Podcast: Re-Run with Bria Wetsch

Mario Fraioli | December 19, 2022

“Every time I line up I don’t get as anxious anymore, I don’t feel like I’m gonna barf. It’s just, ‘See what you can do. You have two healthy legs. You get to do this.’ Like, the sky is the limit. And if you don’t reach what you think you might be able to do, that’s OK too. Because I’m having fun. I’m more in the moment now, not thinking about the end goal of ‘Oh, I might not do as well’ or ‘I might suck.’ That’s fine.”

It’s been a busy fall and I haven’t been recording many new episodes of the podcast these last couple months, so I’m re-running a few of my favorite conversations from years past. This week’s is with Bria Wetsch, who just a few weeks ago finished fourth at the U.S. Marathon Championships at CIM in a new personal best of 2:28.35. We recorded this episode in April 2020, at the very beginning of the pandemic, not long after Bria had finished 27th at the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta.

I’m bringing back this conversation because of how honest and raw it was. In it, Bria told me about experiencing success at a young age and how she struggled to separate her identity and self-worth from her running results. She also recounts her experience recovering from double achilles surgery in 2017 and coming back to run a marathon PR 13 months later. She explained why she’s stuck with the sport despite various struggles over the past 20 years. Bria opened up about her fear of failure and battling perfectionism—but also how she learned to let go a few years ago and what that did for her relationship with running and competition, and a lot more.

Bria Wetsch: Instagram | Twitter

the morning shakeout: Instagram | Twitter

Mario Fraioli: Website | Strava

This episode is brought to you by:

— Tracksmith. The Turnover Tights are the perfect option for chilly morning runs this time of year. They feature a soft brushed back for a comfortable feel on the skin and a spacious rear pocket for storing cards, keys, nutrition, your phone, or whatever you want to stuff in there. During the month of December, visit tracksmith.com/mario and use code “Mario22” at checkout for free shipping on your order—also, 5% of your purchase will go to support the Friendly House in Worcester, Massachusetts, an organization that is ear and dear to me.

— Precision Fuel & Hydration. Precision Fuel and Hydration makes the best fueling and hydration products for training and racing, and they also provide invaluable education for endurance athletes at all levels. We recently held a webinar on fueling and hydration for marathons and ultras, and they’ve also posted articles about carbohydrate needs and how to train your gut to take in more fuel, all of which I’ve linked to in the show notes for this episode. Also be sure to check out their Fuel & Hydration Planner, which is a great tool that you can use to dial in your fueling and hydration needs for training and racing with incredible precision. If you want to pick up some product for yourself, use the code TMS22 when you check out at precisionfuelandhydration.com and save 15% off your first order.

Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford.