Fix Your Chin Position To Run Faster & Breathe Better
Common Head Positioning
If you remember that scene from the movie Jerry Maguire, you may already know that the human head weighs eight pounds. 😉
All this weight can also down your run! Today, I want to talk a little bit about a technique tip that will really help you out with this. I see this happen a lot in finish line photos, where people have their chin way up high. Not only are they cutting off their airway, but let’s talk a little about what happens with the different positioning of your head.
If you just notice (in the video), by tilting my head back, it’s throwing all my energy backwards and it’s slowing you down. Now, it might not matter at the very end at the finish line, because you’re done with your run. But I see it happen a lot when I do video analysis throughout my workshops. Let me tell you the quickest way to fix this, and you can actually follow along with me and even feel this out.
Improved, More Efficient Head Positioning
The first thing we always do (and this is, of course, part of ChiRunning) is that we get into our posture. So when we get into our posture, I’m going to give you just the quickest tip (there’s a lot more to this but..) go ahead and just lift through the crown of your head. So, (in the video) I have my ponytail in my hand and I’m gently pulling upwards and lifting through the crown of my head. This will help me engage my core.
NOTE: What often happens is that people think ‘lifting through the crown of your head’ is something different that what it actually is. If you’ve never done this before, it’s easy not to realize and feel like ‘crown of their head’ is your forehead. So what do many people first do? They tilt their head backwards to lift up their forehead. That’s not what you want to do! The ‘crown of your head’ is actually the highest point of your head. Like the point you used to measure and mark on the doorway when you were a kid! You want to lift through the crown (topmost part of your head). Here’s how to check to know if you’re doing this correctly.. put your hand right behind on your neck and your neck should be nice and flat. Now keep your right hand there and if I were to lift my chin, I’m crunching my right hand with the back of my neck. My chin is going up so that’s a good way to feel if your chin is in the right position or if you’re holding it maybe too high.
When I do this correctly, you can see that my chin drops slightly. My next step in a run would be to fall forward. So, if my chin is facing in that direction, it’s going to help propel me forward, okay? If I tried to start running and my chin was up here I will still fall forward, but now because my head (which we already know now, weighs eight pounds or more) is lifted up this way, that’s going to cause me to slow down (weight more toward the back, rather than toward the direct I’m running/falling).
What else can I do to improve my running efficiency?
You probably already know there are a lot of things involved in your running technique that can really impact what you’re doing. Many people just think that running is just when you put one foot in front of the other, but there’s so much that you could do in your body that’ll help make your run so much easier and more efficient, which then, of course, will make it funner!
I love to do running video analysis. I try to do one on myself periodically, just to check in to see how I’m doing. (If you go check out this video right here, you’ll see one of my very own video self-analyses.
Can You Still Call Yourself a Runner, If You Walk During Your Runs??
By the end of this video, you’ll be totally fine walking during your runs AND still fine calling yourself a runner!
Walking Has a Bad Reputation… and I’m Here to Change That!
Are you considered ‘a real runner’ if you walk during your runs? For some reason, walking has a bad reputation for those who want to be ‘runners’. I’ve known people who actually stop their Garmin watches when they take walk breaks. I’ve also known people who say they label people who walk, ‘not real runners.’ But, you know what??? Excuse my french, but that’s bull%&*!!
First of all, I’m not going to win the race, okay? So, for me, personally, it really doesn’t matter when I get to the finish line, if I have no goals to have a personal record at a race. I’m not going to win the race or get a special medal for not walking, so honestly it’s just an easy decision for me. Now, unless I’m trying to have a personal record at an event, or I am running a race for speed, which is a whole different situation.
But honestly, who cares if I walk or if I’m running? It doesn’t matter! It doesn’t matter, so just get that out of your head right now and know that it’s totally okay to walk sometimes. Sure, I might get there a little faster if I run (lol or maybe not!), but it really doesn’t matter in the long run. Actually, there’s a method called ‘The Galloway Method’ that is called ‘a run/walk system’ and I absolutely love that system! I do things a little bit differently, but they’re actually planned interval walks in the middle of your run, and you’ll see different types of times that you would do this. So maybe you run for 30 seconds and then you walk for 30 seconds, but they’re basically timed intervals and it’s actually a great way to do a run. I don’t personally use The Galloway Method, because I’m a Chi Runner and a Chi Walker. The way that I go about doing it is I do it strictly by body-sensing. For example, I’ll be in the middle of my run and, if I start thinking that I might want to walk, then what I might do is to go through a couple of form focuses to see if I really need to walk. Maybe I’ll slow my run down just a little bit more, but IF I decide I need to take a walk, then I’ll take a little walk break. I always say you know I stop running when I’m tired or whenever I feel like I need to stop. And then when I feel guilty from walking too long or too far, then I just start running again. In this way, I try to keep those walk breaks short, for sure, but basically, that’s how I do it. As soon as my heart rate comes back to normal, or as soon as I maybe see the pole that I said I was going to start running again – I’ll do that sometimes… I’ll look ahead and I’ll say, “Okay. I’m going to start running again at that pole,” and so I gave myself a quick break between here and there.
Another reason why I love putting walk breaks in the middle of my run is just because it feels good! It just feels easier on my body. Running does have a high injury rate (of course, if you’re a Chi Runner or a Chi Walker, your chances of getting injured are going to be way less 😉😁 ), so I just like to include the walking in there.
I love walking! It feels good to walk, so why would I NOT just choose to walk a little bit in the middle of my runs??
Another reason why you might decide to walk (and maybe even walk MORE than running in your runs) is maybe you’re coming back from an injury. Maybe you’re starting back running again. Maybe you’re a beginner runner and it takes a while to get used to that aerobic capacity? So just go ahead and just say that you’re going to walk during your runs. It’s OK! It really is, I swear! Sometimes, planning ahead to walk for a bit really helps me look forward to that little walk that I’m gonna take, so it’s just something that’s gonna make me feel good. I might be in the middle of my run doing intervals or whatever, and I decide to take little walk breaks. I really just gives me something to look forward to.
Walking also changes things up a little bit, right? I’m an ultra runner, so honestly, there’s no way that I would run an entire ultra WITHOUT walking part of it! I very rarely even run 5Ks without some walking. It just depends on what works for you, but, for me, taking quick walking breaks breaks up the monotony a bit for me.
I’m on the trail a lot, so there are definitely times during during my run where, maybe I’m going up a hill, so if I decide that it’s easier for me to Chi Hike really fast up the hill (which might even be literally faster than me running up the hill! lol), I’ll choose to do that instead. It’s definitely necessary to add walk breaks the longer you go! I find that it’s a great way for me to better manage my energy. I don’t want to get to the finish line puking and uncomfortable. I want to get to the finish line feeling super good and still having some energy left, so maybe now I can have that beer at the beer garden. 🍻🍺🍻
Another great reason is because, when you’re walking, you’re actually building your aerobic capacity! There’s a lot of evidence that shows when you’re in that Zone 2 or Zone 1 in your aerobic capacity, you’ll actually lose more weight, since you burn more body fat that way. Now there are a lot of other things that play into that, so I’m just listing that as one potential reason. Another thing for me is that I do also just like to bring my heart rate down once in a while and walking during a run is a great way for me to do that.
Honestly, walking just makes you a better runner. It really does! I don’t know why it has such a bad reputation and common misconception that walking is not for runners, but, hey, take it from me……
I’m an ultra runner… I’m a coach… Walking… is totally… OK.
Last ultra in my 40s 3 years older than my last 100K
24 minutes and 33 seconds faster
But this race was so much more than this! I can’t believe that I finished 63 miles in 19:22:34 this year and felt amazing the whole way. I honestly still feel a little guilty about saying this but it’s true!
As a quick reminder:
I always like to do races that challenge me out of my comfort zone in February because it’s my birthday month. Turning 50 this year made it even more epic (I was supposed to do my first 100 miler in January of 2021 but it got canceled due to COVID)
I’ll share my post race reflections on why this race was so amazing for me in hopes that I can inspire you to have some of these amazing experiences too…..then a quick recap of how my day went.
6 feet apart at the start line with a wave start
Jubilee! One of my favorite Race Directors 💜
This race was close to being canceled due to the escalated COVID cases in AZ, more specifically Yavapai County which is where most of the race is located. I kept my fingers crossed until we received the email that IT WAS HAPPENING! On 2/2 (11 days before the race) we found out that there would be wave starts (standard with COVID now) AND that I would only be able to have one pacer (instead of 2) and no crew. This threw a wrench into my excitement about the race.
Since I am a back of the packer, they try to avoid having people pass you on the trail (COVID) which meant my wave start was 10am rather than 7am. This news hit me because it meant I would be spending more time at night. Don’t get me wrong, I love night trail running but I’ve been lost on this course before. It’s also pretty remote so this just added some anxiety now.
For most ultras, you can have a crew and pacers. They are there to help keep you focused, moving forward and taking care of the details when your sole focus as the runner is to get to the finish line. In the original race, you can have a pacer for the last 25 miles (two different segments). With the new rules, I would only get one for the last 12 miles. This added stress because it meant more running in the dark alone.
At this point I had the option to not accept these changes and post pone it until next year. My first reaction was to do that. I was really bummed about these changes (although I absolutely understood them to be necessary for the race to happen safely).
Not gonna lie, I was freaking out about them! But thanks to my meditation practice which helped me go from REACTING to RESPONDING and a few texts from friends, I made the decision to go for it. If I tell my athletes that the magic happens when you get out of your comfort zone, I had to practice what I preach!
Key Lessons
One of the reasons I love running is because it provides an avenue to learn more about myself.
Things that went well:
I canceled track the Thursday before. I didn’t want to have an alarm clock wake me up during that whole week. Thankfully I can do this since I’m self employed. I used to underestimate resting and learned how important it is. I allowed my body to wake up whenever it wanted to the week before knowing I’d be on my feet and awake for 18-20 hours on race day.
I was prepared! Speed is not a way I measure my running success but this time around I wanted to be faster so I knew I had to do some different things. I followed a training plan from McMillan Running to try something new and then added my ChiRunning/ChiWalking form focuses. Due to COVID, I was able to do more running alone which allows me to train at my pace. My training plan had various types of runs that I had never really focused on before because I run so much with my TRU TRIBE. I found these challenging and fun. I also happened to do more road running due to my Every Damn Street Virtual race and I feel that helped me build my stamina in a different way. There is no doubt that being prepared had a huge impact on how I felt on race morning: prepared and ready to go!
I followed my nutrition plan from Sparks Systems. I am fat adapted and my body felt like a well oiled machine. I’ve never had any gut issues when running long distances so I keep doing what’s worked for me.
What surprised me the most was how good I felt the entire time! We always say that there are many highs and lows during an ultra race and you learn to “ride the wave”. The wind, the rain, the dark….none of it brought me down. I brought my Noxgear 39g and was prepared with music, podcasts, audiobooks to keep me company.(Use code RUNNINGU1 for 35% off the Noxgear 39g. I love mine!) I may have listened to these for maybe 3-4 hours during the entire race. My goal was to be alone as much as possible. I run with people all the time (and I love it!) but this was my race, my pilgrimage, if you will, into my 50th birthday year. I was really looking forward to just being alone, out in nature for a “few” hours by myself…and that’s exactly what I did.
The week before I started working on visualizations of the course and seeing myself out there having a great time. I meditate daily with the Insight Timer app. That week I found meditations about grounding, receiving and gathering energy. My plan was to take in as much as I could and conserve it until race day. Sounds almost cheesy but I believe this really worked for me. In addition, the week before, I was getting so many texts, emails, social media comments from people wishing me well and I took all of those in. I kept mentally conserving all that positive energy I was receiving. I felt it really propelled me on race day and was literally drawing me towards the finish line…like I almost had no control over it. We call this YChi in ChiRunning and I don’t ever think I felt it as strong as I did on this day. I could definitely feel the energy of my TRU TRIBE with me too. Here is just one of the positive messages I received that week:
I’m glad I decided to have a pacer for that last 12 miles! I had left it to my friend and colleague Henry Walker to decide between him and his girlfriend. I trained Henry last year to become a ChiRunning/ChiWalking instructor (the only other one in AZ!). He pulled his calf muscle lightly the week of the race so they decided it would make most sense for Laura to pace me. As much as I know I could’ve done it by myself, she helped me stay focused on moving forward. I would’ve slowed down for sure if I was alone.
I always have to mention ChiRunning/ChiWalking because I would never consider doing these distances without it. I was lucky enough to get to zoom with my mentor and founder, Danny Dreyer, the week of the race. He gave me some last minute tips. I focused on my technique quite a bit during the race. While I was pretty sore the first few days after the race, I felt great after that! I swear by ChiWalking especially during my ultras. There is a big difference in regular walking and I believe this also had a huge impact on my energy levels all day. The goal is always conserving energy and one can waste a lot of energy when running and walking. In addition to technique, several time during my race I visualized gathering energy from the earth every time my foot hit the ground.
I PRd by 24 minutes and 33 seconds! That’s about 24 seconds per mile faster for 62 miles! My technique, training and mindset all came together that day and I rocked it!
Things that didn’t go so well (yes there were a few things)
I always say never try new things on race day. This is common knowledge. While I was trying not to freak out about being in the dark longer by myself, this was one thing that was giving me anxiety. Most of my TRU TRIBE uses the Kogalla light for night running. I’ll be honest, I haven’t been crazy about these because they can be pretty bright and if someone is coming towards you, it can be annoying. (come to find out there are actually 20 brightness settings!) A few of them suggested I should try one out. I bought one the weekend before the race hoping it would get to me on time. I borrowed Jan’s the Tuesday of race week so I could try it out. It really did light the trail up quite a bit and she let me borrow it in case I didn’t get mine in the mail. I happened to get mine before the race but only tried it that one time. I have an entire different view on these now. The light was awesome and really increased my confidence of being out there alone. Since I only tried it that one time, I didn’t know how it would effect me on the switchbacks going uphill in the canyon. I am afraid of heights and used to having a headlamp. When you have a headlamp, it points wherever your point your head so although you have more limited lighting, it’s focused in the direction your heading which is in front of you. Well, the Kogalla, was on my waist (race belt) and lit up the entire trail in front of me (that’s the point!). What this meant that when I was going up a single track uphill, I could see the periphery which meant the slope down into the abyss and bottom of the canyon. It didn’t dawn on me to move my race belt towards the mountain side more (which I would’ve figured it out had I practiced with it more) so this slowed me down. I was more tired, it was dark so I really had to focus on looking ahead and not letting the ledge of canyon effect me. Aside from that, I am new fan of the Kogalla!
Kogalla lighting up the water crossing
Not having crew there until the last aid station effected me. Your crew will normally be able to meet you at various aid stations. They are there to help you make whatever changes and help you get in and out of the aid stations as quickly and efficiently as possible. I tell my runners all the time: DFA (Don’t F*#k Around) at the aid stations. You can waste a lot of time if you are not focused and the clock is ticking (only important if you care about your time and I was trying to PR). I really could’ve used a crew at Black Canyon City. This was mile 39 of 62 and I had been in the dark already for several hours. I was getting tired (I was about a little over half way) and I had ultra brain. I fumbled around with my drop bags, trying to figure out what I needed and what I could get rid of. I had to change my shoes and get into some warmer clothes, refill my pack, eat some food…it was a lot to handle on my own and if I had someone there with me, I probably would’ve saved at least 10 minutes. I stayed here longer than I anticipated. I didn’t have a choice as crew was not allowed there but I felt the loss of not having one.
I second guessed myself at one spot that ate up about another 15 minutes. I’ve gotten lost on this trail several times although only during training runs. The course was well marked! There is a point as you head in and out of Black Canyon City that you have to take a different way so you don’t go back the way you came. The course was well marked but I was paranoid about going back the wrong way. At one point I was feeling like maybe I missed it so I turned back around to that spot. Then I stopped, pulled out my All Trails app (where I had downloaded the course map in case something like this would happen) and realized I was going the right way. Better be safe than sorry but this “cost” me another 10-15 minutes.
Race Day
The silver lining about starting at 10am, meant that Greg (my boyfriend) could actually drive me to Mayer High School to drop me off at the start (this is a point to point race which means you start at one location and finish at another.) This adds some additional logistics to the day. The race offered a shuttle for the runners. I have a thing about shuttles and buses before a race. It depends on the race but I really like to be in my own space and energy before a race, especially a big one like this one. The erratic energy of a bunch of people in a shuttle tends to mess with me so I was grateful that I could be in the car with my honey for about 90 minutes getting myself psyched up.
I had created a spreadsheet like last time with my tentative pace from each aid station, taking into consideration the course profile, my strengths, time of day, etc. The first time I did this race, I finished in 19:46:01. The cutoff was 20 hours. For any first time experience, I never focus on speed. I know it’s my first time doing that distance, it’s all about enjoying it as much as possible. I was messing around at the aid stations, drinking some beer here and there, and just having a good ole time. This time would be a bit different. I wanted to have a PR (personal record) so I needed to be more focused. I felt stronger going into this race (I had just PRd the Coldwater 52K race the month before by 52 minutes!) so I had two different goals. First goal was to beat my time by an hour and the stretch goal was to finish in 18 hours (1hr 45min PR). I knew this was aggressive but I wasn’t attached to it…just hoping I could do it.
Fifteen minutes before my start, I got this text message from my buddy Archie (one of our TRU TRIBE mascots)
As usual, I started faster than my predicted time. I knew this would happen but I was still holding back knowing I had a lot of miles ahead of me. The course has a negative profile (more downhill than uphill) which is deceiving. Downhills are my jam but this time we had some serious head and cross wind. While I love downhills, I am afraid of heights too. These downhills are single track and so much fun but the wind added an element of uneasiness as I was cruising down. Probably a good thing that it slowed me a down. Click here for the live video where you can hear the wind.
One of my favorite spots: the iconic windmill
downhill!
In addition to the wind, there were some pretty big clouds looming around. On the drive up, I had noticed that now the weather app was showing possibility of rain. Ugh! Not the biggest fan but this race has been unpredictable (I dropped to the 60K at my first 100K attempt due to some serious bad weather) so I was prepared. I already had packed an extra pair of socks in each drop bag (in ultras you get to have drop bags at specific aid stations where you can have extra stuff you need so you don’t have to carry it all while you are running) and had a poncho in my hydration pack and thankfully brought my purple wind breaker. I lucked out and got sprinkled on a few times during the day. I stayed ahead of my predicted time until about mile 35. Night had already started to fall so I slowed down as I expected I would. I approached my first water crossing which was a few miles before the Black Canyon Aid station which is where I planned to change as much of my apparel as possible as it was getting colder. One of the hardest parts of an ultra in my opinion is dealing with the major temperature change between night and day. Especially here in AZ. I attempted not to get my feet wet in the water crossing but then remembered I was going to change my shoes and socks anyways so I just walked right through it…it was barely covering my ankles so it was uneventful. Oddly the cold water felt good on my feet and climbed out of the canyon. I was looking forward to this aid station. I have to give a shout out to Altra Running shoes! I’ve been a sponsored athlete for 3 years now and I can never say enough about them. It’s all I wear! I chose my Superior 4.5 for the first part because they are more minimal and flexible and my Lone Peaks 4.5 for the second part as they have a bit more cushion.
One major thing I love about our trail/ultra community is the most amazing people you meet. Even if you only see people at races a few times a year, they are your friends. As much as I was bummed that I was losing time at this aid station, it was great to see some familiar races. Huge thanks to Dawn. She works with Medstar Solutions and was at the medical tent. She popped over to say hi and I was venting about having to go change my wet bra in a porta potty. She was so sweet and let me go into the medical trailer to take care of that! It was also great to see Crystal volunteering who I know from Girls On The Run. So I changed everything except my pants, refilled my pack and got some hot potato soup which was exactly what I needed. I headed back out and now I was 40 minutes behind my predicted time. Changing into warmer clothes, socks and shoes and that potato soup totally reenergized me and I felt great.
The rest of the race was a meditative trance. I can’t even explain it. It was dark and I was just following my light and moving forward. I was alone pretty much most of this time in the dark. I remember thinking this was going to be the hardest part but I was actually enjoying the peacefulness of the night. I could see this huge big black cloud that I was running towards and I was hoping that I wouldn’t get rained on. I got lucky again and only a few drops.
I approached Table Mesa Aid Station where I would either pick up Henry or Laura to pace me the rest of the 11ish miles. I could see them both as I approached and Henry had jeans on so I knew right away who was pacing me. He also had a thermos and filled my cup up with one of the best things I had tasted: Hot Apple Cider Skratch.(electrolytes) OMG, I couldn’t get enough! Not only was it nice and warm but it tasted so good! Between that and having Laura for company, those last miles flew by. We chatted and of course I bitched about the rocks. This is my least favorite part of this course. There are several parts that are pretty rocky so it’s hard to get any momentum forward while running. We passed an awesome Saguaro forest that I didn’t remember from the year before, hit the last aid station and were almost there! I had been in great spirits all day but the only time I would get slightly irritated is when I knew I should be approaching an aid station and I couldn’t see it. We starting seeing lights but couldn’t tell if that was the finish. Finally, there it was! Due to COVID restrictions, no one could be at the finish line. I was so happy to know that I had 3 of my TRU TRIBE members who had volunteered that night so they could be at my finish! (Alina had to leave because she drove from Tucson to volunteer and I didn’t get back in as early as I was hoping) I could see Jubilee, the race director, and I jumped up as I crossed the finish line. Even though I knew I hadn’t met my original goal to PR by an hour, I still had a PR and felt amazing!
Small section of the saguaro forest at night lit by my Kogalla
I walked to the aid station to see Mindy and Catherine. They had a birthday goodie bag for me and I got to hang out with them for a few minutes. They offered me alcohol to celebrate (because this is what I would normally do) but I just wasn’t feeling it. I never had a beer until later that evening!
As I reflect on my journey to that finish line, I am 100% sure that my attitude and mental state going into this day were THE biggest key to my success. Being trained and using good technique of course go without saying. I was so excited about this race and this day, I couldn’t wait to get out there and have that experience all to myself. I am so thankful that everything flowed for me that day. As I was finishing, 19 hours plus into the race, I knew that if I had to, I could keep going……..and you know what that means?! Hmmmm ?! 😁
What? Not use speed or pace to measure your running success???!!! That’s just crazy talk…..
Maybe for some people but not for me! First of all, let me put you at ease if you do measure your running success based on speed. This is probably the most common way most runners do it. Again, not a bad way but also not the only way.
As a running coach, I hear this all the time with beginner and recreational runners. They are constantly deflated because they are not “fast” enough or “I’ll be the slowest runner out there” and apply a lot of pressure on themselves because speed is what everyone talks about when it comes to running. This could ultimately lead to big disappointments because they get injured from trying to get fast or just decide to quit because “running is not for me”.
WHAT IF……
What if there were other ways to measure your running success? Guess what? There are! Here are some of the ways I measure my success after a race, not in any order as they are all equally important (for me!):
FEEL GOOD FACTOR: my goal for just about any race is to feel good the entire time. This goes against the competitive grain of “go all out” and “give it all you got”. Again, nothing wrong with this at all, but this doesn’t sounds like a way I want to spend my time. When I can finish a race and feel like a million bucks, that is a GOOD race! Don’t get me wrong, I like to push myself here and there. But generally speaking, I like to get into my body when I’m running. I like to have my mind and body connected so I can feel what is happening. I like to see what kind of adjustments I can make to make it more effortless and feel good. I don’t understand this idea of “suffering” through a run that many people talk about. I’ve learned to respect that every runner has different goals. If I’m suffering, I’m not having fun and what’s the point? My first 100K is a great example. I used the word epic to describe it. My goal the entire time was to feel good and have fun….and I did! (by the way a much easier goal to achieve than worrying about speed!)
My 100K took me 19 hours and 46 minutes. The cutoff was 20 hours. And here I am still smiling at the end….affirming that I was going to have fun and feel good, and making it so, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! If I would’ve set a speed goal for this, it would’ve changed everything for me.
FUN!: If a race is not going to be fun for me, why bother. Many people don’t consider running fun but I do (of course there is a love/hate relationship with it!). If I’m not going to have fun, why do it? Strictly my opinion but pushing myself to a point of complete exhaustion doesn’t sounds fun to me at all. This means I’ll stop and smell the roses. I love to take pictures, especially if I’m in a new location. I’ve hung out with friends I haven’t seen in awhile volunteering at aid stations . Heck, I even stopped at an aid station for 20 minutes because they had some good alcohol!
Crown King Scramble 50K, getting ready to climb a big hill…yes, I’ll hang out and have a few drinks before I do that. Some people say why, but I say why not?
LACK OF INJURIES: If I can run as much as I want, have fun and enjoy it, and not get injured too? Well, that’s just the icing on the cake! Now I can keep doing what I love to do and not get sidelined by injures. Last time I had a running injury that kept me from running was in 2014. Keep in mind that I’ve done one 100K, one 50 miler, one 40 miler and a bunch of marathons and 50Ks along with many miles since then. I give the biggest credit to ChiRunning as it’s completely changed my life. Poor running technique is one of the reasons runners (especially newer ones) get injured. Everyone assumes you put one foot in front of the other and you are good to go. If that were true, 65% of runners wouldn’t be injured every year. It’s not running that causes injuries, it’s HOW you run that does! I also stretch regularly, strength train and follow a training plan which are all factors in my running success.
Writing this post on 5/9/18 and this is how long I’ve been running (ultra running) without injuries…
Running has always been a competitive sport due to speed. No matter how long you go, there will always be a first place winner. Technology doesn’t help either. Now there are software programs/websites like Strava,Athlinks and UltraSignup that keep public records of your race performance. I’ve seen people have to explain on Strava posts why their run might’ve been slower because they were running with someone slower than them. Heck, Ultrasignup even ranks you and forecasts how you will finish based on past performances. This is a lot of pressure for beginner and recreational runners and it doesn’t have to be this way!
Imagine going into a race with no major nervousness about how you’re going to perform? Imagine going into it thinking about how much fun you’re going to have and how good it’s going to feel? Huge weight lifted off the shoulders! This is how I go into just about any race and it’s almost never failed me! When I go into a race thinking about PRing (setting a personal record), it changes everything.
So how do I do it?
My number one strategy is detachment and making a conscious choice not to care about how fast I finish a race. I first heard about the Law of Detachment when I started meditating. Definitely not the easiest thing to do in the world but like everything else, it takes practice and is great because it effects all other areas in my life as well. I basically go into a race being detached from any speed goals. I may say “I’d like to PR this race” but if it doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world and I’ll focus on celebrating what I did do well which usually ends up being the 3 bullet points above. This just happened to me at the Sinister Night Runs. I LOVE this course! I figured I had plenty of training since ultra season just ended for me and I’ve been feeling great. I pulled up my stats for the last few years and knew what I had to finish with. However I also decided I wasn’t going to look at my Garmin watch once to see where I was (I’ve done this before and it causes a lot of stress when you keep looking at your average pace and how far you still have to go. Then I tense up, I’m not relaxed AND I’m not having any fun again). I had one of the best races as far as Fun and Feel Good Factor! I mean I felt so amazing the entire time! Imagine my disappointment when I crossed the finish line 3 minutes later than my PR! Yes, I went there. I started getting a little bummed. But according to the Law of Detachment, another factor is dealing with uncertainty. Who would’ve known that I replaced my headlamp batteries with old ones so my light was so dim that I could barely see the ground (this was a night trail race). I was grateful for other people’s headlamps and the full moon that night. I couldn’t account for that. How many times do things not go as planned that you had no control over what so ever? So even though I didn’t PR, and I started with a bit of disappointment, I knew that I had a fabulous race that night and did not let my speed (or lack thereof) bring me down and suck the fun out of it for me.
So if you measure your running success based on your speed, I challenge you to take your Garmin off and go on a run without caring about how far or how fast you go. Just go run and see if any of the measures above work for you.
If you are a beginner or recreational runner, take a big sigh of relief now! It’s your running story and you can do what you want. I am a coach and say this! As someone who does this for a living and has finished DFL (Dead Effin Last) before and is a back of the pack runner in general, trust me, you can make our own rules!
I would love to hear how you measure your running success! Please share!
Apparently I wrote a blog post about this one last year too. I like to write race reports so if people want to find out more about an event, they can have someone else’s perspective. This is something I learned in ultra running which was one of the best pieces of advice I’ve received. Before picking an ultra (or after you’ve picked it) start googling “race reports ‘race name'” or “blogs ‘race name'” and you will get reports from runners that have done this race. Great way to get different perspectives and advice! (just have to remember it’s someone else perspective though!)
This is a tough course. There is something about the challenge that I love about this race. I also get to use a lot of different ChiRunning skill because of the terrain changes.
Xterra supports Girls On The Run and I love to support them back!
This race is no joke from an elevation profile. Their website describes it as:
“For those who prefer a course with pain and punishment, the long course is 20k of grueling single track with over 1500 feet of climbing. Starting from the group campground, runners wind their way up Ironwood to the Waddell trail. Once you reach the first aid station be prepared to go up, the next three miles are all climbing….”
I won’t do much detail on the race course as you can read it in my previous race report.
Volunteers rock! The Hansons are always out there supporting Girls On The Run events. Ricci and Joshua are Running for Brews regulars and volunteer a lot too. Thank you!
Pics don’t do the views justice!
Girls On The Run Advisory Board Member, Julie, volunteering too! Missed another photo at registration with more board members. If we are not running we are volunteering!
Still smiling after all the uphills! Was just feeling it!
I decided I wanted to try and PR (set a Personal Record) my time from last year which was 2:57:37. Last year my goal was to get in under 3 hours. I also had to remember that this is a training run and that I did 40 miles just last Saturday at Across the Years. However, I was feeling great and ready to take on the PR challenge.
ChiRunning always plays a huge role in my runs and race. I’m always looking at ways on how to approach the environment coming at me as efficiently as possible. Sometimes it almost feels like a fun game I am playing with Mother Earth.
Some specific things I focused on from a technique perspective:
I focused a lot on uphill and downhill technique. I love hilly courses for this reason. Lots of upper body with uphills, some ChiHiking (it was steep and if I can walk it faster to save energy and not tire myself out, I will). Tried to relax as much as possible on the downhills. A little hard due to the rockiness but it was the best I felt running downhill. I also need to give credit to Greg Riverdieu from the High-Altitude Training Institute. Last year, I took a technical trail running class from him and learned quite a bit. But one of the things that stood out the most, and you probably had to be there, is he would say, you just go down like this…“boom, boom, boom” for 3 consecutive footsteps. So that was in my head as well as Danny talking about “dancing down the trail” and “be the water”. Using imagery and visualizations are fun when running!
Worked quite a bit on ankle lifting. Rocky courses are great for this. This course is known for taking some blood as people fall but I was determined to stay upright. Most common reason to fall on a rail is clipping your toe on a rock because you have a pendular stride instead of a circular stride (part of lifting the ankles). This was my nemesis when I started ChiRunning and love to practice it as much as I can.
Some specific things I focused on from a mental perspective:
I realize I make this part of my “pre race” ritual. I get mentally psyched up for a race. I am not going to win and my goal is to get a good training run in, enjoy it and have fun. I was so excited to get out on the trail today. Oddly, even with a hard course, “only” 12.4 miles wasn’t going to be too bad after 40 last week!
I set a goal to PR last year. I rarely get attached to those goals though. I think having a goal is part of race mentality but I also see too many people beat themselves up about it or setting unrealistic goals based on their experience and training. As mentioned a PR sounded reasonable but I had to consider other factors in my training like the 40 miles on the previous Saturday and my 50 mile weeks of training.
I rarely listen to music and XTERRA doesn’t allow headsets (which I really appreciate, especially on a technical, single track trail). For some reason, I had an old playlist I hadn’t listened to in awhile so put my iPod on speaker and jammed out all the way up the hill. As soon as I started going down though, I really wanted to focus on relaxing and not falling on this technical trail so that’s what I did.
I couldn’t believe how great I was feeling. Back to the PR story….I forgot to mention that I just got a new Garmin which I love, but I hadn’t really set up my display screens properly. I new what my average pace had to be to PR but didn’t create that option yet. So I just decided to body sense and do the absolute best I could. I was sure I was going to PR until I passed the last aid station and found out I had 1.8 miles….it was going to be really really close! I really started focusing on my form even more at this point because I was literally going to make it or not by seconds…..I crossed the finish line at 2:57 (same time as last year). At this point I forgot to check for my results because I had a sushi date with my boyfriend. As much as I stayed focused during that race to PR, I was still detached from the goal: I hoped I PRd but if I didn’t, all good. I even did this Facebook live and talked about goal detachment.
Well, 2 days after the race and after starting this blog, I finally know my results! I PRd by 8 seconds!! I finished at a 2:57:29!! What this means to me is that I am right in line with my training for my 100K in 5.5 weeks. Bring it on!!!
From My Running Story to Yours…. (if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)
Apparently I wrote a blog post about this one last year too. I like to write race reports so if people want to find out more about an event, they can have someone else’s perspective. This is something I learned in ultra running which was one of the best pieces of advice I’ve received. Before picking an ultra (or after you’ve picked it) start googling “race reports ‘race name'” or “blogs ‘race name'” and you will get reports from runners that have done this race. Great way to get different perspectives and advice! (just have to remember it’s someone else perspective though!)
This is a tough course. There is something about the challenge that I love about this race. I also get to use a lot of different ChiRunning skill because of the terrain changes.
Xterra supports Girls On The Run and I love to support them back!
This race is no joke from an elevation profile. Their website describes it as:
“For those who prefer a course with pain and punishment, the long course is 20k of grueling single track with over 1500 feet of climbing. Starting from the group campground, runners wind their way up Ironwood to the Waddell trail. Once you reach the first aid station be prepared to go up, the next three miles are all climbing….”
I won’t do much detail on the race course as you can read it in my previous race report.
Volunteers rock! The Hansons are always out there supporting Girls On The Run events. Ricci and Joshua are Running for Brews regulars and volunteer a lot too. Thank you!
Pics don’t do the views justice!
Girls On The Run Advisory Board Member, Julie, volunteering too! Missed another photo at registration with more board members. If we are not running we are volunteering!
Still smiling after all the uphills! Was just feeling it!
I decided I wanted to try and PR (set a Personal Record) my time from last year which was 2:57:37. Last year my goal was to get in under 3 hours. I also had to remember that this is a training run and that I did 40 miles just last Saturday at Across the Years. However, I was feeling great and ready to take on the PR challenge.
ChiRunning always plays a huge role in my runs and race. I’m always looking at ways on how to approach the environment coming at me as efficiently as possible. Sometimes it almost feels like a fun game I am playing with Mother Earth.
Some specific things I focused on from a technique perspective:
I focused a lot on uphill and downhill technique. I love hilly courses for this reason. Lots of upper body with uphills, some ChiHiking (it was steep and if I can walk it faster to save energy and not tire myself out, I will). Tried to relax as much as possible on the downhills. A little hard due to the rockiness but it was the best I felt running downhill. I also need to give credit to Greg Riverdieu from the High-Altitude Training Institute. Last year, I took a technical trail running class from him and learned quite a bit. But one of the things that stood out the most, and you probably had to be there, is he would say, you just go down like this…“boom, boom, boom” for 3 consecutive footsteps. So that was in my head as well as Danny talking about “dancing down the trail” and “be the water”. Using imagery and visualizations are fun when running!
Worked quite a bit on ankle lifting. Rocky courses are great for this. This course is known for taking some blood as people fall but I was determined to stay upright. Most common reason to fall on a rail is clipping your toe on a rock because you have a pendular stride instead of a circular stride (part of lifting the ankles). This was my nemesis when I started ChiRunning and love to practice it as much as I can.
Some specific things I focused on from a mental perspective:
I realize I make this part of my “pre race” ritual. I get mentally psyched up for a race. I am not going to win and my goal is to get a good training run in, enjoy it and have fun. I was so excited to get out on the trail today. Oddly, even with a hard course, “only” 12.4 miles wasn’t going to be too bad after 40 last week!
I set a goal to PR last year. I rarely get attached to those goals though. I think having a goal is part of race mentality but I also see too many people beat themselves up about it or setting unrealistic goals based on their experience and training. As mentioned a PR sounded reasonable but I had to consider other factors in my training like the 40 miles on the previous Saturday and my 50 mile weeks of training.
I rarely listen to music and XTERRA doesn’t allow headsets (which I really appreciate, especially on a technical, single track trail). For some reason, I had an old playlist I hadn’t listened to in awhile so put my iPod on speaker and jammed out all the way up the hill. As soon as I started going down though, I really wanted to focus on relaxing and not falling on this technical trail so that’s what I did.
I couldn’t believe how great I was feeling. Back to the PR story….I forgot to mention that I just got a new Garmin which I love, but I hadn’t really set up my display screens properly. I new what my average pace had to be to PR but didn’t create that option yet. So I just decided to body sense and do the absolute best I could. I was sure I was going to PR until I passed the last aid station and found out I had 1.8 miles….it was going to be really really close! I really started focusing on my form even more at this point because I was literally going to make it or not by seconds…..I crossed the finish line at 2:57 (same time as last year). At this point I forgot to check for my results because I had a sushi date with my boyfriend. As much as I stayed focused during that race to PR, I was still detached from the goal: I hoped I PRd but if I didn’t, all good. I even did this Facebook live and talked about goal detachment.
Well, 2 days after the race and after starting this blog, I finally know my results! I PRd by 8 seconds!! I finished at a 2:57:29!! What this means to me is that I am right in line with my training for my 100K in 5.5 weeks. Bring it on!!!
From My Running Story to Yours…. (if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)
This is the 3rd year in a row that I do this 50K. It’s one of my favorites and perfect timing in my 100K Training Schedule to have a nice long training run. This has been my 2nd,5th and 9th 50K! Still unbelievable to me that I swore I would never run more than a 5K when I started running!
McDowell Mountain Regional Park has some of my favorite trails and Aravaipa Running always puts on a great event. This was meant to be a training run but since I was doing the same race for the 3rd year in a row, I did have it in the back of my mind that PRing (personal record) would be an added bonus. I went into the race with that idea but was also detached from it since technically this was supposed to be a training run. I normally don’t have a race pace but I definitely get into a different mindset if I’m wanting to PR or “race” an event. I also had to consider that I had run 20 miles the Sunday before so I didn’t taper for this race and I did a tough marathon downhill marathon 3 weeks before. I was so close to PRing and made a “fatal” mistake which cost me the PR…but all good and that story is down below….
Miles 0-12.5
Rachel’s 2nd 50K and Joan’s first one! Waiting for the start….
The energy before a race is always exciting, especially when you realize how many friends you have out there! Several of them were doing their first 50K. It was great to start out the race after getting so many hugs from friends! I love the Escondido trail as it’s rolly polly . I knew I could easily get started too fast here so I tried to keep a nice pace, walking the uphills and running flats and downhills. The last third of the race is the hardest and I’ve struggled on this part the last few years. My goal was to not let that happen again. I immediately started focusing on my ChiRunning form. At about Mile 5, I decided to listen to some ChiSchool lessons so I could continue focusing on my form. I put this on shuffle and even though I listen to some of the same lessons, there are always some great aha moments. This time it was with the lesson “The World’s Largest Treadmill” and some cueing from Danny (the founder of ChiRunning) about feeling your leg get swept back by the trail every time it hit the ground. I’ve heard this lesson many times and it’s one of my favorites but something different clicked with me this time. I skipped the first aid station strategically so I didn’t “waste” anytime as I had plenty of water and fuel. The 2nd aid station was at mile 12.5 and I knew there would be a 10 mile gap until the 3rd one and it would be during “the hill”. Refueled and filled up water and was off again. I knew I had to keep under a 14:58 min mile to PR and I was doing great! At this point I was averaging a 13:23 min mile and I knew I would be hiking that hill. My goal during the first third of the race was to run as much as I could without using up too much energy because I had that last third of the race always in the back of my head.
Miles 12.5-22.5
I had forgotten about the part of the course before “the hill”. Pretty runnable and great scenery. I was still feeling pretty good here. Ran into my friends Jennifer and Rachel and took this quick selfie.
The hardest part of wanting to PR is that you need to stay focused as any extra minute can add up. I felt leaving them so quickly but I was on a mission. It’s also hard for me to do this as a coach as I always like to give words of encouragement and hang with people but sometimes I have to run my race and I was determined since I was on track. I had stopped listening to ChiSchool from the aid station and at mile 18 decided to listen to a few motivational TED talks I had downloaded. Sometimes I like to listen to stuff on long runs but I only listened to a few as I was truly enjoying being out there and present on the trail. The weather up to mile 15 was perfect. There was cloud coverage and we even had a few sprinkles. After my last Black Canyon experience (my character builder run) I was no longer worried about running in the rain but it didn’t happen. At about mile 15, the clouds were gone and the sun came out…I immediately stripped off my sleeves and the weather got hot really fast. I think many of us were impacted by that change during this race. I hiked the entire hill and ran the downhill more than last year…I remember it was rocky so I was careful but was still tracking to PR. Even though I completely filled my hydration pack, I went through my water and couldn’t wait to get to the aid station. I was out of the water for the last 1.5 miles and it kept getting warmer.
Bottom of the hill…it’s not steep but a long hill…you can see runners on the other side of the trail
Beautiful chollas and Rockknob in the background
I think this is Rocknob..its the name of the trail but beautiful rock formations!
Another angle of Rocknob
Miles 22.5 to 31
I knew I had to stay focused on the aid station. A friend of mine, Suzanne was there and she hooked me up right away. Helped fill my pack, put some ice in my buff and hat, I grabbed some munchies and I was off again. At this point, due to the hiking, I was averaging a 13:58 mile so I knew the PR was closing in on me. I did something I don’t advise people to do but decided to take two ibuprofen. I figured even though my legs weren’t too bad, they were a bit achy and I knew this would help me run more. Unfortunately my TomTom died at mile 24 so now I had no idea how I was doing. There is an uphill after the aid station but then a nice steady downhill, although a bit rocky. My goal at this point was to keep running as much I could. I was doing a lot of body sensing since I didn’t have a watch to tell me how I was doing (this is truly a better way as the GPS watch can be a distraction and play into the ego more than listening to your body) I listened to music for a bit but my MP3 player died. I just keep running as much as I could until I reached the last aid station. My first question was how much longer do I have to go. They said 3.4 miles, I looked at my phone and it was 3pm. I had to be done by 3:44 to PR and this was cutting it pretty close but doable. I usually don’t do much sugar until the last aid station (thanks to my nutritionist) I drank some Coke, had a piece of potato with salt, and handful of peanut M + M’s. I left and took my phone out to text a few friends that were waiting at the finish line for me. Here is where I made my mistake. I wasn’t paying attention as I was texting and walking…Before you know it, a guy yelled out “What distance are you doing?” I said the 50K and he said, “You’re on the wrong trail”. So grateful for this guy as I would’ve kept on that wrong trail for who knows how long! I was 4-5 min in so I turned around right away but I knew this set me back and I would’ve been cutting it even closer. Even though I ran as much as I could towards the end, I knew it wasn’t happening. I could start hearing the finish line (they have a DJ!) and knew I was almost there.
One of the several hills on the last 3.4 miles on the technical trail..
It’s a great feeling when people could say they recognized my running form from far away. As I finished through the last section on the technical trail, I was getting excited to be done. Always great to finish and see friends cheering you on at the finish line…even though it was my 9th 50K, finish lines never get old!
Biggest Learning Moment
So how do you define a successful race? Everyone has their own definition. I think it depends on the race too. Although I didn’t make my PR on this race, it was a great success for me. First of all, it was the first time doing this race that I felt strong on the last third even though I ran into some challenges. I crossed the finish line feeling really good! And considering I didn’t taper last weekend and have been building mileage, I was very happy with how I felt at the end! I attribute this to my race strategy and more importantly my ChiRunning technique. As I was by myself for this whole race so it was easier for me to focus on my form and adjusting it as needed to the environment coming at me. I may have conserved to much energy since I finished strong but I’ll take that over being miserable and injured any day! As mentioned, I follow my fueling plan that I learned from my nutritionist and that makes a big difference too!
The After Party
Much like the beginning of the race, at the end of the race there were so many friends around. There is always a beer garden for people to hang out and it’s right by the finish line so you get to watch people coming in. I for wanted to wait for Joan as I had been training her for the last 3 months for her first 50K. She finished strong as well and we shared a celebratory beer (ha, she drank the koolaid and is already talking about her next 50K! She done 20 marathons but moving on to the ultra/trail world 😉 )
This year, Aravaipa added night races and I love the fact that several women from my recent Ladies Training Program, had decided to either do the day or night race! I missed the morning ladies but had a chance to see those at night time as they got ready. Is it bad when your running coaching is encouraging you to do a Fireball shot before you go? Even worse that they listened to you?! Ultimately this is about enjoying the experience! I/we (my peeps) are never going to win the race because that’s not our goal…the goal is making friends and having fun, while staying in shape and doing some crazy things along the way! This is how we roll…….
Gorgeous sunset!
Joan finishes her first 50K! So proud of her!
Oh no….here comes the Fireball 😉 LOL
And encouraging others? Bad coach, bad coach!
It didn’t take them long to succumb to the peer pressure…although this was pre race!
One of my proudest coach moments?!
Part of the Ladies Training Program reunited! Thanks for volunteering Kisha! I better have good finish line pics 😉
From My Running Story to Yours…. (if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)
I have learned that I have to write these within a few days of the event or I lose the event mojo 😉 Like my normal race reports, I’ll break this down into a few sections so you can skip through the parts you need to know about depending on why you are reading this. Continue Reading →
Where do I even begin? First I have to try and explain how this type of event works. Across The Years is described on the Aravaipa website as:
“the original fixed-time multiday running event celebrating the New Year. Runners have 24, 48, 72 hours or 6 days to cover as much distance as possible. Each runner is free to walk, stop, eat, and sleep whenever they wish, but the clock is always running!”
What does this mean? It’s basically you against the clock. You can sign up for minimum of 24 hours to a maximum of 6 days and log as many miles as you want or your body/mind will allow you.
I’ll be honest, I have very mixed feelings about this event. In 2014, my boyfriend and I volunteered during the midnight shift at New Year’s Eve and we had a blast! We decided to do it again this year and The Running University sponsored two volunteer shifts on New Year’s Eve so I received a free entry for filling those spots.
I was excited to have the opportunity to try this type of event out. The course is a 1.04 mile loop at Camelback Ranch and you basically go around the loop as many times as you want or your body/mind will allow you. I’ve done an event before that was looped but it was a 4 mile course so this was a first experience for me. Every 4 hours they change the direction so you go around the opposite way.
I can’t wait to get my official bib number. It’s yours for the lifetime of the event. Apparently once you get to 1,000 miles you get a jacket! not sure I’ll ever shoot for this goal!
I ran this mostly with my friend Heather and we decided that we were “just” going to follow our training plan for the weekend and our plan was to do a 50K (31.1 miles). I also had dinner plans that night so I was on a bit of time crunch. We started at 9am (the 24 hour clock is from 9am-9am). The first several loops felt great…actually most of it wasn’t bad at all..as a matter of fact at one point I was thinking, maybe I can do 48 hours next year and do my first 100 miles…break it up in four 25 miles segments over 48 hours…that sounds doable, right? Well…..by the time I was done, I was done with those loops. Heather and I spent most of the time chatting together and with other people on the course. At one point she needed to make a stop so I kept going knowing we find each other on that loop at some point. I started listening to one of my new favorite Running Deep playlists that I purchased awhile ago and had not had chance to get into (guided meditation for runners). It was perfect timing to be zoned out and zoned in at the same time. I was also hoping to PR my 50K time. Doesn’t really mean a whole lot as this type of event is much different than running a 50K on a trail with an actual elevation profile. But still, I was running a lot more than I would’ve on a trail so that had to count for something. I did set another PR and I found my results from my Tom Tom amusing. Mostly the elevation profile and the map of my run. 😉
It might be easiest to break this up to pros and cons (of course just my opinion!). Would love to hear comments from anyone who has done these events!
Pros:
The course is a 1.04 mile loop so there is no way to get lost. It’s probably one of the safest ways to get rack up mileage.
You set your own goals and it’s just you against the clock. This will also be a Con. For me, I liked that my plan was to stick to my training plan and I purposely scheduled dinner plans later because I knew that I could be convinced to keep going since I technically had many more hours to go. But if someone was “afraid” to do a marathon because there are normally cut offs, you can sign up for 24 hours here and finish a marathon no problem in 24 hours…you could crawl it!
I’ve never eaten so much at a race! LOL There is a main aid station with lots of goodies. We purposely skipped it many times. I’ve taught my body to go for longer periods of time with little fueling but it’s so hard not to stop by and visit at the aid station…and maybe grab a few M & M’s or piece of pizza or peanut butter pretzels (my main trail staple). I’ve heard people say they actually gain weight on this event.
Should’ve got a better picture but this is the main aid station…lots of goodies here!
No need to carry anything. There is also another water station half way through which means you really don’t have to worry about carrying anything with you on this race as you have it all right there.
Seeing lots of friends! It was fun to see so many people I knew. Unfortunately because I was on a mission to get done by a certain time, I couldn’t stop and slow down much to talk with them as most of them were going longer so moving slower that I wanted to at that point. But there are a lot of local runners along with people who come internationally for this event so a great place to listen to people’s running stories and goals.
Heather and I at the start line getting ready for the 9am start 😉
Had to get a selfie with the pretty “lake” behind us. There were some scenic spots on this loop!
Hanging with Ed The Jester. I found out today that he placed 1st with 451 miles completed in 6 days! Just google “ed the jester” and you’ll find out some amazing things about this guy!
Sharill! Her and her husband used to own Solemates which was a racing company that only did these type of timed events but shorter starting with 6 miles up to 24 hours.
Ron! I see this guy volunteering everywhere! And you can’t help but love that shirt!
Ila! Still waiting to hear on her finish as of right now. She is an inspiration and I blogged about her too: https://myownrunningstory.wordpress.com/2016/09/22/running-marathons-at-70/
We reached our goal of a 50K! 31.8 miles on my watch 😉
Relaxed atmosphere. People are all just doing the same thing going around this loop…some running, some walking, some talking, some listening to music or whatever. There didn’t seem to be much “race” pressure that you can normally feel in a race. You get to do whatever you want when you want.
Strategy. You basically create your own race strategy. I met people who were planning X amount miles in X amount of hours, some people were just going with the flow and people like me were using it as a training run. Your time, your strategy.
My strategy was to complete a 50K but my mantra is the same thing I have on the back of my The Running University shirts 😉
Cons
The course is a 1.04 mile loop and all you do all day and night is go around in the same circle for hours even though they change the direction every 4 hours. One of the things I love most about ultra running is being out on a trail and seeing places I’ve never seen before. I don’t know how people do 6 days of this but all power to them!
You set your own goals and it’s just you against the clock. As a running coach, this type of race can really push people to a level that I believe is not healthy. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for people pushing outside their comfort zone mentally and physically! However, to be smart about doing that, training your mind and body really helps too. I know several ultra runners that were out there and used to do this kind of mileage…however this race brings some people out that have not been spending the time training and it’s an injury or many waiting to happen. It’s easy to get wrapped up in your goal and I can’t tell you the number of times I heard people complaining about body parts hurting (there is a difference in knowing when you can push through “hurt” or “injury”) and when you are mentally exhausted, you are not always making the wisest decisions. It was painful for me to watch some of these people limping along (there is a medical tent on site and they do an amazing job…but I know people who wouldn’t go in there in fear of hearing they needed to stop). As much as it’s an inspiration to watch an 82 year old with a walking stick or a 10 year old achieve a 100 mile goal, it’s still begs the questions, when is too much too much?
So, 4 days later, do I still want to do 100 miles in 48 hours next year?
Will I do the event again next year? Hell yes! My plan would be sign up for the same 24 hours with friends, hopefully convince some people to do their first marathon, and have a walking/running party and just have fun with it!
Have you ever done a timed event? What’s your experience? Would love to hear your opinion!
From My Running Story to Yours…. (if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)
