#162 | Zach Miller on Mental Toughness, Longevity & the Love of Running
About this episode
In this episode, Sally chats with legendary ultrarunner and former Nike Trail teammate Zach Miller about mental toughness, embracing discomfort, and learning to try again when things fall apart. From racing at the highest level for over a decade to finding new challenges in the sport, Zach shares why giving your best isn't about having a perfect day—it's about what you choose to do with the day you're given. Enjoy!
OTHER EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
- How childhood, family, coaches, and years of chasing faster runners shaped his mindset
- Why Zach has developed an unusual ability to stay in discomfort instead of immediately trying to escape it
- Lessons from Canyons 100K and Hardrock about mentally resetting when a race begins to unravel.
- Why mental toughness isn't always enough
- The Barb Miller gene
- How Zach continues to embrace competition against younger athletes as ultrarunning becomes more sophisticated
- What's next - an Appalachian Trail FKT, longer endurance challenges, Western States, and World Championships.
- The discipline of easy training
KEEP UP WITH ZACH:
INSTAGRAM: @zachmiller38
STRAVA: @zachmiller
IRUNFAR: irunfar.com/author/zmiller
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