Melissa McGaughey has always been passionate about health, fitness, and nutrition. However, in today's society there is so much conflicting information, fad diets and trends to follow that we become overwhelmed. This can lead to unhealthy habits and leave us under fueled when we are trying so hard to live a healthy life. Through years of experimenting with the latest and greatest trends, fad diets and attempting to live a healthy life, she found herself unbalanced and unhealthy. Having a baby inspired her to follow her passion for health and fitness, so she could learn to decipher the conflicting information about nutrition and fitness, truly nourish her body, and be a good role model for her daughter. Melissa studied to be an integrative health and nutrition coach at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in NYC, where she became a Certified Health Coach. Further expanding her nutrition and fitness knowledge by becoming a Master’s Sports Nutritionist and Certified Personal Trainer at the National Association of Sports Nutrition in San Diego, where she became proficient in exercise metabolism, body composition testing, metabolic evaluation, pre and post workout fueling and nutrition for recovery. she also discovered a love for reformer Pilates and completed the training to become a Pilates instructor. Hours of reading, research, and certification through the Self Talk Institute, taught her that your mindset and internal self-talk play a vital role in whether you're successful in achieving your goals. Melissa is also an avid runner and advocate for being outdoors.
This is a subject we have been wanting to talk about for a while. This is a great conversation about nutrition, fitness, and aging. Melissa has so much knowledge, we could have talked to her for hours. We discuss macro training; intermittent fasting; whole foods; protein and the unique needs all of us have. We also talk about mindset and internal self-talk and much more. Melissa is a wonderful advocate for a healthy life and wants to share that with everyone.
IG - @melissa_eduralife
www.enduralife.com
Darin has a scheduling snafu for the last team call so Coach Annie Hughes hopped on a call and sent us the recording to catch up on Darin and his progress in training. Enjoy the episode!
We had the chance to sit down with RD's Scott and Ellen on this episode. They share stories from runners of their Wisconsin backyard event and we talk about where grit comes from, Ellen shares some of her crazy hallucinations from a recent winter race. We love talking to small homegrown race directors and think you'll enjoy the chat!
Isabel and Stacey take some classic advice from their coach Hillary on this most recent episode! Stacey juggles parenting and dark mornings and Kelsey keeps plugging along in the early training for the Oregon Ultra this coming June!
In 1998 at 17 years old Harold Jr. Allen’s young life was forever changed. He was arrested for a crime he did not commit and served 10 years in prison. Initially filled with anger and despair, he eventually resigned himself to serving his time and making the most of it. After his release he gradually slipped into destructive behaviors until 2014 when he was recruited to run a local 5k, he loved it and within a few months was training for a marathon. Harold has been running 100 milers for the last five years. Seven years ago, Harold created Buckle Up a fitness / running group that provides a positive and encouraging environment designed to help others discover what they can achieve. Harold turned tragedy into triumph!
Buckle Up everyone! Harold has remarkable story to tell. Harold talks about the lessons he learned in prison and how he learned to believe in himself. We talk about his path to running and eventually to 100 milers. Harold has found a way to inspire his community with Buckle Up, we talk about what this gives back to him. We covered so much in this hour of talking. Harold is someone who turned tragedy into triumph. He follows the best advise he was ever given, love life and love people.
IG - @haroldallen19811
If only every week and every run would feel perfect everyone would do this stuff. The truth is, it rarely goes as smoothly as you would like. This last week is a perfect example. Delorean and Chelsea both have been dealing with some issues but we gameplan how to get back on a roll. We hope you can relate and enjoy the show!
Beth and Rebecca are both very driven and have finished some extremely challenging events. They have also experienced DNF’s. On this podcast we take a deep dive into the emotions that go along with a DNF. This is not always an easy topic for people, we appreciate their candor. Our hope is that if you experience a DNF you will remember some of the wisdom shared on this podcast and move forward ready to tackle another goal.
On this epsiode we talked about the early volume with the runners, how to deal with Texas winters, when to fuel on your longer runs, and coach Basham talks about her New Zealand racing experience. Kristi and Kelsey have had a great start to the season 13 training. Enjoy the show. Looking for adventure? Check out our retreats.
Brian Murray is an accomplished real estate investor and author who loves trail running and is an amateur endurance athlete. He was on Season 9 of Becoming Ultra and has completed 16 marathons and three ultramarathons. His biggest brush with fame was when he got to be Carly Heard’s teammate on Becoming Ultra. Brian recently returned from a trek to Everest Base Camp and is currently training for the Black Canyon 100K in February. He lives in Alpharetta, Georgia with his wife, son, and two dogs.
It was so fun catching up with our Becoming Ultra teammate who was Carly’s partner for season 9. Brian is not just inspiring because of his accomplishments but because of how he lives his life. Brian shares with us what led him to getting fit later in life, how he maintains good habits, and why it is important to step out of your comfort zone. We also talk about his latest adventure at Everest and how much he gained from the experience. There is some great insight on this podcast. We know you will love this one as much as we do.
IG- @crushingitbrian
If the title says anything it's that these two runners were dealing with some stuff in the last couple weeks. We talk about lot's of life and running in this one so I think you'll enjoy and be able to relate. Enjoy the show!
Marshall Ulrich is an ultra-marathon running legend, adventure racer, mountaineer, and author. He has completed over 130 ultra-marathons, completed a 3,063-mile run across America, he has climbed the tallest summit on each continent, and finished 12 expedition length adventure races, and completed all 10 Eco Challenge Adventure Races, something only two people in the world have done. He has crossed Death Valley on foot for the 30th time to raise money in honor of his dear friend and teammate, Mark Macy, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2018. Marshall is arguably one of the most driven men on the planet.
What a privilege it was to spend time talking with Marshall. He is a genuine, kind, and inspiring person. On this episode we talked about the Route 66 Ultra run and why Marshall and his wife Heather created it. We also discuss the special bond with Mark Macy and the Stray Dogs. Marshall explains why it is important to keep challenging yourself and discusses how aging has changed things for him. We also talk about Badwater and the Eco challenges. There is a lot of wisdom in this one. It will always be a special one for us. Enjoy!
IG - @marshall.ulrich
On today's show Scott interviews Jake Rastas, a young athlete who played college football and found ultra running in post grad as a way to continue pushing himself. He brings lots of passion adn it's a great reminder that the roles we start as athletes can always evolve. Enjoy the show!
On this episode Coach Annie Hughes and Scott find out where Jasmine is in her training physically and mentally. She is training for her first 50 miler. Enjoy the show!
Isabel and Stacey are under way with their training from coach Hillary Allen! Intervals and pyramid sets to make it more interesting early on is the goal. Stacey talks about the challenge of switiching from lots of treadmill miles to outside miles and Isabel shares her goal of being able to run up a local route without stopping! Good stuff!
Michael Ormiston was born in Sydney, Australia in 1971. In 1999 he moved to Hong Kong and married his wife, Sandra in 2003, they have 2 daughters ages 16 and 18. His passions are cooking, wine, trail running, cycling, and skiing. In 2016 he was made redundant from his job and moved to France, skiing all winter, and running in the summer, in 2019 he moved back to Hong Kong where he currently resides with his family. Michael is a partner at TouchPoint, Race Director/Partner at RaceBase (organizes Hong Kong trail races). He started racing in 2005 with 10-15k trail and adventure races and built up from there, running his first 100k in 2007. In June of 2022 Michael was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma and just finished five months of chemotherapy. He recently did his first trail race post chemo and finished first in his age category. For the past 12 weeks Michael has been training four times a week at the gym with a personal trainer to prepare to compete in Hyrox, a goal race to focus on and celebrate the end of his cancer treatment. He finished the event in 1 hour 23 minutes, placed 5th in his age category and 58th overall.
If you have ever wondered what the impact of a positive mindset has on a very difficult circumstance just listen to this podcast. Michael shares his running and cancer journey; he explains how he used movement as medicine and the power of a positive mindset. We discuss the daily struggles of setting a goal and working towards it while also receiving cancer treatments. We were so moved by Michael and his journey. There are so many beautiful nuggets of wisdom and inspiration in this one.
IG- @ski_run_eat_wine
Early training for the runners of Season 13 is not disappointing. Chelsea gets the work done and has some great, if not funny, feedback about her core work. Delorean nails the runs but may have cut a bit more than a carrot on the cutting board. Hopefully he is ok. We follow the journey of runners doing big things!
Coach Amanda Basham gets to meet her runners for Season 13 for the first time on today's call. Kristi from Texas and Kelsey from Oregon. They both balance so many things and found running in different ways so watching them train for their first 50k and 50 Miler is going to be a blast! Enjoy the show.
Sheri Gewelke loves to run.... and run.... and run....for the pure love of the sport. especially ultramarathons. She has run 1,000s of races and is going on her 12th 100+ miler, which is her specialty. Running is her passion- it is who she is. She is single and a mom of 8 biological children ranging from the ages of 12-28, 5 boys and 3 girls. One of her daughters, Iris, has 3 state records and ran a 50 k barefooted at the Pistol when she was 8 in 7 hours and 26 min. Sheri is a teacher, cross country coach, and athletic director and she just recently got her master’s degree of Education in Administration and Leadership, her Principal's License, and she plans to go back to get her PhD. She is also a personal trainer, a missionary and loves to travel and serve others. Sheri has paced 6 people to 100-mile buckles and a few to state records. Her motto is “Health is wealth”.
Sheri is full of positive energy; she is a doer who always strives for excellence. She is also someone who appreciates the gift of running. On this podcast Sheri tells some great stories with a good message for everyone. She explains what it means to be organic. Sheri also discusses having eight children and how she prioritizes her time to be present for them and herself. We talk about completing 207 miles at the Ozone Endurance Challenge and training in the TN mountains. Sheri lives by the motto a positive mindset is a champion mindset. This one may change the way you think about negativity.
Coach Hillary gets to meet her runners for the first time on this episode. Stacey and Isabel are both on the west coast and we get to know more about them today. We hope you enjoy!
Coach Annie Hughes finally gets to meet her runners for this Season 13 of the Becoming Ultra Project. Jasmine and Darin are respectively the oldest and youngest of the season and they both were great to get to know on this first call. From Darin's sobriety and Jasmine dealing with loss, they are both going to bring so much to the listeners and other runners this season. We hope you enjoy the show!
This is the first episode introducing the runners of Season 13. Delorean will be running his first 50 miler while he tends to family issues like raising young kids and his wife's cancer treatment as well as a busy work life. Chelsea will be running her first 50k in the state she grew up in and is looking to prove to herself what she is capable of. They are being coached by Scott and today's call captures their first time meeting as well. Enjoy the show!
Jennifer E. Rizzo is an ultramarathon runner and award-winning writer from Marblehead, Massachusetts. Her work has been published by Vanity Fair, Motherwell Magazine, and Moms Don’t Have Time to Write. She is a wife and mom to two humans and one dog and is trying to tame a newly adopted semi-feral cat.
We love a guest that when you are chatting it feels so comfortable and authentic. Jennifer is very honest about what it takes to balance family, career, and ultra-running. She shares what ultra-running adds to her life and how she uses it in all areas to improve. On this podcast we get into the hard choices it takes to accomplish your goals. We also talk about Jennifer’s 2021 and 2022 Riverlands 100 attempts. This is a great story! Jennifer shares her experience of crewing for a blind runner and how that has impacted her life.
IG - @jennifererizzo
Scotty Kummer Started Ten Junk Miles around the sane time we got rolling with Becoming Ultra. We bounce around a bunch of topics on the show today from the uniqueness of the 100 miler he race directs to the importance of consistency in running and podcasting. Enjoy the show!
Dusty Hardman was born and raised in New Jersey and lived in Boulder, CO and Victor, ID. She started running in Teton Valley, ID around 2007. Inspired by an interview with Lisa Smith-Batchen in Running Magazine Dusty started running. Starting with a marathon and within two years tackling the Bear 100 in Utah. Having health issues, it took Dusty a while to dial in her training, medications, and overall health. It didn’t take Dusty long to start tackling amazing adventures such as the Barkley Marathons, Badwater 146, Vol State and running across Florida from Coco Beach to Withlacoochie Bay on the Florida Trail. Dusty is one of only a handful of people to complete Badwater 146 and only the second woman. Dusty is inspired by all the amazing ultra-runners she has met and feels honored to toe the line, hang out with or even have so much in common with all of them.
Dusty is one of those amazing unassuming athletes that you probably have never heard of. She has been setting big goals and having incredible adventures for a long time. On this episode we talk about what led Dusty to three Barkley Marathon attempts and the Badwater 146. Dusty also shares some great stories about meeting her ultra-running role models along the way. We discuss health struggles and how that has affected her training and mindset. This one covers a lot; you will enjoy getting to know Dusty.
www.toughlovetraining.net
Recovery after any race or long effort can be different for everyone. We brought on one of Scott's athletes from Sweden who ran through the cold and dark night to get her first 100 miler just a few days before this call. We talk about the unique set up for the run, the charity, and what the goals are for recovery moving forward. Hope you enjoy the chat!