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Welcome to the archive of the
ULTRAU TUESDAY EMAIL |
Photo courtesy of Full Send Media. Race by Go Beyond Racing.
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Greetings one more time from Indonesia where I have hiked, walked and eaten my way through the most amazing villages on the island of Flores. Today we attempted a hike up Mount Inerie, the highest volcano on the island. The trail gains 3,500 feet in about 2 miles, steep! We knew two things about the climb, one was that it was an obvious trail, always directly up and the other was at the first drop of rain, get your butt down. Well, the trail wasn't as obvious as we had been told, despite using digital mapping, so we spent an hour going a harrowing quarter mile up some scree that will haunt my dreams. Then after righting the ship and finding the actual trail again, it started to rain. Since the trail is basically a deep cut down the hill any rain means potential for flooding and the rains here right now are pre-monsoon level as the rainy season is coming, so there is no messing around. Some days you climb the mountain, some days you turn around and live to see another day. The rain started and we got soaked but we got ourselves down in before it really unleashed. We drowned our sorrows in spicy noodles watching the rain and the lesson I didn't think I would take away from this experience is, HOT DAMN OUR HOME TRAILS ARE AWESOME. Take some time to thank people who do trail work or sign up to do some yourself. The public lands we use for recreation have trails that switchback! Trails that drain! Trails that are signed! We have trails that are steep and others that are great for running or for taking your parents or young kids. It is cyber-Tuesday, not sure how I feel about that, but if you participate, consider a donation to keep the trails you love, the kind of trails you love!
STRENGTH TRAINING VIDEO LINK One more week without live Strength Training for Runners on Wednesday night, but HERE is a class from the archives for you. Put it on the calendar so you don't miss a week and grab your weights! AN INJURY STORY I thought this injury story from writer, coach and ultrarunner, Sarah Lavender Smith was well done, important to share and may resonate. "I’m full of remorse, not only for the injury but for how I masked the underlying problem... And remorse for trying to fast-track the comeback during the past three weeks. Why must I fast-track everything? I’m not feeling sorry for myself—I’m feeling pissed at myself." 6:38 PACE The women's record for the 50-mile distance has stood since 1991. November 9th that record was broken by runner Courtney Olsen clicking off 6:38 pace for 5 hours and 31 minutes. YOWSERS. "In the end, all I suffered was a slight haunting of the calf, a toe explosion, and peeing myself. I’d say that’s a damn near perfect execution." -Courtney Olsen on her 50-mile world record run at Tunnel Hill. READ UP Need some new reading material? Outside Magazine recommends some books for adventurers that may be what you are looking for. I put the book, Small Game by Blair Braverman on my list. A novel about a survival show, yes please! Happy trails, Dana
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This week I include a study that links more miles to faster marathon times. I also have a link to an event on bikes I think you should attend if you are in the Portland area. Sounds like these are at odds with each other BUT I want to ensure your training is FUN, consistent and healthy. Yes, more running miles at the right intensity and without injury will help make you faster but there is a limit and burning out is NOT a way to get faster. Why not race your friends in what amounts of a scavenger hunt on wheels. As the holidays approach, and especially if your goal events are further out, keep consistent with workouts on most days, even if they are short, keep it fun and give future you a great platform to start training when it is time. And of course, if you want a fast 30 minute inside workout for when it is pouring, join me on Wednesday nights for Strength Training for Runners. MORE MILES = MORE SPEED Amby Burfoot put out an interesting analysis of a study from the University of Dublin on the marathon training mileage of midpack runners. "The paper analyzes the training of more than 150,000 marathon runners who uploaded 16 weeks of their pre-race training to Strava. The researchers then correlated the training data to the runners actual finish times. In other words, they show that if you train X miles a week, you’ll likely finish your marathon in Y:yy hours and minutes. Some of the findings will amaze you. For example, runners finishing between 4:00 and 4:30 averaged about 20 miles/week in training. They had an average age of 40. This isn’t the same as suggesting you only need to train 20 miles a week to break 4:30. But it does show that it’s possible, because 27,000 runners did it." Burfoot compiled the weekly mileages and finish times in the chart below illustrating the main take away of the study, "that training volume was three times higher in the fastest runners (finish times of 120-150 min) compared to slower runners (>240 min) within the dataset." -read the study abstract here.  GET ON BIKES FOR THANKSGIVING
Looking for something to do with the family around Thanksgiving in Portland? How about Cranksgiving on Sunday, November 24th! This event is put on by the sparkling Bicycle Kitty, so you know it will be good. It's a fundraiser alley cat benefiting Portland Street Medicine. An alley cat is a bike race/scavenger hunt where you find a list of locations in the smartest order. This e-bike friendly, family-friendly event starts with free coffee at Nossa Familia, heads to Willamette Park for the family finish line, then the 21+ racers will continue on to find more clues and finish at Assembly Brewing on Foster. On-site registration is $0 - $100 per racer (cash or check only). Bring a pen and your sense of adventure! More details. WOOL IN THE RAIN Running in dumping rain when it is too warm for a rain jacket can be a tough go. I have been asked my go to rain jackets for running in rain when it is 45-60 degrees and my answer is wear wool and get wet. Wool stays pretty warm as long as you keep moving and you won't overheat and get soaked with sweat inside your jacket. If you need ideas for brands of wool running gear, UltraRunning Magazine just did a feature. TELL RUNNING STORIES ABOUT WOMEN WTF, the Women's Trailrunning Fund has opened a grant cycle and if you are a story teller or creative, read on. "Women, women-identifying, and non-binary creatives and athletes anywhere in the world who want to share and want support for writing, photo, film, and other media-related projects. We want to share the overlooked stories." You can apply for grants in the amount of $1,000, $5,000, or $10,000. There is a total of $25,000 available in grants for 2025. Grants will be awarded based on financial need, impact of the project, creativity, and the ability to elevate new voices. Closes December 13. Happy Trails, Dana PS- Last week I told you about the Willamette Valley Ornament Hunt. Well, two readers went out on the trails to try their luck AND FOUND TWO! There is still time to get out there and hunt, good luck. Hi all,
"A critical quality to develop in life is the willingness to try. You simply must find enough confidence to give it a go. The human mind is fabulous at learning. You will get better at whatever you practice. But before you can develop the skill to succeed, you must find the courage to attempt." -James Clear, author, Atomic Habits A quick reminder that you can LOVE running but not really like it right now. You can run for "just" 10 minutes and that is still called a run. You don't need to sign up for races to be a runner. You also don't have to do strength training but more durability, increased bone health and having a 30-minute break from the world aren't bad. Join me on Wednesdays for Strength Training for Runners live to your screen. TRAIL TREASURES In case you need to help persuading a friend or your kids to join you out on the trails, check in on November 15th with the Willamette Valley ornament hunt. Between November 15 and Dec. 25, 2024, two hundred locally-crafted wooden ornaments will be hidden along two-dozen trails in the Willamette National Forest and the Umpqua National Forest. And if you prefer running along the beach, you can also look for treasure on the coast at Lincoln City all winter with their Finders Keepers program. Each winter over 3,000 glass floats are hidden along seven miles of beach, made by local artisans. If you find a float, it’s all yours. This year there are extra drops on the following dates, so you have a better chance at a find. November 28- December 1 and December 7-8. I have looked twice and never found a float but it sure was beautiful and I saw seals, totally worth it. CHEW SOME CAFFEINE Caffeine gum. Might be worth a try at your next ultra distance event. "Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system, increasing focus and alertness in endurance athletes. There are several benefits of caffeine gum for endurance athletes including:
MULE NANNIES! I thought this picture was fake, then I picked my jaw up off the floor, then I tried to fact check it. Seems like there are mules that carry baby goats and if you need to smile, baby goats in mule bags here. If it isn't real, never tell me. I just heard the best story. Imagine a team building exercise where you need to get yourself out of a maze blindfolded. So you start by walking the edges, feeling the sides and working your way through. The only rules are keep on the blindfold and raise your hand if you need help. How long would you work to find your way out before asking for a facilitator to help? I imagine myself in this exercise ready to flail around for days. I have endurance, a never quit attitude and have done harder things than this. The trick though, there is no way out. The only way out of this maze is to raise your hand and ask for help.
Reflecting on my 'I would work on getting out for days' attitude, why would a team building exercise exist that is every person for themselves? I could kick myself for not seeing that right away. And once I realized that, I can see that this is just a metaphor for life. The recipe for a good life is seeing it as a team building exercise rather than what can I do by myself, for myself. Are we all in the maze right now? Guess we have to raise our hands and find out. Go vote. Give a hug. Then go for a run! WEEKLY STRENGTH INVITE I have been seeing articles with titles like, Ditch the Gym for These 3 Exercises and One Exercise, No Gym Needed. Please do not ditch the gym or do one exercise for your whole life. Lift heavy and do it regularly. But if the gym isn't your jam and you have weights at home, join me every Wednesday night, live at 5pm Pacific for a 30-minute strength session. Always free to join. Info here. SPORTS BRA LONGEVITY How often should you replace your sports bra? This article tells you it depends, but also, "If you wear and wash your sports bras every week, you should aim to get new ones twice a year", says person who works for a company that sells sports bras!!! I wear mine for YEARS, yikes! This sounds like a good gift idea for your runner friends and family this holiday season. SCIENCE Science Friday had an episode they called, "How Does Long-Distance Running Affect Your Body?" The best part was a short sweet conclusive, "There is no higher incidence of arthritis in runners than there is in the general population. So actually runners who do recreational running have a lower incidence of knee arthritis." Last weekend I had the great pleasure to cheer, crew and pace at the Javelina Jundred, 100 mile race outside of Phoenix, AZ. This year I had multiple athletes pursing big goals in record breaking heat promising to melt your face. FUN! I was reminded of important lessons watching each athlete push harder and farther than ever.
BONNIE There is a new YouTube video, Bonnie. If you are a woman who rides a bike, you need to know this story. "In 2008, Bonnie Tu founded Liv—the world’s first and only comprehensive bike brand dedicated exclusively to women. She knew it was risky to invest in women-first research, design, and engineering. She knew it was unconventional to make bikes, gear, and opportunities that optimize a woman’s power. And she knew it could be a lot of trouble to do things differently—but that’s exactly how she made a difference in women's cycling." 2008! This means lots of years of women riding on ill-fitting bikes shrunk down from men's dimensions. FKT NO-NO Park Rangers Charge North Face Athlete for Cutting Switchback on FKT Attempt. "No matter the outdoor objective you’re pursuing, if you break NPS rules and get caught, there will be consequences." Stay on the trail y'all. SEARCH AND RESCUE This beautiful short video featuring a rescue on Mt Washington was a great peek into the minds of lost climbers, search and rescue personnel and turning tragedy into something worthy. "I don't think you should stay home, even if you are a beginner. You got to go out if you are going to learn anything." OUTRUNNING THE DARK Thank you to a reader who sent me this story from the podcast the Moth, it is a doozy. The Moth titles her story, "Outrunning the Dark. Carol Seppilu finds a unique way to brave her depression." Worth a listen. And her stories continue on her Instagram page. EMOTIONAL SUPPRT TREATS If you are in my coaching universe, you will have heard me talking about emotional support treats. These are fuels that may not be ideal ratios of glucose to fructose and may contain ingredients that make internet health gurus clutch their pearls, BUT fueling is complex and expensive. Sometimes delicious, cheap and craveable are good supplements to the other fuels with the optimal ratios science promotes. Sometimes crying into an Oreo (double stuff of course) is about the finest way to get up a hill. Sometimes after slamming eight gels in a row a gas station pack of cheese crackers is just what you need to get your brain back in the game and that salty reward is enough to keep you going for another 5 hours of gel packs. As we go into rainy, cold and dark running, these treats can be especially great for forgetting that there is water pooling in the elbow of your coat. Happy day after Halloween candy sales to all who celebrate and go ahead, stock up on those emotional support treats you will need to get through training and make it awesome. Happy trails! HI all,
Last week I was sucked in to the coverage of the Red Bull Rampage and I have watched the winning run six times today. And when I talk about the winning run, I am talking about the women's winning run, since for the first time ever, after 17 editions, women were included in this invitational event. If you aren't familiar with this event, please never get any more familiar than just watching as this is nutso mountain biking with drops, flips and scary features people shouldn't even be walking on. To make the course, riders are shown the start and finish and with a team of trail builders they sculpt a line to ride for the competition that showcases their abilities. So cool, it takes a village and some serious nerve. I know freeriding bikes in the desert has absolutely nothing to do with running, but for people who care about sports, it feels important to remember that women are still earning their place in competitions and just because t-shirts that say, "Everyone Watches Women's Sports" are trending, doesn't always mean there are always women's sports to watch. That said, you should definitely watch the winning men's run too, then pick your chin up off the ground and get back to running (and supporting women's sports). A NEW MARATHON WORLD RECORD Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya ran a 2:09:56 marathon in Chicago last weekend smashing the world record by nearly two minutes. If you want me to do the math for you, that is 4:57 pace. In what was truly a breakthrough performance, FloTrack reported, "Chepngetich's first half marathon was a 1:04:16. Her personal best is 1:04:02. 1:04:16 would rank as the fifth-fastest half marathon of all time. The time is also the fastest half marathon ever run on American Soil." My brain just exploded. JOIN ME Wednesday night Strength Training for Runners is on, live and you should join us! You don't need to leave your house, you can do it in your PJs, hope to see you there. Info here. 2 YEARS GETTING COMFORTABLE ON TRAILS Here is a great 20 min video (a good amount of time to do mobility or some mini band work) about Heather Jackson's race at CCC this year. Remarkable for me was her ability to turn around negative thoughts about poor performance on descents and how long it took for her to feel like she was hitting her stride in trail races, moving from triathlon. GETTNG NERDY ABOUT SOLES I take it for granted when I run that my shoes are just going to work. I assume the soles will be appropriate and the mid parts will be as cushy as I need and the top parts won't fall apart. I for sure don't look at who makes it, what it is made of and trends in that area. BUT, other people are thinking about this! If you want a deep dive into the soles of your shoes and specifically Vibram soles, look here. "Part of the answer is trust. Vibram isn’t just rubber. It’s a promise. A promise that when you’re barreling down a mountain, the ground beneath you won’t betray your footing. It’s a promise that on rain-slicked rocks or loose scree, your shoes will grip where they need to." Happy trails, Dana Hi all,
Last week I was in New Hampshire hiking and leaf peeping. Nothing like being back on the east coast where I grew up to make me really appreciate the west with the big mountains, lots of open space and fewer people sharing the trails. I got in some runs that could not have been rockier and honestly, I only counted them as a run because the whole time I was saying, "this is runnable" with a small and fake bounce in my step. That isn't running, it is a delusion. (It reminded me of this video.) East coast White Mountain trail runners, I salute you! Those trails are just giant rock piles. It is awesome to be back home! WEDNESDAY CLASS IS BACK THIS WEEK Strength Training for Runners, 30 minutes live to your screen is back this week after a week off. I hope you will join me there. Start making habits that make shorter daylight hours more tolerable. ULTRAU EMAIL ARCHIVE Starting now, I am archiving the Tuesday emails on my website. In case you remember an article I sent a few weeks ago and want to find it, here is a way to look back. I only have the last few emails up and I do not plan to go back in time to the 200 emails I have sent since November 2020. For real, 200! The longest streak of anything I have done, ever! NERVES NEED TO MOVE This article from I Run Far is a great primer on nerves, how nerves move in the body, why you may feel stiff and lacking mobility if the nerves are compressed and how dehydration may be cause nerves to lose their natural glide. "A tight nerve in the lower leg can create and sustain stiffness, tension, and even trigger points in a calf — an issue that no amount of generalized calf massage, stretching, and strengthening will sustainably alleviate. Moreover, a tight, irritable nerve can create swelling in nearby tissues. For example, that same tight lower leg nerve can dump swelling into the heel and ankle, making it appear that you have seriously strained the ankle or Achilles. The joint or tendon will swell, get tight, and sore. But attempts to treat the immediate area will result in short-term improvements. The take-home: in such cases, only by improving nerve mobility will the local tissues move and function efficiently." THRU HIKE SCHOLARSHIP The camping brand Big Agnes is sponsoring 3 hikers for a 2025 thru-hike of their choice. Have you been wanting to hike the PCT? This could be your big break! Apply by October 15 so think fast. Happy trails, Dana Hi all,
“I know now that I will become weaker at what I avoid, that what I run towards will strengthen in me. I know to listen to my body, but not so much that I convince myself I can’t do things or that I can’t push myself.” ― Sarah Polley, Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory I have been thinking about the idea of "running towards" after this podcast and the story of Sarah Polley's concussion recovery which entailed doing more of the things that triggered her symptoms as a counterintuitive way to heal. Not long into coaching ultrarunners I started mentally putting them into two distinct groups. Those running towards something and those running away. To me it seemed like the "healthier" of the two was running towards something instead of away. I just realized these two groupings of people are doing the exact same thing, the only difference was mindset. Running away from something can feel easier because it taps into our natural fight-or-flight response, which is driven by fear and the instinct to avoid danger, discomfort, hard conversations and difficult relationships. No need to face what is behind us. On the other hand, running towards something requires vision, patience, and self-discipline (ther hard stuff!). The reward or goal is often less immediate or tangible, making it harder to maintain motivation over time. Unlike fear, which triggers a survival response, the pursuit of a goal demands sustained effort and can be slowed by doubt, distractions, or uncertainty. This is a difficult path. Both running towards and running away are deeply human responses, and in the end, maybe the direction matters less than the drive that keeps us running. Just keep running everyone! NO STRENGTH TRAINING FOR RUNNERS LIVE CLASS ON WEDNESDAY I will be traveling so no live Strength Training for Runners tomorrow (October 2). BUT good news, how about this one from the archives!? Don't miss class just because I am gone! Keeping consistent in most anything pays off but especially strength training. And for those of you with the Booster Pack, no Rise and Shine on Monday, October 7 either. See you the week after. ADVANCED HIP MOBILITY Here is a post with some hip mobility moves that I promise will challenge you. You can do it post strength or after a run. WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MOM The conversation went something like this… Chris: "So I'm thinking of finally running the 238 mile Katy Trail." Mom: "Oh, I've always wanted to bike it. I could do it with you!" Chris: "I plan to run over 100 miles per day and not stop to sleep…" Mom: "I think I could do that." "My mom and I finish, unceremoniously, in the dead of night, at the Machens Trailhead, 238 miles from our starting point in Clinton, after 45 hours and 37 minutes of bliss and joy and peace and stress and frustration and cool breezes and oppressive sun and beautiful views of endless fields and midnight strolls under towering bluffs and, yes, even a dash of existential crises. What a stupid hobby." -read more about Chris Roberts supported FKT on the Katy trail here. Happy trails everyone! Dana Hi all,
This past weekend I had the privilege of serving runners at an aid station at mile 40 and 72 of the Mountain Lakes 100 by Go Beyond Racing. It was pure joy, hugs and smiles. (I can say that, I wasn't running!) While it might seem like training for 100 miles is more than an average person can do, I want to share some take aways from the runners I have coached who have had success at the distance.
FEAR OF FAILURE "Fear of failure is a complex issue in sports psychology, simply because every athlete experiences it in different ways. However, it does cause most athletes to focus on avoiding challenges. When you are focused on what you don’t want to happen during an event or race, it’s nearly impossible to perform with high confidence, trust and composure." A few signs that you may have a fear of failure:
After 2,000 days running over 5 miles a day, Chris Guillebeau writes, "The never-miss-two rule is probably even better than building a nonstop, never-miss chain of events. When you break a perfect streak, you feel discouraged and might not want to start over. The other way of thinking of it—just pick it right back up if you stop—is potentially much more useful. The grammar isn’t perfect, but you could also think of it as “Don’t stay stopped.” Shake it off and get back up! Don’t miss two in a row." BOSTON MARATHON QUALIFICATIONS Today it was announced that more than 12,000 runners who qualified for the Boston marathon will not be invited to run due to record high numbers of applicants. Runners had to be 6:51 faster than the posted qualifying time for their age group to actually secure a spot. The Boston Athletic Association has announced that qualifying times for the 2026 will be five minutes faster than current times, but running those posted times will likely still not get you a spot since this year even running the new time standard you would still have needed to be almost two minutes under. Personally, I love clear rules. Moving targets do not spark joy. Running the advertised time and then not making it in the race really irks me. My heart has been broken by Boston enough times that I should unfriend and unfollow. If you are interested in coaching to qualify for Boston, please be ready for a broken heart and running for at least 10 minutes under the advertised standard. SQUATS WITH ME Tomorrow and every Wednesday, you are invited to do squats with me. And balance drills. And band work. And all the fun we can fit into 30 minutes. Find out more here and I hope to see you on my screen tomorrow. Dana If you have been reading along in the last few weeks you can see I am stuck on JOY! With perfect timing, Nike has made a commercial called JOY! And it is good, and rings so true! Just like this graphic that explains what we really mean when we say, "That was a fun race." And it is just in time for the Mountain Lakes 100 put on by Go Beyond racing this weekend where some of the UltraU athletes are racing, crewing and pacing and where I will be at an aid station which I have renamed the JOY STATION. I plan on filling bottles with water and joy, making ramen with joy toppings and ensuring that even if the joy is coming out of runners like vomit, there is at least some background joy!!!
Who will I see at Mountain Lakes this year?? Come give me a high five at the Clackamas Aid Station, miles 40 and 72. If you are not in the region but are looking for an awesome 100-mile race, put this on your list for next year. The trails are SWEET, the people are the best and you won't find a better set of race directors out there. Or better yet, volunteer! You will learn a LOT about running, pretending you like running, fueling, the meaning of life and helping is awesome. CAFFEINE Caffeine can be used as a performance booster if you know how to use it and can get the dosing right. This article helps break down the science of how it can reduce 5k run times, how much to take and when. “Current guidelines recommend the ingestion of low-to-moderate doses of caffeine, ranging from 3 to 6 mg/kg of bodyweight), approximately 60 min prior to exercise to get these improvements.” A 175-pound person might need to ingest between 240 and 480 milligrams of coffee an hour before training or racing. To put this into context, an eight-ounce cup of coffee contains an average of 95 milligrams. USING POLES Ultrarunning Magazine has a whole article on poles in their September issue. Here are some key points:
BRAIN STORM If you mountain bike or ski or do anything that may end in concussion (ok, we are humans that aren't always perfectly balanced, this is all of us) then this is worth a listen. This four-part podcast goes through the journey of impact, aftermath and recovery from concussion as told by mountain biker Rebecca Rusch. YOU ARE INVITED Holy smokes, THIS is balance! I had no idea freestyle slacklining was a thing! If you are looking for somewhere to start getting better balance*, join me for Strength Training for Runners on Wednesday nights. Class is free, live on your screen and we spend a good part of the warm up working on stability. Learn more here. *not enough for freestyle slacklining Happy trails everyone, Dana |