The Ultramarathon Mindset: Trail Talk

Katie Spotz wanted a big challenge. Something that would make her dig deep and have her only option to overcome the challenge or fail. She chose to row a boat, solo, across the Atlantic Ocean. She holds the record as the youngest person to do this. It was a challenge that gripped her, and she realized that she couldn't live with the regret if she didn't answer the challenge.  She's continued to fi...

What do you want? This is one of the hardest questions to answer.  It sounds simple. But it’s not. Most of the time you don’t think about what you want. And when you do have to think about it, you find out you’re not really sure what it is.

Having success to make a lifestyle change like losing weight or getting fit comes down a point of making a decision. Often there is a tipping point that makes you say, "Enough!" Maureen Lehr reached that tipping point and had not only lost weight, but she's now involved in four sports that keep her fit and give her a variety of challenges. She also met some great people along the way who help her...

What is your WHY? And does it matter? Do you need to know why you are working for some epic goal? A lot of coaches will tell you that you need a strong WHY to keep you moving toward your goal.  But is this true? Maybe . . . maybe not.

Jenny Overstreet is an obstacle course racer making her way into running ultramarathons. She always said that she hated running and stuck to shorter distances, primarily as training for her obstacle course races. But when so many events were canceled, she started running on trails. She enjoyed running in the woods and gradually started increasing her distance. She eventually got to a point where s...

Do you ever find yourself thinking the same thoughts over and over? It’s like your brain is on autopilot.  You might not even remember what triggered it, but you end up feeling stressed out and depressed. Because it seems like these autopilot thoughts always tend to be negative. The truth is that these thoughts you have are an addiction. Yes. You can become addicted to thinking negative thoughts!

Zach Bitter is an ultramarathon runner, a coach, and a podcaster. His podcast is called Human Performance Outliers, available wherever you listen to podcasts. Zach has also set multiple world records and American records, including the world record for 100 miles. His 100 mile world record was set running on a track, and that requires a very focused mindset. We also talk about training and nutritio...

Ultramarathon mindset is the story you tell yourself about the epic stuff you dream about doing. Most of us dream about being a hero. Doing something big and epic. “Changing the world.” Time wears us down. That dream fades. But usually it remains lurking in a corner of your soul. Wherever you are in life, it’s not too late to be epic!

Most of us would never think that the mindset for being a professional symphony musician and the mindset for ultramarathons would be similar. My guest this week is Dave Brimhall (@montanadave on Instagram) who was a professional symphony musician and is now a physical therapist and an ultramarathon runner.

"In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." This is one of those sayings that sounds like deep wisdom and is actually utter BS. It suggests that you will be a leader if you have skills and talents that give you an advantage over the crowd. But the real world doesn't work that way. What is the truth? Listen to find out.

What do ultramarathon runners have in common with the monastic orders of Christian and other religions? Quite a bit, in fact. Miriam Diaz-Gilbert is an ultramarathon runner and a student of spiritual disciplines. Running an ultramarathon and ascetic practices include both solitude, physical stress, and contemplation. Miriam is also a published author, a speaker, and adventurer.

A quote from one of my running friends: “50 miles is too short. The race doesn’t really get interesting until you’ve gone 60 miles.” She is right! And when you run a 100 mile race, the halfway mark isn't 50 miles. You aren't halfway until you hit 73 miles!  

You can't outperform your self-image! Andrew Gardner is a mental performance scholar and coach. He is also a clinical neuropsychologist, studying ways to help athletes who have suffered concussions or are involved in "collision sports." He is an ultrarunner and uses the mindset tools he teaches for performance in his own training and practice. He is presently training to travel to Boston to run th...

As a man thinketh, so is he. You've heard it from motivational speakers. You've heard it from self-help gurus. You've heard it from mindset coaches! There's even a whole book with this as a title. It's a quote (actually a misquote) from the Bible--Proverbs 23:7.  Those who quote this from the Bible often leave out 3 important words that take it from being a true statement to one that's not complet...

Jacob Deeter took the opportunity of a busy schedule of classes and clinical rotations across the US to set a goal for hiking and backpacking 500 miles during his final year of school. His travels took him from the Rocky Mountains to Yosemite and the Appalachian Trail, ending up with a rim to rim in the Grand Canyon. And, for good measure, he took up climbing as well.  

The words you use have power to shape your mindset. Your mindset is the story you tell yourself about yourself. You can tell your story so you are the hero, or you can tell a story that makes you the victim.  All the words you use when you tell your mindset story have power. But some have exceptional power. This episode of the Monday Morning Mindset covers 2 of these power words as well as a bonus...

Imagine going from a backpacking boot camp, to running a marathon, to a 40 mile hike, to your first 100 miler all in a matter of a few months!  Dave Daniel was looking for his limits, and he found it at the Georgia Jewel 100 miler. He didn't finish, but he found his limit and began to work and train to find out how far he could move that boundary. He has the mindset to keep moving forward. His sto...

 Quick question . . . Are you asking good enough questions? You may not yet be aware of this, but- The quality of your life is a direct reflections of the kind of questions you ask yourself. If you want to have a better life, you need to learn how to ask better questions. This Monday I cover 4 types of questions. Two are unhelpful. Two are helpful, if you use them right. They are: When? How? Why?...

When she was 19, Pam Chapman-Markle was told cancer would take her life within 6 months. She beat cancer. Whatever came her way in life, she chose to take circumstance and make the outcome conform to her will. When she discovered ultramarthon running, she already had the mindset to keep going, no matter what. She's run some of the world's toughest ultramarathons and isn't finished yet. 

What could you do with more Abra Kadabra in your life? What difference could it make for your mindset?  The words you speak manifest your reality. Yet most of us pay little attention to the words coming out of our mouths. One ancient reference says that our words carry the power of death and life.  The phrase Abra Kadabra is something to keep in mind and perhaps it will inspire you to take on the...

The Bargo Brothers, from Episode  69, call Marshall Ulrich the "real Forrest Gump of running." And when you listen to this entire episode, you will likely agree. He ran Badwater 20 times, and set course records two years in a row. He and his team have been in every Eco Challenge Adventure Race, he ran across the US, and did a self-supported circumnavigation of Death Valley.

You get your limiting beliefs from three sources: Folklore The Flea Circus Trimming the roast Your strongest beliefs came without your permission or decision. But there's a good chance you've never even examined them. This episode will show you how to take a peek behind the curtain in your mind and see what's going on.

What happens when you mix a "last man standing" race with a wedding? You get the kickoff to Tennessee's first "Murder Mile" race. This is the nickname for the course.  It sounds simple. Run a mile every 20 minutes. There's only 300 feet of elevation gain and loss. If you aren't at the start line every 20 minutes, you DNF. The race lasts until there is only one runner left. Becca Jones came up with...

Tweet from Penny Oleksiak "I just googled ‘Canada’s most decorated Olympian’ and my name came up. I want to thank that teacher in high school who told me to stop swimming to focus on school (because) swimming wouldn’t get me anywhere. This is what dreams are made of," she tweeted. Most of my teachers saw the vision and pushed me towards it. But that one who constantly dragged me down though,, WOAT...

Susan Donnelly has finished 131 hundred mile races and counting. She is a mindset and life coach helping runners bring their best mental game to every race. Many runners imagine that all the training miles they run will also provide the mindset they need to succeed. But many of these same runners DNF, not from physical issues, but because they weren't able to manage their thoughts and emotions. Su...