Baker Trail Ultrachallenge COMPLETE! (2023)

Me and Stephen at the finish About This year, the UltraChallenge started at the northern trailhead in Forest County at 6:30 AM. Runners followed the Baker Trail south for 40 miles to Summerville, then turned east to Brookville, and ended at the Evangelical Methodist Church. The deadline for finishing was 8:30 PM. Packet pickup was … Continue reading Baker Trail Ultrachallenge COMPLETE! (2023)

Aid Station X-Rays Podcast with Val and Chris 08/29/23

Aid Station X-Rays Podcast is a newer show started by Val and Chris. They are both friends of mine, trail runners, endurance athletes, and parents. Val is newer to trail running, she completed her first 7 mile trail race a few weekends ago. She is already interested in trying an ultramarathon. Chris (AKA Captain Miles) … Continue reading Aid Station X-Rays Podcast with Val and Chris 08/29/23

13 Mental Aspects of the Backyard Ultramarathon for Life

What is a backyard ultra? The backyard ultra is a form of ultramarathon race where competitors must consecutively run the distance of 6.706 kilometres in less than one hour. The race is over when only one runner remains to complete a lap. This runner is marked as the winner and only finisher, with all other … Continue reading 13 Mental Aspects of the Backyard Ultramarathon for Life

Mental Strategies for Running in the Heat

Furnace Creek Visitor Center, Death Valley National Park, CA For most runner's, running in the heat presents a challenge. A physical one and a mental one. Physically, we slow down, which mentally affects us. The heat and humidity itself can make us want to mentally tap out, "It's too hot out, I can't do this." … Continue reading Mental Strategies for Running in the Heat

The Gym is Not a Place for Vanity. It is a Place for…

There are days that I miss my gym membership. It's rare, but sometimes I will still go as a guest. Over the past few years, I've been working out at home. On and off, I work with a running coach and hang out with the local run club. Here's a snap shot of my gym-goer … Continue reading The Gym is Not a Place for Vanity. It is a Place for…

The Scarecrow Runner Podcast: Marathons, ultras, mindset, and stories

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDAqTMFoiYg&t=424s It is pretty great how many inspirational runners are podcasters. Many of them are seasoned with experience in the sport and are professionals in the field, like dieticians, nutritionists, and coaches. We're blessed to have this community and that these runner podcasters spend their time, even if podcasting is just a passion project, to … Continue reading The Scarecrow Runner Podcast: Marathons, ultras, mindset, and stories

Road Dog Podcast: Mental wellness and ultrarunning

I was very fortunate to become a guest on Road Dog Podcast and was asked to discuss mental wellness and ultrarunning. It was a fun time! If you are unfamiliar with Road Dog Podcast, this is Luis Escobar (from the popular book Born to Run) and Kevin Lyons' show. Listen: 243: Shannon Mick Coaches Us … Continue reading Road Dog Podcast: Mental wellness and ultrarunning

Baker Trail UltraChallenge 2022 Race Report

Sleeping in the back of the Jeep on the farm. Lovely view! Photo credit: Stephen Mick PC: Mike McNeil Butler County Milers and other ultra friends Baker Trail UltraChallenge 50 Miler, south section. 11:55:50 OA: 32/88 (16 DNFs) F: 11/31 PC: Stephen Mick About Baker Trail UltraChallenge https://www.rachelcarsontrails.org/events/ultrachallenge https://ultrarunning.com/calendar/event/baker-trail-ultrachallenge-50m Lucky the Dwarf Goat joins us … Continue reading Baker Trail UltraChallenge 2022 Race Report

Mindfulness Walk Activity – Free Resource

Are you “mind full” or “mindful”? Mindfulness and walking are highly beneficial to your mental health, especially when you do them routinely. Try combining them! Go on a walk. You can walk inside (yes, it still works) or outside, done alone, while walking the dog, or with another person. – just don’t have a conversation … Continue reading Mindfulness Walk Activity – Free Resource

How Do You get Pumped Up to Race?

https://youtu.be/eY0eUInNatc Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more mindset and mental wellness tips We all have that zone that we need to get into either when we're doing a difficult training workout or racing.. what do you do to get there? Answers are going to vary from person to person, there are technically no "right" … Continue reading How Do You get Pumped Up to Race?