I’m a regular runner, no ultras for me, but I love reading about ultras and following those races. It makes my little four milers seem easier after watching people do 250!
Good tips. I'm a DryMax socks and lube sort of person (there's a discontinued product called Hydropel that my husband has since copied and mixes at home. So this exact regimen has been my go-to since I took up running in 2011.)
I also swear by changing my socks frequently, even if I have to carry three different pairs for no-drop-bag races like the White Mountains 100. Worth it. I have to admit your toe-sock pacer story made me cringe. I don't understand why anyone would expect, let alone demand, this from unpaid volunteers. Seriously, there are so many divas in this sport.
Hi Sarah, writing this while watching the Cocodona 250 live stream, so I fall into that camp of readers I guess! 😄 I discovered you a bit ago while looking for runners with a fresh perspective and genuine connection to the outdoors. I’m also a runner from Colorado. Training for my first 100 miler right now.
Your writing has hit the spot for me in so many ways already, and I appreciate your perspective. I get tired of only seeing professional running stories in other feeds. I’m also interested in following and uplifting other women in the sport.
I’m dipping my toes into writing on here and hope to come across as authentic as you in future posts. Thanks for your creative inspiration and running inspiration. Have really enjoyed following along and look forward to continuing to read your stories!
I do, though I just started it about two weeks ago so still getting the hang of setting it all up! https://tothewoods.substack.com/
I'll be running Run Rabbit Run 100 - I look forward to reading your substack over the next few months as training inspiration :) Can't wait for summer trail runs
That is great to know, I mostly definitely will! The 50 was my first 50 last September, but I am anxious to see how much different it feels going out twice as far and being out there overnight! I'll take any tips you have :)
Fairly new to reading your blog, got here from Semi-Rad. I'm new to ultra running AND nonfiction personal essay writing, so looking for inspiring women in the same genre. Thank you for your Substack.
Also, thank you for these tips! Especially the added tips from the comment thread! I have foot privilege and don't get blisters: 50k race so far, 16 hour days in fire boots, multiday backpacking trips, big ski tours - they've been tested! So I'm worried about the step up in distance and the unknown of blisters! Maybe it won't be a problem, but I don't want it to derail me if it is.
Hello Sarah, I found your blog when I started trail running late last year and was trying to find all the information I could about it because I loved (and still love) my new movement practice so much. Thank you for all your posts! I appreciate getting to learn about your perspective, especially as a middle aged woman myself (also from the east bay!). Best wishes to you.
Hi Sarah, I found you through my husband who follows many ultra runners on instagram. I do occasional “shorter” (50/60k or less) ultras. I am also 56 and it is nice to follow and read content from a runner in my age group. I am a Fort Collins local (have done QR 25 twice) and will be volunteering and cheering this weekend. Safe travels and have a great race!
Hi, thank you for reading and thanks especially for volunteering! If you see me, please say hi and introduce yourself. What aid station will you be at?
I am tuned into the Cocodona livestream now while I’m working, and I volunteered there earlier this week, with an overnight aid station shift on Monday and then sweeping a 15 mile section of the course into Whiskey Row on Tuesday!
I discovered your blog through one of your race reports, as you’ve done a couple of the same Aravaipa races as me and I love reading about others’ experience on courses that I’m going to do or have done. And I appreciate that you’re a writer, as I am too, as well as your activism with the environment.
I also really love the Rabbit sun hoodies and swear by the Mafate Speeds for more technical and/or muddy terrain! They seem to last longer for me than the Speedgoats, which get worn down by the rocky Arizona trails that I run on, so I appreciate the more aggressive lugs on the Mafates.
Happy Birthday Sarah!! Great tips here..... I also recently became a toe sock fan. Hoping they keep my feet in better shape than my compression socks did for VT 100 ...LOL! ewww! I'll have to pick up some Desitin or trail toes too! That underwear looks great but I cannot rationalize spending that much on undies... and lucky for me, not much need for a serious sports bra :) Have a great race this weekend! Looking forward to reading about it!
I'm with Jill, DryMax (but no lube at all) and changes. Toe socks - yeah, feel weird, and I did many changes crewing for Annie, so, um, probably not in a race, but I have a pair and occasionally use it on the long runs.
Happy birthday! Have a blast at Quadrock, I ran the inagural 50, and a 25 version a few years back. Nick, Brad and their team are the bosses in putting races in the Front Range!
Also, bandana is for cooling around the neck if needed, buff is for hair holding (and the headlamp). I seriously despise hair anywhere near my face when I run.
Believe it or not, after 25 years in the sport, I just discovered that I should try leucotape taping the bottoms of my feet (alongside my toes on the prominence). I tend to get deep blisters smack in the middle. 2 last races in April (hot Desert rats 50k and cold wet feet the whole way Canyons 100k) - and it worked like a charm, no sock changes, not a single hot spot. Will test it now in a 100 miler, that'll be hot, and will have a stream cossing.
I think it's important to have these gear details figured out-- eliminates at least a little uncertainty. I live in a small town and often have to buy on line and wondered if you have a recommendation for a hydration pack? (I know from your book they need the holsters in the front). Also, do you have a brand you like for running shorts?
Love the toe sock story! You are very kind to do that so many times! Have a happy birthday!
Thank you, Sandy. I’ve switched Salomon packs because I like the snug way they fit, and I mostly use their Adv Skin 12 unisex model. As for shorts, I have several pair by rabbit.
I was an Injinji devotee for many years - too many, maybe, because the fabric fatigued in time and it started slipping around. I decided to check out XOSkin when it was time to purchase again and I REALLY liked how the fabric holds. Maybe an option if you ever have the same issue of sneaky, slippy Injinjis!
Now that I've done the very important business of talking about toe socks: I've been reading since November, when my husband sent me "Only Myself to Blame and Forgive". I'm a permanently-displaced trail and ultra runner (early onset arthritis), now a cyclist who doesn't fit in with other cyclists, still holding tight to the runners and stories that inspire me. Long hours and long distances remain deeply life-affirming to me, with their anguish and their triumph, and finding cyclists who can relate to this is like trying to find the last square of PB&J that hasn't yet gone stale at the last aid station of the day. So anyway, reading about injury and overcoming, about planning and executing - and sometimes about acceptance - is so important for me. Between you and Jill Homer and Katie Arnold, I manage to stay pretty anchored to the things I miss most. :) Thank you for writing ALL THE THINGS you do!
Thank you so much for writing that and for being here. I’m sorry the cycling scene doesn’t feel like your tribe. Maybe you can feel the special culture of ultras again by volunteering at an aid station. Good luck to you!
An excellent suggestion! Fortunately, my husband and I direct a couple ultras in the area, so I manage to get my in-person runner fix! Definitely took a few years before I was ready to be in the scene again, but I'm so grateful to be over that hump. Hanging out with other weirdos in the woods is the very best way to spend a weekend.
Hi! As a new subscriber I found your newsletter through a link to your Buzz Burrell interview in (probably) Mario Fraioli’s newsletter. The subject of being a fiftysomething ultrarunner hooked me, as I’m turning 53 and ran my first 50-miler last year. I’ve really enjoyed your recent posts and am working my way back through the older ones. Thanks for the inspiring writing!
I was also really inspired to read your “Is a Stage Race for You?” article which I found on the G2G website. I hadn’t considered it before but I answered “Yes, that’s me” to every question. Now looking for a stage race to sign up for….
I’m a regular runner, no ultras for me, but I love reading about ultras and following those races. It makes my little four milers seem easier after watching people do 250!
So true! But ANY distance is a big deal and potential hard effort, so don't let marathons/ultras overshadow your accomplishment!
Good tips. I'm a DryMax socks and lube sort of person (there's a discontinued product called Hydropel that my husband has since copied and mixes at home. So this exact regimen has been my go-to since I took up running in 2011.)
I also swear by changing my socks frequently, even if I have to carry three different pairs for no-drop-bag races like the White Mountains 100. Worth it. I have to admit your toe-sock pacer story made me cringe. I don't understand why anyone would expect, let alone demand, this from unpaid volunteers. Seriously, there are so many divas in this sport.
Hi Sarah, writing this while watching the Cocodona 250 live stream, so I fall into that camp of readers I guess! 😄 I discovered you a bit ago while looking for runners with a fresh perspective and genuine connection to the outdoors. I’m also a runner from Colorado. Training for my first 100 miler right now.
Your writing has hit the spot for me in so many ways already, and I appreciate your perspective. I get tired of only seeing professional running stories in other feeds. I’m also interested in following and uplifting other women in the sport.
I’m dipping my toes into writing on here and hope to come across as authentic as you in future posts. Thanks for your creative inspiration and running inspiration. Have really enjoyed following along and look forward to continuing to read your stories!
Thanks so much, Maria! Do you have a Substack too? Please share the link if so. Which 100 will be your first?
I do, though I just started it about two weeks ago so still getting the hang of setting it all up! https://tothewoods.substack.com/
I'll be running Run Rabbit Run 100 - I look forward to reading your substack over the next few months as training inspiration :) Can't wait for summer trail runs
Hit me in with RRR100 questions if you have them, I’ve done it twice :-)
That is great to know, I mostly definitely will! The 50 was my first 50 last September, but I am anxious to see how much different it feels going out twice as far and being out there overnight! I'll take any tips you have :)
Happy birthday and great post the cowboy carving is really cool. Always appreciate the running advice. Thank you for continuing to inspire
Hi!
This is Pachi, from the north of Spain. :-)
I found this newsletter by searching "trail" in the substack app.
I've started to try "slow trail" a year ago and I like it very much: https://substack.com/@cuadernodetapadura/p-163385408
I think that substack is interesting in order to write about trail running (and read about it).
I enjoy reading daily experiences like yours.
Thanks for your posts,
Pachi
Fairly new to reading your blog, got here from Semi-Rad. I'm new to ultra running AND nonfiction personal essay writing, so looking for inspiring women in the same genre. Thank you for your Substack.
Also, thank you for these tips! Especially the added tips from the comment thread! I have foot privilege and don't get blisters: 50k race so far, 16 hour days in fire boots, multiday backpacking trips, big ski tours - they've been tested! So I'm worried about the step up in distance and the unknown of blisters! Maybe it won't be a problem, but I don't want it to derail me if it is.
Hello Sarah, I found your blog when I started trail running late last year and was trying to find all the information I could about it because I loved (and still love) my new movement practice so much. Thank you for all your posts! I appreciate getting to learn about your perspective, especially as a middle aged woman myself (also from the east bay!). Best wishes to you.
Thanks for being here! I miss running in the Oakland/Berkeley hills.
Hi Sarah, I found you through my husband who follows many ultra runners on instagram. I do occasional “shorter” (50/60k or less) ultras. I am also 56 and it is nice to follow and read content from a runner in my age group. I am a Fort Collins local (have done QR 25 twice) and will be volunteering and cheering this weekend. Safe travels and have a great race!
Hi, thank you for reading and thanks especially for volunteering! If you see me, please say hi and introduce yourself. What aid station will you be at?
I am tuned into the Cocodona livestream now while I’m working, and I volunteered there earlier this week, with an overnight aid station shift on Monday and then sweeping a 15 mile section of the course into Whiskey Row on Tuesday!
I discovered your blog through one of your race reports, as you’ve done a couple of the same Aravaipa races as me and I love reading about others’ experience on courses that I’m going to do or have done. And I appreciate that you’re a writer, as I am too, as well as your activism with the environment.
I also really love the Rabbit sun hoodies and swear by the Mafate Speeds for more technical and/or muddy terrain! They seem to last longer for me than the Speedgoats, which get worn down by the rocky Arizona trails that I run on, so I appreciate the more aggressive lugs on the Mafates.
Good for you for volunteering! I love that area of Prescott and glad I got to do the Whiskey Basin 91K a couple of times. Thanks for subscribing :-)
Happy Birthday Sarah!! Great tips here..... I also recently became a toe sock fan. Hoping they keep my feet in better shape than my compression socks did for VT 100 ...LOL! ewww! I'll have to pick up some Desitin or trail toes too! That underwear looks great but I cannot rationalize spending that much on undies... and lucky for me, not much need for a serious sports bra :) Have a great race this weekend! Looking forward to reading about it!
I know, they are pricey!
I'm with Jill, DryMax (but no lube at all) and changes. Toe socks - yeah, feel weird, and I did many changes crewing for Annie, so, um, probably not in a race, but I have a pair and occasionally use it on the long runs.
Happy birthday! Have a blast at Quadrock, I ran the inagural 50, and a 25 version a few years back. Nick, Brad and their team are the bosses in putting races in the Front Range!
Also, bandana is for cooling around the neck if needed, buff is for hair holding (and the headlamp). I seriously despise hair anywhere near my face when I run.
Believe it or not, after 25 years in the sport, I just discovered that I should try leucotape taping the bottoms of my feet (alongside my toes on the prominence). I tend to get deep blisters smack in the middle. 2 last races in April (hot Desert rats 50k and cold wet feet the whole way Canyons 100k) - and it worked like a charm, no sock changes, not a single hot spot. Will test it now in a 100 miler, that'll be hot, and will have a stream cossing.
So excited for you running Hardrock!
I think it's important to have these gear details figured out-- eliminates at least a little uncertainty. I live in a small town and often have to buy on line and wondered if you have a recommendation for a hydration pack? (I know from your book they need the holsters in the front). Also, do you have a brand you like for running shorts?
Love the toe sock story! You are very kind to do that so many times! Have a happy birthday!
Thank you, Sandy. I’ve switched Salomon packs because I like the snug way they fit, and I mostly use their Adv Skin 12 unisex model. As for shorts, I have several pair by rabbit.
I was an Injinji devotee for many years - too many, maybe, because the fabric fatigued in time and it started slipping around. I decided to check out XOSkin when it was time to purchase again and I REALLY liked how the fabric holds. Maybe an option if you ever have the same issue of sneaky, slippy Injinjis!
Now that I've done the very important business of talking about toe socks: I've been reading since November, when my husband sent me "Only Myself to Blame and Forgive". I'm a permanently-displaced trail and ultra runner (early onset arthritis), now a cyclist who doesn't fit in with other cyclists, still holding tight to the runners and stories that inspire me. Long hours and long distances remain deeply life-affirming to me, with their anguish and their triumph, and finding cyclists who can relate to this is like trying to find the last square of PB&J that hasn't yet gone stale at the last aid station of the day. So anyway, reading about injury and overcoming, about planning and executing - and sometimes about acceptance - is so important for me. Between you and Jill Homer and Katie Arnold, I manage to stay pretty anchored to the things I miss most. :) Thank you for writing ALL THE THINGS you do!
Thank you so much for writing that and for being here. I’m sorry the cycling scene doesn’t feel like your tribe. Maybe you can feel the special culture of ultras again by volunteering at an aid station. Good luck to you!
An excellent suggestion! Fortunately, my husband and I direct a couple ultras in the area, so I manage to get my in-person runner fix! Definitely took a few years before I was ready to be in the scene again, but I'm so grateful to be over that hump. Hanging out with other weirdos in the woods is the very best way to spend a weekend.
First, thank you so much for the shout out! And second, now I need that sun hoodie 😅
I hope more people find your podcast & newsletter!
I found your podcast from this post and listened to a couple episodes on my long run yesterday. Thank you both!
Oh I love that! Thank you for listening!
Amazing how some of these little things can become big things in a hundred — it's absolutely worth giving time to the details.
I'm trying to make the same shirt/sun-shirt decision (I've been wearing both on training runs, and that's probably what I'll do for the race).
My foot treatment: a heavy slathering of Trail Toes, toe socks (from XOSkin - highly recommended) as a base layer, under Darn Tough hiking socks.
Have a good race this weekend.
Thank you! Glad you've discovered Trail Toes too :-). I know the maker, Vincent Antunez, from stage racing; he's an interesting and nice guy.
Hi! As a new subscriber I found your newsletter through a link to your Buzz Burrell interview in (probably) Mario Fraioli’s newsletter. The subject of being a fiftysomething ultrarunner hooked me, as I’m turning 53 and ran my first 50-miler last year. I’ve really enjoyed your recent posts and am working my way back through the older ones. Thanks for the inspiring writing!
Welcome, and thanks for being here! Which 50M was it?
I was also really inspired to read your “Is a Stage Race for You?” article which I found on the G2G website. I hadn’t considered it before but I answered “Yes, that’s me” to every question. Now looking for a stage race to sign up for….
I love the Grand to Grand Ultra and did it again last September.
It was the Quebec Mega Trail 80km. (I’m based in Ontario, Canada.)