This week, we considered our Book of the Quarter for the last quarter of 2021: The Practice of Groundedness by Brad Stulberg. Stulberg argued that western culture inspires a destructive personality orientation that he called "heroic individualism." We considered the six practices that Stulberg recommended to combat heroic individualism and talked about their relevance to and feasibility in our lives. We each brought different things to this book, and we each got something different out of it.

This week, we looked back at 2021, including our favorite races, what we learned, and our goals and resolutions for next year. Happy New Year!

This week, we heard about Erik's race at the Beast of the East 50-miler (which was won by the incomparable Karl Meltzer) and Camille Herron's new American record in the 100 mile distance. We also reflected on our great interview with Pat Binienda, sharing our favorite pieces and biggest takeaways.

This week, for our 200th episode, we interviewed the man who talked Michelle into running her first marathon. Pat Binienda has been a runner for nearly fifty years--having run at least one marathon in each of those years--and recently ran across the United States. He shared the wisdom and insight he has gained over all those miles, and he offered advice for anyone who is intrigued by the prospect of a big challenge.

Wondering what to look for in a pair of off-road shoes? This week, Erik took a deep dive into what makes trail shoes different and special. In addition, we talked a bit about our Spotify year-in-review lists, our Turkey Trots, our Jingle Jogs, and a bit of research on the endurance benefits of bodyweight exercises.

This week, we spent a lot of time discussing the NCAA XC championship, but we also talked about some recent research on running uphill in super shoes, the new men's world best in the half-marathon, and Tommy "Rivs" Puzy.

There's always a lot of stories that come out the New York City Marathon, and 2021 was no different. We consider the performances of Molly Seidel, Ben True, Shalane Flanagan, Chelsea Clinton, Wrinkle the Duck, and others.

This week, we did a roundup of all the latest news, led by the amazing half-marathon run by Letesenbet Gidey. We also discussed the *newly announced* selection criteria for the Team USA World Championship Marathon team, Camille Herron's latest win, the upcoming NYC Marathon, and Atlanta Track Club's new sponsor.

This week, we heard a lot about Michelle's difficult experience at the Boston Marathon. She had a gutsy performance, but it wasn't what she hoped for. We also revealed our last Book of the Quarter for 2021!

Our old friend Justin Dugan came on the podcast to tell us about his experience at the 2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in St. George, Utah. Hills? Check. Extreme weather? Check. Top-notch competition? Check.