Grayce, one of the hosts of The Running Mullet Podcast reached out to talk about my experiences running and winning Temptation 200k. She and the other host, Eric, were curious about the unique race and wanted to learn more, like what is it about the temptation part of the race?
I was so excited to hear from her, as I knew that the podcast was a locally-known one here in Pennsylvania. They are all about “business in the front, party in the back,” like a mullet. It was a great opportunity to share my race adventure, to talk about the Temptation 200k race itself, and to drop any race strategies or tips.
Listen to the episode
In episode #80 of The Running Mullet podcast, we chat with Shannon Mick, the trailblazing ultrarunner who made history as the first female to finish Temptation 200k—and she didn’t stop there!
Shannon took it a step further by becoming the first overall finisher of the entire race. In this episode, Shannon shares her journey to the top, the mental and physical grit it took to complete the grueling 200k, and what it feels like to break barriers in the ultra world. Tune in for an inspiring conversation with a true trailblazer!
Get to know Grayce and Eric
How did the podcast come to be?
Grayce: “Eric and I have been friends for years, and we’re both run coaches. He was looking to collaborate with other coaches. We loved the idea of having a podcast together because our perspectives are so different.
Eric wins races, and I finish at the back of the pack. Eric has two young daughters, and my kid is out of the house and in college. Eric’s spouse runs (also at the front of the pack) and mine doesn’t. We’re a great pair for a show!”
If you were racing each other, who would win in a road 5k? Who would win in a trail 50 miler?
Grayce: “Eric would win the road 5k and the trail 50 miler. But, he would stick around to cheer me on through the finish. I have better dance moves, so it works out.”
What was your biggest accomplishment so far this year? It could be running related or not.
Grayce: “Biggest accomplishment so far this year was finally finding a job with a company I really love. Being happy with my career makes the rest of my life much easier, and I really love what I do. Also, I can do 4 pull-ups, so that’s a big accomplishment.”
Eric: “My biggest accomplishments are my children. They have learned to love the sport of running and I never let a day go by that I’m not thankful that we shared that common bond.”
What’s one mindset or mental wellness tip that really works for you? Please, explain a little.
Grayce: “My mental wellness tip is to work hard at loving yourself. We’re trained to be ashamed, don’t make a fuss, don’t upset people, and on and on. It’s hard to retrain your brain to go ahead and take up space, stand up straight in photos, wear the short shorts if they’re comfortable, and stop apologizing for being “slow.”
We’re lucky to be alive and well enough to participate in our sport, so I hate to see the awesomeness diminished with societal expectations. People are already awesome – they just gotta let it out. My advice is to let your awesomeness out!”
Eric: “‘Comparison is a thief if joy!’
Everyone has a life and different things going on at different times. If you are doing your best then your best is good enough.”
Related articles and resources
My Temptation 200k Pre-Race Questionnaire
My Temptation 200k Post-Race Questionnaire 2024
Temptation 200k Race Report (2024)
Choose to Endure Podcast with Richard Gleave 2024
Only Eye Athletics Podcast with Dean Banko 09/04/2023
Aid Station X-Rays Podcast with Val and Chris 08/29/23
Road Dog Podcast: Mental wellness and ultrarunning
Phoenix Trail Fest 50k (Lake Lurleen State Park) Race Day Visualization
Badwater 267 Virtual Race: Multi-Sport Division Race Report 2025
Subscribe for more valuable ultrarunning mindset and mental wellness content
Ultrarunner, are you ready to improve your mindset and mental well-being?
If you are interested in working together on stepping up your mindset and mental wellness around racing and life, reach out to me. You can potentially unlock your ultrarunning potential.
I’d love to hear about your goals.
We will look at problem areas or where you’d like to see improvement, set a realistic goal, and then put those steps in place.
– I work with ultrarunners all over the United States who want to dial in their race mentality, mental strategies, and overall improve their mental wellness.
— My coaching services are fully on the mental side (I have a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Counseling, and well over a decade of experience working in the mental health field. Coaching is a non-clinical service).
I mostly work with
- Worries and managing negative thoughts
- Feelings of sadness
- Feelings of being stuck
- Burnout/Fatigue
- Perfectionism
I work with people who (my clients are awesome, by the way!)
- Are ready to make changes.
- Willing to learn and try new things (your old ways of going about things may no longer be serving you).
- Understand that there is some time commitment involved. About 15 minutes to three hours per week.
- Completes resources and worksheets that I send (at least some of it).
Topics, strategies, and approaches
- Improve day-to-day mental wellbeing.
- Build better habits.
- Incorporate mindfulness
- Learn emotion regulation strategies for stressful situations.
- Set challenging, yet attainable goals.
- Discuss motivation
- Address body image thoughts or concerns.
- If you feel concerned that you have an eating disorders, let’s discuss it, so you can find help. I am informed on eating disorders. I cannot treat ED via coaching.
- Talk about you! Who are you, besides a runner? – parent, sibling, entrepreneur, community member… What else do you do, and how does it impact training for races or vice versa?
- Coping with injury and setbacks.
- Managing disappointments, like “Did Not Start” and “Did Not Finish”.
- Self-beliefs
- Juggling priorities and time management.
- Are you actively trying to find a mental health professional? I can assist!
- Are you searching for a running coach? I can provide pointers on how to go about finding someone who’s a good fit and what questions to ask the coach when interviewing them for fit.
- Mental strategies and mindset for racing.
- Positive affirmations or swearing during races? Both?!
- Training and race day visualization.
- General training and racing concerns and race day worries.
- Happiness. What is it? How to get more of it.
- What might you do if you encounter a problem during a race.
- Building trust with yourself.
- Improving self-care, self-esteem, and self-compassion.
- Knowing when to push yourself and when to be kinder to yourself.
- Why’s and meaning behind what you do. Passion. Using that as support and drive.
- The unique situations and challenges that women face in sport. Being a parent, pregnancy, miscarriage, dealing with periods during races…
- On top of talking, I do provide resources and homework.
Phew!!! … I need to sit down, where’s the chair?! Hopefully, this paints a picture of the good stuff that we can cover.
Reach out if you have questions or want to schedule.
I look forward to learning about what you’d like to work on.
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One of my many goals is to increase mental health awareness, the availability of free resources, and the access to services.
If you value my free mental health content, it would mean a lot to me if you would “like,” share, or Buy Me a Coffee.
This helps people find my free content and allows me to continue providing free content.
Thanks for being a part of my mission.
Happy running,
Shannon
