Like anything else I have ever done before.

I write this to you on my rest day for the week, something I was adamant I wanted my 37-year-old body to have throughout this training build for my first 100k, Ultra Trail Cape Town, at the end of November. I sit here having done nothing but gentle easy runs since Saturday.

No workouts, no mid-week faster runs, no minimum miles for the days, just whatever feels right.

That works well for someone who runs by feel, but I am also a Type A human being who is, in many ways, addicted to the routine of running, so of course there is some element of intention with how many miles I want to do in a day...before I even step out the door.

Would I do fewer if I felt really bad?

Maybe. Honestly, probably not.

So what am I doing? What do the remaining two days of the week have in store that will have me ultra marathon ready?

Back-to-back long runs.

Last Friday, I dropped the girls off at school, and immediately drove to one of our mountains here in Chattanooga (side note, I LOVE that I can now say, "one of our mountains"! Chattanooga is a great place for runners!). I parked the car, and set off with the intention of running three to four hours, my goal being 3.5 hours, the longest run I have done since my Achilles surgery in April 2024.

Turned out, it was one of those magical days, the rare ones that we daydream about.

It was hard; don't get me wrong. I was exhausted at the end of it, but I felt good the whole way, and was able to run my final miles with a gentle downhill in the trail that made me feel like I was flying. If you want to see my Strava for that run, it is here.​

The UTCT race I am doing is extremely technical, with steep climbs, and challenging sections, not necessarily the type of 100k most runners would pick for their first time running 62.13 miles, but I had three things I wanted as I looked for races to set as my goal post surgery:

1. To be immersed in nature with stunning views (and make sure I stopped to admire them!)
2. To explore a place I had never been, but always wanted to visit
3. To be challenged, pushed to my edge in a different way than I have been before. Fast and flat was not what I was looking for here.

Cape Town came up, and at first I pushed it away, but after letting it sink in, it seemed ideal. Then I read this write up about the race a few weeks ago, and questioned the word "ideal" to describe it; "terrifying" seemed a more apt description for what this course evoked.

But still, a challenge with views of nature was what I asked for, and that's what I am gonna get.

Back to last week's long run; I had a great mix of steps to power hike up, steep climbs where I wheezed my way up, runnable sections down, and a lot of technical terrain.

I felt good.

The work for the week was only half done. The next day, I had a two to three hour run on the calendar.

I had run these trails the week before, the day after running a local 5k (which about killed me, it was SO hard!), so was anticipating the same feeling.

Except that feeling wasn't there. I would maybe even say I felt good as I traversed the 15 miles I ran that day (Strava here).

For both days I was on my nutrition, taking Precision gels or chews every 30 minutes. I had my electrolytes dialed in too. I even handled the heat well, considering I ran in the late morning.

Crushing it!

I thought.

The next day's run was rough. I only ran five miles, but felt terrible. Expected.

My strength training that evening was hard to finish, again, expected.

Then Monday's run came around. I expected to feel somewhat normal. I usually bounce back from hard efforts quickly.

Nope.

Exhausted, heavy legs again.

Tuesday's run, I felt a little better, but still fatigued legs, and couldn't get to my heaviest sets in my lifts at strength training.

Today, my legs are sore from my lifts, something that doesn't happen very often.

And this morning it dawned on me.

That's why ultra running is back-to-back long runs with five days recovery in between, because it takes it out of you, in a way that, much like ultra running itself, is a slow burn, rather than the intense fire of road marathons or 5ks.

It is certainly different to what I know, but in a way, fun.

I know there will be long runs ahead where I feel terrible for one, or maybe even both, long runs.

I know there will be days ahead when those long runs don't go to plan or even happen at all.

And I may need that reminder that it will be okay; I will be okay; the bricks build over time, not one weekend.

For now, I'm exploring this new world, and it is....exactly what I was looking for.

I was inducted into the Ferris State Athletics Hall of Fame last week. I took Bailey back to Michigan with me for the trip; it was a really special one, and a great honor. Here are my reflections on being in my University Hall of Fame on Linkedin and Instagram.​

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I am really excited to head to Boulder this year for Boulderthon. We are announcing something very exciting, a first of its kind, very soon, so will be sharing that in weeks to come. If you are going to be there (or want to come run the 10k with me!) sign up here. See you there?

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Running Bank of America Chicago Marathon?

So am I. Along with our Racing For Sustainability team. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon Plogging event is happening again the day after (so ill be stiff bending down with you!), come join us?

Racing For Sustainability is continuing to build, and we are loving hearing the interest from the community. If you would like to support our mission, you can donate here (and we will send you something as a thank you!) or send this page along to your local races and tell them you want them to join. Your words (and yes, dollars!) matter to brand new nonprofits like ours!

"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Thanks to our partner, Precision Fuel & Hydration

Now that I am fueling myself correctly, I am realizing just how underfueled I was during my professional marathon running career. How much time I left on the table.

For the long runs I shared above, I am fueling with 30g of carbs at least every 30 minutes. I will be trying to build up to 70g of carbs per hour.

During marathon races, when, ultimately, it would have been even more important to have those ready-to-use carbs for holding intensity, I would guess I was consuming about 30g an hour. That's a lot missed, and a lot of energy I didn't have.

I love the Flow Gel from Precision, and will be using that for as much of the day as possible for my 100k race, with maybe changing it up to add in some mint and lemon chews....and yes, maybe the odd craving food from aid stations (they are a lot more fun at ultras!). I am enjoying practicing in my training, and feel confident I will be ready to go by race day.

Now I know that I can't leave my fueling and hydration to chance on race day; it is one of the most critical pieces of a successful day. For me and you!

And if you aren't sure where to start, they have a free, yes, free, planner for you.

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Be kind to one another, yourself, and this beautiful planet of ours.

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