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 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:
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!
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!
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!
Demarion & Carlita Farmer are married with two young children ages 2 & 4, they also own a small business. Recently they started training for and ran their first ultra in 2021. This is a story of inspiration on so many levels.
Couple goals! These two are conquering all kinds of goals and supporting each other 100%. This was a fun, enlightening, and inspiring conversation. Demarion & Carlita could have so many excuses to not train and work hard towards their goals, but they do not focus on excuses. They have learned the value in believing in themselves and helping each other. On this episode we talk about what prompted them to get into ultra-running and how they balance the training with a young family. We also discuss diversity in ultra-running and the impact they have made on their local community. There is lots of good stuff in this one. We could have talked to this awesome couple for hours. There is nothing better for us than starting our day with lots of laughs and some great conversation.
Nick travelled the furthest of any of the Season 12 runners from Washington state all the way down to Palm Coast, Florida. On the show Scott and Nick talk about tough spots and how he got out of them as well as his biggest takeaways a week or two after the event. If you have ever thought of running your first ultra, we think you'll enjoy his story!
Jason ran 50 marathons in 50 states before the project but he had never run an ultra. Katie dealt with multiple physical ailments. They both figured it out alongside their coach en route to their first ultra. This episode is their recap show of the race. Enjoy!
Lucja Leonard is a Dutch-born Aussie-Brit currently residing in the USA. Wife to Dion Leonard, and Fur-mama to Gobi and Lara, check out 'Finding Gobi' the NY Times bestselling book for more details on that side of her life.
Lucja is an ultra-runner but has not always been one! After becoming overweight in her early 20's Lucja took up running to become a healthier, fitter version of herself and after running her first road marathon, Amsterdam in 2010, she discovered a love of going long and went on to run the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon; a 6 stage, 7-day self-sufficient multistage ultra-marathon through the Kalahari desert in northern South Africa where she fell in love with ultra-running.
Lucja has since gone on to run a multitude of multistage and single stage ultras with the likes of Marathon Des Sables, Leadville 100, Ultra Trail Mont Blanc, Mohican 100 and even 200+miles non-stop with Bigfoot200 and Moab 240. Most recently she tackled the TransRockies Race, a multistage ultra in Colorado with her friend, Amanda, running as a pair with 120miles and 20,000ft over 6 days as 'Team Granny Pants' where they duo came third open female team.
Lucja is also a running and health coach and can be found traveling all over the USA, exploring the most amazing places while working alongside her husband Dion, and his book 'Finding Gobi' with inspirational talks at corporate events, schools, libraries and running stores.
Amanda Asher is a single mother of 3 teenagers (son 17 and twin daughters 15) and 2nd grade elementary school teacher who started ultra-running in 2016 when she tackled her first 50k in Huntsville, Tx – Rocky 50. Since that time, she has taken on dozens of races across Texas, ranging anywhere from 13 milers to 100k’s. Shortly after completing her first 50k, Amanda ran her first mountain race in 2016 when she took on the Pikes Peak Ascent, followed by the Leadville Trail marathon in 2017. Most recently Amanda competed in her first team relay alongside her daughters as they raced the clock during a 12-hour relay at Spider Mountain in Texas. The 3 of them along with one additional teammate – placed 1st female team. Amanda used this race in May as a training run for her most recent endeavor that took place in Colorado – the Transrockies Stage Race – Amanda, alongside her teammate Lucja Leonard, managed to take the podium 4 out of the 6 days. Placing 3rd overall for the week. When Amanda is not busy raising her 3 teenagers or working on lesson plans for her second graders, she can be found solo backpacking all over the U.S., completing various sections of the CDT, John Muir Trail, AT, and hundreds of miles of loop trails, within Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Colorado.
It is always a fun time when Lucja is involved. We loved this conversation with Lucja and her adventure buddy, Amanda. These ladies tell us all about tackling the Transrockies stage race together and how they came up with their team’s name, Granny Panties, it is a great story! Amanda talks about finding balance with adventuring, raising three kids and work. When you hear her talk about it you will think it is possible for you too. Lucja shares her latest adventures and what she has coming up. These ladies are big supporters of each other and other women. I hope you enjoy this one as much as we did!