the (mis)adventures of an ultrarunner
Week 4! The last week of the first official build. Here’s a snapshot of the stats: This week I was on the course itself twice. I finally forced myself had to opportunity to get back out on the DRT (Duncan Ridge Trail) for a long day of training aka a Mini Dragon. I also helped …
Totally blanked on recapping week 3! Mach didn’t harass me about it, and I didn’t remember it. Actually my buddy Adam gets the gold medal for nudging me to keep it real and recap the week! Thanks, AA.😆 So last week was another okay week! I capped it right at 50 and just over 5k …
I have a tattoo on my wrist that was created to be a daily reminder for me. On my left wrist, written in my own script, are etched the words “Make War”. I am rarely transparent about what this means to me, not because I want to hide anything, but because it is not an …
"She just doesn't know when to quit." I hear my mom in my head every single time I find myself in yet another stupid situation I've dug myself into. This time was no different. I had a quick flashback of 16-year-old me snorting another huge line of meth, knowing I'd likely just stepped into territory I couldn't come back from, but not caring one bit. "She's right. Why is she always right." I cursed myself as I dug into my pack for my phone. I was sixty some odd miles into my latest 100 mile effort. It was pitch black. My headlamp battery had died, my charger wasn't working, and I was fumbling trying to find a light--desperate for anything to help me navigate the rocky technical terrain in this section of the Pinhoti Trail. The next aid station was four miles away. Rookie mistake.
"I think we should go for it, Mom." My fourteen-year-old son, Brett, stopped to survey the rugged mountain terrain around him, looked up at the golden sun drenched sky, then back at me. Less than an hour till dark. "Yeah. It can't be too far..." I offered in return. carefully finding my footing in old UGG boots and overalls.
I have to be honest with you. I'm sick of social media right now. The whole presentation of "this is my perfectly curated life, and my perfectly executed run" just gets old after awhile. It's not real, guys! It's just not. Most people have a LOT of hard stuff going on in their lives, and …
Fear has never controlled me. In fact, facing and conquering it has always been quite the driving force in my life. Over the course of the last 30 years, this infatuation with fear and its ensuing adrenaline has taken many forms: diving into pools before I could swim, jumping off buildings without any kind of …
For the last 8 weeks or so, I've been training to run a half marathon. I know what you're thinking, if someone can run 100 miles, why would they need to prepare for 13.1? Trust me, they are NOT one and the same. Lord have mercy. Ultras I can typically survive with some redbull and …
I know that most of you want to bury 2016, and I'll admit, it was kind of majorly terrible for me too, but one nice little chunk of happiness did develop in my life last year. Her name is Molly. Let me tell ya' 'bout Molly. You know that super fast friend that is always …
This is Part 1, of a two post series about my latest adventure- the S.M.A.W. Please note that while I was in a bit of a funk last year when this was written, I'm in a much happier place! Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll stick around for the entire story. From the outside looking …
ASHRUNS100s 