UltraRunning May/June 2019
- Flavor Science: An Interview with Magda Boulet
- Find an Epic Adventure
- How Not to Pack a Drop Bag
- Santa Barbara Nine Trails
- Way Too Cool
- Western States Research Update
Orcas Island wasn’t meant to be this year, but I got to have an amazing running adventure with my friend in Washington and run some hard and beautiful miles, just in time to taper for LOViT 100.
The EVO Rehi is an outstanding shoe that tweaks the HOKA model to provide one of the fastest road or track shoes you’ll find on the shelf.
The long stage is the most feared stage of the race. This year, for the 34th anniversary, it was sandy and hot. Not really a day at the beach.
During exercise, we typically think of carbohydrates and fats as our main sources of fuel, while protein is associated with recovery. Today, many sports nutrition bars, gels and drinks contain branched-chain amino acids (a special subset of amino acids) or protein. If we aren’t using protein to help muscles continue to make energy and contract, then what is protein doing in those supplements? Is there a role for protein during exercise? Let’s take a look.
This is my seventh Marathon des Sables, and it took me three days to write this story. Three days of heat, sand, wind and miles of stony plateau. Three days of acclimatization, digestion really, of what the desert had in store.
My list of friends who share a passion for both running and music has grown a lot. We may not be on the same running course or at the same concert venue, but we are of the same mindset. In a way, sharing the same musical tastes with someone is like a secret handshake.
Two gender-specific, generously cut shorts to help you transition from legging weather to warm, summer days.
Running, by itself, is a solitary act but everything that comes with it is best shared with friends.
Thomas Torres’s first 5k race was in the middle of the ocean. To be more specific, it was on the deck of an aircraft carrier while serving in the US Navy.
The Wells Mills 50K is in an area that includes about 650,000 acres and is nearly as large as Yosemite. However, it’s right smack dab in the middle of the most densely populated state in the Union: New Jersey.
Spring is a time of the year when the snow is melting, birds are tweeting (old-school style) and the sun is shining a bit brighter. A combination of warm sun and melting snow creates one of our furry running buddies favorite things, and one of the worst substances to get off running shoes – mud.
This season’s batch were tested in extremely wet and muddy winter conditions throughout California and the Pacific Northwest, as well as the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and high desert terrain in Arizona.
HURT hasn’t had course conditions like this since 2011, when rain poured on race weekend. Back then, the finish rate was only 29%. It’s gotten as high as 60%, so we were wondering if people might stop thinking of the HURT 100 as a tough race.
The secrets to completing the Barkley, or your Barkley, are not about diet, equipment or your crew. You must learn as much as possible about the course you are facing and prepare yourself to eliminate wasted time. Most importantly, you must maintain the effort even when success doesn’t seem possible.
The Marathon Des Sables is long (6 stages, 7 days) and exhausting: 155 miles on average each year, with temperatures always in the 90s. The only thing race management gives you is water, more or less, every six miles. All the rest you must carry in your 14-33 pound backpack. Here are my last-minute tips regarding gear for the 34th Marathon Des Sables.
In part one of this series, we started with a home-based strength and coordination program to lay the platform for a stronger and more capable runner. In part two, we incorporated outdoor movements and drills to further refine the process. Part three pulls all of these components together and moves them to become efficient and economical trail running.
We met with Marie Sammons, the director of the Ultra-Trail® World Tour, to ask her about the present and future of her organization.
A great all-purpose trail shoe for moving fast and light on all manner of trails. Their spec weight is among the lowest you’ll find in trail shoes, but there’s enough traction, comfort, and durability to use as a minimalist trainer or an outstanding race shoe for distances up to about 50k.
Now retired from skiing and the arduous training that came with it, a thought lingered in Hugh’s mind from his old training days: “I felt like I did better the longer the distance was… maybe it was something I should explore.” It turned out Hugh’s intuition was right – and ultrarunning was the perfect match.