Tahoe Rim Trail 100, Grand Mesa 100, Trans-Rockies Stage Race, and Upcoming Clinics

This has been a busy week, hence the shortage of posts. My message in boxes are piling up quickly and the chores are falling by the wayside.

In the news:

Shelly and I, along with our awesome friends Krista Cavender, Jon Sanregret, paced and crewed Jesse Scott to his first 100 miler at Tahoe Rim this last weekend. Jesse kicked ass! I’ll try to write a crew report as soon as possible, though Read More...

The Thermal Chimney Hat: The World’s Greatest Hat for Ultrarunning?

Hats. Most runners wear them at least some of the time. My preferred hat has been a desert camo boonie hat, which has performed admirably. Could there be a better solution, though?

My recent discovery and subsequent discussions on moisture-wicking materials and thermoregulation piqued my interest in hats. Specifically, a discussion on Barefoot Ted’s Google Group led me to try a stray sun hat. That same discussion also led me to consider modifications that would make Read More...

Thermoregulation and Running: A Cool Idea

The Evil Moisture Wicking Clothing?

In a previous post, I theorized about the role a moisture-wicking shirt played in three crappy runs over the last seven months or so. After reading your comments and doing a little research, my “ah-ha’ moment wasn’t quite so revolutionary. The conclusion is pretty obvious:

Moisture wicking clothing does more harm than good for runners in hot weather.

The reasoning is simple- the mechanism of drawing moisture away from the skin thwarts Read More...

How to Choose Your First 100 Miler (Or Any Other Ultra Distance)

I have a few friends that are beginning to dabble in ultras, and are going through the process of choosing a race. In some cases, it is their first ultra. In other cases, they’re looking for a longer ultra after successfully completing a shorter ultra. At any rate, here’s a quick guide to choosing a race.

Step one: Assess your abilities. Specifically, what are your strengths and weaknesses? Do you prefer flat courses or hilly courses? Are Read More...

Gluttony Training: The Other Side of the Fasting Training Coin

Yesterday I wrote about fasting as a method of training. Learning to eat before and during the run is another useful training technique.

Before I get to the details, I should note this training really only applies to ultrarunners. Most people should be able to run anything up to about 18-20 miles without any food. Even a marathon would require very little food, if any at all. Once you pass that marathon threshold, food becomes increasingly Read More...

Solving the Hydration Riddle: Lesson Repeated Until I Learn

Ah, hydration and ultramarathons. It used to be an issue that caused exactly zero problems. When I lived in the Midwest, I never unintentionally became dehydrated in a run. Ever.

I would occasionally do a “dehydration run” where I would purposely consume too little water so I could learn what the physical symptoms felt like. These runs were always done on a small loop with easy access to water, so the danger was low. I didn’t have Read More...

Quick Bighorn 100 Miler Recap

I finished the Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic Trail Run 100 miler yesterday. The race certainly lives up to its name. I’ll post a more detailed report in the near future, but here’s a rough recap.

Bighorn was definitely the most difficult 100 I’ve run to date. The combination of mountain weather and terrain made it significantly more difficult than the Midwest ultras I’ve run. This was also my first 100 miler without a crew or pacer. Read More...