News and Updates

Episode 280: Leah Falland (O’Connor) – The On Athletics Club: A Fresh New Start

Leah Falland (O’Connor) just joined the brand new On Running team (The On Athletics Club) coached by Dathan Ritzenhein out in Boulder, CO.

Leah ran track and cross-country at Michigan State University and during her time there she won two NCAA titles, was the captain on the 2014 NCAA cross-country national championship team and won over a dozen big ten championship titles.

She went pro right out of college in 2015, running for addidas. The summer of the 2016 Olympic Trials she had a partial tear in her plantar fascia and missed make the team in Steeple Chase. (She was a huge favorite to make that team!) After overcoming a long string of injuries- Leah wrote an article that most of us runners who have ever been injured can find some comfort in – Hey Struggling Runner.

Leah is healthy now- she just got married and she is moving out to Boulder and excited to train with the team. She’s been working with Dathan Ritzenhein as a coach for a couple of years now and credits much of her successes in her path to recovery from injuries and training again to his mentorship and guidance.

Photo Cred: Dave Albo

What we talked about:

5:20- Update on Leah’s move to Boulder, Colorado and what she is currently up to

13:15- Her recent signing with On and On Athletic Club in Boulder, Colorado

15:35- Her experience on Gazelle Elite in Michigan

17:10- How her and her husband, Louis Falland, met

18:50- The journey of coming out of college with a big sponsorship and pressure and going through injuries and low periods

28:35- How she handled getting injured and not blaming herself for it

32:15- Her current mindset on her last few years of running

37:30- Her experience at the 2016 Olympic Trials and her emotions after

39:55- If she will go back to focusing on the steeplechase as her main event

41:35- Her progression from starting as a sprinter to becoming a distance runner