UltraRunning September 2018
- Hardrock
- Becoming a Race Director
- Broken Arrow Skyrace
- Stride Frequency and Running Economy
- The Spirit of Western States
- When a Search-and- Rescue Hits Close to Home
A pleasant combination of low and springy, with excellent responsiveness and grip when you’re pushing the pace.
I had a calm confidence I could traverse the entire Burning River 100. While I knew my training had not been optimal, I felt showing up healthy and gutting it out would provide the opportunity for success. I could walk if I ran out of gas… How dangerous a thought this was.
As the last stop in the Under Armour Mountain Running Series, the 50K at Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort was the perfect event to kick off fall racing season in Central Oregon. With morning temperatures hovering around 30 degrees, runners had no choice but to don their winter gear at the 7 a.m. start.
The sound of a helicopter circling over our property near Telluride, Colorado, filled my ears for several days straight. The sight of teams of volunteers dressed in hiking gear, fanning out in the aspen groves and bushwhacking off trail while shouting, “Tim,” pulled at my heart.
“Relentless” is a word that gets tossed around a lot by folks who have run Black Hills, and the Centennial trail certainly fits the description. Is the Centennial more relentless than you?
Gearing up for a longer ultra, such as a 100k or a 100-miler requires a dedicated training plan with particular focus on getting more miles and more time on feet. One way to accomplish this is with back-to-back long runs. Back-to-back long runs refers to doing long runs on two consecutive days, typically Saturday and Sunday for those with full-time jobs. Back-to-back long runs are a common practice in ultra training, but are they really necessary for success? That’s up for debate in this month’s column!
Rolling up to Laz, he appeared as though he could have been part of a survey crew, or some form of civic organization in his neon yellow reflective vest. But Gary Cantrell, more commonly known as Lazarus Lake (Laz for short), is far from being associated with any government entity. He’s on a mission to walk across the United States, and he’s almost finished.
A durable and highly functional backpack with capacity for full trail days or ultralight overnight outings.
To me, it’s vital that we all think about trail etiquette – how to respect and maintain the beautiful natural environments that we choose to run through, and how to respect our fellow trail users. It’s important to recognize that we share the trails with others.
It’s the middle of the night in Coney Island and with over 80 miles on our legs, Rob and I are feeling it.
I was 36 weeks pregnant when I ran the North Country Trail 50 Mile last year. Even though I knew it would be a challenge, I was cleared by my doctors so I was up for the challenge to prove you can do anything you set your mind to.
We are waiting at the finish line for our final runner. It is our special pleasure to present Edna Vazquez Lung with her finisher buckle, the last Kettle Moraine 100 award we will be giving out, due to our “retirement.”
Most of us can’t escape the ultra-shuffle as we reach the later stages of races. As we fatigue our biomechanics change in many ways, including changes in stride length and frequency. In this article I will shy away from the nitty gritty details of biomechanics and focus on the relationship between stride length and frequency and how they impact running economy.
For most ultrarunners winter and spring was all about training and preparing for a big summer race. The first half of the year had so much focus and promise. And now… it is fall. Fall. Even the name of the season implies pain and loss.
On a toasty morning, I toed the line for my first crack at the Titletown Ultra Series 15.5-hour event on June 30. There are three time lengths to choose from: six hours, eight hours, and the solstice run challenge where you run 15.5 hours from sun up to sun down.
Through a variety of different sights and sounds, I was reminded time and again of places and races I have run. It all felt… familiar.
There’s a joke between me and Brian about his training habits. If it’s a Saturday, he’s probably running the Seven Sisters. If it’s a Sunday, he’s probably running the Seven Sisters. If it’s a holiday, day off from work or even one of his every-other Fridays off, he’s probably running the Seven Sisters.
2018 – the year I turned 40 and the year I tackled my first 50 mile race – the Ice Age Trail 50!
The Burning River 50 Mile was my second “race-cation.” My husband, Jon, and I combined it with four days of short, easy hiking at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio before the ultra on July 28.