Run Eat Tri Yogi

The scary and frustrating aspect of racing is that it can be unpredictable.  You can follow the training program to the letter, stick to your rest days, fit in strength training and have your nutrition on point. But on race day, your body can say "Not Today" BTS I've had enough of those race days that I don't like to talk about my goals - time or distance- before I race so as not to jinx it.  And I've hardly had much luck at this race. The first year, my feet got so swollen I could hardly put my shoes on. I called it once I reached 40M - short of 10 miles. Another year, I had to stop at 14 hours because my hip went out.... This year, it was my ITB. To be completely transparent, I had woken up with neck pain a few weeks prior. It would go away and come back - on repeat. Setting up my home base for the next 24 hours In the back of my mind, I had a goal of 100K. Something I've been attempting for a few years unsuccessfully. And then to run as much...

This is not my first DNF but it is my first for a triathlon.  I'll be 100% honest and say this was not a race I was taking too seriously. I had signed up to use this event as a training day on my way to Ironman Chattanooga in Sept. But as I took on more personal training clients and classes at work, my own training hours dwindled. I kept up with my swimming and running but my bike rides weren't what they were last year when I was training for Ironman Chatt 70.3. This particular event was also just a week before Titletown Ultra 15.5, where I was going to attempt my first 100k. I went back and forth on whether I'd even go ahead with Baycare 70.3. But what better way to get an open water swim session in? And a group ride and run with support along the way? So I went ahead with it... here are the events of that day. I settled into my hotel room (reserved less than 24 hours ago) by 7pm and tried to get some rest before getting up at 4:50am.  Everything was packed and rea...

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to The North Face Endurance Challenge Wisconsin as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! If you're looking for a training plan, this is not it. There are tons of resources out there from pros to help you with that. If you want to know a way to mentally make it through an ultra, I can possibly help. Here's a quick answer: Food. And I'm your girl. Hi, my name is Dye and I'm motivated by food. Running 50k and up may seem daunting. 31 miles? 50 miles?! "That's bullsh*t..." followed by "How??" It's pretty simple. You run 3-6 miles (sometimes less, if you're running a well-organized race like The North Face Endurance Challenge), hit up the food aid station and repeat until you reach your destination. If you're not familiar with ultra aid stations... Here's a typical spread...

This is not what I had in mind for my next blog.  The thought of DNF never even crossed my mind. That's not entirely correct; I mentally prepared myself to push through 50 miles so I would not DNF.  I knew it would get ugly after 35+ miles but that's also what makes endurance sports enticing, isn't it?  You know you'll hurt and regret your decision at least once during your race but the glory of completing the distance with that gratifying cross of the finish line makes the pain all worth it.  And I was so ready to endure that cramping, blisters, fatigue and everything else that comes with ultra running.  The morning of the race was uneventful.   We had arrived for packet pick-up the day before the race, packed up our race gear, I noted all the food aid stations on my arm and unsuccessfully, tried to get some sleep.  I probably got about 4 solid hours of sleep before the alarm went off at 3:20am. The temperature was perfect - mid 60s - though th...