And I've even said, why are you running? And their answer, if I stop, that means I've lost. So I go, okay. That's an interesting point of view. We get to the top of the hill. I was breathing normally and they were tired. Welcome to the trailhead of Trail Runner Nation. We're here to go on a trail run virtually with you. We're glad you're here. We hope that you learn to be a better trail runner, a healthier, happier person athlete, and maybe just a better human being. Today, we're gonna talk about how runners come in all shapes and sizes. From newbies to veterans, today's podcast is gonna throw a quiz out there so you'll learn exactly where you land. Hey Scott, you know the feeling when the weather turns and you realize that your running gear is still stuck in summer mode. Yeah that first cold rain or wind gust that makes you say I should have checked out my John G. Winter gear. Exactly. John G. Just dropped your winter kit upgraded lineup.

We're talking about running tights and pants like the Borrio fleece tight for cozy warmth or the trail tight for all season versatility. And for the top half of your body, I'm loving the auras ultra fleece hoodie. It's like running in a cloud that actually breathes. Or when the skies open up the the rain runner pack jacket, it keeps you dry without slowing you down. Hey, it's hard enough out there without having the right gear and that's where John G comes in. Don't forget the details like the gloves, the beanies and the brand new thermal runner, insulated cap, that's perfect for frosty mornings. You can find it on all of John G's weather ready gear at JohnG.com. And as a bonus for trail runner-nation listeners, get 10% off your order with a code trail runner. Pooching trail running means hearing stories like, I skipped the long run. My knee hurts, but I'll race anyway. I forgot to get my workouts. Good coach app tracks what's really happening so you can coach reality, not stories. 50% off with the code TRN2026 at goodcoach.app. That's goodcoach.app. Welcome to another edition of Trail of Rennonation. My name is Don Freeman and I'm Scott War and if you ever wondered, am I really a trail runner? Well today is the episode you're going to want to listen to. And in fact, if you think, if you know you're a trail runner, but you want to know what category of trail runner you fit in, this is the episode you want to listen to. It's a light-hearted episode that Don came up with the idea. We were chatting back and forth and he says, I have an idea, and so he gave it to me, and then we developed it into this episode. Don just asked me, is this one of those episodes we record and it never sees the light of day? No, it's gonna see the light of day, Don. You know, this is the one regardless, Scott's committed regardless of how it turns out. He's releasing it with or without my authorization. You don't even know where the bomb button is, do you? All right, right now I'm trying to find the list, but I do know this.

I may have given you the idea,

but when you brought it back,

I was having a good time reading the introduction,

but I didn't read a single question.

I'm raw and ready.

Oh, okay.

So you're prepared like always.

That's right.

Okay, enough of the frivolity.

Here is what we're gonna be doing and how it works. We're gonna read 33 statements. Don't ask why 33, why isn't it 20, why isn't it 50? It's 33. And every time, by the way, this is a participatory podcast. You get to play along with this. Kind of like a game show, but even if you're running down the trail you can participate so every time one of these statements applies to you You're gonna give yourself a point There's no explaining. There's no justifying and Absolutely no lying because we don't lie on the trail the trail gods are watching they'll know whether you're lying or not. So you're gonna give yourself a point. Now, when we're done, you're gonna tally up your score. If you're running, you're gonna use your fingers in your hands to keep track, or maybe you can take a little twig and make a scar or a little scratch on your arm to keep track. But if your score is under five, so if you agree with five of the statements, you might be a social media influencer. You own some trail shoes, you just don't use them that much. So you're kind of a poser. If you have five to nine, you're a noob. Now noobs are not, that's not a derogatory term because we were all noobs, right, Don? That's right, yeah, we all start out as a noob. So if you get five to nine, you're a noob and we're welcoming you to the trail. You're learning the language, but you still have to Google things on the trail to say, should I run this? You know, what happens when my stomach goes south? That kind of thing. Now, if you get 10, if you get up to 10, but under, I'm sorry, over 10 and under 18. So 10 to 18 of these statements, you're a veteran. You've bonked, you've recovered, and you have a very specific opinion about aid station foods. Now, if you get 19 to 25, by the way, we're going to review these at the end. So you don't get it. You don't need to be taking notes. You better review after you're done saying it. Go ahead, Scott. If you get between 19 and 25, you, my friend, are a grizzled trail runner. You have shorts that are older than your first GPS watch and somehow They still keep on working and and the problem your favorites, right? I know you'd have a few of those don't you don't I'm sure I do okay now if you got over 25 if you had a perfect score You you fall in this but if you you got over the 25, over 25, you're an OG. You know where all the bathrooms are, you manage injuries instead of healing them, and you've said, I'll never do that again, and then you sign up anyway. So that's the scoring system. Now there's a couple rules. You gotta be honest, like I said, Trail Gods are watching and listening. There's no recto, recto, active scoring. And where's the recto part comes from? That's later. That's later. That's one of the statements. And if one of these statements makes you laugh too hard, congratulations. That one defines you. And it definitely counts. Now, Don and I are going to be playing along as well. So we're going to be, we're going to be a little vulnerable here. We're going to be playing along as well, which means confessions. It may mean bad decisions. We may be calling each other out because we know each other well. Yeah. And I think that's the important, Scott. I want to be able to challenge you

because I've run thousands of miles with you.

And I know.

Thousands.

I'm sure of it.

We've at least been on the trail enough time

to run thousands of miles.

And I will call you out.

I will, you cannot lie because I'm watching.

All right.

So here we go.

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