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

 

Guests: Sabrina Stanley & Avery Collins

Episode Title: Avery Collins & Sabrina Stanley - An Ultra Power Couple w/ Refreshing Perspectives

Bio: Sabrina Stanely and Avery Collins are a professional ultrarunning couple based in Silverton, Colorado. The couple actually met through running in Breckenridge, Colorado and now run a successful coaching business together called “Power Couple Coaching.” They are the first to admit that having a partner who not only accepts your ultrarunning, but understands it is one of the best things in the world. The couple motivates, encourages, and supports each other through the highs and lows of professional sport. Sabrina is known for her drive, determination, and dedication to excel in ultrarunning, regardless of the sacrifices she has to make in order to do so. Her honesty about running to win is incredibly refreshing in the trail and ultrarunning world where many runners try to promote the idea of an effortless almost accidental win. Sabrina started running in high school and has always dreamed of going pro. In her first 100 she dropped out at mile 87 and after that vowed never to DNF again. She has held true to that promise and some of her most notable ultrarunning achievements include two first place finishes at the Hardrock 100 Endurance Run, second overall at the 2019 HURT 100 Miler, and third place in the women's category at the 2017 Western States. On August 11, 2020 Sabrina set the Nolan’s 14 (supported) FKT, breaking the previous record by about 2 hours. Sabrina’s number one goal is to win UTMB and with her drive, determination and ability to critically analyze both her strengths and weaknesses it is not a farfetched goal at all. Sabrina claims not be a natural runner; she is most definitely a natural hard worker. The couple make a great pair as Avery is also an incredibly accomplished and dedicated ultrarunner. In 2017 he won every race he entered except one and currently boasts four FKTs. Although, he grew up playing basketball, a distinctly team-based sport, Avery fell in love with running for the self-sufficiency and self-reliance it necessitates. Some Avery’s most notable races include first place at the 2018 HURT 100 Miler, first place at the 2016 Ouray 100 Mile Endurance Run, first place at the 2015 Colorado 200 Mile Endurance Run, and a sixth-place finish at the 2017 Western States. Avery is also known for his cannabis advocacy which although he admits has no performance enhancing abilities does make his runs quite interesting and adds to the escape and meditative aspect of a nice long run. In addition to running Avery enjoys a variety of mountain sports including cycling and climbing! The couple are an amazing example of hardworking people who find joy and pride in the competitive aspect of sport. The next race on the horizon is Madeira!

Quotes from podcast episode:

“That spring is like nothing, you know, I lost a spring, in the big picture what does it matter, especially if I can continue to run good races for years to come.” - 17:07 Avery Collins

“I was positioned in a place where I don’t think I really needed any type of mantra because I always had someone in front of me. That is kind of the beauty of an incredibly competitive race there’s always someone to be chasing… I always had work to do, maybe that was my mantra: “You still got work to do.”” - 22:49 Avery Collins

“I was really happy with my performance. I ran pretty hard into the finish line. It was very exciting… I stuck with my plan all day, I remained in a really positive state of mind and just tried my best to keep hunting people down all day.” - 30:57 Avery Collins 

“How are you going to react when this doesn’t happen the way you want? Like I want it to happen the way you envision it, but if it doesn’t you have to mentally also prepare for that because if you don’t, you could just dig your own grave and make it worse.” 34:06 Sabrina Stanley 

“When I crossed the finish line, I was by no means upset. I was 100 percent aware of the fact that I was 45 minutes off of my goal time. I knew that, but it wasn’t something that had bothered me. I ran pretty hard all day; I ran really hard all day for where I was and that’s really all I can ask of myself.” - 39:20 Avery Collins  

“We are both right because she does know herself better than I do and I know myself better than she does.” - 43:00 Avery Collins

“I am a local legend.” - 46:53 Avery Collins

Episode Timeline:

1:20 Avery’s recent recovery running

3:50 Sabrina’s Hardrock 100 recovery

4:53 UTMB

6:00 Cons of race stacking

8:00 Times in ultrarunning getting faster

9:40 Avery’s cooking

12:55 Avery’s feelings and training going into CCC

16:36 Importance of having a big picture view for longevity in sport

18:00 Avery’s CCC highlights

22:15 What do your legs feel like during these CCC climbs?

26:00 Using salt pills safely

27:00 Final CCC finish summit

31:00 CCC finish line

33:10 Sabrina’s experience crewing for Avery

35:35 Sabrina’s Spotify 

36:50 Avery’s Spotify

38:10 Was it a satisfying finish?

39:00 Avery’s future racing plans

42:40 Being an ultrarunning couple

46:19 Plans and goals for the fall and winter

49:30 Thoughts on next year’s Hardrock 100

54:00 Recovery between intense race experiences like Badwater 135 and UTMB

57:00 Life/run balance

58:30 Rob’s future races

59:30 Badwater 135 and Arrowhead 135 aka Rob’s yin and yang

1:01:30 Spiders at the Airbnb

1:02:16 Craziest wildlife encounters

1:06:10 Hallucinations during races

1:10:15 Future Colorado 200-like races and making 200s more competitive 

1:13:10 Future FKTs

Avery Collin's CCC Recipe on the Episode

Tomatoe/Basil/Pesto Gnocchi baked with sausage and gruyere cheese. With onion and garlic on bed of arugula

Sabrina’s Social Media:

Instagram: Sabrina Stanley (@sabrinaleannstanley) • Instagram photos and videos Facebook: Sabrina Stanley | Facebook Twitter: Sabrina Stanley | Facebook Website: Sabrina Stanley

Sabrina’s Sponsors: Adidas, Kenetichain, Muir Energy, OS1st, & Leki

Avery’s Social Media: 

Instagram: Avery Collins (@runninhigh) • Instagram photos and videos Facebook: Avery Collins - Home | Facebook Youtube: Avery Collins - YouTube

Avery’s  Sponsors: Athletic Brewing, Muir Energy, Quiq, Trupura CBD, & Method Seven

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