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Becoming Ultra

Becoming Ultra is all about that first Ultra. We follow other runners training for their first Ultra, interview race directors of Ultra's, talk training tips, and just about anything for that next, very long, step.
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Now displaying: July, 2021
Jul 31, 2021

Mariah and Dave keep pushing and they are both learning how much of this effort is going to be mental.  Mariah takes a tumble.  Coach Basham is back to racing.  Enjoy!

Jul 27, 2021

Bill Beitler was one of the featured runners on Season 9 of Becoming Ultra.  An endlessly curious child of the ‘60s, Bill took a 40-year break from his endurance athletics career to raise an amazing family and pursue a community banking career that lead to two successful stints as CEO at small midwestern banks.   A competitive swimmer in his youth who specialized in the 200 individual medley before retiring at age 15, Bill took up running in a committed way at age 55 and successfully finished the Smith Rock Ascent 50k, his first ultramarathon at age 57 as a part of Becoming  Ultra.  Bill and his wife Terry are the “people” for two fantastic dogs, Toby and Josie, and currently call Cumberland, RI home.

 

We had a lot of fun interviewing one of our favorite people, who we are fortunate to call our friend.  Bill is one of the most positive and supportive people to ever be a part of Becoming Ultra.  In this episode Bill breaks down his first ultra experience as part of Becoming Ultra Season 9. We get into the benefits of a supportive community and friendships that form along the way.  We also talk about trail camp and the impact it can have on you. We think you will love Bill as much as we do.  Included is a piece Bill wrote about trail camp.  Enjoy!

 

Desert Highlights Trail Camp – 2021

I was fortunate enough to take part in the first-ever Desert Highlights Trail Camp.  This was, hands down, one of the most epic experiences of my life!  Right from the start, as we stood at the base of Garfield Mountain and looked at the peak we were about to summit, I knew I was in for an adventure.  Over the next three days, that adventure unfolded in ways that far exceeded my expectations and took me places I never would have thought possible.  Scott and Lauren used their exceptional knowledge of the Western Slope to pick out challenging and breathtaking trails, and our runs (and scrambles and climbs and hikes)  took me over 38 miles of the most stunning country I’ve ever experienced.  Oh, and I conquered 7,500+ feet of vertical gain in the process!  These were legitimate efforts, pushing me in ways that brought real growth, both physical and mental, and Scott and Lauren were there every step of the way, teaching us great warmup techniques, trekking pole usage, trail mastery and more.  Better still, they were supportive coaches, pushing us to excel and believing in us through every single mile.

And Trail Camp was so very much more!  Great accommodations, the awesome Western towns of Palisade and Fruita, amazing meals and spectacular vineyards and wine were all made better by my fellow campers.  I’ve seldom been around such a positive, motivated and down-to-earth group of people, and we formed an unbelievable bond over these three short days!  I will never forget our bike tour of the vineyards with a cool local distillery thrown in for good measure and our final night’s dinner and hot-tub session.  We all agreed we couldn’t ever remember laughing so well and so long!

As you can see, Trail Camp was many things, but at its heart it was about wonderful people taking the time to enjoy each other and the magnificent natural world around us.  It was about living life to the fullest!

Jul 24, 2021

Jen and Randi are learning something new every week.  Whether it be about pushing through mental barriers and knowing when to call it a day or simply better ways to NOT fall on the trail, they are figuring it out.  Enjoy the show!

Jul 24, 2021

We love hearing from you all and this was a great question from one of our listeners. What do you do when you can't get out to trails very often?  You are nervous about that big mountain run but can't run bigs mountains.  Don't worry, it's pretty common and we have some great answers for you!

 

Jul 20, 2021

Bryan has been a runner most of his life but has suffered some major setbacks that would sideline most of us for good.  He has not given up on his love of running and has accomplished some epic things, Tahoe200, Air force marathon, Marine corp. marathon. Chicago marathon 3 x’s, Big Foot 200, Moab 240, Deliriouswest 200 just to name a few.  Bryan is also a husband and father, retired from the military with 30 years of service and currently the owner and CEO of Polaris Laboratories.  

 

What a great conversation we had with Bryan.  Bryan has a passion for inspiring others and it really comes through.  In this podcast Bryan shares his struggles with some substantial injuries and how he overcame them.  He takes us on some of his great trail running adventures and gives some solid advice on how to manage the family, work, life balance.  We left this one feeling like there are some big adventures ahead of us and we can tackle them.  We hope you feel the same! Here is a quote from Bryan I think we can all relate to.

“I never feel I really know a place until I experience it on foot”

Jul 19, 2021

Coach Hillary catches up with Bailey and Katie as they finish up their 5k trials early on in the training.  They also talk about the accountability in training and the upcoming effforts!

Jul 14, 2021

Miranda tries out some new gear after years of road running.  Melissa deal with a little achilles, low leg issue (tightness).  Listen in to see how their coach Ellie guides them through some new training concepts!  

Jul 13, 2021

Dave asks a great question about how to know how hard to push.  Mariah is dealing with some stomach issues on the longer runs.  Coach Basham helps them through it all even with her own epic runs coming up!  They both let us know how their 5k trial went too.  Enjoy the show!

Jul 13, 2021

Ian has been racing around the world in all styles of event since 2005 and coaching since 2010, having run over 200 ultras and marathons (PR: 2:21) in every type of weather and on all terrains. He's won over 50 multi-day races/road marathons/trail ultras or adventure races with experience of running in many mountain ranges, including the Himalayas, Andes, Rockies and European Alps. He also holds the fastest time in a trail 100-mile race by a Brit (12h44m), the record for the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning (69h49m), has won the USATF 100-mile trail championship twice and is a four-time Leadville Trail 100 Champion. Ultra-Running Magazine has voted him as high as 2nd in its annual Ultra Runner of the Year rankings and 4th= in Ultra Runner of the Decade.

What a treat it was for us to be able to interview our running coach.  Ian shares stories about his many adventures including coming to the US (hello, visa process) and more importantly his first ultra.  He is truly one of the most optimistic and positive people we have ever met.  If you need a little push to do something epic this is the episode for you.  We really enjoyed this chat with Ian and hope you do as well.

 

To learn more about Ian, visit the following:

https://www.instagram.com/sharmanian/

https://twitter.com/sharmanian

http://sharmanian.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/sharmanultracoaching

Jul 9, 2021

Jennifer and Randi both complete their 5k trial and are following the training really well!  Randi had a shoulder injury scare early in the training but seems to be doing well now!  Jennifer had a challenging interval set on the treadmill for a new format and they both had little trail falls recently. All in all, a great start to Season 10 for these awesome women!

Jul 6, 2021

Matt Fitzgerald is an endurance sports author, coach, and nutritionist. His many books include The Comeback Quotient, 80/20 Running, and The Endurance Diet and How Bad Do You Want It. Matt’s writings have also appeared in numerous magazines, including Outside and Runner’s World, and on popular websites such as podiumrunner.com and nbcnews.com.  He is a cofounder of 80/20 Endurance and the creator of the Diet Quality Score smartphone app. A lifelong endurance athlete, he speaks frequently at events throughout the United States and internationally. 

We are excited to have Matt share is first humbling ultra-experience with us.  In this podcast Matt gets real on the challenges of being a lifelong road runner and switching to trails.  Matt also opens up about his struggles since getting COVID-19 and what running is like for him now.  We loved learning more about Matt and left this one more optimistic and inspired. 

To learn more about Matt, visit the following:

IG: fitzgerald.matt

Twitter: @ mattfitwriter

Websites: mattfitzgerald.org, 8020endurance.com

Jul 4, 2021

Coach Ellie Greenwood gets to meet her Season 10 runners Melissa and Miranda during their first call of the season.  Both are seasoned road runners but it looks like trails might be a new adventure for them.  Enjoy!

Jul 4, 2021

Enjoy the newest episode where coach Amanda Basham meets her runners for the newest season of Becoming Ultra.  Dave and Mariah have totally different stories but both are primed for a great experience.. Enjoy the show!

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