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:

• Warm up for a mile or 10 minutes.
• You are going to run 100 meters at a time and then recover for a minute or so in between each. 
• Know your body. If you haven't run fast in a while keep a governor on the top end pace. 
• A football field is a great place for this but any straightaway will do. 
• Start each effort like a plane taking off.  By the time you are at the 50 meter mark you should be at the max speed you will go for the effort.  Keep that high end speed for 30 meters and then tail off slowly for the last 20.
• Focus on turnover and posture.  

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:

• Today we are going to the ultra roots.  Being able to power hike for long periods of time is a huge skill for covering long distances.  The goal today is to power hike for 90 minutes and trying to stick to as close to a 15 minute/mile pace as possible. 
• That's it. No running allowed. 
• Record how much distance you covered for retesting!

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:

• Warm up with a half mile at 70% effort.
• This is best done on a track. If you don't have access to a track then marking off the distance is ideal.  You should be able to run without looking down too much(watch/phone)
• Run 400m, recover for 90 sec.
• Do this 8 times.  The 400 is a tough 1-3.5 minutes for most of us. 

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: 

• You are essentially doing 7 rounds of 10 minutes with the first 3 minutes of every set being all out.  
• Round one is a warm up.
• The pace for the last 7 minutes can be an easy jog or walk. 
• The reason there is so much recovery is that the 3 minutes needs to be really tough. 
• If you want to do on a track or treadmill it is a good set for that.  

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:

1. Run for 60 minutes in the dark.  
2. If you live somewhere cold it is so hard to just get out there int he cold night or morning but WE can do it.
3. Today is all about finding joy in running in a time or place you don't usually.
4. Find a route with Christmas lights or a safe track.  
5. Be careful and bring a friend if you can.
6. Finish up with hot chocolate or a coffee!

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.

1. Keeping this one simple so warm up for 5 minutes and go run a 5k 
2. The goal is to push yourself and see what you got!

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:

1. You are going to do 20 lunges(10/leg) before every mile.
2. Ideally you are doing step back lunges as they are easier to keep good form.
3. The second your last lunge is complete you start running the next mile.
4. 4 total miles and 80 total lunges

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:

1. Warm up with 5-10 minutes of movement.  Get the HR up and prep that body for a tough set.
2. Mile repeats are typically running a mile at a high effort with minimal recovery(2-3 minutes)
3. For this set you will run a mile at 70% effort then recover for 2 minutes, run one at 80% with 2 minutes of recovery and then run one more at 90%. 
4. Most will do better running the first at effort then trying to speed up based on time for the next two.  For instance, you run the first at 70% and it is a 10 minute pace. Try to run the next at 9 m/m and the last at 8m/m.
5. It won't be perfect but the goal is increasing the effort significantly every mile! 
6. Because it is effort based the times don't matter, just that they get quicker. 
7. Be strict on the recovery.  

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 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!

On the second Run Of Christmas...

10x2:1 intervals.  

How it is done:

1. The workout is to be a strict 30 minutes.  The warm up is built into the set.  
2. You run hard for 2 minutes and easy for 1.
3. The 1 minute interval can be a walk if needed. 
4. The first 3 intervals should be easy and used to wake everything up.  
5. By the time you get to round 4 you need to make the 2 minutes feel much, much longer with your effort. 
6. Be strict with the time.  No extra recovery.  Each one will get cumulatively tougher.  
7. You can record your overall distance but it isn't necessary. 

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!

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

Andrea Casella Kooiman is an avid runner with over 150 marathon and ultra-marathons under her belt. Some of her accomplishments include the Boston Marathon, Grand Slam of Ultra-running (4 oldest trail 100’s in one summer), Badwater 135 three times, Western States twice, HURT 100, UTMB, Vol State 500K, taking 3rd place overall. Andrea is also one of the founders of WeRock, a program created as a response to the challenges faced by the Orange County communities’ young people. It is an educational, after-school, intervention program for Middle and High School students focused on the endurance sport of running. She is also the executive director and head coach; she considers some of her greatest running accomplishments watching as the kids cross the marathon finish line year after year. It is her solid belief that everyone can and will achieve all their wildest goals and aspirations if they can first visualize themselves in that position. She is on a mission to HUG the world and assist others in becoming their own Superheroes.

Start asking yourself why not me. This is a question Andrea always asks herself and she has accomplished some amazing things. We loved talking to her about her adventures, coaching her kids and life in general. This woman is full of joy, optimism, and fun. We talked about the Barkley Fall Classic and moving on to attempt the Barkley Marathons (watch for her name). Andrea lights up when discussing WeRock, she talks about how it started and what she has gained from coaching. We also get into some great Badwater stories and how she balances everything from family life to the big races. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

IG- @runcoachkrun

We were so excited to get the founder of the Pacuare Outdoor Center on the show to talk about how the business came to be and why doing eco tourism the right way is so important.  We wanted to do our retreats a bit different so we are getting off the grid and away from the traditional tourists traps in Costa Rica and we can't wait to show you all how to run  and adventure in this beautiful country!

The retreat!

Coach Hillary Allen and Scott spend a few minutes talking about the first Becoming Ultra international retreat in Costa Rica in February of 2023.  They talk about the itinerary and the launch of Season 13!  Enjoy the show!

The Retreat

Apply for Season 13

Every season for Becoming Ultra, we partner with a new race for the runners to train for and go and run.  This season, we head to the Pacific Northwest to run the trails near Mt. Hood.  Today we talk to the race directors to learn everything there is to know about the race and surrounding areas.  Enjoy the show!

On this episode, we introduce the newest addition to the Season 13 coaching crew, Annie Hughes.  Annie has been racing at a very high level but today we dive into her story and coaching philosophy. It's going to be fun to see how her experiences add to the project.  Enjoy and you can apply here for Season 13!

Coach Amanda Basham and Scott talk about raising kids and training and how the mindset after two kids may affect her racing efforts!  We talk about the Season 13 race and can't wait to see who applies.  You can here. 

Gary Cantrell also known as Laz Lake is the creator and race director of two of the hardest ultramarathons in the world, the Barkley Marathons and the Big Dog Backyard Ultra. He also created the Barkley Fall Classic, Strolling Jim 40, the Vol-state 500k, and the epic virtual team event, the Circumpolar Race Around the World. Gary is also a husband to Sandra who he met in college and a father to three grown children. Before retiring in 2011, he was an accountant for 35 years.

Well, this was a whole lot of fun! In this episode we chat to Laz about the early ultra-running days, the inspiration for all his unique races, and his trans-continental walk across the US. Laz has some great Barkley Marathon stories to share. You are sure to learn a few things about the Barkley’s you may not have known. We learn what Laz has planned next, the current Barkley theme, and how to get a Geezer hat. This one is full of great stories, encouragement, and lots more. Gary Cantrell aka Laz Lake is truly a legend in the Ultra-running world. We had the best time meeting him. Enjoy!

Fresh off of completing an epic 100 miler in an amazing way, Scott joins us to recap the experience!  When Scott decides to do something, it is never simple or easy and this is no different!  We talk all about Band of Runners, the news season of Becoming Ultra, and the upcoming BU events across the globe!

https://www.bandofrunners.org/

www.becomingultra.com