Read before You Ultra

Chapter 13: And Then It Was Done 8 marathons. 62 days. No plan for the morning after.

❝No matter how massive the goal, no matter how long you spend on it, it always just ends. One step, you’re still doing the thing. The next step, you’re not.
—Dylan Zuccherino
open.substack.com/pub/dylanzuc...

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Resilience Revisited - Ultra Running Magazine If you knew me years ago, you might have described me as someone built for endurance. I tended to lean into activities that took time and effort: graduate studies, yoga training, writing and long-dist...

❝For me, resilience has often been synonymous with movement – mental and physical. Yet […] I’ve come to believe resilience starts in stillness: how we show up in our minds and hearts when we can’t run away.
—Jodi Weiss
ultrarunning.com/featured/res...

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❝When I finish a run, every part of me is smiling.
—Jeff Galloway

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My Brief Wondrous Pursuit of Rowing Hot takes on being a quitter

❝[M]any of the things that I love about running aren’t unique to running at all; they’re universal truths about the way that sport, and community, can bring out the best in humanity.
—Yitka Winn
open.substack.com/pub/runnersw...

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It’s not therapy. But it is therapeutic.

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Another 100k Traverse Along the Black Canyon Trail Another successful finish at the BC100k (2026) In the weeks leading up to my fifth running at the Black Canyon 100, I had already decided th...

❝She knew very well that I use running as a way to deal with my most difficult emotions, and she encouraged me to "take the day...and ease your soul on the trails."
—John Fegyveresi
lakewoodhiker.blogspot.com/2026/02/anot...

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❝The point is, not all efforts or pains are the same. While running involves pains of various sorts, the goal is not to uncritically embrace all pain for its own sake.
— @sabrinablittle.bsky.social
www.irunfar.com/an-invitatio...

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Hallelujah Man On practice and readiness

❝But if you sometimes do your activity when you don’t feel like it, and if somewhere on your list of why’s there is something other than just “for fun”, then you, too, have a practice.
—Jeff Calvert
open.substack.com/pub/rushofit...

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Elevation Training for Hiking (Without Living in the Mountains) Altitude is not just more cardio. It’s your engine plus your acclimation plan, stacked. Here’s how to train climbs from sea level, avoid the dumb myths, and stop getting humbled at 11,000 feet.

Or runner!

❝They either:
obsess over gear and ignore their aerobic base, or
obsess over workouts and ignore acclimation planning, or
do both, then “just send it” […].
Don’t be that hiker.
—Freda Heights
open.substack.com/pub/fredahei...

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(Non-running) partner: “I still don’t get it.” #bm100

❝Keep the legs turning.

Keep moving.

Keep running dammit.

This is what you trained for. This is where you wanted to be. In the late miles with a chance.
—Chris Russell
runrunlive.com/sun-marathon

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Utah For The Win [Ed. Note:  Google Blogger broke something a while back which now causes variations in the font throughout these articles.  I've fought this...

Every runner, at some race, eventually:

❝[T]here are only two-point-three miles left, and a week or so later you check in and find there are now only two-point-two […].
—Gary Cattarin
thesecondlap.blogspot.com/2026/02/utah...

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When is the Best Time for Ultramarathon Runners to Lose Weight? - Jason Koop If you choose to lose weight as part of your ultramarathon training, here's a guide to the best time to lose weight.

❝Even if you feel like you have a lot of weight to lose, in many cases, athletes are better off simply focusing on their training, particularly by making sure they are executing high-quality workouts […].
—Jason Koop
trainright.com/best-time-fo...

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Do You Need a Running Coach? A Complete Guide to Making the Right Decision Wondering if you should hire a running coach? Learn when coaching helps, when it holds you back, and how to make the right decision based on your goals and experience.

❝These are all excellent reasons to hire a coach. […] But notice what’s missing from this list?

There’s nothing that says “because every pro has one” or “because I’m supposed to” […].
—Nicole Linke
nicolelinke.com/do-you-need-...

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Redefining Rest Why Rest Isn't Stillness (Part One of a Two Part Series)

❝Skilled rest is downshifting without shutting down.

It’s the ability to reduce unnecessary tension and attention when the situation doesn’t require it.
—Robert Wilson
open.substack.com/pub/checkeng...

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The Holidays are Over. Time to Get Back to Training Wondering how to restart your running after winter? Here’s how elite ultra coaches structure base training and early-season progression.

2/2 ❝Instead, volume is treated as a variable that emerges from consistency, intent and progression, not as a goal in its own right.
—Niki Micallef
open.substack.com/pub/bornonth...

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1/2 An interesting observation!

❝[N]one of the coaches place strong importance on fixed targets for maximum weekly mileage, longest long run or other commonly cited “vanity metrics”. […] ⬇️

Your Watch Isn't Smarter Than You Why I push back on my Garmin's virtual coaching feedback

Take that, Garmin.

❝When my watch taunts me with the label “Unproductive,” […] I’ll sub in “Joyous” or “Satisfying” or “Not Too Bad Given All the Other Shit Going On” for the training status label.
—Sarah Lavender Smith
open.substack.com/pub/sarahrun...

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The finish A reframing

❝Discard DNF. Now flip it:

FND:
Finish
Next year
Definitely.
—the running poet
open.substack.com/pub/therunni...

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“What the Hell is this?” A Burrito League Post It’s Monday. I woke up, laced up my shoes, and grabbed my headphones, assuming the 2 hour run I was about to do would be a relatively solitary and boring affair. I drove over – not to a trail…

❝When you strip away the noise of segment leaderboards, prizes, and the magenta graphics, what’s left is something disarmingly simple: absurdity, inclusivity, and a shared human experience.
—Rachel Entrekin
blondeidiotrunning.wordpress.com/2026/01/15/w...

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How Long Should Your Longest Run Be Before An Ultramarathon? - CTS How long should an ultrarunner's longest run be in training prior to racing an ultramarathon? Coach Jason Koop explains.

❝1. How long does my run need to be to practice my nutrition plan? […]
2. How long does my long run need to be to give me confidence?
3. How long does my long run need to be to work on any logistical consideration […]?
—Jason Koop
trainright.com/longest-run-...

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Menstrual Cycle, RED-S and Contraceptives Explained for Endurance Runners Dr Louise Burnie explains how the Menstrual Cycle, RED-S and Contraceptives can effect endurance runners and training for ultras.

❝Menstrual cycle disturbances are more common in endurance athletes, with research suggesting that around 43% of endurance runners experience irregular or absent periods, particularly during race season.
—Dr Louise Burnie
run-ultra.com/news/menstru...

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The Places That Don’t Photograph Well On overlooked trails and the value of the ordinary

❝In these unphotogenic places, awe gives way to endurance. You stop waiting for the moment and start inhabiting the time.
—Jenn Collins
open.substack.com/pub/onthetra...

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Here's the easiest training boost you've never considered - Canadian Running Magazine NEAT is the acronym for the ordinary movements you do between runs, as part of daily life–and it matters more than you think

The reality for those of us with desk jobs.

❝The sneaky part is that a solid training routine can still sit on top of a day that barely involves any movement at all […].
—Keeley Milne
runningmagazine.ca/sections/tra...

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'Slowly is the fastest way to get to where you need to be' - how a 19-stone gamer became a world-record ultramarathon runner "Running helped me find my potential and live the life I actually want to live," says Sam King after incredible fundraising challenge.

❝King is careful not to over-romanticise running as a cure-all. ‘I wouldn’t say running saved me,’ he says. ‘It gave me a platform to express what was already inside me.’
—Sam King/Jonathan Turner
run247.com/running-news...

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Who We Become Through Repetition Who are you becoming? And have you considered asking yourself, why?Are you the result of a decision or an accident?How good is your relationship with

❝We train not for the illusion of control, but for the sensitivity to respond with agency, choice, wisdom. That is the lesson the mountains give.
—Steve House
uphillathlete.com/mental-train...

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I'm Giving Up on New Year’s Resolutions A case for small adventures, manageable habits, and skipping the personal reinvention phase of the new year.

❝[D]ream big. Do something bold. But also, make room for small joys and sustainable change.
One big leap. Six curious wanderings. Four steady anchors. That’s not a bad way to move through a year.
—Jenn Collins
open.substack.com/pub/onthetra...

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How to deal with pressure 2005. Andorra, World Championships. I was at the start line of the world championships. The race was in Andorra, only an hour from my home. I was the favorite, in the world cup I had won the previo…

❝It’s no longer just about what we do, but how it looks, how it’s received, and how it compares. Pressure no longer begins on the start line but in the moment we post a training session.
—Kilian Jornet
mtnath.com/how-to-deal-...

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❝We’re all just out there playing this game of: How well can we do today?
—Henriette Albon/Lydia Thomson
www.irunfar.com/henriette-al...

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A Winter Running Field Guide Notes for Cold Days from a Montana Runner

Good idea.

❝[After a cold run,] I will often get right into sweats, a puffy jacket, fresh gloves, and a ski hat while I have my recovery meal. It looks ridiculous, but running is a silly proposition anyway.
—Mike Hahn
open.substack.com/pub/runningl...

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