Dirt Nap Diaries
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.
Episodes
32 episodes
Episode 31: Effort Over Pace: Their Effort is Not Your Effort
Today we’re talking about effort over pace because if you don’t understand the difference, you’re way more likely to plateau, overtrain, or mentally spiral (and I don’t want that for you).Effort is the stimulus. Pace is the result.
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Episode 31
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39:27
Episode 30: Pacers in Ultra Running: Support System or Safety Blanket?
Pacers…they can be the best thing that happens to you at mile 80…or the reason you’re suddenly redlining, annoyed, and questioning every friendship you’ve ever had.In this episode, I’m breaking down what pacers are actually for ...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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35:48
Episode 29: Aid Stations for Everyday Trail Runners: Efficient, Prepared, and Not Distracted
Aid stations can be a lifesaver… or a total time-suck spiral where you stand there eating random stuff, forget your poles, and walk away somehow less prepared than when you arrived.In this episode, we’re talking aid stations. No...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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58:21
Episode 28: Crew: What They’re For, What They’re Not, and How to Use Them Well
Crew can be an incredible asset on race day and it can also quietly make things harder if expectations aren’t clear.In this episode, we’re talking about what crew is actually for, when it makes sense to have crew and how to use ...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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53:10
Episode 27: Borrowed Confidence vs Earned Confidence: Why Trusting Yourself Comes From Reps
Confidence is something a lot of runners think they’re missing. Especially in trail running. Especially when things feel hard, messy, or inconsistent.In this episode, we’re talking about the difference between borrowed confidence ...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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28:17
Episode 26: This Isn't Normal: Silence, ICE and Trump are the Enemy
This is not a normal episode.I recorded this on release day because staying quiet felt worse than showing up imperfectly. I didn’t have fully formed thoughts. I still don’t. And that’s the point.This episode isn’t about trail runn...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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25:21
Episode 25: Not Everything Has to Be Hard: Training Smarter in a World Obsessed With Suffering
We’re taught that if training doesn’t feel hard, exhausting, or leave us sore, it must not be working. And that belief sneaks into everything…strength training, running, and honestly, life.In this episode, I’m talking about why hard<...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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35:20
Episode 24: Running Research : Why It’s Not Always About You
Running research is everywhere. One study gets shared and suddenly it feels like there’s a “right” way to fuel, train, or perform — and if you’re not doing it, you’re behind.In this episode of Dirt Nap Diaries, I talk about why ...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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38:17
Episode 23: New Year’s Resolutions Aren’t the Problem: Being a Dickhead About Them Is
New Year’s resolutions get a bad rap. And honestly? They don’t deserve it.In this episode, we’re talking about why wanting more for yourself is not the issue, why cynicism isn’t wisdom, and why we need to stop yucking other people’s yums...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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51:56
Episode 22: When Shit Goes Sideways: Safety, Scars, and Still Chasing Big Dreams
Trail running is unpredictable. Weather changes. Bodies change. Plans fall apart. And sometimes, even when you do everything “right,” things still go wrong.In this episode of Dirt Nap Diaries, I talk about what happens when some...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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40:32
Episode 21: How to Schedule Your Running: Building a Week You Can Repeat
In this episode of Dirt Nap Diaries, I’m breaking down how to schedule your running in a way that actually fits real life. We’re talking about weekly structure, why four days of running works for most everyday trail runners, and how to stop ove...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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43:48
You’re Not Lazy, You’re Tired: A Trail Runner’s Guide to Sustainable Training
In this episode, we talk about:Why feeling unmotivated does not mean you are lazyThe difference between being tired and making excusesHow lack of margin and recovery shows up as “low motivation”Why I don’t...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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47:19
Episode 19: Your Watch Is Being Dramatic: A Trail Runner’s Guide to Chill
If you have ever opened your Garmin or Coros app and immediately questioned your entire life, this episode is for you. Today we are talking about the data your watch throws at you. VO2 Max. HRV. Sleep scores. Training readiness. Whether it thin...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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50:04
Episode 18: Aid Station 101: Snacks, Chaos, and Getting In and Out Fast
In this quick-hit episode, we’re talking all things aid stations — what they are, how they work, and how to move through them without getting stuck in the snack vortex.Inside this episode:What an aid station act...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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24:59
Episode 17: The Ups and Downs of Trail Running: How to Move Efficiently on Every Hill
Climbing, descending, and hiking — it’s all part of trail running, but most runners don’t actually train how to do each one efficiently.In this episode, I’m breaking down the mechanics and mindset of running uphill and downhill ...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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59:56
Episode 16: How to Actually Run Easy: Where Endurance Really Starts
Most runners think they’re running easy… but they’re not.In this episode, I break down what “easy effort” really means, why it’s one of the most important parts of your training, and how running too hard too often might actually be slowi...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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42:18
Episode 15: Permission to Rest: Why Doing Less Sometimes Moves You Forward
If you needed a sign to rest—this is it.We glorify the grind so much that rest starts to feel like weakness. But the truth? Rest is the work. It’s where your body adapts, your energy rebuilds, and your love for running gets prot...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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36:39
Episode 14: What Are We Running For: When the World Feels Heavy
This week’s episode isn’t about splits, fueling plans, or training blocks. It’s about the world outside the trailhead — a world where SNAP benefits are being cut, rent keeps climbing, healthcare is unaffordable, and people are losing t...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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33:53
Episode 13: Running Is Not That Serious: Lessons From the Party in the Desert
In this episode of Dirt Nap Diaries, I’m coming off one of my favorite weekends of the year — Javelina Jundred. The desert, the costumes, the chaos, and the community. I had five athletes out there running everything from the 10...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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26:24
Episode 12: Race Strategy: How to Run Smart on Any Trail, at Any Distance
In this episode of Dirt Nap Diaries, we’re talking about how to build a race strategy that actually works—for yourdistance, your terrain, and your life.Whether you’re toeing the line for your first 10K...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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49:24
Episode 11: The Season of Meh: When You Just Don’t Have It (and You’re Not Sure Why)
In this episode of Dirt Nap Diaries, I’m talking about the season of meh — that weird in-between space where you’re showing up, but everything just feels off.You’re not injured. You’re not overtrained. You just… don’t hav...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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44:54
Episode 10: Building Your Race Season: How to Choose Races That Actually Mean Something
In this episode of Dirt Nap Diaries, I’m breaking down why your race season doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s — not your friends’, not an influencer’s, and definitely not the elites chasing Golden Tickets.We’ll talk about ...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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48:35
Episode 9: Training Runs Are Practice: Why Everything Counts on the Long Run
Your long runs and training races aren’t just about building fitness—they’re dress rehearsals for race day. This is where you test your gear, fuel, hydration, socks, sports bras, packs, and even how fast you can get in and out of an aid station...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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45:28
Episode 8: Out of Control: Trail Running When the World Feels Heavy
Feeling stuck in rage scrolling and late-night binge eating? In this episode of Dirt Nap Diaries, women’s trail running coach Brittany Olson shares why focusing on controllables—like trail running, strength training, fueling, and rest—...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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36:11
Episode 7: When Finishing Isn’t the Win: The DNF I Didn’t See Coming
In this episode of Dirt Nap Diaries, I’m sharing the story of my Mogollon Monster 100 — the miles I did cover, the moment it all fell apart, and why calling it a “comeback” doesn’t sit right with me. Sometimes strength looks like pushing throug...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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1:03:02