Thru Endurance We Conquer!

The runners usually take all the glory at Ultra Races. They are out there, working through the miles, struggling against the distance and the time. The stories of success and failure are written about time and time again. But the runners are only one small part of a successful ultra event. The whole event is much more then just the runners. Some of the parts are hidden - behind the scenes work from the race director for permitting and emergency management plans. Others are more visible - from the smiling faces hand out bibs in the morning to the volunteers scattered across the miles and the crew and family there to support the athletes. It’s a machine of many parts that when they come together create a wonderful experience for all. The loneliness of waiting for runners in the early morning hours Photo - Jamie Reichler The Whole is greater then the Sum of the Parts. That was the theme of the Sangre de Cristo Ultras this year and it was on full display throughout the entire t...

Back in February, I wrote that the key to successfully reaching my goals at Stories Ultra was to keep smiling . Don't let myself get trapped in the darkness mentally and physically as the hours pass and the miles add up. I wrote that I've been there before - facing down the 2:00 AM demons and the darkness of the night and have always managed to keep moving - one pedal stroke or footstep at a time. I said that the smile was key and I needed to just keep smiling, no matter what. That outward expression of positivity that will help keep the demons at bay. Easy things to say before a race. Not so easy to put into practice. There can be no light without darkness.  And now I find myself making the final preparations for Sangre de Cristo 100. My drop bag is packed. I've written out the plan and the list of things that need to get done at Music Meadows. It's nothing like the detailed, overly specific plan that I'd created for Stories. Keep it simple. The more complica...

Every athlete knows the feeling. It’s taper time! Time for the body to absorb all the training and for recovery from all the hard work. You’ve made it to the last few weeks before the race, without injury or missing key training session. And then - as the taper starts - something starts aching. A new niggle here, a strange ache there. What is going on?!  Taper pains. Are they real? When you hobble back after a three mile run of panic, they definitely seem real! I can’t even run three miles, how will I cover 100? The minute a taper pain appears, athletes consult Dr Google, freaking out that something is really wrong. Dr Google is the worst resource for any taper stressed runner. That weird ache becomes a stress reaction, maybe even a stress fracture. The tight heels are self-diagnosed into full blown tendinitis. Gah! The race is ruined! Until the next run, when something completely different is aching. The original panic inducing pain is gone and there’s something new twinging with ...

It’s been a challenge this week - keeping focused on the day to day and the final hard workouts. Two weeks is such a long time and yet so close. So much to do, so many things to think about and the date drawing ever closer. There is no more questioning if I am ready - the work has been done and there’s no taking any of the training back or adding to it at this long. Now is the time to figure out the final plan - or the framework of the ideas to take me 104 miles. I have to balance the planning with accepting the unknown. There will be plenty of unknowns. A 4:00AM start - which seems so much harder then simply staying awake until midnight! The 6:00 AM starts are easy for me - I’m normally out running or on my bike at that time. Granted its usually just for a short workout - less then two hours. Its just a few hours earlier then usual for me. I don’t have an issue getting up and eating well before a 6:00 AM race. But 4:00? I’d be getting up at 2:30 to eat and such. Would it be better...

Trail running at night is an integral part of ultra running, yet something we very rarely get to do. So many reasons why, but it seems to be a neglected aspect of training. I’m guilty as charged! I know exactly how my bike lights work and the settings I need for riding, but running? Humm... and there’s a huge difference between running the regional trails in Bear Creek Park and actual trail running! Sure, I’d gotten plenty of darkness at Stories and Last Call, but with Sangre de Cristo coming up, I was getting a little nervous. So when I saw the Moonshadow Half Marathon months ago, I was curious. A night race at Cheyenne Mountain State Park? Fun! Bad timing for me though, since I’d already committed to the American Discovery Trail Marathon a day later. I put the race out of my mind, focusing on everything else that needed to get done. But then some friends brought up a night run at CMSP. I’m always up for an adventure! (I think they were actually planning on doing the race the whole ti...