Becoming Ultra

The owner and founder of our partner race for Season 14 is back on with her social media and community manager to talk about the weekend festivities, local happenings, and race course so you can show up in Arizona ready to roll.  Enjoy the show!

Libby Jones is the founder and Race Director for The Active Joe. Since 2008 she has been putting on fun, friendly, affordable races with a focus inclusion. Libby Jones is a race director with a passion for bringing all people together. On this podcast we discuss how she creates races that include the underrepresented in running. We also discuss her journey to become a Western States qualifier and what it takes to organize these races. Libby stands by her morals and does everything with heart and a mindfulness that is unmatched. IG - @theactivejoe linktr.ee/theactivejoe IG - @libbyruns

Chad Sullivan is a father, husband, writer, and ultra runner. He is the creator of Hard Prairie, a magazine and website that highlights the trail and ultra running community with human stories of vulnerability and beautiful photography that compliments each story. We talked with Chad about his journey to sobriety and the changes it brought to his life. We learn about Chad’s running background and how he found his way to writing for Eat Clean, Run Dirty magazine and eventually starting Hard Prairie, a story telling magazine. Chad discusses how the ultra-running community has supported him and impacted his life. His passion for connecting people through stories is inspiring. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. IG - ultra.sully hardprairie.com 

Nutrition coach and RD Abby Penamonte McQueeny and coach Scott Jones discuss more listener questions in the new series about nutrition and fueling for runners.  Today's question was "For those of us who HATE logging our food. Is there an alternative?"  Enjoy the show and shoot us your best questions for upcoming episodes!

As Amanda recovers this week Addie preps for her first race of the season in the PNW.  We even have Amanda give her coach some advcie for the effort!  Becoming Ultra follows the journey of first time ultra runners.  Enjoy!

Brittany is still dealing with the shin pain that kind of sidelined her for a couple weeks but it is getting better.  He lays out a plan for her to keep her focused and confident that setbacks aren't always as final as we feel they are in the moment.  We hope you enjoy!

Please listen with an open mind and heart. When we are open to expanding our views and learning with compassion it is a beautiful thing and that is what sparks change. Eric Quallen is a trans ultra runner, Wildlife Biologist who recently obtained his PhD, he is a dog lover, and master educator for leave no trace. He has completed many ultra marathons including Moab 240, Wyoming Range 100, and Zion 100. Eric is one of the most open and honest people we have had on our podcast. He shares his journey as a trans runner and discusses his experiences through transitioning. Eric tells us what trail running brings to his life and what it is like to run 240 miles. We discuss challenges he has faced, mental health and so much more. Eric not just living, he is thriving.  

Mari has had some mentally down moments after her long run from a couple weeks ago had her reeling a bit.  Her coach Scott gives perspective from a few different angles to get her back on track.  Realizing that so many go through the same tough spots is so helpful for new ultra runners.  We hope you enjoy!

We love a story of friendship born on the trails. Bailey and Katie were both selected as season 10 participants of Becoming Ultra and now they are the best of friends. On this podcast we discuss how running ultras impacts your life and how it helps you gain the confidence to take on other substantial life changes. Bailey and Katie talk about how they supported each other for their first 100 miler, even when the outcome is not what was planned. We had an interesting conversation about being a hunter and living a vegan lifestyle. These ladies have a wonderful bond and mutual respect for each other’s point of view. Their support of each other will leave you inspired.

In a new series, we bring on Nutrition coach and Registered Dietician Abby McQueeny Penamonte to answer your questions about all thing nutrition.  On the first episode she answers your questions.  Today she answers:   Weight loss drugs (ie: Ozempic)- how do you integrate that with endurance athletes and eating since this medication curbs your appetite?  How do you feel about Intermittent fasting when it comes to endurance athletes?  Have questions?  Send them to becomingultra@gmail.com Learn more about her and her services here!

If and when we get injured we have to deal with the physical aspect of coming back to health but sometimes, the mental aspect of losing momentum is much tougher.  Sheila suffered a setback with a knee injury and her coach and PT Lindsay talks her through the process on both the physical and mental side of things.  We hope you enjoy!

Amanda had one of those longs runs.  You know the one where you start off not feeling great and it never really gets better.  Spending time in the "pain cave" can be a big deterent but reframing the experience as her coach Addie does on the show today can pay off big time for future efforts and race day!  Enjoy the show.

Brittany is dealing with some shin pain that seem like shin splints and her coach Ian Sharman wants to make sure it isn't serious so they are backing off and relying on more power hiking in the training for now.  It's a great lesson on adapting to our bodies even when big goals are on the line. Enjoy the show.    

As Mari's long runs get longer she is finding new trails to explore.  Her four hour effort had her frustrated and maybe even shedding a few tears but she came out with a better understanding of the importance of being present on these efforts.  She also asks some great questions about race day. Specifically, how to get in the right place on the trail early on in the race.  Enjoy the show!

Mark White describes himself as just a heavy Dad who runs ultras. He ran his first 50k when he was 45 years old and weighed 310 lbs. The following year he took on the 50-mile distance. Since then, he hasn’t stopped training and running trails all over the country. The best part of doing this podcast is being able to tell peoples stories of inspiration. Mark is not letting anything stop him from going after big goals. He knows the value of doing hard things and is putting in the work daily. With the support of his family and ultra-running community, he is hitting trails all over the country. This is a great conversation about not letting anything hold you back. We are excited to follow Mark’s ultra journey as he continues to push himself. Failure is in not trying! IG - @heavyultradad

Sid Garza-Hillman is an author, podcaster, public speaker, certified nutritionist and running coach, Oxygen Advantage breathing instructor, and founder of smallsteppers.com. He is also the Stanford Inn & Resort’s Wellness Programs Director and Race Director of the Mendocino Coast 50k trail ultramarathon.  We had the best time chatting with Sid. He is so engaging and fun, we could have talked for hours. We discussed his new book, Ultra Running for Normal People; Life Lessons Learned On and Off the Trail (which was released today, February 6th!). This is a must-read handbook for living a happy life. We also talked about Sid’s coaching and Small Steps Programs; Podcast; the Mendocino Coast 50k trail race he puts on every year and so much more. This one is full of fun and inspiration! Check out his website to learn more! www.Sidgarzahillman.com 

Bad runs are going to happen.  There are plenty of reasons why but being two thirds of the way through a training cycle seems to be the sweet spot of heavy legs and "bad" runs.  Coach Addie helps to reframe the effort as well as brings up some of the legitimate positives of dealing with these types of runs!  It's something we can all relate to so we hope you enjoy!

Brittany is feeling the effecs of her efforts in training and coach Ian Sharman reframes many of her efforts to keep her rolling.  On the episode we talk about best ways to deal with hot spots on longer runs.  We talk about running with fatigue at this point in the training cycle. Lastly, we talk about dealing with more hill running where the access has been tough.  We hope you can relate and learn something too!

We sit down and chat with Scott & Cale about their epic 100 mile adventure from Moab to Fruita!

Mari is seeing the work pay off as she in her words,"finally got under 2 hrs" for the half marathon distance.  We talk about the next month of training and what to expect as the long runs will keep lengthening.  Enjoy listening to the journey of runners training for their first ultra!