118. How to Become a Competitive Trail Runner, with Abby Levene

Abby Levene is relatively new to the ultramarathon distance but has been racing for most of her life. She competed for the University of Colorado at Boulder as a grad student and has a background in the 5k and 10k.

But as it happens so frequently to Colorado residents, the mountains came calling. In just the last few years, Abby has made a name for herself as an Adidas sponsored trail runner.

And just about two weeks ago, Abby placed 5th at the renowned North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile Championships in her first 50-mile race ever. Talk about a debut!

In this conversation, we discuss:

• How track prepared her for long trail races,
• How her love for trail running began in Boulder, CO
• What her transition was like from the track to the trails
• The mindset shifts that are necessary as you start trail running
• Her advice for aspiring trail runners

Show Links & Resources:

• Follow Abby on Instagram and Strava
• Trail Running Resources
• Abby's sponsor Adidas

Abby is a genuine pleasure to hang out with and her joy for the sport of running is practically tangible. I hope you enjoy this conversation and if so, an honest review on Apple Music means a lot!

Our sponsor for this episode is Inside Tracker. I’ve been a big fan of Inside Tracker for years because of their science-backed, evidence-based system of helping runners avoid burnout, overtraining, and injury through their blood testing service. Take a selfie from the inside and go to insidetracker.com, use code strengthrunning to save 10% on any test at checkout, and discover if you have any deficiencies that are impacting your running.