We want to inspire you today with someone special. When most people hear the name Mickey Maurer it is related to business or writing because he has had much success with both.  But today we are going to talk about adventure, giving, and happiness, areas where he has also had much success.  I have had the pleasure of getting to know Mickey over the last 17 years.  We may have bonded over being persuaded to represent our age brackets at the Corporate Challenge in the running events over the years. Mickey is one of the most positive, giving, and energetic people I know.  Mickey Maurer’s career as an attorney, author and entrepreneur has included cable television, film production, radio broadcasting, publishing, real estate, and banking. Mickey is an active participant in numerous business, civic, educational, and philanthropic organizations.  In 2001, Mickey established Mickey’s Camp, a charitable endeavor that has raised over $3 million  for central Indiana charities. Recently he traveled to Poland to help with the Ukrainian refugees. Some of Mickey’s hobbies include mountain climbing, having successfully summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, skiing, and underwater photography. At 80 years old he doesn’t seem to be sitting idle. 

What a fun conversation we had with Mickey. Mickey is a person that is always learning and using his skills and knowledge to help others.  On this podcast we talk about climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu twice.  We had a heartfelt conversation about his recent trip to Poland to help with the Ukrainian refugees.  This was my favorite part of the podcast. According to Mickey one of the keys to happiness is to stay curious.  There is definitely some inspiration and wisdom here.  Stay curious friends!

Dreama Walton is an experienced mountain athlete with hundreds of miles spent in the Alps, multiple ultra-marathons in the desert landscapes of the Canary Islands, and day to day training in the upper altitudes of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, she is well aware of the kind of innate desire and commitment it takes to be an endurance athlete. She knows what an important role diet before, during, and after training and competition play in overall wellbeing. She has experienced firsthand the limitations placed on her with poor hydration, using ill designed equipment, and a lack of a level head when things don’t go as planned. She has accepted that running during bad weather is her way of paying dues for running during the good days. Running on no sleep rewards her by letting her see pieces of this planet that most people will only have the opportunity to see on the discovery channel. Pushing her body and mind allows her to see what the human animal is capable of when she reaches the end of a challenging race. The elation she feels when the race is done is the reward for hours, days, and weeks of training. This is why she loves ultra-running so much. It allows you to see that the only limits we have as humans we place on ourselves. Dreama is also a mother to an amazing little girl and loves showing her that we can do difficult things and that if she wants something bad enough, she too can put in the work to achieve it.  

On this podcast Dreama talks about some of the struggles she has faced in her life and how they shaped her strong work ethic as a runner and in life.  We also discuss balancing being a single parent and chasing big goals.  Dreama is a very strong mountain climber so of course we had to talk nutrition. We felt so inspired after talking to Dreama.  She has found a nice balance and figured out how to keep the focus on happiness and love.  We are excited to follow along with her summer adventures!

IG- @dreamawalton

Dawn and David continue the coach and runner back and forth as he continues to run in some crazy heat.  His longest back to back is coming up.  Achilles is seeming to hold up! Enjoy the show!

Nick and Jackson are seeing their fitness improve as they keep plugging away.  Their miles are going up and the back to backs are getting real.  Listen as two runners train for their first ultra!

Natalie is in Colorado and loving the "flat" runs and weather. The run streak is on and Dayna still gets up early to get it in. Natalie learns how to run after dinner and in jeans.  We have a great chat about volunteers and finding comminity in this crazy sport!  Enjoy!

Hannah Allgood is originally from Wisconsin but has lived in Colorado Springs since 2016 with her husband Gil and vizsla, Gunner. She works as a pediatric sports medicine physical therapist at Children's Hospital Colorado and began trail running in 2019 because of Gil. That same year she ran her first 50k, The Dirty Thirty. Hannah enjoyed the 50k-100k distances the most, but is looking forward to eventually running a 100 miler. She holds the course records for the Fall Back Blast 50k, Indian Creek Fifties 55k, and Gorge Waterfalls 100k. When she is not running, she enjoys hiking with her dog, baking desserts, and reading. The thing she loves most about trail running is being outside for long hours with her friends. 

This was a fun conversation; Hannah is full of positivity and energy.  We discuss how she has evolved as a trail runner since her first race in 2019.  We also talk about self-doubt and importance of believing in yourself. We dive into the impact coaching has had on her, both mentally and in running. We chat about the importance of strength training.  Hannah takes us through her recent Gorge Waterfalls 100k win.  Hannah is one to watch, she has some big things coming up.  I loved this quote from her “later becomes never” she definitely embraces that.

IG - @shesallgood21

David is recovering from a nagging achilles issue and Dawn conitnues to consult on how best to get past the pain.  Dawn shares her Badwater story and even though things didn't go as planned she is happy to be on the other end of it all healthy.  Enjoy the show!

Scott has a great talk with Nick and Jackson about training and what to expect in the near future with their training.  The idea of staying present in running and worklife came up as Nick is about to head back to school to teach and Jackson's work flow changes seasonally.  It was a great call and we hope you all enjoy!

Alexa Hasman lives in Portland, Oregon and is a mom to two small humans, ages 5 and 7. She owns a coaching business called Fit Life which she opened in 2014. She likes to make each of her clients feel special and empowered as they work towards their goals. She also owns a race company with her business partner, Zina. They purchased it a year and a half ago and just kicked off their second season of races. The company is called Gorgeous Relay Series and they do one day relays in the most beautiful parts of Oregon. They can also be run as ultras, as a single person team and that is something Alexa is most passionate about growing for this business. Alexa is currently finishing her dual masters in exercise science and sports psychology and will then be pursuing her PhD in sports psychology. In her free time, she is a passionate ultrarunner with a love for the longer and more mountainous races.

Did you ever meet someone that felt so familiar?  That is how we felt when talking to Alexa.  We had a great conversation about how she is using her coaching business and race company to empower women.  You feel her passion for this when she speaks.  Alexa is also a busy mom of two young children.  It is always interesting to hear how inspiring women balance priorities.  We also discuss her recent 100 miler and the community she has embraced and is working to build.  We recorded this one on a Friday morning.  It was the best way to kick off the weekend! 

Once again Dayna and Natalie prove to be the disciplined and coachable runners we hope for with this project.  Natalie gets back to Colorado and Dayna keep plugging away.  Someone is worried about alligators in Florida. Ellie shares her epic berry expeditions.  It was a great chat and we hope you enjoy it all!

Ultra runner Pam Smith shares her training and race experience with the epic Badwater 135 run through Death Valley.  We talk about why she thinks confidence is underrated and how she prepared for Badwater.   It's a great chat that shows how many different ways strong runners get to the finish line!  Enjoy the show!

Christy has been playing sports since she was a young girl and carried her love for Soccer into high school where she played Varsity and was captain her senior year. She absolutely hated running and can remember barely finishing the one mile run during try-outs. Fast forward a few years, Christy continued playing on co-ed leagues, and stayed semi active, but soon after she married her husband, got pregnant with her first daughter, Emma, and two years later, had her second daughter Carleigh. After her second daughter, she started to run more to get back into shape, and when she was finally hitting her groove, BAM, she found out she was pregnant with baby number 3. Baby 3 would be the turning point of her entire life, where she soon found out at 20 weeks that her son, Alex, had Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) and would later pass away at 24 weeks pregnant. After losing Alex, Christy created a social media page called All For Alex where she set a goal to run 100 miles in July to honor his short life. This page allowed the community and even people from around the world to join in with this July goal and friends, families and strangers were flooding the page with running pictures in July in honor of Alex.  Since that day, Christy hasn't slowed down...well actually she did when she got pregnant again in September with identical twin boys who were born that following May. 

Lauren first started running in 2015 after a tragic house fire. She was living in an apartment where she found the apartment gym one day and would run to relieve the stress. When the stress or anxiety would consume her, she started to hit the pavement and never looked back. Lauren continued running throughout the years, finished her first half marathon,  and even while pregnant with her daughter in 2021, continued to run and stay active . Christy and Lauren have always been super close, but when Christy moved on the same street as Lauren, they started to chat more about crazy challenges which one would always convince the other to do. 

They have both ran at least one race a month for over two years, completed the 24-hour Yeti ultra-challenge, and they just completed their first 12 hour ultra this past August. 

We had a blast hanging out with Christy and Lauren.  We discuss their super fun Instagram.  They talk about how it keeps them motivated and accountable.  We also talk about balancing family, work and staying healthy.  They have some great advice for those of us trying to find balance.  Their support of each other is really special.  They are very different runners but always work together to achieve big goals and keep each other going.  We love these stories of support.  Enjoy!

IG- BecomingUltraMoms

Liza Howard trained in the Texas heat and the Lifetime fitness sauna for the effort that is Badwater 135.  Crazy heat, stomach issues, hypernatremia and more didn't keep her from finishing. Enjoy the chat today on the show and be sure to check out our updated website!

Coach Ellie is moving her runners right along as they have not missed a single run in their training so far.. Pretty amazing to be honest.  Dayna deals with extreme Texas heat and Natalie finds a way to check out the Badwater course.  Enjoy the show!

Angela Tortorice lined up for her first marathon in support of her former husband, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1997. Since then, she has taken part in 999 marathons across North America and all 50 U.S. states. Through this journey, she has raised over $170,000 for MS. On April 2, 2022 she finished her 1,000th marathon at the Irving Marathon in Irving, Texas making her the youngest woman to complete 1,000 marathons, at the age of 54 years old. She also holds the record for most marathons run in a calendar year but a woman (129).

Most people have running one marathon on their bucket list.  Running 1,000 seems unimaginable to most people but Angela is not like most people.  On this podcast she talks about why the marathons and raising money for Multiple Sclerosis is so important to her.  We also talk about how she has managed her life to achieve this huge accomplishment.  She also shares some mental tricks that have come in handy over the last 25 years. Angela is proof that if you are committed and passionate about something you can accomplish big things.  

www.rtdtexas.com

The training continues for Jackson and Nick as they both ramp up their efforts.  Nick is looking for a good effort at a half marathon this weekend and Jackson is getting his head around longer efforts and more time training with the balance of family life.  Enjoy the show!

On this episode Dawn shares her crazy Badwater experience and Dave is flying solo after Makena drops out of the project.  Enjoy the show!

Hey friends, we are back for another season!  Catch up with us after our month off and let's chat about some upcoming guests!

Rebecca Roehm is no stranger to sufferfests as she was the only Becoming Ultra runner to run her first ultra as a 50 miler at the Voyageur 50 in Minnesota a few years back.  Since then she has done a 100k, a 100 miler, and just last week she took on the Vol State run across the state of Tennessee.  She covered 314 miles in 7 days and so we had to have a chat while it was still fresh and while she was easy to get ahold of recoverng from the effort.  Enjoy the show!

To say that Katie has been through the ringer in the last few weeks is about right.  Running setbacks and illness got her down but she is making a strong comeback.  Jason continues to beat the Florida heat with early runs and wonders, "Does Hillary even like me?" after some of the tough training!  Enjoy the episode!

On this episode we learn a new tactic to get first in line for a new car and we find that surprise, Texas is hot!  Dayna and Natalie are doing great in their training and get some great coaching from Ellie Greenwood once again! Enjoy the show!

Nick and Jackson have been training hard and seeing some results recently.  Nick is getting close to his longest run ever in training and feeling pretty good.  Jackson get's some family time and continues to push!  Enjoy this episode of the Becoming Ultra show!

Scott gets to talk with Shawn Livingston about his life and running.  Shawn's life from early sports to military and now, ultra runner, has plenty of lessons about addiction, family, and perseverence.  

Natalie and Dayna continue their journey to run their first ultra!  Natalie wants to be a morning runner but does it even makes sense to try?  Dayna went out fast in her hot 10k on pavement, in Texas.  Ellie helps guide these two runners through it all!

Jackson and Nick are both doing great from different parts of the country and different levels of training early on.  Nick get past a frustrating foot issue and Jackson has a 25k he is ready to push at for a little competition.  Enjoy the show!