Stay Strong - Run Long

Repost from my blog piece for the IMT Des Moines Marathon If you’ve been running long enough, you know what the sign above is referencing. You’re training is going well. You have down what your hydration, nutrition, cute shoe and clothing strategy for every possible weather condition. Your 2018 John Stamos calendar is staring you in the face with that big circle around October 21st. You are looking at your schedule of runs and you see a weird trend…the numbers are getting smaller…and smaller…and smaller…what is happening?!?!?! I’m supposed to be running a marathon?!?!?!?! Why are the numbers getting smaller? What is that weird pain in my toe? Is my ear bleeding? Is that a hole in my shorts? Do I need new shoes? (this answer is always yes)…NO I DON’T WANT A FREAKING QUESADILLA!!!!!!!!!! You are moody, cranky and irrational…You have entered……..The Taper Zone!!!!! (dun dun dun!!!!!) Obviously the above scenario is fictional…for most people…but there is some real things that wil...

Repost from my blog over at the  IMT Des Moines Marathon  Page We’ve all been there. Our training block for our goal race is going REALLY well. You’ve been getting up for those 6am runs. You’ve been really happy with your shoe choice. You’re getting tan. You’re shedding some of the winter fur that’s been hanging around. Your times have been improving. You’ve got the best playlist of Taylor Swift….I mean…Metallica…yeah…Metallica…that’s ever been created and your runs are going incredible…then BAM!!!!!! You get punched in your new set of Beats headphones by the dreaded “Blah” monster!!!! Your fight begins with you looking at the clock on a Saturday morning when you’re supposed to get your 18 miler in. He looks you in the eye and begins his assault, “What were you thinking setting your alarm clock for 5:15? You need more sleep”. You hit him back with “NO!!!! I AM AMAZING AND THIS 18 MILER IS MY LONGEST RUN TO DATE!!!”. Unwaivered by your relenting, he strikes back with...

I did something the other day that I'm really proud of. In the nearly 14 years that I've spent nearly every minute of every day thinking about running, I think I made my biggest breakthrough. In the thousands of miles that I've run. In the hundred or so races that I've participated in. In the eight 100 mile buckles that I've earned...Monday I made a breakthrough that I've been waiting for for almost my entire life...I stopped caring.... It's been well documented the reason I got into running. I was running from an addiction. I was running from my weight. I was running from depression. I was running from the feeling of inadequacy. I was running from myself. I won't go into that piece of my past again.  As I've lost weight, I've gained confidence in my abilities. I've gained a way to deal with my stress and depression. I've surrounded myself with some of the most amazing people and have gotten to visit some very cool places. But eve...

My racing over the past couple of years has been all over the map. My sub ultra distances have been blessed with PR after PR. My ultra distance finishes have left me "satisfied" mentally, but I've left those races just feeling...blah. I came into the Rocky Raccoon this year...let's just call it "undertrained". After the 2017 Equalizer 24 hour where I managed a measly 67 miles after a strange pop in my foot which turned out to be the result of nothing more than just being REALLY cold for 14 hours. I was just tired. I felt amazing during the race for 14 hours. The weather was windy and the windchill was ~20°F or colder for most of the day and I gave it what I could. I had a total of one...yes a single run of over 15 miles since November 1st...and that happened two weeks before Rocky. I spent a fair amount of time working on my climbing, doing stair workouts and even jumping on the occasional bike or rowing machine. The fitness level was there, the running...