This is what we do.
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” ~ John Muir I lived one of my long-time dreams as I climbed the snowy[…]
As I sit here in the “before time,” just a few days before my first Western States 100, my thoughts and feelings are somewhat in a state of disarray. On the one hand, I have sincere and deep gratitude for being able to move about the earth under my own power. On the other hand, I can’t[…]
“A teachable spirit and a humbleness to admit your ignorance or mistake will save you a lot of pain. However, if you’re a person who knows it all, you’ve got a lot of heavy-hearted experiences coming your way” ~ Ron Carpenter Jr. This race report begins with my preparation for the race and learning from the mistakes[…]
“No human ever became interesting by not failing. The more you fail and recover and improve, the better you are as a person. Ever met someone who’s always had everything work out for them with zero struggle? They usually have the depth of a puddle. Or they don’t exist.” ~Chris Hardwick Let me start my[…]
Every training session, every race is a teacher. If you are open to the lessons, you can learn a lot. My training for and racing of the Vermont 100 is no exception. Here’s how it went down. The race started at 4 a.m., which meant the timeline for pre-race eating was pushed ever earlier. I went to[…]
Saturday morning, I woke up at 3:25 a.m. to the glare of headlights as athletes began arriving for the Peaks Ultra Challenge in Pittsfield, Vermont. The back of our Subaru was my makeshift hotel for the previous night. I had dropped Maria off in Lake Placid so she could get her training in, and then[…]
In the first segment of this 3-part series of mental fitness, we discussed the role of motivation in endurance sport. But, motivation is only one part of mental toughness and fitness. In this post, we look at the ways in which our mind can help or hinder our physical performance. No doubt many of you have set significant[…]
Our bodies, regardless of how fit we are, have a limited ability to tolerate increases in core temperature. The research suggests that as our core body temperature reaches or exceeds about 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.5 celsius), our bodies will fatigue, our pace will slow, our rate of perceived exertion will increase, and we risk heat exhaustion[…]
