Ultramarathon and Trail Running Daily News, Tue, Jan 31

Wow, here’s a great essay on iRunFar from Morgan Williams about his three decades on the trails running ultramrarathons.  Injuries, defeat, success, DNFs, motivation, it’s all in there.

“You get to the finish line of a 50-mile race and people are like, “Congratulations, you just ran 50 miles.” And you’re like, “F&ck that, I just ran 750 miles—you just saw the last 50. Anyway, let’s go get a pizza.””

—Brendan’s hysterically true essay about why he hates to run.

Is there a function on Strava that makes it beep and buzz if I’m getting too close to a dangerous part of trail? This comes to mind.  I could see myself running, zoned out and listening to music, then whooooosh, I fall into the damn earth.

This guy has run every single day since Dec 21, 1964. Until last Sunday.  The longest running streak in history is officially over.

I’m sure DMAA helps performance somehow, but it’ll also kill ya.   Unclear whether this is marketed in the US or just Europe. Anyone?

How much sugar is in your ultra endurance fueling? Is that a good thing?

I got a hall pass to go to the Fourmidable 50k on Feb 18 in Auburn.  If it’s not raining, I’ll have my alphorn.  (And hey, use URP in the checkout box for $10 off registration!)

Apparently running cadence is important to speed and efficiency.  The only time I think about it is when my steps magically align with whatever music I’m listening to and I smile a bit to myself.

Sometimes we wake up in the morning with great plans that are nearly destroyed by elements out of our control. When that happens, we need to decide if we are going to succumb to the elements or get out and break trail ourselves.

–Take hold of the day, get out there, and break some trail.

Personal note: I haven’t had a sip of alcohol this year.  Longest I’ve gone without a beer in…oh, a couple of decades.  Though the timing of my abstinence aligns perfectly with my knee injury and subsequent inactive lifestyle (though the beer and injury are not related), I still figured I’d lose more than the six pounds I’ve shed since Jan 1.  

Speaking of beer, I’m going to see Ginger Runner’s movie A Decade On tomorrow night at Fleet Feet in Sacramento.   And yes, I’ll be having a beer. Who’s joining me?

If some you random dude is throwing vegetables at you when you’re running, is it OK to eat them? Can you make requests? Avocado, yes. Turnips, no.

Never give up on your goals (and hey, motivating each other helps!)  h/t to Billy for this great clip.

Five tips for sticking to your training plan.

Knee surgery this afternoon. Meh.  Fasting until then? What the holy hell?!?  How?@?!?!@@!?? NOOOOOO!!!!

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