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I seem to have battled race week supervillains the Sleep Monster, the evil duo of Captain Anxiety & Dr. Doubt and the always annoying Sargent Stale Legs since I first started running. No matter what I’ve tried, they always keep coming back. But this race week is going to be different. This week, I have a plan to get rid of these menacing forces for good.
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Failure has a unique place in our lives. We do not want to fail. It is painful. It is embarrassing. And it is absolutely necessary if we are to accomplish great things. It stands between us and limitless possibilities.
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Sometimes just finding where to run can be a chore. The mental ping-pong game between doing something easy or designing an elaborate route can derail even the best intended ultrarunners. Over the course of my running life, I’ve learned that dividing the runs I do into three discrete buckets helps me with the chore of deciding where to go and what to do.
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While running far, climbing mountains and moving for hours on end are keys to success for ultramarathons, we should not overlook the benefits of running faster as we traipse over the trails. There are basic drills and tactics which all trail and ultrarunners can deploy, even in the depths of winter, that have considerable benefits.
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A high-level overview which aims to prepare runners for the specifics of dealing with high altitude races. In particular, I’ve used Leadville Trail 100-miler as an example since it’s one of the most historic ultras, and a personal favorite where I’ve enjoyed battling for wins and coached two other winners and numerous finishers.
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I’ve had some personal experiences running an ultramarathon with a spouse. I ran every step of a 100-miler with my wife, Mel. I also DNF’d a 100-miler with her. During both experiences, the miles tried to kill us. And at some point (okay, multiple points) during each race, we wanted to kill each other.
