitude as he races against pros, his journey from the University of Wisconsin to Colorado, and why he’s not moving to the roads any time soon. We also covered lucky underwear, training with the Coffee Club, high school message board drama, and some truly-excellent quarantine shenanigans in Madison.

If you didn’t know Ben’s name before, you better remember it now as he’s not going anywhere and he’s only getting better. Enjoy the conversation, don’t forget to leave us a rating and a review if you enjoyed the episode, and don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on Instagram at @runyourmouthpod.

On choosing the University of Wisconsin as a Wisconsin native:

“Chris Solinsky grew up pretty close to where I’m from, so watching him compete and seeing these in-state guys go to Wisconsin and run really well made me want to go there as well and continue the tradition.”

On arriving on the scene at U.S. XC Champs:

“Not many people know who I am, and I kinda like that. To me, it’s nice flying under the radar a little bit. It’s motivating when I get out there and there’s multiple Olympians in the field, and I’m still able to race with those guys.”

On continuing to run competitively:

“I’d definitely say I have unfinished business. I see that I have a lot of room left to grow and there’s a lot left for me to accomplish. It might be weird to ‘normal people’ who ask why I’m still running after college, but I love racing and I’m still improving. The work is paying off.”

Listen here:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | anchor.fm

Follow:

Run Your Mouth on Facebook and Instagram

Ben Eidenschink on Twitter and Instagram

David Melly on Twitter and Instagram

Ep. 70 – Falling in Love with Running: with Elly Henes

This week’s episode is Elly Henes, the 2021 NCAA 5000m champion who recently signed with adidas and is now training in Flagstaff, AZ. Elly is a 15:18 5k runner who finished 6^th at the 2021 Olympic Trials, and she now trains with Olympian Rachel Schneider and NAU head coach Mike Smith. 

For the first 20 minutes or so of this episode, we talked about astrology, botched photoshoots, and teenage rebellion, but we also got very in-depth about Elly’s journey from high school to professional running and the lessons she’s learned as she’s grown up and her relationship to the sport has changed.

We covered everything from dating to coffee orders to Christmas movies, and we definitely went deep on the introspection side of things. This was a delightful conversation with one of the most entertaining, honest people in the sport and you’ll really enjoy it. Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and until next time, this has been Run Your Mouth.

On falling in love with running:

“Making NXN with my team made me fall in love – not just with the sport, but with my team. Working with and for each other toward a common goal is why cross-country has always been my favorite.”

On finding success at the end of college:

“I started setting process goals and focusing on loving the sport itself. And by my fifth year, the results showed. There were people who felt like I came out of nowhere to win the 5k [at NCAAs], and I just laugh because it may seem crazy to you, but sophomore year Elly set that goal.”

On overcoming self-doubt when turning pro:

“I had to learn to believe in myself. It can be scary to commit and go all-in for something even if it could fall through. It’s hard to do. And it takes a lot of courage to even try.”

On her relationship with running now:

“In this sport, we talk a lot about not letting running define you. Running doesn’t define me, but it’s a part of who I am. It’s in my family, it’s in my relationship, it’s in my relationship with my coach, and I’ve been lucky to find people who understand who I am as a person in the running world and beyond.”

Listen here:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | anchor.fm

Follow:

Run Your Mouth on Facebook and Instagram

Elly Henes on Instagram

David Melly on Twitter and Instagram

Ep. 69 – Can’t Say No: with Craig Engels

This week’s guest is Craig Engels, the 2019 national champion in the 1500m and 4^th place finisher in this year’s Olympic Trials. Craig is a professional runner for Nike and a big presence in the sport who’s built quite the cult fanbase with his refreshing, unfiltered perspective. He recently moved from Portland, Oregon back to Oxford, Mississippi to finish his degree, and he came on the pod for a very special 69^th episode.

We covered a good bit of running, including his return to Ole Miss, his future training plans, and what he thinks about the state of the sport. We also covered a wide range of other topics, including why he won’t buy airpods, how he’s using his minor in theatre, and why he applied to be on The Bachelor. This was a delightful episode with a delightful guest and definitely one of the weirder, more tangent-filled conversations we’ve ever had on the podcast.

On his future running plans:

“If I’d stayed in Portland, I would be done. I had no training partners or anything, and that was always the most fun part of running to me. Being back down in Mississippi has made me realize that, and I’ve been communicating with Pete and potential other sponsors that, if I’m gonna continue running, I’ve gotta be part of a group.”

On being his own agent:

“It’s awesome. My favorite thing is communicating with people, and having an agent kinda cut out getting to know meet directors, coaches, marketing people… and if you get to know these people and they still don’t sign you a contract, maybe one day down the road you’ll be working for them because you had that relationship.”

On being Craig Engels:

“The brand that I’ve built is literally… myself. It’s who I am. It’s a weird question because social media is so relatively new, but the brand is easy to maintain because it’s me.”

Listen here:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | anchor.fm

Follow:

Run Your Mouth on Facebook and Instagram

Craig Engels on Instagram

David Melly on Twitter and Instagram

Ep. 68 – Rewrite the Story: with Matt Llano

This week’s guest is Matt Llano of Under Armour and Dark Sky Distance. Matt is a 2:11 marathoner who has represented the U.S. internationally at the World Half Marathon Championships and has competed on the elite level in 4 of the 6 Abbott World Marathon Majors. Matt is a New York native who ran collegiately for the University of Richmond, where he was an All-American, and now lives and trains in Flagstaff, Arizona, with his boyfriend and two dogs.

Matt came on the podcast to share his acquired wisdom and experience as he trains for his 11^th marathon as a professional runner, as well as his unique perspective on the changing landscape for queer athletes and everything in between. We also covered HGTV, dog miles, beginning our careers in swimming, and track vs. road racing.

This episode is brought to you by the Under Armour All-Out Mile. It’s not too late to sign up for free and race a fast and fun mile this month as part of the Citius Mag team. You can go to uaalloutmile.com/runyourmouth to sign up for your chance to win awesome prizes (including cash!). We’ve had a lot of fun promoting this awesome virtual race and community event all month and if you want a quick, easy way to support the podcast you can take 5 minutes to sign up and join the Citius team!

On choosing the NYC marathon:

“I ran it in 2016 in the midst of some injuries […] and I’m excited to go back and hopefully have some redemption. It’s my home state, the state where I was born; so to go back and rewrite my story is what I’m hoping to do this time around.”

On running his 11^th marathon:

“I’m still learning with every race. Some come easier than others, but the marathon is just such a beast that no matter how many you’ve run, you can never take it for granted that you’ve got it figure out. It will always find out a way to humble you.”

Of the changing attitudes toward queer representation in athletics:

“It makes me feel a little envious of people going to school now to see how much has changed – not in a bad way, but to be able to be more comfortable, more open throughout college, I’m envious of that. I’m so happy for how far we’ve come and so happy to have been part of that conversation in a way that advanced discussion and acceptance in the running community. Nobody knew how to have those conversations at the time, and I’m glad it’s getting so much easier.”

Listen here:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | anchor.fm

Follow:

Run Your Mouth on Facebook and Instagram

Matt Llano on Instagram and Twitter

David Melly on Twitter and Instagram

Sign up for the UA All-Out Mile!

Ep. 67 – Hood to Coast: with James Randon and Mike Horowicz

This week’s episode features two members of the winning team at the 2021 Hood to Coast relay race, James Randon and Mike Horowicz. Hood to Coast is a 200-mile race in Oregon from Mt. Hood to the Pacific Ocean that will celebrate its 40^th anniversary next year. This year, the Lostboys team finished in 18 hours, 34 minutes, averaging 5:40 per mile pace with a team of 12 runners. James and Mike are roommates, old friends, and Boston residents, and James is a professional runner for Saucony’s Freedom Track Club.

In addition to recapping the race and reflecting on the Hood to Coast experience, we covered binge watching, roommate pet peeves, and the longest “naked running” segment in running podcast history. This was a great, silly episode and you’ll really enjoy it.

All month, the podcast is brought to you by the Under Armour All-Out Mile. Get out there, run for fun, run your fastest mile, or just your fastest mile in a while this month as part of the Citius Mag team. It’s free to sign up at uaalloutmile.com/runyourmouth, it’s super easy to participate, and the more runners we get, the better chance we have at winning $15,000 for charity. The Beer Mile boys have the biggest team at the moment and we can’t give them the satisfaction, so make sure you sign up and join the Citius team today!

Once you’ve signed up, if you still want to support the pod, you can always drop us a rate and review or follow us on Instagram or Facebook. Either way, enjoy the episode!

Mike Horowicz on his late-night leg:

“Before my 1am leg, I’m jumping up and down, sniffing smelling salts, and everyone is looking at me like I’m a psychopath… I never thought my life would take me to this point, but there I was.”

James Randon on running Hood to Coast after the track season:

“I had an abysmal spring season. Nothing went the way I wanted […] And on the other side of that, I realized that if I wanted to go back into training and continue to make it my career, I needed to find a love for it again. And running Hood to Coast, as insane and awful as it sounds, was a blast.”

Mike Horowicz on coming back to the race:

“There are certain things you do in life that you’re excited about the first time you do it, and then it’s like, ‘been there, done that.’ Hood to Coast is not one of those things. I’ve done it three times and I’ll do it again.”

Listen here:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | anchor.fm

Follow:

Run Your Mouth on Facebook and Instagram

James Randon on Instagram and Twitter

Mike Horowicz on Instagram

David Melly on Twitter and Instagram

Sign up for the UA All-Out Mile!

Ep. 66 – Earning Your Spot: with Helen Schlachtenhaufen

This week’s guest is a returning favorite, Helen Schlachtenhaufen of Freedom Track Club, who came on the podcast to talk about her breakthrough summer of racing.

After finishing a bittersweet 5^th in the 1500m at the Olympic Trials in June, Helen ran a big personal best of 4:01.09 in her first-ever Diamond League meet in Sweden in July and put in big showings in Gateshead and at the Pre Classic. We unpacked her reflections on Trials and her mentality going into big European races this summer, as well as our favorite donuts, how she’d fare in a beer mile, and what it’s really like to date and live with her teammate slash boyfriend, Brian.

This episode is brought to you by the Under Armour All-Out Mile. All through September, you can sign up to train for and run your fastest mile at uaalloutmile.com/runyourmouth. You can train to run your fastest mile ever, work on improving your time from August to September, or just enjoy the ride. Make sure to join the Citius Mag team for the chance to earn great prizes and earn money for charity. Visit uaalloutmile.com/runyourmouth to sign up – it’s free!

As always, rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook at @runyourmouthpod. Enjoy the episode!

On finishing 5^th at Olympic Trials:

“It’s bittersweet. I definitely wanted more, but I’m relatively proud of how I finished, and it made me still want more, but it was still cool just to be there – it was not something growing up that I ever thought I’d be doing, even in college it wasn’t a level I thought I’d be competing at.”

On Freedom Track Club’s new coach Kurt Benninger:

“One of my favorite things about Kurt is that he puts a ton of thought into everything that we do. It makes me feel super prepared going into races. He’s also a very calming person and I tend to get very stressed out before races, so it’s really nice to have somebody there to bring you back down to Earth before a race.”

On feeling like you belong in the world of elite running:

“Making the final of Trials this year was a moment of change for me. Walking out to the starting line, I realized: I qualified; I made it through the rounds; I literally earned my spot on the starting line. You can’t really have imposter syndrome there. Those are the moments when I feel most confident in my place in professional running.”

Listen here:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | anchor.fm

Follow:

Run Your Mouth on Facebook and Instagram

Helen Schlachtenhaufen on Instagram

David Melly on Twitter and Instagram

Sign up for the UA All-Out Mile!

Ep. 65 – Flamin’ Hot Miles: with Taryn Rawlings

This week’s guest is Taryn Rawlings of Dark Sky Distance. Taryn is an Oregon native and graduate of the University of Portland who competed in the 1500 meters at the 2021 Olympic Trials after a year of battling injuries, and following a disappointing Trials performance, went on to set personal bests of 4:05 in the 1500 and 4:28 in the mile later this summer.

We had a great conversation about bouncing back from setbacks, how to get through the stresses of the pandemic, and whether she prefers the mile or the 1500. We also covered binge-watching, side hustles, hanging with the “Portland Mafia,” and much more.

This episode is brought to you by the Under Armour All Out Mile. During the month of September, UA encourages you to train for your fastest mile ever in only 30 days. It’s free to sign up and you can win cash prizes, gear, and raise money for charity by joining our Citius Mag team and making Citius the biggest team in the competition. To sign up and learn more, visit UAAllOutMile.com.

On training in Portland for the summer:

“It’s been so nice. I met some of them [Portland-based pros] in college, so it was kind of fun to come back and be training with them. It’s been perfect because Sinclaire and I have been able to train together a bit, which has been so nice, and having the running squad traveling to meets too… you have this extra support crew there which is fun and super helpful.”

On being added to Trials late following the Shelby Houlihan news:

“It was a wild week… I was initially thinking, ‘I’m not going to get in,’ and it got to the point where it scratched down to me being the first person out, and I was like, ‘ugh, that sucks.’ And then everything came out with Shelby […] I didn’t want to say anything, because this is such a crappy situation, and it makes me feel so bad if the only reason I get to run is if she gets pulled out [….] It was kinda a whirlwind, but I was definitely happy for the opportunity to get to run in the end.”

On moving forward to set personal bests after Trials:

“My mindset really shifted from the Trials to ‘what can I get out of this season still.’ It just took a few good workouts for me to get the confidence back, and there was no pressure because I had been through so much the past year just to get back to the starting line. I just wanted to have fun with it again and compete.”

Listen here:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | anchor.fm

Follow:

Run Your Mouth on Facebook and Instagram

Taryn Rawlings on Twitter and Instagram

David Melly on Twitter and Instagram

Sign up for the UA All-Out Mile!

Ep. 64 – Queen of the Roads: with Emily Durgin

This week’s guest is Emily Durgin of adidas, a 15:24 5k runner and 69:47 half marathoner who’s recently dominated all sorts of distances on the U.S. road circuit. Emily is a Maine native and graduate of the University of Connecticut who now lives and trains in Flagstaff, AZ, and we talked about her journey to the roads, her philosophy toward running and women in sports, and her (eventual) marathon aspirations.

Emily is a great competitor with an awesome perspective on the sport and we had a great conversation that also included topics like Bachelor in Paradise, self-care, and our hot takes on other Olympic sports. Enjoy the episode and don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review us, and follow Run Your Mouth and Citius on social media!

On facing world-class competition on the road circuit:

“Over the past couple years, I’ve gotten so much more comfortable on the roads. Nobody’s PRs scare me on the roads because anything can happen [….] Running against these women with 29-minute 10ks looks scary on paper, but on the roads the hills and the humidity make it a level playing field for everybody, and I thrive in those difficult situations.”

On the impact of social media:

“When I was in high school, I felt like everybody posted photos that were all so perfect. And now there’s a lot of women my age that are posting more imperfections, whether it’s your skin, or your hair, or your body [….] that was something that I struggled with in high school that I struggled with and it’s great to see. I know social media gets a bad reputation a lot of the time, but it’s been awesome to see a bit of a switch in recent years.”

On moving to the marathon:

“No, I am not racing a fall marathon. I probably won’t race a Spring ’22 marathon. I’ve had a lot of change in the past few months so this summer was more about having fun [….] Looking forward, we’re looking at 2024 and running the Olympic marathon Trials there, so we’re going to work backwards from that. I’m not sure when a marathon will come in, but we might push it back a little longer so we can do it right, not just do it to do it.”

Listen here:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | anchor.fm

Follow:

Run Your Mouth on Facebook and Instagram

Emily Durgin on Twitter and Instagram

David Melly on Twitter and Instagram

Ep. 63 – New Balance Newbies: with Millie Palladino and Drew Piazza

Before we get into the thick of Olympic coverage this week, enjoy some good pure fun on the latest episode of Run Your Mouth with guests Millie Palladino and Drew Piazza of New Balance Boston. We get right into the ridiculous with parking ticket stories and high school shenanigans, but we also covered the experience of joining a professional team, transferring colleges, and making hard choices in the sport of track and field.

Drew and Millie both competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in June in their first year with New Balance, with Drew finishing 20^th in the men’s 800m and Millie finishing 14^th in the women’s 5k. Drew has run 1:45 for 800 and 3:56 for the mile, and Millie has run 4:32 in the mile and 15:14 in the 5k.

Drew grew up in Massachusetts and competed at the University of New Hampshire before transferring to Virginia Tech for the remainder of his collegiate career, and Millie grew up in West Virginia and competed at WVU before transferring to Providence College.

On being new to the New Balance Boston team:

Millie: “To be honest, I feel like the transition was pretty seamless. I never felt super out of place [….] I couldn’t be happier with how I feel like I fit in with everyone, and that’s a testament to both Mark and the girls.”

Drew: “It’s really rare to get a group of people where you can feel supported by everyone at all times [….] you have someone to go to for whatever you need.”

On honest feedback from teammates and coaches:

Drew: “We had a similar [injury] thing, where we both knew we shouldn’t be racing. But we can’t see it for ourselves; we see it for each other. And then Mark steps in and tells us to relax.”

Millie: “Sometimes you need somebody to tell you to just not be dumb.”

On transferring colleges:

Millie: “I was in a place like – ‘you’re either going to keep doing this, and doing it the right way, or you’re going to give it up.’”

Drew: “For me, when I was thinking about transferring, I was terrified. But as soon as you decide you have to transfer for your own good, it doesn’t become scary anymore. It becomes: you have to do this for your own survival.”

Millie: “It’s probably one of the hardest things I’ve done, but one of the best things I’ve done for myself.”

On tough decisions:

Millie: “No matter what, people are going to have opinions about what you should do with your life. But if it’s something you want to do, it’s always worth it.”

Listen here:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | anchor.fm

Follow:

Run Your Mouth on Facebook and Instagram

Millie Palladino on Instagram

Drew Piazza on Twitter and Instagram

David Melly on Twitter and Instagram

Ep. 62 – Packing for Tokyo: with Bryce Hoppel

This week’s guest is newly-minted Olympian Bryce Hoppel, who joined the podcast a few days before leaving for Tokyo. Bryce qualified for the 2021 Olympics when he finished third in the 800m, making his second U.S. national team since turning pro in 2019. At the World Championships in Doha, he finished 4^th in the 800m, and he’s not shy about his desire to land on the podium this time around.

Bryce is a Texas native and graduate of the University of Kansas and we had a great conversation about his path to running, his go-to taco order, why he should star in Space Jam 3, and everything in between. The first round of the 800 is the evening of Friday, July 30 if you live in the U.S., so don’t miss the chance to cheer him on!

On the men’s 800m squad:

“We come around when it counts. People are already counting us out but we’re definitely going to put two, if not three of us into the final, and one of us is gonna get a medal for sure. I know I’m going for it.”

On pre-Olympics jitters:

“I think it’s definitely more nerve-wracking leading up to it. Once it actually gets here, it’s like, there’s nothing you can do about it: go out there and compete. I just want to get to Tokyo… that’s the most stressful thing. They’re so strict about everything, you worry ‘am I even gonna make it there?’ And once you’re there, everything will click.”

On heading to Tokyo without American Record holder Donavan Brazier on the 800m team:

“It hit me right after all the feelings of making the Olympic team – I was like, dang, Donavan’s not on the team. That was crazy. It’s definitely going to be a different team without him, but he’s going to bounce back; he’s one of the best to ever do it.”

On choosing the University of Kansas:

“Kansas was one of the official visits that I went on and really liked it. I fell in love with track and cross country by finding a great group of friends there at Midland [in high school], and when I met the tight-knit community here, I was like, ‘let’s do it.’ Two days later I was scheduled for another official visit, but something just woke me up at 3am and I was just like, ‘I really loved Kansas. I want to go there’ [….] and luckily everything worked out and went well, and I definitely wouldn’t do anything different.”

Listen here:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | anchor.fm

Follow:

Run Your Mouth on Facebook and Instagram

Woody Kincaid on Twitter and Instagram

David Melly on Twitter and Instagram