Field notes.
Short, opinionated writing about ultrarunning. Race strategy, gear thinking, training rants, and the occasional dispatch from a race weekend. The stuff between the long guides.
- № 01 →
Common Ultra Training Mistakes
Seven training mistakes that show up over and over in ultrarunners. Most are easy to fix — once you see you're making them.
- № 02 →
Courtney Dauwalter — The Generalist
She's won Western States, Hardrock, UTMB, Tahoe 200, and Big's Backyard. She does it on bagels and Coke. What we can actually steal from her training.
- № 03 →
Crewing for the First Time
Your runner asked you to crew their first ultra. Here's what they actually need from you — and what to leave at home.
- № 04 →
Jim Walmsley — The American at Chamonix
He moved to France for two years to win UTMB. He came back, then won Western States again. The most singular ultra career in U.S. history.
- № 05 →
The First 30 Minutes of an Ultra
The first 30 minutes are when most ultras are quietly lost. Adrenaline is high. The legs feel fresh. The pack is moving fast. Here's the discipline.
- № 06 →
Heat Training for an Ultra
The 10-day protocol that lets a sea-level runner survive 105°F canyons. Sauna, hot baths, and run-in-heat — what actually works.
- № 07 →
Sub-24, the Quiet Version
What it actually takes to break sub-24 — and why most runners with the fitness still don't make it.
- № 08 →
Altitude Training, Plainly
What works, what doesn't, and what's optimistic. The right altitude protocol for Leadville, Hardrock, and the high passes.
- № 09 →
The Bonk Window
The 4-to-10 hour window where most DNFs are decided. Recognize it, prevent it, recover from it.
- № 10 →
The Race-Week Routine
What to do the seven days before a hundred. Sleep, food, the email you didn't see coming, and the boring discipline that earns the buckle.
- № 11 →
Why Most Ultrarunners Train Too Hard
The 80/20 rule, and why most of us run our easy days too hard — then wonder why we're tired in week 16.
- № 12 →
Poles, and the Front-Carry Rule
Most vests default to back-pole carry. Most experienced ultrarunners use front-carry. Here's why.
- № 13 →
Choosing Your First Ultra
How to pick the right first ultra. 50K, 50-mile, or 100K — and the marathon-runner's mistake nobody warns you about.
- № 14 →
How to DNF Gracefully
When to drop. When to push. How to walk away with training intact and dignity attached.
- № 15 →
The Race-Day Caffeine Strategy
How much caffeine, when, and why most ultrarunners take it wrong. Pre-race load, mid-race pulse, the back-half rescue.
- № 16 →
Reading Mountain Weather
How to read mountain weather for an ultra. What to pack, and the storm signs that should make you turn around.
- № 17 →
Running With Achilles
The Achilles tendinopathy protocol that works. Calf raises, eccentric load, the seven mistakes most runners make.
- № 18 →
The Pre-Race Meal Plan
What to eat the 48 hours before a 100. The carb load that works, foods to avoid, the morning-of breakfast that doesn't blow up your stomach.
- № 19 →
Cadence and Form for Long-Distance Running
Why 180 spm is overrated, what cadence actually does, and the form cues that hold up at hour ten.
- № 20 →
The Off-Season — What to Actually Do
The 4-8 weeks after your last race. Active recovery protocol, real off-season vs the fake one, and the mistake that costs the next cycle.
- № 21 →
Strength Training for Ultrarunners — Two Days a Week
The minimum-effective-dose strength program. Two days a week, 25 minutes, no gym.
- № 22 →
Coaching vs Self-Coached
When to hire a coach. When not to. The four real benefits and the three reasons coaching is overrated.
- № 23 →
Why We Run Ultras
Why anyone signs up for a 100. The romantic answer, the honest one, and what makes it worth the cost.
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