The Ultramarathon Mindset: Trail Talk

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. How are you doing in your pursuit of happiness? If you feel like you’re playing a game of hide and seek, you’re not alone. Only 19% of Americans describe themselves as “very happy.” I think...

My guests this week are Lauren Beihoffer and Bud Lamonica. They are ultramarathon runners, adventurers, and have a podcast called Run Wild With Lauren and Bud. They are ultra runners and love adventure. From facing off against bear on the Smokey Challenge Adventure Run to taking on the Bigfoot 200, they take it all in stride and come away smiling.

Do you feel like you're lying when you say your affirmations out loud? Do you say things like, "I am an awesome, successful winner?"  And hear a little voice say, "No, you're not!" Affirmations seem like a good thing, because most of what you tell yourself is negative. And you have years of negative self-talk stored up in your brain. So when you say your affirmations, it feels like a lie.

When two runners who are also podcasters create a podcast, you know it will be lively. Ciara Carter is the host of the Run, Thrive, Survive Podcast and is returning to continue our conversation about running, nutrition, health, and mindset. Ciara is aiming to qualify for the Boston Marathon again, after getting pushed off the list when the race was cancelled.  She's coming back stronger and faster...

It could have been my mom’s fault that I ended up on the edge of that cliff. She told me that she lifted me up to look over a railing when I was little and I got scared. All I know is that I was afraid of heights as a child and young adult. I took extreme action to conquer my fear. And that was the first step in a long journey that led me to being a life-coach, podcaster, and ultramarathon runner.

Mandy Miller has developed a strong ultramarathon mindset in her races and adventures from all around the world. She had run everything from multi-day stage races in the Sahara desert to 100 mile self-supported ultramarathons in the Yukon in January to Iron Man competitions in Hawaii. When I ran with Mandy for the last few miles at the Javelina, she never mentioned that she’d fallen and broken som...

The quick and easy is killing your soul! Short-cuts Life hacks Easy Button Microwave Instant mashed potatoes Fast food Instant download Convenience stores We all get conditioned for fast and easy in everything. Don't get me wrong. I love convenience! Don't want to do everything hard and slow. But our conditioning for easy and comfortable = no challenge unless we go find it.

The Worlds Toughest Mudder is an obstacle course race that is a test of mental and physical endurance. Devin Nelson is my guest this week. He is both an ultramarathon runner and tests his will against the 24 hour challenge of the Tough Mudder. The Tough Mudder community is much like the trail running community in the way participants help and encourage each other as they compete against the course...

Words people say about themselves: I'm such a klutz. I always mess up. I can't do it. I'm such an idiot. I'm getting the flu...cold. Because it doesn't happen immediately, we tend to be careless with our words. My word for this year is "words." I pick a word for the year instead of resolutions. This year I will pay even closer attention to the words I use. I will speak as if my words will make it...

Mike Hynes was a psychotherapist who became a coach who became an author. His book is called, The Myth-Guided Mind, In this episode we talk about mindset and the importance of cultivating a healthy connection between mind and body. This is a topic I've studied for years, and I'm always excited to hear other's perspective. This episode isn't specifically about running. But runners know that a stron...

Sheryl Crow sang: It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you have. The Buddha said it: Desire and attachment is the root of all misery But is this true? In this episode I talk about the razor thin edge that separates contentment from complacency. And, believe me, complacency does not give you contentment. The answer is to live in a paradox of full contentment and full passion mixed with...

What does it take to be a healthy, happy human? My guest this week is health and happiness coach, Paul Levitin. He has a podcast called the Healthy, Happy Human. His coaching centers on mindset and goal setting, and we talk extensively about the mindset it takes to be successful if you want to live a healthy and happy life.

Dustin Johnson wants to be the 7th person to officially run all the way around the world. Of course, you can’t run on the oceans, but the World Runners Association was formed to lay out rules and track the results for runners going the distance equal to the circumference of the earth and crossing set points along the way. Dustin had to abandon his previous attempt because of Covid Brian Hoover wil...

Natalie Bickers sets big goals for herself. Soon after she started running, she got the idea to run a half-marathon in all 50 states. When she made the jump to running ultramarathons she decided to go all-in and did three 50K races in a month.  She worked her way up to running 100 mile races. Sometimes she logged a DNF, but she didn't let that discourage her. She kept looking for challenges. She g...

Sabrina Stanley has held the title of first place female finisher of the Hardrock 100 for 4 years. She won in 2018 and 2021, and the race was cancelled in 2019 & 2020.  She ran while in school to stay in shape for team sports. Then a friend convinced her to do a half marathon and that led to her running road marathons. A friend suggested she read Lore of Running , and when she read it she learned...

Tara Bianca is my podcast guest this week. She is the owner of BE Light Transformative Therapy which is an online holistic wellness company specializing in therapeutic breath work and mindset coaching. Oxygen Advantage Certified. She is working toward her goal of a global online holistic health network that brings together experts from all over the world from all different modalities taking the be...

Kay Bretz (pronounced “Kai”) is my podcast guest this week. He has a long list of accomplishments in business and in running. His running accomplishments are impressive. Member of Australian 24-hour national team  Australian Ultra Performance of the Year Award 2019 and  Bryan Smith Award 2019   Fastest-ever Australian at 24-hour world championships  (Albi, France 2019), covering 259.67km   Holisti...

My podcast guest this week is Shaun Bemis. He is a soon-to-be retired Naval Special Warfare Leader, and ultra-runner. He joined the service the day after the attacks of 9/11 and he worked in Navy Intelligence, giving support to special forces operations.  Shaun jumped into ultra-running without the “typical” progression of shorter races to half-marathon to marathon then ultramarathon. When he didn...

 Mindset of Mysticism and Suffering My guest this week is Gwen Zywicke. She is a runner, cyclist, Instructor at Louisiana State University and writer. She is an ultramarathon runner who is studying the relationship between ultrarunning and mysticism. And she’s writing a book called Ultrarunning Mysticism:  Mind, Body, Spirit and the Sacredness of Overcoming Suffering.

Adrian Macdonald decided to run his first 100 mile race ever at the Leadville 100 this year. He was a little more than halfway through when he realized he was in the lead. He went on to win with a time of 16 hours 18 minutes.  He says that his mindset for training was to think of it as an all day run instead of 100 miles.

Finding the High Point in Every State Greg and Brandon Bargo, AKA the Bargo Brothers, are adventurers and athletes who host the TV show ''The Highpointers With the Bargo Brothers.'' The brothers explore the United States and climb the highest point in each state. They also take along a local guide who gives history and background about each state and it’s highpoint. You can see the first season of...

For this week my guest is Joe Chura who is a podcaster, runner and entrepreneur.  Joe started out as an auto factory worker. But he had a mindset to grow, and he decided that he wanted more from his life. Hiis journey to be an ultramarathon runner began before he even put on his running shoes. He stopped playing defense every day and started to play offense. He stopped prioritizing the things he h...

Nat Collins is this week's guest, Nat is a physical therapist, runner, running coach, 2.49 marathoner, and certified orthopedic specialist. The mindset to run ultramarathons is about more than pushing the limits. It’s making wise decisions in training, recovery, and gear.  Nat ran track in 7th grade and quit after four day because he hated running. But, when he was in high school, a couple of his...

Randy was an athlete in high school and college, but not specifically a runner.  For a period of time he fell out of doing much physical activity, though he enjoyed hiking and rock climbing with his wife.  When he was 34, he was brainstorming with his wife about a goal to work toward and she immediately said “You’ve always said you’ve wanted to run a marathon and you’ve never done one.”  That wasn...

My guest this week is Joe Sanok who is a Licensed Therapist, Podcast Host, Author, 4-Day Workweek Specialist, TEDx, and Lead Speaker Consultant. His new book, Thursday is the New Friday: How to Work Fewer Hours, Make More Money, and Spend Time Doing What You Want , has just been released, and he tells how he came to be a champion for a 4-day workweek. For some of us runners, we’ve had coaches tell...