The Multisport Maniac: Adventures of the Endurance Kind

"Burn the ships!" -  Hernán Cortés (1519) I came across the above phrase early last week and something about it really stuck with me.   The quote signifies that if you want to succeed, you must remove all safety nets or "exit doors."  It is used as a metaphor in business and personal growth to stop overthinking, cease looking back at past lives / failures, and fully dedicate oneself to a new, often difficult, path.   After I completed the Tahoe 200 back in June of 2024, I really thought that I was invincible ... that there really was no challenge that I wasn't strong enough to mentally take on.    Then last year happened.  Taking care of and ultimately losing both my parents took a very heavy toll and unfortunately collided head on with my last ultra, the Kodiak 100k, which I quit at my mile 46.  Never in my life had I wanted to be anywhere else than running.  The place that I have always been able to take solace in. ...

"The only way out is through." - Robert Frost I don't want to say 2025 was an off year, but after 2024 delivering on very high expectations, it is hard to think of it any other way.  After a long year coupled with losing my parents, false starts, canceled trips, and a DNF, I'm happy to simply be still running.   The year started off like the last few with a big January, knocking out 345 miles including a marathon (training run) in the snow.  This is also when we kick started the "lets go to bakeries 3 or 4 times a week" which we pretty much held onto the entire year.   February is where the year initially went off the rails.  Amy, the kids, and I were set to go to Disneyland and Joshua tree national park for February break.  First, we had to change our flight due to an impending snow storm, then hours before boarding the flight my father had an aneurysm and ended up in the hospital.  The next month was a bit of a blur as we juggled to take ca...

"Talent is a factor, but training and discipline is what truly defines a person's success." - Ahsoka Tano This past week our family visited Madeira Island where I ran the Madeira Island Ultra Trail (MIUT) Marathon.   This was our first time back to this part of the world since our trip to La Palma and Gran Canaria in 2018 where I ran Transvulcani .  Madeira is a Portuguese island about 500 miles north of the Canary Islands and 600 miles west of Sete Cidades (Azores) Morocco.  I became familiar with it, because they have an ultra marathon festival .  Amy also has a friend that had visited recently and highly recommended it and as luck would have it, the race coincided with school break for the kids.  In short, it checked all the boxes.   Late last year I began tracking flights and when they dropped in price in October, I jumped on board.  Once again, as luck would have it, our 4 hour layover in the Azores (another Portuguese in the middle of ...

“One foot in front of the other. Repeat as often as necessary to finish.”— Haruki Murakami 2024! All I can really say is wow! What a year! I knew going in that I would have to hit the ground running if I was going to reach my goals.  2024 was the year I finally would take on the Tahoe 200.  After the postponement and aborted training cycle in 2023, it was time to take my training to new heights if I was going to survive this event.   Tahoe and The Build Up The year began with a 50 mile run starting at 2am on new year's day.  Special thanks to Dave for starting with me and everyone else that joined in over parts of the run.  I didn't slow down much for the rest of month either, completing 112 miles that first week and two more 100+ mile weeks for a total of 396 miles; the most ever in a month.  In February, we did one of my favorite events, the Cupid's Chase 5K.  Every year we run from Belmont up to Wakefield and compete in the race.  This yea...

"Everywhere is within walking distance if you have time"- Steven Wright I knew going into Tahoe that post race and post training cycle it was going to be a long road back.  The amount of shear volume, climbing, etc. really just takes a huge toll on the body.   Maybe I was naive, maybe it was just wishful thinking, but I signed up for a fall marathon and ultra with the belief that I could snap back to true form pretty quickly.   I took the week after Tahoe super light running just 12.8 miles in the 6 days following the race.  My energy levels bounced back pretty quickly, so I jumped up to 55 the following week and 65 the week after that.  While I still had some aches and pain, some of which I had before Tahoe, I just continued to compartmentalize them and push through.   A few weeks later, after 4+ weeks above 60 miles, it all came crashing down.  My hip / hip flexors were killing me and I simply lost the will to push.   Tahoe w...

“The windshield is bigger than the rear view mirror for a reason, because what is in front of you is so much more important than what is behind you.” - Jelly Roll For anyone that knows me, knows that I live for having and completing goals and thrive when I have a sense of accomplishment.  Whether it be a time to shoot for in a race, total miles run in a year, completing an event, or summiting all the peaks over 4000' in the White Mountains, the thrill and satisfaction I get when completing a goal really defines the way I like to live my life. Last year, I was fortunate enough to help my friend Becca finish running a marathon in all 50 states by pacing her at the Jackson Hole Marathon.  Watching her complete something that big, really motivated me to see what else I could do.    2024 was already set to be a big year.  After putting in the most mileage I have ever run in the first half of the year (and well on my way to hitting 4000 for the year for the first tim...