I stare at the photo in disbelief. Anger, sadness, and compassion merge into an overwhelming emotional storm as I try to understand. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t find a logical explanation for why I didn’t see back then what I do see now. I do, however, know why I have changed […]
The Ultra Life: What 40 Years and 100-Mile Races Taught Me About Distance Read More »
“Just grab something,” I repeated those words as I approached the aid station. It was 02:17 AM, and I was on a motocross track where I had been running lap after lap for 16 hours already. I grabbed a few dried dates and a handful of peanuts and carried on toward the first steep climb
From Bonking to Winning – Lessons on Ultramarathon Nutrition Read More »
“The final lap. This is the final lap. You already won. This is your victory lap.” I tried to force myself to comprehend what I had just achieved. To feel pride, elation and all those feelings I thought one was supposed to feel when winning. But I couldn’t comprehend it just yet. After running for
The Advantages of Starting Ultrarunning Late in Life Read More »
“Should I do this tempo run today? What if I just ran them slower? Take it a bit easy?” I had just gotten ready for my morning run after a terrible night of 6 hours of sleep, interrupted by frequent fireworks going off in the distance. It was already January the 7th and people still
Creating Your Ultramarathon Training Plan Read More »
“I really did it! Now I really am an ultrarunner.” Pride fills me as I write these words in my training journal. I had just completed a 50km training run – my longest long run to date and the last long run before my first ultramarathon. I had started running again just 7 months prior,
Ultramarathon Long Runs – A Framework for Success Read More »
“Come on, last one!” I mutter as I hype myself up to start the last interval. It would be only 30 seconds up that hill, but those 30 seconds seemed as impossible now as winning a 24-hour race once seemed. While I had accomplished the latter just a few months before this hill workout, I
The Science of Speed in Ultrarunning Read More »
“The most important thing now is to get mileage in and stay injury-free.” I kept repeating this sentence as I slogged up the tiny hill in my local park, wondering what passing runners would think of me and my snails-pace. The urge to speed up and prove to myself (and those other runners) that I
Understanding Easy Running for Ultra Distances Read More »
I stared at the screen of my laptop, hesitating for a moment. I filled out the form, added my bank details, and confirmed that all the data was correct. All that was left was to click “register.” I smiled as I pressed down on the mouse and confirmed my registration. I would finally run an
Different types of training runs for ultrarunning Read More »
So you decided to run an ultra. You (more or less carefully) selected your first race, marked the date on your calendar, and convinced yourself that spending most of your weekends running would be fun. But now that you have gotten your new pair of running shoes, a shiny GPS watch, and inordinate amounts of
“To be a great ultrarunner, you need to have 3 things. First, a high threshold for pain. Second, a short memory. And the third…I forgot.” – Unknown. I could barely move when I woke up. My body ached, and my feet were swollen. I lay in bed, mentally preparing for what I knew would be
Ultrarunning for Beginners Series: Part I Read More »