How to Master Ultramarathons

I’m fortunate to be part of a rare group of ultrarunners who have close to or over 100 100-mile finishes and a host of other ultras besides.

I’ve spent enough time and enough miles with these friends to know we all have one key thing in common…

We’re not looking at what everyone else is doing to make our decisions. 

We make our own decisions and do our own thing.

For instance:

• I don’t use a training plan or training cycles

• I don’t use poles

• I race in heavy wool socks all year long

• In 132 100-mile races, I’ve only used a pacer and a crew one time each

• I do one long run on the weekends, not two

• I use a plain digital watch instead of a GPS one

• I don’t set months aside to train for a big race - I enjoy other races on the way to that one

• I don’t take a non-running break after a 100 - I recover and get back to in

• I love Ultrasignup for simplifying my life but couldn’t care less about my rating and couldn’t tell you what it is

• I choose my races based on my own priorities

My way isn’t “the right way” to run ultras (though I love my wool socks!). My peers and I differ on some of these.

But we each have our own unique list from our own decisions that we refined over time. We didn’t get where we are from copying anyone, doing what someone insists is right, or following popular opinion.

If you want long term success, you need to figure out what works for you.

And the sooner you start, the better.

You’re going to learn most from doing and experimenting in your own training and races.

And to be clear, I’m not saying you shouldn’t learn from others - just decide if they’re doing something that works better for you, and leave the rest. 

You don’t have to do everything differently, either. Just decide for yourself. 

As you get better at doing that, you free yourself from the need to continually check what others are doing.

You learn that you can rely on yourself, which is good because you, not anyone else, are the one running your race. 

And you get to see what you’re really capable of. If you follow everyone and everything else, you’ll never know. 

This is how I’ve mastered ultras to the level I have. 

I use my experience to help my clients get proficient at making their own decisions and learning their own bodies and preferences. 

I help them take the jumble of thoughts and walk them through their thinking to arrive at their own answer.

I offer them pros and cons from my experience and others’ but the decision is always theirs.

And I help them put it into practice. 

If you’re ready to free yourself from looking to others for the answer, email me.

We’ll get on a consult call and talk through what you're dealing with and how to get ultra super-veteran self-trust.