Excuse the cheesy title but this is basically how it all went down. Bailey and Katie met on Season 10 of the Becoming Ultra project and became fast friends. Today's show is a dive into why they both live a certain lifestyle when it comes to food and where we get our food. More than the light debate, the lesson is that we can all get along with the biggest personal differences. A good lesson for the world right now! It's a great conversation and hope you all enjoy!
You have put in so much work over this challenge. If you completed it all I would love to hear from you so shoot me a message at becomingultra@gmail.com. I want to know what your experience was like!
The 12th run is here! We call this the grateful run.. The goal is to reflect on the things in your life you are grateful for and have fun doing it! Every 10 minutes for 50 minutes you will focus on a different aspect to be grateful for. I came up with this while visiting my family years ago and even recorded a video explaining. You can watch it here if you like.
I personally am grateful you are a part of this all!
The Grateful Run
1-10: For a working body
11-20. For a working mind
21-30 for important people in your life
31-40 for important people you have lost
41-50 for your future
If you liked this challenge, maybe you'll like a year long one I came up with called the Be Ultra Year.
In any case,
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and thanks so much!
On the 11th Run Of Christmas...
11 accelerations @ 100 meters
How it's done:
This is a fun one to coach in person so you have to self manage this one to be smart and avoid any tweaks. For some of you the peak pace is going to look like a sprint and for some it'll look like a fast jog. Be sure to slow down slowly. Meters can be interchangeable with yards as it is just a good way to visualize the effort!
See you tomorrow for the last and 12th run!
On the 10th Run of Christmas...
We hope you are enjoying this challenge. The 10th run isn't necessarily hard but it is time consuming.
Go for a double digit run OR go for your longest run. Go out and spend some time in the fresh air and have a good one!
If your longest run to date is 5 miles we would suggest to not add more than a couple miles.
Enjoy the relaxed pace and the effort you have put into this so far!
Great work and see you tomorrow on the 11th day.
What happens when 6 runners race and run and crew each other all over the country when they come back to their home in Wasau, Wisconsin? They create a killer backyard ultra of course. Two of the six race directors and founders of Wasaultra came on the show to talk about how the race was conceived, their big goals in the future, and how it works with so many cooks in the kitchen. It was a fun sit down to just get to know some passionate RD's in the world of ultra running that we all love! Enjoy the show.
On the 9th Run Of Christmas...
90 minute power hike
How it's done:
It's tougher than it looks. Try not to default to just a walk.
See you tomorrow for the 10th day!
On the 8th Run Of Christmas...
8x400's
How it's done:
It's simple but it ain't easy. Be strict on recovery. The faster we run, the more efficient our form typically is so keep in mind the end goal is effort and running economy!
See you tomorrow for the 9th day!
On the 7th Run Of Christmas...
7x3x10:
How it's done:
This is another good one to practice active recovery in long efforts. Think about running up a hill to have flat and downhill right after. It's a good skill to work on!
See you tomorrow for day 8!
On the 6th Run Of Christmas...
A 60 minute effort at night(or in the dark)
How it's done:
Our comfort zone is meant to be pushed. You've got this.
See you tomorrow for the 7th day.
On the 5th Run Of Christmas...
Run a 5k.
Many of you are going to justify the fact that you are sore, or tired, or don't like running fast and just go and get it done going through the motions. The challenge today is to not think of anything but putting a good effort in. You've got this.
See you tomorrow for day 6!
On the 4th Run Of Christmas...
4 Lunge Miles
How it's done:
This is a great set to learn how to run on fatigued legs. Think mountain efforts. We use sets like these for people training for mountain runs when they don't have access to mountains.
See you tomorrow for day 5!
On the 3rd Run Of Christmas...
3 progressively faster mile repeats
How it's done:
This one helps learn pacing on a deeper level. Embrace it!
See you tomorrow for day 4!
Tracie Hunter is a certified running coach and business owner of IRG Training. She has been running since the 90’s, and just completed her 30th marathon and 4th world major marathon at the Abbott World Age Group Championships in London. She has also completed 2 ultra-marathons: a 50 miler and 100k and would like to someday complete a 100 miler. She has been running for over 25 years, but her fastest marathons have all come in the last year.
Tracie has been running marathons for years (she ran Boston 6x’s) and she is getting faster. We discuss how she has changed her training to make that happen and how her training has evolved as she ages. Tracie shares stories about some of her favorite marathons as well as where she is running next. Tracie is also a running coach and shares with us the joy and motivation that brings into her life. Getting older doesn’t necessarily mean you have to get slower.
IG- @indianarunnergirl
On the second Run Of Christmas...
10x2:1 intervals.
How it is done:
This is a great set when time is an issue. If you can run as fast as you need for the intensity, use incline to get more work!
Enjoy and see you tomorrow for day three!
On the first Run Of Christmas...
Run a 20 minute time trial. These are great no matter what fitness level you are bringing to the table. Here is how it's done.
Warm-up for 5-10 minutes. You should be close to sweating and your heart rate should be noticeably higher. Here is a great warm up for this type of effort.
Then, set your timer for 20 minutes and cover as much distance as you can. Record the distance and make sure you run it somewhere that you could retest in the future.
You aren't allowed to stop the time.
This is a great exercise for a couple reasons. First, it teaches you how to pace at high intensity. Second, it gets rids of some of the anxiety for set distance time trials (think, 5k). Lastly, most long distance runners are fine suffering for 10 hours but for 20 minutes, that's a different story.
Get after it and let us know how it went on the socials. Just tag us on IG or FB!
Join Scott as he catches everyone up on ways to engage and be a part of the Becoming Ultra community from year long challenges to hyper seasonal challenges and everything else! Enjoy the show.
Check out everything else here.
Makinsie Bartholomew came from a background of triathlon. In high school she did swim team and track & field, and a handful of sprint triathlons. After graduating in 2011 she competed in half and full Ironmans. Makinsie completed her first Ironman in 2014 and then her first 50-mile ultramarathon in 2015. She had never done any trail races further than 13 miles and jumped straight to 50 miles. She has completed 4 Ironmans, 10 Half Ironmans, a 50-mile ultramarathon and the Bigfoot 200. Makinsie has a very supportive family and has her Dad to thank for getting her into trail running, together have been able to do some great ultramarathons.
We have so many wonderful conversations but this was one of my favorites. Makinsie has an amazing attitude and a lot of grit. She takes us through her 2022 Bigfoot 200 finish with all the highs and lows that came along with it. Makinsie credits her Dad for getting her into trail running and shares many stories of their adventures together. We also talk about DNF’s in a positive light. We wrapped up the podcast and kept talking. We recorded this one on a Friday morning. It was a great way to kick off the weekend. Enjoy!
Find her incredible race report for the Bigfoot 200 here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TaqjqtoNnoqAiuClvqxGYFIHM9hqpnteyEJEzU3t4ds/mobilebasic
IG - @imkinsie