This week’s guest is pro triathlete and elite runner Morgan Pearson. Morgan is a graduate of the University of Colorado and one of the founding members of Tinman Elite who now has his sights set on representing the U.S. at the 2021 Olympics in the triathlon. We talked a bunch about the unique quirks of triathlon training, how it feels when he does come back to running and beat a bunch of pros, his hot takes on social media, and of course, the origin of the nickname “heartthrob.”

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HIGHLIGHTS

On training mostly solo:

“I kinda had this breakthrough after college when I was training more by myself… it wasn’t like I was a better runner or more fit, but I think I was doing the workouts more properly for me, but I also think there’s that mental aspect. Training by yourself – that’s hard. Doing an 18-mile long run by yourself… there’s no way around it. That’s hard. You’re going to be ready to race as a result.”

On balancing commitment with levity:

“I can be serious about training 5 hours a day, but I can also laugh at myself. I’m killing myself to do this, but it’s really not that important in the grand scheme of things. It’s great to be able to motivate and inspire people, but I don’t need to be so serious about the time. I can still have fun and laugh and poke fun at myself and poke fun at other people.”

On social media’s role in running:

“If it gets people into running or excited about the sport, that’s great, I’m all for it. But let’s not make the goal ‘have followers on social media.’ Let’s make the goal ‘break 4 in the mile,’ or ‘qualify for Olympic Trials,’ or whatever you’re trying to do. Let’s never forget the best parts of running.”