Big thank you to the podcast supporters! John Wayne Cancer Foundation - Run the GRIT Series https://johnwayne.org/ Tanri Outdoors - All Natural Sun Protection for Runners (use “ULTRA10” for 10% off) https://tanri.com/ XoSkin (use “T4U20” for 15% off) https://www.xoskin.us/ Thank you Patreon supporters! https://www.patreon.com/trainingforultra

 

Episode Title: Studio Interview with Corinne & Graham Shalvoy

Bio: Corinne and Graham Shalvoy are an inspiring ultrarunning couple from Castlerock, Colorado. They both have full-time jobs and are currently raising two young children, all while excelling at ultramarathons. Running is in Corinne’s genes; not only is she is a fourth-generation Ouraian, but her uncle is Rick Trujillo, the 6-time Pikes Peak Marathon winner. Corinne started running competitively in middle school on the track and field team, her outdoorsy childhood had prepared her well for high school sports, and Corinne excelled at everything from volleyball to cheerleading. Still, it was her talent for running which set her apart from the rest. When it came time to go to college, Corinne decided that there was more to life than just running, and it had to be fun, so she decided to attend the University of Denver. In the early 2000s, she met her husband, Graham, and as is often the case, her love of running was contagious. In 2007 the couple ran the Atlanta Marathon together, and Graham, who had previously only run as part of soccer training, was hooked. The only problem was he wanted mountains! So, Graham signed up for the infamous Imogene Pass, a race Corinne had vowed never to run! Both Corinne and Graham have run the Imogene Pass multiple times and no longer balk at the 6000-foot elevation gain. Corinne believes that running challenges and life challenges are very different but require the same mindset, and both help you appreciate life. Running serves other purposes at different times in life, and right now, the trails are a great mini-vacation from the kids! David and Megan Roche currently coach Graham and Corinne. Graham won the Ouray 100 Mile Endurance Run most recently, and Corinne placed tenth in the Black Canyon Ultras! The two are also great community builders and founded a running club in Castlerock, boasting. You. It’s over 285 members!

Corinne’s past appearances on T4U: The Training For Ultra Podcast: Running Your First 100K (libsyn.com) & The Training For Ultra Podcast: In-Person Studio Interview with Corinne Shalvoy (libsyn.com)

Quotes from podcast episode:

“It’s been one of my best years of running.” - 2:39 Graham Shalvoy

“Most of my running is easy running.” 5:59 Graham Shalvoy

“I remember the first time she ever asked me, she was like, “Hey, you want to go for a run?” and I was like, “Sure, I’m sure we can do it.” I was like, “How far are we going to go?” She said, “Six miles,” and I remember thinking, although I didn’t say it out loud, “Six miles! Oh my god! Are we going to be able to physically do this?” - 9:13 Graham Shalvoy

“You just have to be the person’s head for them.” - 25:20 Corrine Shalvoy

“It was funny; we came into the park with about 100 yards left, and all of a sudden, I see this headlamp coming towards me, about waist high. I was like, “What is that?” and it was my ten-year-old son! He just came bolting up to us, yelling about how excited he was, and I was like, “What are you still doing up at 2:30 in the morning? Are you kidding me right now?” - 31:00 Graham Shalvoy

“To win that race, in that location, with that much preparation; it was very satisfying. It was a great feeling. I loved it. I could not have asked for more.” 33:40 Graham Shalvoy

“I joke that it took me 20 years of running to get to my first 50 k.” - 36:16 Corinne Shalvoy

“I had, I think you would say, a healthy fear of this distance and just generally the unknown, so I was confident in my ability to run it, but I also knew there were going to be some things I was going to encounter that I had never encountered before.” - 47:21 Corinne Shalvoy

“I came in, and I kind of felt like I had been holding it together because I was by myself, and the second I saw my family, and everybody else, everything just kind of came out… I just started bawling and falling apart.” - 1:06:00 Corinne Shalvoy

“Every step was killing me, and it was super, super challenging too, mentally. Just keep moving forward.” - 1:13:22 Corinne Shalvoy

 “That’s one of the hardest things I think I realized, and I’ve felt this in other long distances too. It is when you want to run and you can’t. That is, mentally, it’s so frustrating.” - 1:15:46 Corinne Shalvoy

“I think when you are that stripped, it’s a little hard to feel proud, or kind of accomplished right then, but I had made it across, and I do think finishes count.” - 1:19:12 Corinne Shalvoy

“You have to want to do it, number one before you start it.” - 1:20:43 Corinne Shalvoy

“If you want to do it, you know, go after it. Do it like you can do it… I never knew what it would be like until I did it, and it’s kind of like having kids, you don’t know, and a million people can give you advice, you can read a million books, and you can hear a million podcasts, and you can do all the research in the world, but until you experience it for yourself, you don’t really know what it is going to be like, and sometimes you just have to do that and have the experience.” - 1:20:53 Corinne Shalvoy 

Episode Timeline:

1:26 Graham’s 2021 training and races

3:30 Graham’s training build for the Ouray 50 Mile Endurance Run

7:15 Graham’s injuries

12:40 Balancing running ultras, marriage, full-time jobs, and family

15:20 Coaching

18:55 Ouray 50 Mile Endurance Run: race day

22:57 Being married to your pacer (literally)

26:30 Ouray 50 Mile Endurance Run: weather

29:30 Ouray 50 Mile Endurance Run: the finish line

31:30 When Walmsley knows your name

33:24 Race takeaways

35:30 Corrine’s training build for the Leadville Trail 100 Run

44:10 Corrine’s weekly mileage

45:50 How to get the kids involved

46:50 The week of the Leadville Trail 100 Run

49:50 The Leadville Trail 100 Run: start line

55:00 Powerline

56:30 Twin Lakes Aid Station

59:00 First river crossing

1:02:00 When the race gets hard

1:06:30 Picking up pacers

1:07:33 Music to regulate emotions

1:12:15 Having Graham as a pacer

1:16:40 Did you ever think about quitting?

1:17:25 Graham’s perspective

1:18:41 The Leadville Trail 100 Run: the finish line

1:20:30 Takeaways from first 100 miler

Social Media:

Instagram: Corinne Shalvoy (@corinne_shalvoyage) • Instagram photos and videos Graham Shalvoy (@runningwhilecorporate) • Instagram photos and videos Website: Coaching | Shalvoy Running

Sponsors: Squirrel’s Nut Butter, XOSKIN, and Salomon.