A number of years ago now, I had this idea that turned into a goal which has morphed into an obsession. That being to finish a hundred 100 mile races (100×100=10k). It was a completely delusional idea since at the time I had never even finished an ultra marathon let alone a hundred mile race.…
Intermission
It’s time for a break. Not a long one. And not really from running as I still plan on getting out every day. More just a temporary hiatus from the mentality of training. My next race (NJ Devil 100) was cancelled and now I don’t have anything on my calendar until Stone Mill 50 in…
FAQ: Can I Finish an Ultra?
I’m on Reddit’s r/ultrarunning regularly and it seems like not a week goes by that someone does ask a question along these lines. Typically, it’s someone relatively new and wants to know whether they can finish a 50k, 100 miler, or whatever race they’ve got their eye on. It’s a pretty supportive group on there…
A Shift In How I Approach Racing
My last race really highlighted to me how much my approach to racing has changed over the years. I still enjoy racing as much as I ever have. It’s just that the focus has shifted. When I started out, my goal was to run and complete the race as quickly as possible. I mean, it’s…
Running Long Since . . .
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.…
Escaping a Funk: Part 2
In order to snap myself out of my self-quarantined rut, I’ve started to add a little spice to my life. My first step was to start up an exercise challenge for the month of May: 1,000 pull-ups and 2,000 push-ups. I’m almost a week in now and while I’m a little sore, I’m still on…
What I’ve learned during my ultra career
My last race got me thinking about all of the things that I’ve learned about running ultras. Actually, it got me thinking about all the things I’ve painfully learned over the years, forgotten, and then had to painfully relearn again. Don’t decide to drop between aid stations. Whatever is bothering you can typically be fixed…
Letting Go
I’m supposed to be running 200 miles right now, but like everyone else out there my race got cancelled. Unlike everyone else though the race was only kinda cancelled. The race director moved the race to August about a month ago, however since The Olde 96er is an unsupported run she gave everyone the opportunity…
HAT 50K Cancelled – Time for Plan B
If you want to have any success or longevity in ultrarunning, you better get good at moving on to Plan B. This is the second time a race I’ve signed up for was cancelled (2018 ES 100). I really feel for the race organizers and those runners that had been training specifically for this race…
Naked Bavarian Volunteer Report
Despite being a member of the ultra community for the past 6 years, this is the first volunteer report that I’ve written. It’s the first one because this past weekend was the first time I had ever volunteered at an ultra. My family and I have run an aid station at the Mushroom Cap Half…