Latest / The People Run Podcast / #30: Western States to Badwater in 8 Days & Life as an Elite Ultra Runner Sierra Degroff

Transcript

#30: Western States to Badwater in 8 Days & Life as an Elite Ultra Runner Sierra Degroff · The People Run Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: You ran Badwater three times, and I think one year you even ran it along with Western States.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_01: Uh is is that correct?
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that was last year.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um I had the perfect situation where I had the opportunity to do both.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I had been entering the Western lottery for seven years and I had 32 tickets and welcome back everyone to the People Run Podcast.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um today I have uh Sierra who's an ultra runner.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: She just recently uh podium and PR'd at the jackpot 50.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: But uh Sierra, first and foremost, welcome to the People Run Podcast.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: How are you doing today?
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Good.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for having me.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, of course.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it was a slight request of some of the people I've asked on the show, like, hey, what kind of runners you want to see?
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: And you're one of the first people that came up, and I was like, okay, I'm gonna reach out.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_01: We linked up, made it happen, and well, here we are.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Love to hear it.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_01: Talk to me about the the recent race.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: You podium finished, you came in second, you had a big uh PR jackpot 50.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: How'd that go?
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it went well.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I you know, I had hoped to go a little quicker.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I feel like I always kind of set my goals pretty high, but um, I mean, all things considered, it's a PR for me, so that's good.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: It was a little bit of a long course, so I have to keep that in mind as well.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um I I kind of sworn off doing that race this year because I ran the hundred mile out there the last three years.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but this was like a slightly different loop iteration, so I guess that was um that was different.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: I think I like the other loop better if I'm being honest, but uh yeah, no, I mean the day went pretty well.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: I had another really fast lady, uh Laura Cortez out there who was right on me the first, I don't know, hour or so.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I I had to make the decision to kind of pull back a little bit because I'm like, well, I mean, she's flying and that's great for her, but I I don't know that I can hold that the whole race.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I had to kind of do my own thing.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: I probably paid for it a little bit at the end, going a little hot on that first hour.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, I guess sometimes I let the competition kind of get the best of me and I deviate from plans slightly, but um yeah, no, I mean perfect weather, had a whole bunch of friends out there.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: I live in Vegas, so it's always fun to have, you know, a whole bunch of familiar faces running around all day.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh had a friend that was able to crew and support me, so that's always good.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, just friends to run with also.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: So uh my time was an improvement from JFK, which that was a PR, but that also had the Appalachian Trail involved.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: So um yeah, I mean, I guess we're projecting in the right uh the right direction at this point.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: So um I don't have any more 50 milers planned for this year.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: I may try to apply for the USA 100k team.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I need some clarification on my actual 50 mile split from Saturday because I have some confusion there.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so we'll see.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh there's a lot of really fast ladies that are doing those distances, so I don't want to hold my breath, but I figure I'll throw my name in the hat at least.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: What's the current requirements to get in?
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: At least what they're saying.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's so for 50 mile, it's uh 635.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: So that's where I'm trying to get like the clarification.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like when I hit the actual 50 mile split, like what was the time?
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: So then I mean, if it's 6:30, like that's one thing.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: If it's 640, like I might have just missed it.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: So um hopefully figuring that out pretty soon.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: And um, it's okay if I if I didn't make it, I'm gonna have to try the next cycle because I'm not I don't have time to do another 50 before the window, and I have other things like a hundred miler next month, 135 in Alaska in June.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: So I, you know, I gotta kind of shift gears here a little bit.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll we'll see.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: The second half of the year is kind of left open, but um, that's where I'm a little bummed.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't go a little quicker because then I could have had that better um what is it, uh buffer or what whatnot.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, it's the day that I had, so given uh the rest of your year, was this more of like a confidence race or a fitness check?
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, um it wasn't like one of my I don't want to say it wasn't a key race, but it was yeah, like a let's see how quick we can go just to squeeze this in right before that window.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, ideally I would have done Mad City in a perfect world because that's an auto-qualifying race, but due to like logistics and like proximity and time frame, like this was kind of what I had available.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: And this was also a nice stimulus for Umstead 100 next month.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: So um definitely the longest run I'll do before that.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, I think we're kind of looking good for that one, just gotta do that times two, right?
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: So I mean you've done them before, so uh you kind of know what to expect, but how's uh recovery coming right now?
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, just coming off the the weekend race, and you know, you were crewing just the week before that.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh it's it's good.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: I I think the weekend was a little shorter than I would have liked it to have been.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I'm used to racing jackpot on a Friday, so then I get like two days to get back to it before work, but I think I wouldn't be as tired if I wasn't at rock and roll, like spectating and stuff yesterday too.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: But we had a half marathon in town, my boyfriend ran it, so I was uh jumping around over on the strip, which is probably a good active recovery.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I mean I don't feel too bad.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: My stomach is still kind of not a hundred percent.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: I've my appetite still isn't fully there, which is weird.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but my legs feel okay.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: I did a little two-mile shake earlier and they felt fine, no like notable issues.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: That's good news, okay.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: Taking it back a little bit, you know, you're from Nevada, it's very hot.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um but you seem to like the desert.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what what's it like running in in hot weather all the time?
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: Is it something you're used to?
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's is it your like sauna training real life?
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, well, right now it doesn't feel super hot, but probably compared to the rest of the country, it does.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um I I prefer heat.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: I have some autoimmune stuff and I have Renaud, so I don't really do well in the cold.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like I have like some circulation issues and such.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: So I prefer the heat.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and especially like dry heat over humidity.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: I grew up in the Midwest, but I've been in Vegas like the last 10 years, so I can vouch to say I'd take 100 plus with like 20 degree or 20% humidity over like 80 with 80 humidity any day.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: It just feels better.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I do own a sauna.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: I intentionally run in the heat to train for certain things, so I think it's like what it's poor man's altitude too.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like if you can't get to the mountains and you're working full-time or something, like that's a good uh training feature of living here as well.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: So no, I I can agree wholeheartedly.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: I live in Colorado now, dry heat versus I've been around a little bit, but Florida humidity, New York, you know, it's a little bit more humid.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um summers with 80-90% humidity.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: I I'll take Colorado all day.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's bad.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you go outside and you just feel like you need a shower immediately.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's gross.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: Are you, would you say, pretty used to the to the heat now, you know, 10 years in in Vegas?
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: Is there anything you still deal with, like say stomach training or anything like that?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, I mean, it's always trickier to run at a high intensity and heat while eating, I think for anyone.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um like I think you have a way lesser chance of having like digestive or GI issues, you know, at a race like I just ran on Saturday, where it's like perfect weather versus running bad water and starting at 9 p.m.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: and running through Furnace Creek where it's like 110 degrees in the middle of the night.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you know, um I I don't know, you just gotta change some stuff with that.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: But it there's a lot of uh factors involved because I think time of day matters too, like out here in Vegas.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: If you run before the sun comes up, you're I don't think it's that bad.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: Some people would disagree, but you know, um you just do what you can with what you have.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: What do you like more about the desert?
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: Is it because it's hard or because it's honest?
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I mean, I I just think the Midwest is its own.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, the UP is beautiful.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: I I think it's very underrated.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like most people haven't been, and they should, because it's definitely worthwhile, and it's you know, kind of that still off the grid where it's pristine wilderness, if you will.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: But the desert is just so different from what I'm used to.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I used to have to drive five hours from my house in the lower peninsula to get to anything that was worthwhile, if you will, that's on a beach or a lake or it has hills, like it's just super flat and cornfields and stuff.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like out here, I look out my window and I can see like the mountain ranges.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, Nevada has tons of mountains, and I can get to Death Valley in like three hours.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: I can go down to Arizona, I can, you know, head up to Utah.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I just I guess it's like a breath of fresh air.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: There's just different things to see and um challenges to be had.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: So it's just a little if you're a runner, especially, it's like this it's a no-brainer.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: You gotta kind of get out west, unless you're just running road marathons, or you know, that's probably okay, but no, I'm in full agreement here with you.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: Uh something about the west, even if it is road, like get to Utah, you know, go to Arizona, like, yeah, it's hot, but the views, so I agree with you there.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: You know, talking about the valley and some cr some uh fun places to run.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: You ran Badwater three times, and I think one year you even ran it along with Western States.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: Uh is is that correct?
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: Talk to me about that.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that was last year.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um I I don't know, I had the perfect situation where I had the opportunity to do both.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I had been entering the Western lottery for seven years and I had 32 tickets, and you know, I had that COVID year too, where it's like basically everybody just got put on pause and it didn't matter if he ran more qualifiers, just you know, that was a garbage year.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: And then uh I knew I was going to States, like that was the first thing because the lottery happened in December, so I was like, all right, well, duh, like I'm going.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: And um then I had to make the decision on the Badwater thing because I'm like, well, I mean, I love that race, and I I really wanted to try to win that race, and I wasn't going to consider it finished business until I either got the result I thought I was fully capable of or as close to winning as possible, you know.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I was also a Mount to Post athlete previously, and they were the title sponsor, and it just I had, I don't know, I I have a really hard time saying no.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: I'm kind of a junkie in some regards.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't really think through the whole eight-day thing.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I've done a summer before where I did 300s in like a two-week span where I did, what was it, Cascade Crest.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: Two weeks later, I did uh Angel's Crest.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: And then I think two weeks after that I did Leadville, and it was fine.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I think two weeks is ample time if you don't have a major injury to just keep that fitness train going and you know, go right on to the next one.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: I felt really good by the third one.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, Leadville, I felt really strong.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm like, well, what's eight days?
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that's almost two weeks, or it's you know, over the one week hump.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: And no, it it was not long enough.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I would if I still had the chance to try to do both, though, I probably would just because yeah, I think doing the double, there's not that many people that have done it, and to just say that you're able to accomplish both.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I don't think anybody really understands what it was like just dealing with the whole like unpacking the two races at the finish line of the second one, like it was just crazy.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, emotional buildup, physical buildup, and I was definitely disappointed because I didn't have the race.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: I think I could have ran either one, but I was still special nonetheless.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I made it like I made it there.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: So um I loved Western States.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: I would say that's that's gotta be on everybody's bucket list.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like if you're running 100 milers or you're considering it even like start with 100k qualifiers and start now because it's gonna be a process.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and you don't really understand how special it is till you're the actual racer.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: Because like I had crewed and paced that race too, and I didn't really get it.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I was like, this was a lot of work, and like this is pretty, I guess.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: But like I didn't really get the full journey myself.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: So I just, you know, as an outsider, you don't get it, and it just seems like crewing and pacing a different race.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: But when you go to training camp and you're the runner and you get the buckle and the shirt and shake hands with Craig, like after the race, you're just like, this is so cool.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, um, and the course itself, too, it's so epic.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: Uh definitely needs to be on everybody's list.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then Badwater, I love that race too.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, the the journey on that one through Death Valley.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, Death Valley's got to be one of my favorite places, it's just so vast, and um there's just uh it's so I don't know.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: And then you end at the Eastern Sierra, like right before Whitney.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like this year, that's why I kind of since I didn't get in, I'm eyeing the Badwater to Whitney FKT pending permits because I just you know, I'm bummed that I can't be there in for the race.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: But I was like, well, you know, we'll have to see how the second half of the year goes, but that way I could still enjoy it and it'd be a little different too, because then I get to go all the way to the top of the mountain right after, and I haven't done that yet.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: So that's that'd be cool, yeah.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I've done Whitney, but not after running the 135 beforehand.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: I want to peel that back a little bit.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: I just that's crazy to me, and I'm sure the listener, when you're listening this, eight days apart, 100 that water.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, like you mentioned, there's gotta be a lot to process and reflect on.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe not even enough time to reflect on because you gotta go again.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh no, not enough.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_00: Because you're literally like unpacking and just trying to like catch up on sleep from the first one, and then you're like four days later, I'm like, okay, my legs work again.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: Because for those who don't know, Western states is like a ton of downhill, it's like 18,000 feet of downhill.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: If you look at the profile, it's literally you're going down non-stop.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, other than going to the top of the escarpment, it's mostly downhill, and your your quads, your toenails, like everything gets destroyed.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's exactly what happened to me.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: I got to uh Forest Hill, and my whole, you know, top 20, top 25 that I had been riding all day is like nope, like nosedive, golden hour finisher.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like I started puking, it was just a nightmare.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but that was cool to be a golden hour finisher.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think it the two best places you want to be for that race is like top 10 or golden hour, because in between I feel like there's like nobody there that's other than your crew or like whoever's with you.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, it's just awesome.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I mean, you're at the track and just everybody's screaming and cheering, and you know, it it was really cool.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that one I didn't even really worry about Badwater until after because I'm like, I've already done it twice.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I know what I'm doing here, we'll deal with the prep and the meeting and everything afterwards.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: And then um Badwater, I had like kind of convinced myself, okay, well, you didn't fully empty the tank of what you were capable of at states and what you trained for, so maybe you can still pull something off at this other race.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: And everything was going okay till probably I don't know, I want to say when we started getting up town pass, and then before we went down to Panamut, I started having a lot of like uh body mechanical issues, like the stuff you won't notice on a 10-mile run.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like you go run 50, 60 miles out in Death Valley, it's gonna start bugging you if you just ran a hundred miles for 29 hours the week before, you know.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I just had to do a lot of stretching and just a lot of extra care and tending the things I wouldn't necessarily do if I hadn't ran right before.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then um, I don't know, the last 50, I had like some major swelling on my foot and my ankle, and I thought I had broke something because I broke my sec second metatarsal before, so I know what that feels like.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but it's just a sharp pain, and just the swelling was really concerning to me too.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I I had like an ice pack that we like taped on my ankle, but I couldn't run anymore at that point because it's just too painful.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: Like all I could do is just kind of walk with like a messed up gate limp sort of thing, and we did that like the last 50 miles, and honestly, uh, there's a movie that's gonna be coming out for Montac, who is my previous brand sponsor.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: And if there wasn't a movie that was taking place and like the double and like dragging my crew out there all week, like I really did consider pulling the plug, but I just I feel too bad.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there's so much on the line at that point where it's like you just gotta get it done.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I had one more, like I had Wyoming in August, but I knew I had like a good month that I could take to kind of recuperate.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I just wrote it out and we got it done, but I think it was the slowest of the three that I did.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: So basically a death march.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um I was disappointed, but I'm just glad to make it there for a third time, you know.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: So it is what it is.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: You run a lot of you know, big races and and you know, just a lot of them back to back, even um at what point you know it sounds like on this one you kind of had the movie going on and everything, but at what point in some races where maybe you don't feel your best ego, like hey, I'm gonna push through this or protect?
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: And what what's that conversation like in your head at the time?
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, you're in the pain cave, you're a lot of miles in, like what what's your mind go through?
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I kinda just have to you just have to talk with yourself.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you could talk to somebody else, but they're gonna either say, like, I mean, you're fine, like you're always fine when you're having these thoughts of self-doubt or whatever, it's just that's your low point, right?
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like last weekend it was mile 30, and the race before that, it was like mile 30, which you're like, why am I not running a 50k today?
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's right.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: I have to run 50 miles.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and yeah, you just have to like ask yourself like, you wanted to do this, like you trained for this.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: You've been training for how many weeks for this?
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you have people that you know are here supporting you and cheering for you.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean Aren't we doing it for ourselves?
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: And how how will we know?
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: I guess, yeah, how do you know your full potential if you just like don't push through things?
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I have other friends too who I'm fortunate to know and like be a part of their races as well, where I'm like, it's a constant reminder where it's like, look what this person just like pushed through today, and look how hard they worked, and they they had such a positive mindset the whole time.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like there was no complaining.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, and they just did amazing.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: And you're like, I I want to strive to be one of those people where I mean, because not just with running, but anything that you do, like if you just give up easily, you're not really gonna achieve things.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it should go for everything.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um and you can always like work harder than you probably think you can.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's just you know, mind over matter for a lot of it.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um Western states.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_01: I saw once you said, hey, this is a Super Bowl, which you know, for an ultrarunner and people run trailer.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_01: What's it like when you're there?
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: You're you're a racer, what's the start line like?
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: What's it feel like?
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, you get the buckle, like what's the experience like for those who haven't run it and maybe want to run it in the future?
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: Do you want like training camp and race, or do you want just the race?
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because I feel like if you're gonna run western states, you should do it all.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, and that's why this year I love training camp.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I would have loved to have gone back, but I almost think like I don't want to take away a spot from somebody who needs to experience that before the race.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: But I I'll just give a short on the the camp.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you should definitely do the camp because it's like adult summer camp.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: You get to preview two-thirds of the course, so you're not just coming in like blindsided.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like, not everybody gets the luxury of careing and pacing at Western before they actually get to tow the line themselves, like I did, but it was only the last 20 miles and it was all in the dark.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: So to me, we could have been running anywhere that 20 miles, and like I'm not gonna understand how cool it is, you know.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, I would say do summer camp.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: If you have friends that are going that you know, like set up some rooming with them, because then you get to, you know, have a friend to hang out with when you're not doing the runs, but everything's like pre-planned and organized, where if you can get dropped off at the bus, they like take you or you meet where you're gonna start, or the bus will take you and you run, yeah, the last I think it's the last 75 miles.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: So from Robinson Flat to the finish, you get to do all that.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I became pretty close friends with Tara Dower after training camp last year.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: We chose to room together, which was really fun.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_00: I got to run some with Marianne Hogan.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: She's also an amazing athlete, like super cool, and just a bunch of other random folks that like were from all over the place, you know, just uh people who some weren't even doing the race, but just there doing other endeavors like filming or you know, they're gonna pace somebody, and that was cool.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, now the race itself, yes, like I said, if you haven't started or qualifying, like start qualifying now, because even if you're not sure, you'll thank yourself later on.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and yeah, don't give up.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like, don't get discouraged because I had to wait seven years and it was worth it.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I mean, you're gonna probably run 100 filers anyways in 100ks if you're in that boat.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: So just keep it up.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's it's one per year you have to pick.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the the race itself.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: I stayed at Palisades at Tahoe uh the night before the race.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: It was kind of expensive, but I would say it was 100% worth it.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_00: Like we were right there at the start, so like where all the energy is, you know, you just walk from your room to the packet pickup and get to visit with everybody in the little village, and then just walk right over the start.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think that plumpjack place is pretty nice too.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: That's right by the Palisades.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, where you stay after an Auburn, that's not as important, but yeah, definitely that was clutch.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: And then the start, uh yeah, I definitely had a little tear at the start.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like I don't usually cry in most instances, but I think just like how long it took me to get to that point, it was very just satisfying to be there.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I worked really hard in the training lead up to Western too.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: So, like Badwater, for example, when I knew I wanted to do it and I I went and volunteered and crewed, I applied the next year and I got in the next year, so I didn't have to like do this, you know, almost a decade of like trying and hoping and believing.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_00: It was just kind of like a more of an instant gratification thing, which I'm very fortunate for that as well.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I, you know, I I don't like want to brag about that or anything, but um, yeah, when you have to wait longer for something, sometimes it means a little more to you.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the high country was definitely exciting.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um I don't know that I think people necessarily have to experience that beforehand.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like you could if you wanted to, but that that grind going up the ski hill, it's just like yeah, you're you might have to power hike parts of that because it's a little steeper than I'd I like.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then don't twist your ankle after you go through the little tunnel at the top because there's like everybody screaming and stuff.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's like UTMB style, which was so cool.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like you couldn't hear anything else and running through the little people tunnel.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_00: But then right when you start going down, that's where there's all these rocks and stuff.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: So you want to be on the lookout.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: And it can be snowy in the high country sometimes, too.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like this past year, we actually had no snow.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like at camp, the snow levels at Robinson Flat were like extremely low.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_00: So that's something to pay attention to at camp.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: If anybody goes, is how those levels are based on what type of shoes you might want to wear at states, because I mean, if it's snowy, obviously you might need a little more traction than if it's not.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I would say after high country, not to wear something as aggressive.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like I went with more of a road to trail shoe, the back half, just because it the trails are a lot more mellow, but the canyon section is pretty steep in some areas and it is a little techie.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then the two climbs, you get to practice the climbs at the camp too, the one up uh Devil's Thumb and Michigan Bluff, and those are going to be in the heat of the day, so that's probably the hardest part of the course, in my opinion, is just you know keeping your heart rate okay there and like getting what you need at those aid stations because there is one at Devil's Thumb and there is one at Michigan Bluff, and those are both great.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the volunteers are great, like they're all wonderful.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they're out there for camp too.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: They have aid stations at the camp, so that's something to keep in mind.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Forest Hill, do not forget a headlamp or a waistlamp, whatever you are planning on.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I I made that mistake where I had put everything in my bag to have my crew like put on me and it was like labeled.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_00: I thought it was idiot proof, but you know, I don't want to throw anyone under the bus.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_00: But we definitely left Forest Hill without the waistlamp.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I noticed like a mile out and was telling my pacer, I'm like, Yeah, you know, like might want to go back and get that.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm not, but you know, like you could, and she's like, No, no, no.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I got my headlamp, you got your cell phone.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, both of those items ended up dying, and we had to sit at Cal 3 for like 20 minutes charging things.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe just bring a little pocket flashlight as a backup just in case, an external battery.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know, but don't forget your light if we're still because things can definitely turn for the worst, and then you got to wait till the river, the rucky chucky to see your crew again.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and yeah, you might have to cross in a boat, you might get to cross with the rope.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like the year I paced, we went across in the boat.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: So I got to experience that.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_00: And the year that I raced, we got to get like chest deep in the river and hold on to the little rope.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: So um, you could be getting pretty wet at that point.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so that's something to keep in mind.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: And there is an aid on the other side of the river, too.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: So if if somebody gets really sensitive feet or something, they could always put like socks or something over there.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, crew can't go to Green Gate anymore, I believe, with the new rules, but they can go to the rucky Chucky side, but you can have a drop bag, I think, on the other side, from my understanding.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we did see a bear on the course, like a brown bear.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_00: So that was kind of crazy.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_00: There's Cougar Den at one point.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_00: We did not see any cougars.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_00: I'm happy about that.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um let's see.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, my favorite aid station, or one of my favorites, is the one that we actually have a local from Vegas, Josh Brimhall, um, who used to be an Adidas runner.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_00: He's a little bit older now.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_00: Him, Scott Jurick, and Hell Corner all go out and they kind of lead up that aid station.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_00: So that was fun to get to see those guys.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the even the photographer at Western is great, Louis Escobar.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like, he's super nice and he's a legend.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm sure anybody that's read some of the running books knows about him.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, I mean, that finish, it was it was great.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I was pretty spent at the end of that race just because of how my race went.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: So waiting for the ceremony was a little rough, just laying on the field in the heat, but getting the buckle and you know, just getting to share it with like the people that I brought to.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I hope that was cool for them as well.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, my one friend John, he's he does so many hundreds, like he's probably done more than me at this point.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, you gotta keep applying for Western so you can get in, but he's just like, I don't know, like, but he's into hard rock this year, so we get to go out there for that.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_00: So that'll be fun.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, um I I had a great time.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I I would not redo how I spent last summer, as painful and as time consuming as it was.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was definitely a you can do it, you have the opportunity to do both, so why not?
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, what is there to lose?
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, um, I'd like to go back for another go at Western, but obviously I have to either run my way in or keep applying, which um, you know, I do I do have a qualifier this year.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_00: Umstead will be my qualifier, so that's next month.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_00: And then Western was my qualifier last year, so we'll have two tickets this year.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_00: 16 for hard rock last year, so so I'm moving on up.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not at 500 yet, but we're gonna keep going at that one too until I get in.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_00: I know I won't be good at hard rock, but it's so pretty out there.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like I I I heard Wyoming, the one I did last summer, was actually is harder than hard rock.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_00: Some lady that I was running with said that, and I hope so.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, Wyoming was heinous.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like that race, if somebody wants one of the most challenging things they can do, highly recommend it.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like I I was DFL actually, and I I'm not slow, I don't think by any means, but I struggled on that course.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, very pristine wilderness.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think a lot of it is just like animal trails, it seems like, like just stuff that's not runnable.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_00: And then I just talked to some guy last weekend where he's like, Oh yeah, the race director was saying he wants to get rid of that road section that we had at mile, blah blah blah, to blah blah blah.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_00: And he wants to take us across the river and go do stuff.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I go, So you mean more climbing?
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_00: Like the one section, yeah.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, oh no, like so yeah, and there's grizzly bears out there.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_00: I had to carry bear spray the whole time.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_00: So anytime I saw eyes or heard something in the night, I'm like losing my crap because I'm like, uh hope that's not a bear.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like, so does it make it difficult to like look out for bears, other animals out there, you carrying it on you, but you're also very highly fatigued, you know, later on in the race.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_01: You're just any sound might set you off or something.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_00: I was out there 47 hours, so I started seeing some hallucinations at mile 24, and I I was having like anxiety attacks too, because I'm like, oh my god, you're gonna be out here another 24 hours.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you're only at this mile marker, and you have this many more climbs, and like, yeah, there there was a dude, I think it was night two, and I had a pacer, thank god, or I would have probably lost it.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_00: He's just standing there smiling, like looking over at this tree, and he's having like a full-blown conversation, and I'm like, hello, like, how's it going?
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you you know what what's going on over here?
• 36:24
  SPEAKER_00: And he just like doesn't acknowledge us, like his full conversation, giggling, and I just I was like, we gotta get out of here.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't feel safe around this person.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't know how I can help them at this point, you know, and we're like two women, like out in the middle of rural Bridger Teton wilderness, Wyoming.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so yeah, we like kind of went up the trail a little bit and I started getting sleepy and wanted to close my eyes, but I could still hear that person.
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, we gotta get out of here.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm just gonna keep trudging because I I don't want, I don't know, like, but I was getting so tired that I was almost like falling asleep while walking and like fell on the trail at one point, but it was so cold, like I couldn't sleep because then it was like my body was freezing, like sitting on the ground.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_00: So just this like I I don't do well on like two-day sleep deprivation.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm just not built for that.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like, everybody's like, Coca-Dona, 200 miler.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, no, I don't think so.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I I just don't think it's good for you either.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like, it can't be, like, there's no way, you know.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_01: That'd be hard, yeah.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I'm good.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_00: I just want to run fast, get it done, and you know, call it a day.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: Touching on that, you run with some pretty awesome runners, you know, using uh Tara recently and a few others.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um you know, you pace, I saw Tara at Black Canyon.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_01: What was that like?
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_01: Do you enjoy pacing more or uh racing yourself?
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, obviously you like to race, but what's that perspective like for you pacing?
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I like both.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um obviously, like uh, but yeah, no, I mean I do like being able to give back to my friends and stuff when I can.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, she had asked me, I don't even know, like a month before, like, hey, you don't have any plans for Valentine's Day, do you?
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I like knew exactly what it was about.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, well, you're not trying to just hang out, like you want help at Black Canyon, huh?
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_00: And she's like, Yeah.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, well, lucky for you, uh, I am available.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_00: But no, I mean, I've done Black Canyon, I did it in 2020, and it's a really good race.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm on the Aervipa race team, so I I do enjoy doing a lot of their races.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I didn't sign up this year, it just didn't really like fit with the stuff, my objectives at the moment.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_00: But I would say this Sears field was probably, in my opinion, one of the most competitive women fields like in ultra running, period.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you had some of the people that were on the list didn't even start, like Katriana Jennings, I think was supposed to be there too, the hundred mile, previous hundred mile world record holder since last weekend.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_00: But um, you know, you got Tara, you got Abby Hall, who won Western States last year, you got Ann Flower, Jen Lichter, Molly Seidel.
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that whole top 10 field had so much depth, and I want to say, I mean, two of them went under eight hours, and then Tara ran 20 minutes faster than last year and got third.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like, yeah, you know, and Molly, first thunder mile debut gets a golden ticket.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like, um, so I had a lot of fun.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it everything with her is just fast, fast, fast.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like, even the crude transitions, it's like, you know, every second matters, like there's no stopping.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think she stopped at Table Mesa for a second, and uh I want to say Bumblebee.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_00: What was the one after that?
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, the one before Table Mesa, it doesn't matter, but that aid.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_00: But she just needed more, I think, because it was later in the race.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_00: So it'd take a swig of Coca-Cola or something, and then um, but our first couple transitions, it was like she'd just be running, we'd hand her something while she's running, squirt her down, put her pack on her, and send her off.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_00: And um I I was a little nervous.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_00: I've paced Tara before at Havelina for 20 miles, and that was fine.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, we I think we worked really well together, and she got a golden ticket at that too, and just smashed the course record 1320 or something, so that was insane.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but at Black Canyon, obviously she was running really well there too, and I knew the whole field was just like, you know, hammering, and the girl before me ended up getting dropped pacing, and we are like hearing about it on the live stream and like word of mouth, like at the race, and I'm just like, you know, like you're like, Well, I can't get dropped, like this this just happened, and I don't want this to happen to me, and you're all like nervous, and you're like, but at the same time, I'm like, okay, I only have to run 11 miles, she's running 62 miles.
• 41:31
  SPEAKER_00: If you can't keep up with her for 11 miles, like, like, I need to reevaluate some of my fitness and whatever, but it was fine.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um people were kind of joking on the live stream, they're like, Why are you so far ahead of her?
• 41:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like, why were you like 20?
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, she likes that.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like, at least at Havelina was like, she liked to have a little gap because then she can like I feel like then you're the rabbit, right?
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_00: To chase.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_00: And if somebody isn't in competition right in front of you, then you have that person kind of pulling you along.
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's whatever the person prefers.
• 42:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if somebody didn't want me in front of them or that made them uncomfortable, or they want me behind them, I would do whatever they asked just because not my race, you know.
• 42:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and everything was good on the uphills and the flats, totally controlled.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_00: She always gets me on the downhill, though.
• 42:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like, even late into the race, she just can hammer those downhills.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I think my growing up in Michigan and my lesser technical skill set probably shows in those instances.
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I've just never been a super good technical runner.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_00: I have to take a little bit more time on things to not wreck.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but I mean, I didn't fall, so that's good.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_01: So no, I feel like there's a crazy on field to your point in women ultra right now, and just women running in general right now, it's crazy, even on the roadside.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like, um what what are you seeing?
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you just mentioned like top 10 alone was was insane.
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um what what are you seeing in sports right now that's kind of changing in this current you know generation, if you will.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_00: I definitely think there's like a gap being closed in some regards.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, because if you look at like what was it, Sage Kennedy, I think had some posts where he's saying that he got, I don't remember if he got sixth or seventh at Black Canyon this year, but the time he ran this year won a golden ticket at Black Canyon like 10 years ago or something for him.
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_00: And now you have women running that time, like a couple women, not just one woman, but it's like the whole group is like pulling themselves along.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, even with Olympic trials, like you got the times being lowered, and there's still like so many women that are getting these like 235s and stuff where you're like, holy crap, like that's moving.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I just I think with maybe technology and just I I think opportunity is a big one too, right?
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like the more people are able to make a living, like women in general doing these things, I mean, they can quit their jobs and go run full time and have support.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, I don't know that this is all you know, like not everybody's having kids right away either, like they probably used to.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I mean, there are still a lot of athletes that are pregnant currently, but uh just everything's changing.
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, and you know, the shoe technology, the nutrition technology, and just we know a lot more about things like we can predict and I mean even my race on Saturday, I tried a whole bunch of stuff where it's like right when I started running, I didn't do half of those things.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like I didn't even know what they were, they didn't probably exist.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like um so yeah, I think the whole sport has just came a long way.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like even men too like everybody is getting so much faster.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's crazy.
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_00: You don't mind sharing what are some of those new things you've been trying recently uh so Saturday I I mean I'm just kind of like absorbing because I know not what one person does is gonna be good for me always or vice versa, you know, but I thought Saturday was a good opportunity to try some stuff before Umstead.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I did do the sodium bicarbonate uh in the morning the Martin stuff and I've heard mixed reviews like I have some friends that use it before races.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_00: Some friends said it gave them diarrhea the whole race um so I was kind of rolling the dice I guess with that one like hoping for the best which I don't think it caused any issues for me.
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_00: I did try ketones for the first time before and during competition on Saturday.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_00: I had one before and one every two hours during and I think that was helpful and it didn't cause any nausea or anything like that.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I I drank some beet juice the night before because I had these like chews and some pills that I was taking the chews I think definitely upset my stomach.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_00: The pills I didn't really notice a difference if I'm being honest.
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I tried that instead just to see if it had any difference.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_00: And what else I think just like minimizing my stops I've been trying because it time matters right so just moving along moving along I mean unless you absolutely need to stop like I I think I stopped twice to kind of rub like a sort of a what is it if you will like Volterran type pain relief or icy hot type deal like on my leg or my my glute area because I I have some issues I think it's like a chain reaction from my back where I have really tightness in my my glute my right one and then my hip flexor will get kind of tired and I'm seeing like an osteopath and a PT for that currently and we haven't really like fixed it.
• 47:21
  SPEAKER_00: We're like managing it but I'm hoping to get some sort of better relief because they'll just start feeling jammed which is really frustrating or frustrating like because I know what it feels like to not be jammed and just all these like discoveries like I'm supposed to explain to somebody what's going on with me but I'm like well I don't know what the root cause is but I can tell you where I feel it like so um yeah leave it up to the team of professionals and be the professional guinea pig I guess.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah let them diagnose and hopefully figure it out Sierra you do all these big races I'm sure there's a lot of training involved obviously you know to have success um but you also have a regular job like how do you manage this all together?
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_01: What's a random Wednesday like you you got a three hour run maybe but you also got to go to work like how do you piece this all together?
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah so um basically like Wednesdays usually I'll do speed so I'll have a longer weekday run that day which isn't usually three hours but it can be like two or so um and I'll get up early do that like I guess early would be like between five and five thirty usually and then I'll shower get ready to start work and typically unless I have like something going on like an appointment or something or I need to get somewhere earlier in the afternoon I usually like to work eight to five so that's most of the time my work schedule um which it's nice because if I wanted to start at seven I could unless like I have a customer commitment or something.
• 49:12
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah I'm just kind of I don't really like like to have a workout in the middle of the day usually because I mean if it's like during business hours I like to be available just in case something comes up like I never want to be somewhere I can't do anything.
• 49:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like I I might I can take my cell phone but I can't do any of my work functions on the go.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_00: And then if I do have a double I'll like do it after but usually I'll like hit the gym in the evening and get on the tread for a little bit and then do some weights or sauna um and then dinner and whatever other boring things happen around the house.
• 49:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah I mean it it varies obviously per day but I guess weekdays aren't too overly exciting I mean maybe there will be like one or two dinner opportunities to like get out but I don't know weekends are a little more crazy sometimes but I live in Vegas so I don't have to go very far for entertainment or whatever.
• 50:21
  SPEAKER_00: So that's nice.
• 50:23
  SPEAKER_01: Gotcha.
• 50:24
  SPEAKER_00: So are your weekend the bigger stack days you just put a lot on the weekend most of the time yeah I mean I I was doing higher mileage a couple years back.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_00: I think I hit like 4500 or 4600 year or miles for the year and I was self-coaching myself and um I don't know like I think I found my sweet spots a little lower than that which is kind of nice because then I don't have to do as many doubles.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 50:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm finding more isn't always better like quality over quantity um and that gives me more time back into my day too but yeah Saturdays are usually a couple hours and then Sundays like if I'm in peak training like you know my mornings are like shot most of the time and then into the early afternoon and then if I have another appointment or something like a massage or what have you osteopath and I'm like I got like a couple hours at the end of the day but yeah it's life of an athlete full-time worker it's like you're you don't have a lot of time I mean I don't have kids so I guess I don't have to devote my time to that um when do you recover?
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_01: What do you do mostly to recover or decompress?
• 51:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh relaxing like laying in bed watching TV like at the end of the day or sauna I look at as a recovery we do have a hot tub at our place too so sometimes get in that um massage I have this other like fancy gym thing I go to where they have all these other like recovery machines like uh I don't I don't think it's shockwave but it's something like similar like a ultrasound sort of break up the bad tissue machine and then there's like this like big magnet machine thing um and then they do like kinesiology like movement stretches and stuff on me too like a deep tissue stretch session and the PP will needle me which I don't know that I agree that that's relaxing when it's happening but uh the after effect is supposed to be relaxing.
• 52:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh in the summer I definitely like to go to the pool and stuff and layout and that sort of thing.
• 52:57
  SPEAKER_01: Gotcha.
• 52:58
  SPEAKER_00: What's been your uh toughest race that you can recollect I think the hardest race that I've ever done was Wyoming range 100.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_00: I mean I was out there 47 hours and like 52 minutes and honestly I I had a lot of lows and I when I had those lows I felt very just like I don't know alone and defeated like that point when I was like 26 hours in or 24 hours in and I was like I'm only halfway there.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like I you know I was like throwing up to try to like cope with myself to like regulate my system because I'm like almost like hyperventilating um yeah I mean some of that stuff it's like I just don't I don't know if I'm not built for it like because I have some back issues too but like it's really hard for me to move efficiently in the mountains on some of these courses.
• 54:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like I can do vert but it has to be like runnable vert.
• 54:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like the bear 100 that wasn't that challenging for me because it was runnable but when it's like you're climbing and you feel like you're almost on all fours like going up a thing and like you know you're like if I stop I'm gonna fall down this mountain like I'm not good at that kind of stuff.
• 54:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like or sketchy stuff.
• 54:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like there was a lot of exposure areas on Wyoming where one of the spots they referred to as the no fall kill zone where there was like this little path that's like five inches wide and then there's just this drop into this abyss and I'm like what like and then there's like a couple other sections just like it after that and you're like not again not again and yeah that that race is so hard I I don't know that I'll do it again for a hard rock qualifier.
• 54:55
  SPEAKER_00: I think I could pick an easier one to do but yeah one and done for me on that.
• 55:01
  SPEAKER_00: And my friend John's done it like the last four years or something and he signed up again and I'm like I don't know what's wrong with you.
• 55:09
  SPEAKER_00: Like why do you put yourself to like subject yourself to this every year but he loves it.
• 55:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like he also loved hurt 100 and I paced at that race and I don't really want to run that race it's like you're hiking the whole race I like to run I don't like to hike the whole time what hurts more for you in these kind of tough races like the pain of the race or like not being able to show up like and go fast do your best if you will oh man they're so different because like I think pain is something you just can't like it's gonna happen regardless right like you can't resist it you can't defeat it.
• 55:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like I mean you can try to take Tylenol or something and try to cover it up but that's not good either obviously um so some of the pain you cannot overcome uh now not having a good race I I think like usually if I don't have a good race there is like a way for me to kind of like pinpoint something I could have done differently to have a better race.
• 56:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I think like sometimes for myself I get so caught up in wanting to be like one of the best or like compete with the best when maybe that's not actually where I'm at at that point in time.
• 56:38
  SPEAKER_00: So then I'm like out there doing something I shouldn't be and then I'm paying for it when it's like if you would have just started at the 720 pace or 730 pace like you were supposed to and done that the whole way through like your heart rate wouldn't have been skyrocketing and then you wouldn't have been dragging the last eight like that was like my race last weekend you know I'm like maybe I could have been a little more even keeled if I didn't go 650 pace the first hour and then try to like hold on for dear life at the end.
• 57:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I think yeah just when you're not performing to what you want it's harder in my opinion just because a lot of it's I feel like inflicted by myself like it's not I mean because yeah you can't control the race that somebody else is gonna have but you can control the race that you're going going to have based on how you react and I am definitely guilty of you know caving to pressure and trying to run with the top dogs and then it doesn't always go the way that it should.
• 57:47
  SPEAKER_00: So um you live and you learn uh I think at Umstead my biggest goal for myself will be to just have the pace that I need to do and not regardless of who else is there I kind of already know who's gonna be there.
• 58:02
  SPEAKER_00: Do not do what that person's doing if it's not what's in the plan and just see what happens because I think I haven't had my full my best hundred yet because I haven't ran that race and I need to like I I really need to because the pace that I should be doing should be something I'm fully capable of doing for hours on end because it's like an easy pace for me.
• 58:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know yeah so no like you said live and you learn I mean um sounds like you still feel like a student of all this uh of the game and ultra running is that fair to say yeah I do um I I definitely think there's a lot to be you know there's a lot on left on the table here the I need to but that's okay.
• 58:49
  SPEAKER_00: I mean if I knew everything and I felt like I had already you know maxed out my potential I don't think I'd be as eager to like have new plans and you know new objectives and that's what keeps everything exciting right like the journey.
• 59:04
  SPEAKER_00: So is there something you're still chasing that you haven't like maybe told yourself out loud yet like goals for running yeah I mean I still want to run a faster hundred I I I don't know what that fastest hundred is going to look like but I need to definitely do that um I still think there's some area for improvement in the 50 mile you know I'd love to do more fast 100ks I'd love to improve on my marathon time my half marathon time like I kind of came into running as a marathon runner from the Midwest came out west decided not really into that anymore you know left it for several years got to be a decent ultra runner came back and did some races as an elite road runner and did okay and like you know I'm like having a good time with it now because I'm like I've improved so much just doing these different things.
• 1:00:09
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah I mean constantly there's gonna be things like I just want to keep doing the best I can and uh I have some FKTs in mind that I want to go for probably in the immediate ish future.
• 1:00:24
  SPEAKER_00: There's still a whole bunch of races that are on my radar.
• 1:00:30
  SPEAKER_00: Denali I'm really looking forward to doing the Denali 135 in June uh hope that we can have a really good day out there um there's an ever never ending list probably of what what there is to still be done we've definitely talked about a lot of races that you want to do in coming up which begs the question for me.
• 1:00:54
  SPEAKER_01: You have a brand new year or maybe you're reflecting on the end of the year and you go okay what does this next year look like how do you plan races your calendar year because obviously it takes a lot of effort logistics and recovery to think of can I hit this one you know obviously some of them are tickets and whatnot but how do how do you plan out what goes through your mind as you're planning out the year.
• 1:01:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um I mean yeah a lot of it's like what can I get into just signing up what is lottery what am I qualified to do because some of it's like a team event right so I have to hit the qualifying standard I have to apply I have to be chosen uh what other trips do I have like what it where is my partner racing what time of year are they racing am I going to be at UTMB for a week when I want to do this instead like you know there's those sort of things um in you know I have kind of like a sample of what the whole rest of the year looks like but my biggest thing is like I was trying to qualify for the 100k team if that doesn't happen I think we're shifting to more longer stuff in the second half just things that I can do like an FKT like I can go do that whenever I want you know I don't have to ask for permission or whatever.
• 1:02:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I do think I'll probably do St.
• 1:02:18
  SPEAKER_00: George Marathon this fall too because I like that one and it's close and I don't know it's just fun.
• 1:02:25
  SPEAKER_01: But I don't really know what next year looks like like you said there's just so many like moving parts where you know I could find out in December what if I get into hard rock then the year's gonna look different than if I didn't get into hard rock so just kind of what what do I need the half twos and how do I fit the rest of the things around it so yeah for sure a lot of races coming up in in goals let's say you turned 60 you know we fast forward a little bit what what do you hope to have have achieved in running so far or maybe somewhat the story obviously because you know this can change um yeah I think just like I said like faster times like I I think I have what it takes to do more impressive um efforts.
• 1:03:14
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know for sure what distance I am going to end up being the best at but that's why I'm still like testing the waters with different things.
• 1:03:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and just continuing to make myself uncomfortable like doing those workouts that I don't always enjoy and like just trying to see my full potential and see a whole bunch of really cool places.
• 1:03:38
  SPEAKER_00: I mean I that's regardless of what the times are I mean that's like the best part about altar running is like where it takes you you know so doing what I can while I can while I'm healthy.
• 1:03:50
  SPEAKER_00: I mean I'd love to still be the 60 year old that or the 80 year old or whatever that's out there running around yeah cornerstone park but we you know it's not guaranteed like health is not guaranteed so just to not have regrets like do what I want while I can and I'm healthy and um yeah so what would you say to someone you know maybe starting ultras want to get into some of these races you mentioned like say a Badwater Western states um but you know they're a little newer and they're following watching and kind of inspired like what would be some small tips you would give them to like hey this is kind of what you need to start with yeah I mean I would say definitely like easing your way into the distances right like I don't think you have to hit like every distance but if you've never ran a 50k and you want to do bad water eventually like maybe you know do some of the shorter badwater races that they have like you know they have that salt and sea that anybody can sign up for that's kind of like a mini Badwater if you will that you do with a team member or you can go crew and pace.
• 1:05:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like you could go get a taste by volunteering your time to go help somebody else who gets into the race like you can get plugged in that way.
• 1:05:09
  SPEAKER_00: Western states um I mean you know like like I was saying you can use 100Ks as qualifiers too.
• 1:05:17
  SPEAKER_00: So even if you're not hitting that hundred mile distance yet you could do like Black Canyon for example and you could use that as a qualifier um just I think just time on feet and like patience and uh persistence and like hard work I mean because patience is probably the biggest thing with ultra running too because you're like I haven't always been at the level that I'm at now like I was more of a midpacer starting out and if I didn't have patience like I wasn't gonna finish and even now like if I didn't don't have patience like I would have just pulled the plug on Wyoming you know like um but being comfortable being uncomfortable and just yeah I mean you you can put yourself out there and just kind of make yourself available and able to be a student and like help others and because like with Badwater for example if you've never even been there and you haven't done a race by the company or something there's not really anything like it like it is its own beast like it's it's it's such a demanding crew and requirement for that race where you might crew it and you might hate it and decide this this wasn't for me.
• 1:06:40
  SPEAKER_00: Or you might crew and you might decide this was a hundred percent what I want to do.
• 1:06:45
  SPEAKER_00: Because I've seen people go both ways, right?
• 1:06:48
  SPEAKER_00: That really like it or really don't like it.
• 1:06:51
  SPEAKER_00: But that that for me was like what solidified wanting to go out and do that thing was helping Amy Costa back in 2022.
• 1:07:01
  SPEAKER_00: I just I thought my duties as crew was like way more um involved with her you know finishing and her like she couldn't have done it without us right like because we're helping her every two to three miles.
• 1:07:17
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a lot more demanding than if you're just a western you have like a four hour gap between AIDS still got to do a lot because you gotta drive and you got to carry the crap everywhere but it's it's different because you're on like the whole time and then you feel like you ran an ultra as well at the end.
• 1:07:35
  SPEAKER_00: So um yeah if you're curious about something you could even go volunteer at something if you're not sure about it.
• 1:07:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like they're always looking for help at these different races.
• 1:07:45
  SPEAKER_01: So I think just kind of figure out what you're getting into a little ahead of time um then you'll appreciate it more when you're doing it I guess amazing insight for everyone listening um Sierra thank you for sharing I appreciate it um it's been amazing um for everyone listening this has been the People Run podcast until next time guys thanks for listening