About Running long - A trail & ultra running talk
Vert is the home for every trail & ultra runner. On this podcast we host conversations with key members of our Trail & Ultra running community from all over the world. From professional world class athletes to our Vert.run members and community. Narrating captivating stories and learning from and about this amazing sport.
185. Abby Hall | From Training to Reality: What Trail Running Actually Feels Like
Francesco and Abby Hall are both injured days after Black Canyon 100k. One DNF, one top-five finish, two hard falls. A real conversation about processing setbacks, racing at the front of a historic women’s field, and what actually drives a big performance.
Abby breaks down how her race unfolded, from a controlled start hitting goal splits, to the fall that cost her minutes mid-race, to a split-for-split battle with Molly Seidel all the way to the finish. The margins were that tight. And what that says about where the women’s field is right now is worth paying attention to.
There’s also a bigger thread running through this episode: what does it mean to perform at the front of a sport that’s getting faster and deeper every year? Francesco and Abby talk about the weight of expectations that came with Abby’s Western States win last year, and why a race like this one felt like a release as much as a result. They dig into the idea of specificity, why fitness alone doesn’t explain a 25-minute improvement over the same course, and why the real gains often come down to execution rather than the lab numbers.
And there’s a mentality piece worth highlighting: Abby’s been drawing inspiration from how gravel cyclists talk about their races, winning, losing, making mistakes, and moving on without letting any single result define them. It’s a harder mindset to hold when you’re only racing four or five times a year, but she’s trying to bring that lightness into how she processes all of this.
Raw, honest, and worth an hour of your time.
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12 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT
184. Francesco Puppi, Moisés Jiménez & Max Keith | Jim Walmsley Training Secret's and Francesco Puppi Black Canyon Preview
Days before lining up at Black Canyon 100K, Francesco Puppi sits down with Moisés Jiménez and Max Keith for a deep dive into training philosophy, double-threshold blocks, and what he learned from living and training alongside Jim Walmsley in Arizona.
This conversation centers on performance — not hype.
Francesco breaks down what he saw firsthand inside Jim’s preparation: Norwegian-style double threshold days, lactate testing between reps, treadmill precision at 7,000 feet, and the detailed charts mapping grade-adjusted pace to real-world effort. They unpack how controlled treadmill sessions can sharpen fitness — and where that approach may fall short when it comes to downhill durability and technical trail adaptation.
They explore:
What double-threshold training actually looks like (5x6min uphill + 10x3min controlled efforts)
Why Jim measures lactate mid-workout — and what he’s looking for
How to build aerobic power without going “all out”
The pros and limitations of treadmill-based performance blocks
Translating controlled lab-style fitness into chaotic desert terrain
Francesco also shares how his own training differs — why he prioritizes eccentric load, downhill strength, and trail specificity — and how he’s integrating lessons from Arizona without abandoning his system.
The conversation shifts into race execution: sodium strategies, heat adaptation ahead of Western States, passive vs. active heat training, and the discomfort of Black Canyon’s rolling, relentless terrain. They discuss how early-season American racing forces athletes to sharpen fitness in January and February — and whether that’s sustainable long term.
If you’re interested in the how behind elite performance — the data, the structure, the experimentation, and the honest doubts — this episode delivers a rare look inside high-level ultra preparation.
What you’ll learn
The structure of Jim Walmsley’s double-threshold block
How lactate testing shapes workout intensity
Why treadmill precision can accelerate aerobic gains
The missing pieces when training indoors for trail ultras
Heat and sodium strategies for Western States-style racing
How to evolve your system without overhauling it
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Francesco’s links:Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Ffrancescopuppi%2F&is_from_rle)| X (https://x.com/francescopuppi)| Strava (https://www.strava.com/pros/11943431)| Website (https://francescopuppi.it/)
9 Dec 2025
183. Max Keith | Pacers, Crews, World Champs & the Future of Trail Running: The 2025 Recap
Francesco Puppi interviews Max Keith about the future of trail running in 2025, touching on pacers, content creation, and the impact of technology, offering insights into the sport's rapid evolution.
Inside a recent episode
185. Abby Hall | From Training to Reality: What Trail Running Actually Feels Like
Published 2 Apr 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And it's just... Yeah. I mean, obviously they are super talented and just goats, but it doesn't mean that whenever they're like on the star line, we're all the same. Yeah. What matters is just, uh, how much work you put in and what you're able to, to do on race day. So yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. […]
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