Ep. 37 How Erika Flowers Balances Elite Racing, Motherhood, and a Full-Time Job

In this episode of the Race Ready Podcast, Andy Newell and Brian Halligan sit down with elite skier and trail runner Erika Flowers for a wide-ranging conversation on training, racing, and life as a professional athlete juggling work, family, and competition. Recording from a snowy holiday break in Vermont, the discussion opens with reflections on East Coast skiing culture before diving into Erika’s unique background as a multi-sport athlete, NCAA All-American, World Cup racer, and North Face–sponsored runner — all while working a full-time professional job and raising a young child .

Erika offers an honest and refreshing look at how her training philosophy has evolved since becoming a working parent. Rather than chasing perfect plans or high training volume, she emphasizes flexibility, feel-based decision-making, and identifying just a few key sessions each week that truly move the needle. The conversation explores why “something is better than nothing,” how perspective can actually improve performance, and why many athletes race better when their identity extends beyond results alone .

The episode also dives deep into athlete development, coach-athlete trust, and navigating transitions — from college to post-collegiate racing, from skiing to running, and from rigid structure to adaptable training. Erika shares hard-earned lessons on patience, communication, and long-term thinking, offering valuable takeaways for masters athletes, young racers, and anyone balancing ambition with real-world demands. It’s a thoughtful, relatable conversation about staying competitive, resilient, and joyful in sport — even when life is busy and far from perfect.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(59)

S2 E13. Luci Anderson, Cross-Country or Biathlon? Here's What It's Really Like to Do Both

What happens when one of America's top cross-country skiers decides to start biathlon... and just two years later is racing on the World Cup and representing Team USA at the Olympic Games? In this epi...

19 Heinä 57min

S2 E12. The Brain's Secret Role in Endurance Performance with Dr. Scott Frey

What if everything you've been taught about endurance performance is missing the most important piece of the puzzle? In this episode of the Race Ready Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Scott Frey: cogniti...

12 Heinä 1h 15min

S2 E11. July Training: Time Trials, Strength, and Skill Development

July is one of the most important months of the year for endurance athletes, but it's also one of the easiest times to make mistakes. In this episode of the Race Ready Podcast, Andy Newell and Brian H...

5 Heinä 1h 9min

S2 E10. Fabian Stocek: The Marginal Gains That Win Races

In this episode of Race Ready, Andy Newell sits down with one of the most fascinating minds in endurance sports: Fabian Stocek. A former NCAA standout at Dartmouth, Ski Classics champion, trail runner...

28 Kesä 1h 15min

S2 E9. Recovery Weeks are Not Vacation Weeks

This week on Race Ready, Andy and Brian dive deep into one of the most overlooked aspects of endurance training: recovery. Why do so many athletes struggle to absorb training? How much should you actu...

21 Kesä 1h 2min

S2 E8. Jason Cork: 16 years of coaching Jessie Diggins

Jason Cork has spent the last two decades quietly shaping some of the most successful athletes in American cross-country skiing. As the longtime coach of Jessie Diggins and a key figure behind multipl...

14 Kesä 1h 21min

S2 E7. What Percent of Training Should be Ski Specific?

This week on the Race Ready Podcast, Brian and Andy tackle one of the most common questions in endurance training: how should beginner athletes structure their intensity distribution when they only ha...

7 Kesä 1h

S2 E6. Sophia Laukli opens up about why she needed to take a step away from skiing.

After stepping away from the World Cup circuit, missing the Olympic season, and disappearing from competition, Sophia Laukli sits down for an exclusive and remarkably candid conversation on the Race R...

31 Touko 1h 6min