Tag: Ultra Running
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The power of reframing negative thoughts
As the self-conscious individuals that we are, it’s impossible to go an entire day with zero negative thoughts entering the mind. Despite the difficulty of that task, I used to subscribe to a ‘no-negativity’ mindset. It’s incredibly important to always think on the bright side and come up with the positives in any situation, but…
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Sulphur Springs 50k Recap – A photo-finish at the final climb
My first ultramarathon is officially in the books, and with a third-place photo finish, I feel great about how I executed the race.
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My theory on race stimulation: 2x race practices
For every short distance run I’ve done over the years, I’ve always held onto a critical rule of thumb. Sometime in training, usually with three and then two weeks to go until race day, I practice my race distance at tempo pace. The point of these runs is not to actually test the intended race…
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Bandera, Black Canyon, and the future of ultra-trail running
Golden Ticket races have kicked off with a bang this year, with both Black Canyon and Bandera reaching the two largest audiences Aravaipa Running has ever produced. As far as live streaming of running goes, both events also hit some serious highs (even despite some patchy footage at Bandera), with much in the way of…
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Busting the 10% rule in endurance sports
It’s long been hypothesized that athletes like runners should increase their training volume by no more than 10% a week. This is generally considered to be one of the golden rules to injury prevention. But as I’ve constantly revised my own return from injury training plan, and religiously studied the training of elite athletes on…
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Why performance is dependent on optimizing your own training needs
Last weekend, the second Golden Ticket race of the year kicked off with a bang in the Arizona Black Canyon 100K. The day saw five runners (three men and two women) beat the previous course records, firmly establishing the race as one of the most competitive Golden Ticket races in years. But the most intriguing…
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How to run on icy terrain
running on ice and snow can be worthwhile if taken with caution. For one, it’s more of a strength-based exercise. For another, you can often get some technical terrain training prep in large forests at times when no one else will be out on the trails! Here is how to run on ice safely -…
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Why it’s okay to run slow on technical terrain
After a few months out with plantar fasciitis, today was my first day running on “technical terrain”. One thing that stood out was just how much slower I ran on the trails than on the roads, whilst exerting the exact same amount of energy. This is completely okay in so many ways.
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What I’ve learned through five weeks of injury rehab
The past five weeks have been mentally exhausting, but also incredibly rewarding as I’ve undergone my injury rehabilitation from plantar fasciitis. I’ve spent a significant amount of time learning about ultramarathon running as a sport, but also about injury prevention and healing, ensuring that when I come back to running, I’ll be in it for…
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Hidden Gem #1 – Running with a varicocele
A year and a half ago, I started to realize that my left-sided friend down under was significantly larger in size than the right-sided friend down under. I also noticed that exercises like jumping jacks or certain stretches caused me peculiar pain. It was the type of momentary pain I had experienced for years in…
Rhys Desmond 