It’s funny. When I started this blog back in 2015, I threw “running long since 2013” in my header as a warning to readers. Caveat emptor. I wanted to pass along my experiences and things that I was learning about ultras, but I wanted to be clear that no one should consider me an expert. I was a beginner. For every thing that I did right, I was probably doing at least two things wrong so take what you read with a grain of salt. I was definitely the noob.
And now?
Well, I’ve been running long for seven years so I’ve gained a bit of expertise after 30+ ultras. I’ve developed training and racing strategies that give me confidence of finishing pretty much any footrace up to and including the 100 mile distance. I know there will be challenges (and lows), however they are fewer and farther between than they used to be. I’m now the wily veteran.
But I look at that header and I cringe at what I’m now advertising to the world. Because I’m not an expert yet. I’m not certified in anything (unless suffering counts). I still making mistakes. Heck, I had to recently write a blog post of all the things I’ve learned because I keep forgetting them!
The truth is ultras are extremely personal endeavors. It’s a complicated mixture of skills, planning, and self-knowledge that are necessary to survive let alone succeed. What works for me is just as likely not to work for you. Describing my tips and tricks aren’t a blueprint for you to use as much an a la carte listing of the choices available to you.
So I’m making a slight change to my header by adding an asterisk. It’s the “but” that needs to be included with all my comments. The disclaimer that needs to be added to each post. The warning not to take my words as The Truth. Just my own.
Running Long Since 2013*