This week on The Trailhead, Zoë and Brendan talk with Abigail West—trail runner, printmaker, and full-time creative who’s showing us what it means to run with purpose. Based in the lush foothills of Southern Appalachia, Abigail blends endurance and artistry, carving out time (and linoleum) to tell stories about wild places, climate, and community.

We dive into everything from FKTs in the Georgia mountains to why training for ultras is a terrible match with art fair season. Abigail shares how she captures the emotional texture of landscapes through printmaking, why she’s obsessed with spiderweb-filled singletrack, and what it means to be an entrepreneurial artist-athlete in a world that doesn’t quite know what to do with either.

Plus: the problem with art world algorithms, the reality of life in a construction zone, and a full-throated defense of Waffle House. Grab your gravy and your gaiters, this one goes deep.

The Trailhead is brought to you by Sidas! The company that supports your feet so that they can support you!

This week on The Trailhead, Zoë and Brendan are joined by performance scientist, coach, and author Steve Magness for a deep dive into the messy, meaningful side of mental toughness. Known for calling BS on outdated notions of grit, Steve shares insights from his latest book, Win the Inside Game, and challenges the idea that suffering is the only path to success. Instead, he makes the case for curiosity, flexibility, and joy as essential ingredients for growth, not just in running, but in life. Together, they explore how identity, external validation, and over-optimization can get in the way of real performance.

Steve explains why some of the fastest runners he’s coached only started thriving once they let go of the pressure to be a runner, and how elite athletes like Sara Hall have learned to recalibrate their goals to preserve their peace of mind. He makes the case for ditching the data when it stops serving us, and why meaningful community—not metrics—is what actually makes us better.

They also unpack what running has to teach us about feeling deeply, building connection, and making space for the full human experience. Whether it’s the emotional highs of crewing a friend at 2 a.m., the quiet power of a watchless workout, or the absurd relief of pushing an empty jogging stroller just to feel fast again—this conversation is a funny, honest, and refreshing reminder that running doesn’t have to be a grind. It can be recess. And maybe that’s the whole point.

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This week on The Trailhead, we're joined by one of the most thoughtful voices in endurance sports writing: Alex Hutchinson. You might know him from his Outside column, Sweat Science, or his bestselling book Endure. But today, we’re talking about his newest work—The Explorer’s Gene—and what it reveals about why we push into the unknown, whether we’re climbing literal mountains or trying the weirdest thing on a menu.

In this wide-ranging and unexpectedly hilarious conversation, we dig into:

• The "explore vs. exploit" dilemma, and how it shows up in our running, routines, and lives
• Why inefficiency is essential to joy and creativity
• How kids (and ultrarunners) are wired for uncertainty
• The effort paradox: why hard things feel more meaningful
• What AI, IKEA furniture, and running have in common

Alex also shares how becoming a parent and moving beyond his “Endurance Science Guy” brand shaped his perspective on curiosity, comfort zones, and career detours.

Whether you’re stuck in a rut, planning your next big adventure, or wondering if it's time to zag instead of zig, this one’s for you.