…dirty shoes litter the front porch.

…the fridge is stocked with good beer.

…an entire drawer is dedicated to bottles and gels.

…running clothes spill out of closets.

…the laundry machine is ALWAYS running.

…you mix martinis with a protein mix shaker.

…the foam roller has become an acceptable part of furniture.

…toddlers are wearing running gear and drinking out of hydration bottles.

…more shoes behind the door!

The 200 milers started yesterday. The 150 start today, and those wimps only running a hundred start tomorrow. Welcome to the Pigtails Challenge.

Are you ready for your summit photo this weekend?

There’s a pack burro race this weekend (you listened to the latest podcast, right?) in Colorado and GZ’s got all the info right here.

Check out this video of the trails in New Zealand. As Liz Lemon would say…

…but if you can’t make it across the world, check out this incredible video of Rainshadow Racing’s Sun Mountain 50 in Washington State. Wow!

This calendar looks an awfully lot like Scott Jurek is running Leadville this year. First time back after a nine year hiatus. Hope he kills it!

The biggest running mistakes and how to fix them.

Shannon Farrar-Griefer is obsessed with Badwater. Maybe she should hang out with this guy, who completed thirty Ironman distance triathlons in one year. Wow.

It’s a long one, but here is Brendan Davies’ TNF100 race report.  After this peak, I’m anxious to see what’s next.

Here’s a quickie with Mike Wolfe.

We’re heading into the studio today to pick the brain of one of the most experienced hundred milers in the country. Any guesses?

And hey, it’s also our birthday! URP turned two this month and we forgot to throw a party. Thanks for sticking with us during our start, our growth, and our hazy mornings! If you’d like to help keep the party going, please head over to the Donation Aid Station and earn yourself a sticker and some good trail karma. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

Wow, here’s an amazing trail in Canada! Anyone ever run this before?

What sports have seen the biggest growth in the past two years? Interesting findings that I didn’t expect.

And no, I didn’t feel the earthquake last night. The URP World Headquarters and Entertainment Complex suffered no damage.

Next week’s Daily News will be sketchy. I’ll be on the road and will get to it the best I can. My apologies in advance.

Pours a gorgeous dark, dark brown. Looks thick pouring it as the near absence of head gives it a molasses-like appearance.  This is a beautiful beer.

Smell

Immediately after pouring it the vanilla was apparent. Not Bath and Bodyworks vanilla, but a deep, oaky vanilla that’s more reminiscent of pipe tobacco.  Chocolate was another strong scent, rounded out by brown sugar, malts, and surprisingly, some hops.

Taste

Giddyup! Now calling this a simple Brown Ale is a bit of a stretch, so get “Newcastle” out of your mind.

This stuff tastes just like it looks. Nice thick mouthfeel with vanilla and molasses right up front and the bitter hops (it’s still a brown ale, ya know) nicely balancing everything out.  Despite all that, this is not a sweet beer and the alcohol is well hidden except for a nice hit at the finish.

The brew is aged in Palo Santo wood casks that impart the natural escense of vanilla into the beer. Nothing fake about this stuff. This is a fantastic beer.

ABV/Price/etc

Brewed at the venerable Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware, they’re known for some other great brews that I’m anxious to try.

For four 12oz bottles, I believe I paid $15 and I’d gladly do it again.  At 12% ABV (yep), if you plug those numbers into the URP Price per ABV Ratio Thingamajig, it turns out to be a pretty good deal!

Overall

This is one of the few beers that I think could please almost anyone, but without trying to please everyone. Dark beer fan? Vanilla and dark wood? Hops? Not to beer-y, but being the very escense of great beer? It’s all there.  I’d highly recommend getting your hands on this stuff and enjoying the night. Just don’t drive…they’re wicked strong.

I’m  going to take the advice and buy another 4 pack and stash it in the back of a closet until next year when it’ll be even better.  Here’s a map to help you find some of it.

Cheers.

Ten important tips on running a solid Beer Mile (from the WR holder.)

Remember Where’s Waldo? Some of these shots of trail runners are just as difficult (and far more awe-inspiring.)

NUC (No Ultra Content): “You don’t have to find out you’re dying to start living.” Zach Sobeich passed away after an incredible fight with cancer.

Read this: How and why you should strengthen your hip abductors.

Related to…injury prevention and the big bang theory.

Check out this video of how the Salomon athletes collaborate with the S-Lab folks.  Awesome footage!

Here’s Rob Krar’s Grand Canyon R2R2R record report.

The accidental ultrarunner.

Running and beer go together like…two ultrarunning twin sisters.

While I agree with most of this post, I could run the exact same trail five days a week and I don’t think it’d ever get routine.

Trail yoga?

Packing my drop bags for Bryce Canyon. Since it’s out and back, I’ll have one at 25/75, and one at the turnaround.  First official hundo (other was a fatass that was only 88M), so this is new territory for me. No pacer/crew, and I’ve got to get this right. Any advice to ease my mind and help me pack?

Here’s a 12 year old who just ran a trail hundred. Thoughts?

At 2:15am PST, Chad Kellogg began his speed ascent to Everest base camp. Track him live here.

I started with a BOB single and have been using a Chariot double for the past year. Welcome to the world of running strollers.

The Angry Jogger has some non-angry tips on speedwork.

Good stuff: The myth of running your own race.

Here are some great pics from Born to Run Ultra this past weekend. The Range of Motion’s coach Andy Sulak took top honors in the 100k and James Bonnett bagged the 100M. Here’s a video of Andy interviewing RD Luis Escobar. Full results this way.

Moving on after a race goes wrong.

Scott Dunlap’s report from the Silver State 50 with some great pics of beautiful, wide open trails!

Want to know more about trail running with a burro? How about Pike’s Peak? Being an ultra dad? Better check out our new podcast with George Zack!

Bad things that good athletes do.

URP hero Ed Whitlock is racing June 2!

Just got our final instructions for Bryce Canyon 100 next Friday. Can’t wait! Aside from figuring out drop bags an attempting to taper (see above), I’m also studying up on how to poop in an eco-commode.

I can not wait for the Cliff Young movie to come out.

Interesting: Can statins cut the benefits of exercise?

How to run faster…now.

Appearance

Crystal clear orange-gold brew with a nice fluffy off-white head. Drank it out of a frosty pint glass.

Smell

This stuff smells just like really, really good pot. Not that I’d know, but it has quite a pungent aroma with the unmistakeable (or so I thought) smell of cannabis.  I also picked up upfront hops, strong pine, and obvious citrus.

Taste

Whoa, big ol hop bomb. Definite upfront hops with the bitterness of the pot smell carrying through to the taste buds a wee bit. For those beer fans who like their beer hoppy hoppy hoppy, this is for you.  I prefer a more balanced, complex beer, but this will certainly satisfy half the country that’s in the throes of the hop scene.  In terms of freshness (I drank it 6 weeks past “due”), it tasted perfectly fresh to me.

ABV/Price

This Imperial/Double IPA is about $7 for a 22oz.  The ABV comes in at just under 10%.

Overall

Too hoppy for me, but plenty of people love this stuff.  If I were Stone (hello, Stone?), I’d market it as Stone’s Stoney Beer or something similar. The pot smell was that strong.

Ellie’s five tips for running your first ultra.

How tough will it be to qualify for the 2014 Boston Marathon Marathon?

Watch this documentary on the Tarawera 100k and try not to book a flight to New Zealand. I dare you.

A Q&A with a running dog.  Carlos, my Standard Poodle is good for 2 miles max. Do you have a 4 legged partner?

Breaking News: The female joggling WR for the mile has been broken.

Comrades: No Ellie, no Lizzy, no Devon, and now no Kami.  Heal up, ladies!

Speaking of Comrades, here are Bruce Fordyce’s 10 favorite Comrades moments.  And here’s an old interview with the King of Comrades from 1984 where he discusses racial segregation, apartheid, and his 50M record.

What’s trailrunning like outside of Seattle Washington right now? Check out Candice’s “snowathon” 100k story and great pics.

She’s a 2:58 marathoner, runs 100+ mpw, and is 16 years old. Meet Alana Hadley. Thoughts?

Three ways to avoid another Everest conflict.  I hear (and make) a lot of complaints about the problems associated with the rapid rise of trail running, but hey, we haven’t had a fist fight over it yet, right?

Does air pollution affect running performance? Can we see it as a positive and use it as altitude training for mountain runs?

Carbs: Evil or essential?

Good list: The top ten ultramarathon training tips.

What does all the running shoe data tell us about what we are wearing?

Ever had beer ice cream?  This stuff actually sounds pretty good.

Massanutten 100 was this past weekend with James Blandford winning by 2 hours with an 18:30 and Sheryl Wheeler taking it for the ladies. Results here.

…And on the other side of the country, road speedster Chikara Omine and Joelle Vaught took top honors at Silver State 50 in Reno. Results here.

Brendan Davies breaks Kilian’s record at TNF100 in Australia.  That guy is on a roll right now!

“A police officer on a moped stopped me to ask for money, where I was going, and what I was doing.  I pretended to not understand him and just pointed to my bib.  He didn’t shoot me so I pressed on.” Dave James’ race report from February’s Fuego y Agua.

The most influential gear of all time? Silly list. Shoulda narrowed it down by sport.

Track fans: Did you see Kiprop’s kick at the 1500m in Shangai?!? Who’s the UR equivalent of Kiprop or Symonds who turns it on at the (comparable) last second to pass everyone and win?

One gal’s report from the Born to Run festival. Looks like a lot of fun.

People wear some strange costumes in big road races.

Yoga poses for common running injuries. Hey yoga instructors/entrepeneurs: Remember those workout videos from the 1980′s that showed three women doing three different ability levels of the same workout?  Make a yoga video like that for those of us with no flexibility. I’ll buy it.

Six stretches for runners.

Our new tagline is URP Daily: News, Views, Brews.  DG Allen sent in the submission from last week’s “name this page” contest and now he snags a free copy of Larry Gassan’s “100 Mile Finishers” book. Thanks for playing everyone!  Some great entries for sure.

Awesome!  What happens when you poop in the woods? Ever heard of a Yak Tube?

…or if you don’t have a Yak Tube, here’s a flow chart on what to do.

Our friends over at The Range of Motion  will be heading down to the Santa Barbara hills for three days of Luis Escobar’s Born to Run event. Apparently they’ll be webcasting for as long as it makes sense to on Saturday May 18th starting at around 6 a.m.  Tune in to the broadcast here.

The female winner of the Two Oceans ultra just got busted for PEDs.  Are we still going to deny it’s happening in our sport?

AJW on peaking for an ultra.

We’re heading into the studio today to learn all we can about what it takes to go trail running with a donkey. Definitely stay tuned!

Ellie Greenwood reports: A stress fracture to right fibula necessitates this essential halt in normal service. Some service should resume in 6 to 8 weeks time but it may take several months for full, regular service to continue.  No Western States. No Comrades.   Heal up!

The cycling world is turning against spandex. Oh, the horror!

The BAA finds a solution for the runners who were stopped this year.

Fifty tips for your first fifty miler.

Sage Canaday’s Transvulcania race report.

Here’s my review on MAP.

Five things I hope to avoid on my upcoming solo adventure.