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. 

• It isn't about huge mileage every week, but consistent mileage every week for weeks and weeks. If you can keep up 40+ mile weeks for months at a time prior to the race, one piece of the puzzle is in place.
• Everyone I coach has full-time jobs, many have families and other responsibilities. The keys to managing training are 1) having family/close friends that are fully supportive, going as far as enabling training days, taking up slack at home and bringing snacks 2) training takes priority over other hobbies and house projects and brunch for the few months pre-race.
• Big days out happen a handful of times in the training cycle and sometimes this means missing a day of work, rearranging schedules or night runs.
• Recovery, proper fueling, strength work and easy days are prioritized and taken AS SERIOUSLY as long runs. 

If it seems absolutely impossible to run 100 miles but you are curious about what it takes, send me an email and let's chat. 
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:

• Too much focus on results and not enough focus on the moment 
• Belief that your self worth is tied to your performance
• Thinking that your race finish will make you more appealing to your community
• You get so nervous/tight/anxious that you can not perform your sport to your potential

DON'T STAY STOPPED
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: 

• Sizing: with hand in middle of grip (poles with a grip area long enough to allow you to choke up or down depending on terrain are ideal) elbow should be bent at or near 90 degrees with pole at side and tip on ground.
• Tighten pole strap so that your hand barely fits through, then slide hand into opening from beneath so that when you plant and push off with the pole you are also leveraging force from the strap around your wrist.
• The longer—and hence slower—the effort the more beneficial poles are on all terrain, especially downhills to mitigate eccentric braking load on quads.

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
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