Episode 96: An Important Conversation with Jill Colangelo about the Correlation between Mental Health and Endurance Sports

We had the pleasure of interviewing Jill Colangelo (www.jillcolangelo.com), a recent graduate of Harvard University Extension School, who spent her academic career researching and writing a thesis (Colangelo, Jill Ann. 2020. Prevalence and Type of Psychopathology in Ultra Endurance Athletes. Master's thesis, Harvard University Division of Continuing Education) on the correlation between mental health and ultra endurance sport.  We initially read (and posted) about her work in Susan Lacke's article in Outside Magazine (See Mental Health Used to Be Taboo in Sports. These Researchers Are Changing That).  .Jill is a a former triathlete and ultrarunner who attended graduate school at the age of 41 in order to better understand the often delicate relationship between mental health and participation in ultra endurance sports.  Her experience with training, racing, and ultimately suffering from overtraining syndrome led her on a 3+ year quest to uncover the truth and help other athletes.  We had an interesting conversation about connection between mental health and miles and learned that we need to learn more. JIll can be found on Instagram at @acaseofthejills and at www.jillcolangelo.com.   f you have specific questions, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].  If you are looking for a Boston Marathon group coaching program, check out our RFF--->BOS Program, which is underway as we prepare for Boston 2021.  We also offer personalized private coaching for those looking for a personalized coaching experience.  To register for group or individual training, head over to our website (www.runfartherandfaster.com). Follow us on social media @runfartherandfaster (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter).   Thank you to our sponsors, @soupergirl—use the code RUN20 for 20 percent off—-@oofos, @lilytrotterscompression, and @SPIbelt. Also thanks to our editor, Erin Bryant.