Running Thoughts

Years of training and hard work have led to this point. There are 2 minutes left before the start. I quickly give my amazing crew chief and BFF a giant hug, take a selfie, and toe the starting line. The gun fires... and we're off!  Before going into what happened, there were a lot of preambles that led up to this point. This race almost didn't happen, as there were a lot of obstacles that took place. I was burned out after dropping out of the Locomotion 24-hour event. I dropped at the 12-hour mark after running 100k. I was both happy and disappointed with my performance. I had 2 months to get ready for this and my tank was empty. I was battling massive depression and a mental breakdown. I spent that time doing a lot of medium runs of 15-20 miles, but not a lot of long runs. I remained optimistic as I spent the majority of my time working on mental health and overall well-being.  I was getting really excited about the race. It's my 1st attempt at 100 miles. I'm hoping to...

 Hello Everyone!  This is a short write-up about my FKT attempt and submission around Mendota Lake that took place on April 9th, 2022. This was primarily a dress rehearsal/training run for Strolling Jim coming up on Saturday, May 7th. Strolling Jim is a 40-mile road race in Wartrace, TN put together by Lazarus Lake (the creator of the Barkleys) and Durbin Race Management. My goal is to go under 6 hours and earn a coveted blue shirt.  I was back in Wisconsin visiting family on my vacation, so training revolved around some unfamiliar areas. I was looking for a 25-mile unsupported time training to simulate the difficult conditions I will face in that race. A dress rehearsal for this difficult race. I love Madison and I've done races around Lake Monona, which is quite beautiful. Lake Mendota is about twice the size and covers Downtown Madison and the Western suburbs.  Lake Mendota is measured as a 24.5-mile loop which is perfect for the occasion. The FKT Course was set a...

This is the most difficult part to write about my experience with Elsie. There’s a lot associated with what happened after the race that took me 2 weeks to fully write this up. Let me begin by saying: I would never change what happened during that event. It’s truly a great and challenging event, and feel immensely grateful. Everyone associated with it has been great, and I truly appreciate those that have reached out to me afterward. I am truly grateful, and I fully intend to run this race again in 2023. I really struggled to handle and fully incorporate all the feelings and emotions that stemmed from this event. I became physically, emotionally, and psychologically drained and it took a toll on me over the following days. I realized I was stronger in many ways than I believed, but also found a lot of weaknesses and vulnerabilities that I am still processing through. Running long distances and races such as this strips away all the extra noise and distractions in the world. Ultimatel...

I’m going to start by thanking everyone at Elsie Enduro Trail Ultra for putting on a tremendous event. This is a running event to fundraise for the Evitt Foundation, which promotes child welfare and education. The swag is fantastic, the atmosphere is fun, and the skill of all the great runners made this an amazing event. This format is very accommodating to runners and athletes of varying skill levels and experience.   The Elsie Enduro is located at the Elsie Holmes Nature Park along the South Chickamauga Creek in Ringgold, GA. There’s a dam nearby and the lower rim runs right along the edge of the creek creating a great view with relaxing sounds. The format of the race is a Last Man Standing format. This is not a point-to-point race where the 1 st person to complete the course wins. Instead, every 40 minutes, runners complete an estimated 2.50-mile loop (my watch measured 2.55-2.60 miles) with an estimated 500 ft of elevation gain, which includes steep inclines and stairways ...

  The Hook – 3 Days. 3 Mountains. 60 Miles. Some of Chattanooga’s most difficult and remote trails amid the hot summer mornings. My response: Bring it on! This was a race I had eyed up and at the top of my list when I moved to Chattanooga. I knew this race was going to be difficult and my goal was to finish, while avoid walking except steep hilly sections.   Preparation – I scouted the trails ahead of time, since the courses and terrain were going to be difficult. I was familiar with the most of Raccoon and Lookout Mountain based on previous runs and races. I’ve ran sections of Signal mountain in the opposite direction, but my overall experience was lacking. With Signal Mountain being the most technical trail, I made it a priority to investigate and run sections of the trail to have enough confidence going into the race. It was an absolute struggle with GPS issues, and body not feeling well so I had concerns about doing well this day.    Expectations – Wit...