S1E2: Houston Marathon Week

In this episode of The Neff Pace, Cal and Rachel dive into their recent trip to Utah. Cal took on the mountains with some hike & fly paragliding (they discuss navigating the risks as a couple), while Rachel runs the marathon she didn't train for with personal bests along the way. They reflect on impostor syndrome after hanging out with D'amato, Mantz, Young, Ward and other Olympians and pros at BYU’s Running Elite Program, and they break down some wild trail running news—including federal charges for cutting a switchback. Finally, in their Marriage Matters segment, they dive into communication.

After a two-month break, The Neff Pace is back! Cal and Rachel catch up on all things life—race directing, training highs (including a Fastest Known Time on Texas' highest peaks during a search and rescue trip), and lows (like Cal’s injury at The Canyons 100K). Rachel shares stories from Tokyo and getting ready for a marathon. They talk the new "doping games" and potential cheating in ultras, the chaos of house projects, and wrap up with their latest “Marriage Matters” session exploring attachment theory, family of origin, and personality clashes… plus dinosaurs and the Easter Bunny. It’s a full one!

Catching up after a few weeks of travel to West Texas for vacation, camping, as well as Search and Rescue, taking the kids to the Houston Rodeo, putting on events, Birthday's, Texas Independence Relay, an update on house projects, diving into the use of ibuprofen and sodium bicarb for athletes and even kids, as well as coaching and parenting challenges for youth athletes, we chat Marriage Matters relationship communication and conflict, and more!

We're back as Rachel continues to recover from Covid we talk about week one of our Marriage Matters course learnings with "The Crazy Cycle" before catching up on a (lot of) mouse in the house, flying a cub, a race director leaving mid-race, Rī Wolf plays at the San Felipe Shootout, will Cal race Kilian Jornet at Canyons 100k, and heading to the mountains for altitude training and Search and Rescue.

We're back after a busy two weeks of traveling to Black Canyon 100k and putting on a 100-hour race, Jackalop Jam. Lots to update from the world of running - so many world records, more super shoe talk, bi-carb, upcoming race schedule, race directing, a quick "How do GPS's work" rant, upcoming travel, and some relationship/home/life discussions.

This week Cal and Rachel talk about a great weekend full of family fun, running, and flying, our new favorite recipe, a few tragic news updates in both the track & field and aviation worlds, disruptions in many industries with new AI platforms and how that finds it's way into training, Strava, and coaching, Black Canyon 100k Ultra Preview and fantasy draft picks, we completed our relationship Life Dinner (there were some fights), 360 video footage of a hang gliding aerotow thermal flight, scooter towing a paraglider, an upcoming book launch event with Steve Magness, "pleasure books", and more!Peruvian Chicken and Rice with Green Sauce Recipe: https://gimmedelicious.com/peruvian-chicken-rice/

On this week's episode: Houston Snowstorm, Our Frenchie has a drinking problem, training update, running watch optical heart rate sensors and Strava fitness score, athlete sponsorships, The Life Dinner relationship check-in (guide below), Race Director Emails: Virtual Tracking, Big Salt sodium overload, and more on the weekly update!Leave a comment and rating! Let us know if you do the Life Dinner or have any future topic discussions.Life Dinner Guide:1. Personal Reflection on Last MonthGuiding Questions:• What could I have done better?• What was I proud of?• What's causing me anxiety?• What am I worried about for the future?2. Relationship Reflection on Last MonthGuiding Questions:• What's one little thing we noticed about each other that we love?• Are there things we learned about from our relationship?• How might we want to improve moving forward?3. Personal Goals for Next MonthGuiding Question:• What do I want to achieve over the next 4 weeks?(This is helpful for prioritization and accountability.)Now, some guiding principles:1. No stonewalling. Don't close up or detach while having tough conversations.2. Be in the moment. Approach everything from a place of love. Ask thoughtful questions.3. Prepare ahead of time. Keep a running journal of things you want to discuss.Topics: Running, Training, Marathon, Coaching, Relationship, Tips, Fitness, ultra, trail

Wrapping up the Houston Marathon weekend with results coverage, American Record analysis - Ryan Hall flats vs Connor Mantz super shoes, pacing, more burrito talk, ice cream, sauna training & recovery, Don't Call it a Comeback - Keira D'Amato book launch announcement, and more from Cal and Rachel Neff on this weeks episode of The Neff Pace Podcast.

Friday night episode heading into the Houston Marathon weekend, where Cal will be pacing the elite women and has over 50 athletes from Hardloop Endurance running. We cover the elite field and other running news, including an intro to the LetsRun message boards.Other topics include a new segment of couples' confessions "What (the F) was your latest Amazon purchase?!", off-season flying donkey milk, un-sportsmanship psychology that works, doping, trail racing event management, and much more!

Get introduced to Cal and Rachel and their full plate of life; from running to flying, marriage, children, business, and more. In this first episode, you get a quick background of Cal and Rachel, their new airport property and the dreams it has ignited, 2025 goals, the Houston Marathon this weekend, and even kicking off the new year with a mean girl sliding in the DM's. Just a taste of the pace that is, the Neff's life.