has made it to the top of running podiums around the world through hard work and an unwavering belief in herself. The Flagstaff, Arizona-based runner took second at the 2021 Canyons 100K, CCC in France, and at this year鈥檚 Transgrancanaria, to name just a few recent highlights. But Hall鈥檚 path to success wasn鈥檛 fast or easy; she spent years learning how to run on trails and how to race them. Along the way she made valuable mistakes like going out too fast at 100-milers and barely meeting time cutoffs. She knows how to get from being a beginner trail runner to earning a podium spot as an ultrarunner, and here she breaks down her advice for how you can level-up your trail running this season. Whether you鈥檙e just starting out or looking to achieve new goals, use these five tips to become more confident and successful on the trail.听聽聽
Be Curious聽
Hall, 31, grew up running and found joy in the freedom of cruising around the woods and grabbing mid-run slurpees with her cross-country teammates. But it wasn鈥檛 until she moved to L.A. after a college running career that she started to create her own distinct relationship with the sport outside of a team structure, with daily practices and scheduled races. 鈥淭here was no one waiting for me, no race to train for next, but there was still something burning,鈥 says Hall. Even after years of running, Hall recognizes there is always something new to learn. Hit a roadblock or plateaued? She recommends staying curious and channeling a beginner mindset to overcome new obstacles and challenge yourself.听
That curiosity sparked Hall鈥檚 journey from road running to trail running. Hiking in the Sierra Nevada, Hall鈥檚 route converged with the last section of the 223-mile John Muir Trail (known as N眉眉m眉 Poyo鈥攖he People鈥檚 Trail鈥攂y the Paiute people). She immediately wondered what the fastest known time (FKT) was for the John Muir Trail. When she got home she bought all the books she could find about trail running and ultrarunning. 鈥淚 wanted to learn all about it because I鈥檇 decided I was going to go for the FKT on the John Muir Trail.鈥 At the time the supported female record was 3 days, 20 hours .听
Keep it Simple
Hall measures her training based on effort and duration rather than pace and distance, a shift that has been instrumental for her growth. 鈥淭he best way for us to gauge the impact of technicality and grade is just by listening to what our bodies are telling us,鈥 she says. Often, Hall will head out without a set plan of where she鈥檒l run, instead seeking trails or routes she鈥檚 naturally drawn to and that offer up a little inspiration. This approach means she could encounter a variety of terrain and she needs a shoe to match, which is why she loves the new , a do-it-all workhorse. The shoe is light and comfortable, with the easy fit of a road shoe and a sturdy build that offers confidence and protection on technical trails. That versatility makes the Agravic a simple choice for Hall, who might experience dirt roads and rocky singletrack on a single run.听
Recovery is also a crucial part of effective training, and Hall says that runners often have a tendency to overcomplicate it. 鈥淢y coach [Jason Koop] always says the best recovery tools are sleep and food,鈥 says Hall. Beyond rest and nutrition, Hall says to keep it simple鈥攇et to know your body, listen to what it tells you, address pain before it becomes an injury, and don鈥檛 be afraid to take a few days off if something feels wrong.听
Find Your Spark聽
Before Hall ever ran an ultra, she had a feeling she could be pretty good at it. 鈥淚 dove in head first,鈥 Hall says. So she moved to Boulder, Colorado, in 2016 so she could train for her first FKT attempt on the John Muir Trail. There she signed up for her first 50k and first 50-miler. Her new friends in Boulder鈥攜oung women who were deeply invested in trail running and crushing highly competitive ultras like the Leadville 100鈥攐pened her eyes to the possibilities of where she could take the sport.听
鈥淕et to know your own personal spark and make sure you listen to it,鈥 says Hall. That spark or your 鈥渨hy鈥 is your unique motivation. That spark kept Hall going after setbacks, like her FKT attempt on the John Muir Trail (she just wasn鈥檛 ready and had to bail on day one).听聽
Believe in Yourself聽
Early in her running career, Hall had huge goals, but she was terrified to say them out loud. 鈥淚t requires a lot of vulnerability to put yourself out there with a goal and say, 鈥業 believe I鈥檓 capable of this kind of result,鈥欌 she says. 鈥淚鈥檝e often felt there鈥檚 a stigma around speaking confidently about your goals, as though our self-belief needs to be earned.鈥
But not being honest about your goals can create a disconnect between your motivation for running鈥攜our spark鈥攁nd how you show up in the world and on the trail. Hall recently quit her full-time job as a designer to commit to running full-time as an adidas athlete. She attributes much of her success to this leap. She believes taking yourself and your goals seriously is the best way to honor that spark and create space for big dreams to materialize.
Trust the Process
Hall has seen her fair share of failures in her career, and they鈥檝e helped her figure out how to win. 鈥淔ailed goals are interesting to me,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hose were always the corners that I turned that set me up for success the next time.鈥 At the starting line of the Leadville 100 in 2017 and 2018 Hall believed she could win. Both years ended in disappointment when she barely got across the finish line before the time cutoff. When she attempted the FKT on the John Muir Trail again in 2020, however, Hall had one of the biggest turning points in her life. She didn鈥檛 set a record (though she came within a few hours of doing so), but worked through fear, vulnerability and perfectionism. The races she鈥檚 run since have been totally different. Starting lines now feel like a celebration rather than a proving ground. As a result of this shift in her mindset, Hall has achieved some of her best results.
To this same end, Hall recommends striving to be present along the way, focusing on the things you can control, and 鈥渞unning the trail you鈥檙e on鈥 as her husband, Cordis, likes to say. This means listening to your body if it needs rest, letting go of expectations, trusting that hard work will pay off, and getting away from categorizing days and runs as 鈥榞ood鈥 or 鈥榖ad.鈥 In short, your first goal should be to enjoy the process of pursuing your goals.听