WTF: Indian ultrarunners stop for a vegetarian meal (in India), ask for the bill, and are beat up by the waitstaff. Science: Too much red meat leads to earlier death, but we don't know how much is too much. Canada: First Canadian male at Boston was, of ...
WTF: Indian ultrarunners stop for a vegetarian meal (in India), ask for the bill, and are beat up by the waitstaff.
Science: Too much red meat leads to earlier death, but we don’t know how much is too much.
Canada: First Canadian male at Boston was, of course, a trail runner.
Pic by Skip Brand
Great shot of the “Golden Girls” after Lake Sonoma, and props to the photographer (RD Skip Brand) who captured it. I hesitate to break people down by groups, but with all the talk about inclusion and (lack of) diversity in the sport, it’s worth noting. First, I’d bet most MUT fans could tell you the top three women finishers, but could not name the top men. Next, check out those three ladies…YiOu is Chinese-American and Addie is a married lesbian. Seems that diversity crept in and no one noticed…very cool.
UTMB: Something changed with entries and qualifications and stones. Too complicated for me. My overly simplistic idea: Gimme a qualifying race and a signup sheet and let’s get boogyin’.
Urban Ultras: It ain’t trail running, but this ultra fatass runs right through NYC and looks like a blast.
Kilian: How exactly did he acclimatize to Everest so fast? Interesting article.
However, we might wonder why it is, that while we practice being brave, perseverant, or prudent in our running, these qualities are sometimes confined to the context of sport. Stated differently, we speak about sports as having a formative role in our character, but it seems these excellences do not always transfer into the rest of our lives.
—Sabrina Little digs into how we can use athletics to improve our personal character and vice versa. Excellent writing and analysis, once again. (And pretty sure this is the first piece of writing about running that cites Nicomachesn ethics.)
Why do I read this?: The LetsRun MENSA Team has a five page post about what shirt Tommy Puzey wore at Boston. Who are these people?
Trans-India: Woman attempting to run across India will need to average 40-50k each day for almost three months. Get it!
People who say running is 90% mental should know that 100% of the time we also use our legs. — Sabrina Little (@beaninsneakers) April 16, 2019
New Episode: Check out our latest interview with Lake Sonoma champ Anna Mae Flynn and what she plans on doing with that Golden Ticket. We talk ballet, overtraining, coaching, racing strategy, dogs and a lot more. Also, Gear Guy Ben runs down a half dozen new packs and trail running shoes for summer 2019.
Personal: After a race I’ll often wake up at night thinking about why I didn’t do this or that or why I didn’t push harder here or there. I do the same thing with interviews. I woke up at 2 this morning tossing and turning that I hadn’t asked a few questions of Anna Mae…What did she say to YiOu as she passed her? Could she have sustained that pace for another mile? And since she’s not thrilled with her downhill speed, what has she done to improve it?
Anna Mae Flynn had an incredible performance at Lake Sonoma on Saturday, finishing it off by overtaking race leader YiOu Wang in the final 1/4 mile of the race.
At the finish line she was offered a Golden Ticket to Western States Endurance Run and she told RD Craig Thornley that she’d need a few days to think about it. Well here we are…
In this interview–Anna Mae’s first on URP–we talk about how she grew up in the Appalachian Mountains, found her passions in ballet dancing and running, and what made her choose running. We talk about her move to snowy Colorado, her incredible training grounds, and what she does in the off season. Anna Mae also shares her ‘aerobically deficient’ diagnosis last year and how she adapted and fought back to a healthy balance of fitness and strength.
Anna Mae Flynn approaching turnaround at Lake Sonoma 2019. Pic by me.
For her Lake Sonoma report, she tells us about her strategy going into the race and how she and Addie Bracy ran together, helping one another, throughout the second half. We hear firsthand what was going through her mind in the final miles as she broke away from Addie and chased down YiOu on the final climb.
What’s next for Anna Mae? Will she take the Golden Ticket and give Western States another go after her DNF in 2016?
As we talk about her future plans (living in Tahoe for a month, traveling to Portugal during the school year, etc), I ask how she plans on doing all this with her teaching schedule…and…well…Anna Mae’s got some big plans that will open up her schedule and allow her to share her MUT knowledge with the rest of the world.
Episode Sponsor: The North Face Endurance Challenge – Massachusetts
After Anna Mae and I finish up our convo, I have URP Gear Editor Ben on to talk about some of the gear he’s checking out—and to catch up on his recent foray into fatherhood! Below are the products he mentioned. Some are affiliate links that will drop a few pesos into the URP coffers should you choose to keep the gear. Thank You!
First half are from mile 24.5 at the junction where runners take a left down to the turnaround.
Second set is from a half mile from the finish, right near the paved access road.
If you’d like to use a pic, shoot me an email and I’ll get you an HD copy.
Sorry I didn’t get everyone…I was with my family and doing my best.
Jared HazenTom EvansSebastien SpehlerGus GibbsGus’ racing stripes.Dakota JonesVincent DiMassaHal KoernerSebastian Spehler and film crewStephen KershMax King Stops to check out Amy’s unicorn costume“Can I wear that?” “Sure, let me take it off.”Fits well!Bounding towards the turnaround.YiOu WangAddie BracyAnna Mae FlynnMagda BouletJared charging back up the hill
Anna Mae Flynn in full beastmode hunting down YiOu Wang with a half mile to go.Jim out for a jog watching the finishers.
IRF/Justin Mock: This week in ultramarathon and trail racing. Ashely Nordell at Peterson Ridge Rumble…whew! Anxious to see what she does next! And that women’s race at Lake Sonoma was bananas. More on that later. And Stringbeans’ FKT’s don’t go down easy, so Paddy’s run in Ireland–though I don’t know the route–is pretty damn impressive.
Wyatt Hornsby: Sounds like we’re in a similar boat…still wanting to keep running hard and consistently, but also accepting the demands of real life and seeking balance. He also recommended a documentary on Yiannis Kouros that I haven’t seen…now I’ve got something to watch today!
Cool: I’ve wondered what happened to Amy Palmiero-Winters…turns out she’s been busy kicking ass and becoming the first amputee to finish MdS.
Stulberg: Bro science and biohacks are dangerous and lame.
Right at mile 16 I had the bright idea to start going hard. Convo in my head went like this: “Dude, you gotta go now if you’re gonna break six hours, so go now.” No, I should sit back and keep being patient, loop 3 is where the magic happens! “No you weak bitch, go now, start running hard and maybe your body won’t know what’s happening to it and you can stay one step ahead of the pain cave!” Oh man, that doesn’t sound like a great idea, plan was to start going hard on loop 3 after the first big climb, let’s just chill. “No f*ck that you got this!” Okay, let’s take a chance!
—Read more about Jimmy Mac’s Taprock 50k race report.
Nature: I’ve wondered the same thing while out on the trails alone…why do some trees grow in spirals?
Two Oceans: Thirteen thousand runners (!), but no title sponsor for next year and no TV coverage this year. Uh-oh.
Ultrarunning Mag: Gary Gellin writes about the similarities and passions of live music and the ultramarathon crowd. They’re both activities that are impossible to describe without being there and experiencing it yourself.
Jean Pommier: Jean was chasing a few more medals and records at Mad City 100k on Saturday and took an uncharacteristic DNF. Not to worry, he’s got Boston today. Another incredible report from a guy who’s figured out how to maximize every second of every single day.
Science: Stop wasting your money and depending on supplements.
Lake Sonoma…what a day! Great racing for the fellas and fireworks for the ladies! I’ll share a post with all the pics I took on Saturday, including a video of Anna Mae Flynn’s incredible move on YiOu with a half mile to go. I’m also having Anna Mae on the show today so stay tuned.
