Momma Runs an Ultra

The Masters Messed Up My Run, Siri Hates Me, and Is This a Soft Launch of Only Fans?

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 03:33:00 -0400

What a week! Vintage shoes and Siri are both out to get me. Marathon Handbook made me do it. The Masters is taking over. I still do not want to run a road marathon.

How I Procrastinate

Chapters

00:05 Training for My First Ultra Marathon
00:21 Caring for My Feet During Long Runs
02:52 The Challenges of Running with Technology
06:36 Interest in Running and Upcoming Events
08:27 Preparing for the Boston Marathon

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Bras, Bunions, and Bruises: No, Really, It's All from Ultramarathon Training

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 03:33:00 -0400

Welcome back to Momma Runs an Ultra! Today’s episode is a slightly bemused look at the realities of training for an ultra marathon, especially when you’re pushing into new territory later in life.

The miles are getting longer than ever before, and so far, things are going surprisingly well.

My recurring theme is preventing problems. Finding the right gear for me following the sudden and rather unfortunate demolition of my favorite running bra has turned into an ongoing search for a unicorn.

Someone suggested friction reducing stickers on the inside of my shoes where my wacky high arches are rubbing. Thank you! I've never heard of this product before. I'll let y'all know how they help.

Finally, I am trouble shooting this weird inner arm bruise, I guess from the seam on my shirt. It doesn't hurt, but it looks terrible, and I would like to avoid getting more. I didn't think about inner arm seams on shirts!

How I Procrastinate

Chapters

00:04 - Starting My Ultra Marathon Journey
01:27 - The Quest for the Perfect Running Bra
02:53 - Training for an Ultra: My Journey
03:10 - Exploring New Hiking Products
04:05 - Preparing for an Ultramarathon

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ultra marathon training, running tips for beginners, chafing prevention for runners, best running bras, running gear for women, ultra running injuries, managing running discomfort, high arches running solutions, sports massage for runners, running clothing advice, first ultra marathon experience, preventing running bruises, running vest benefits, comfortable running clothes, ultra marathon podcast, running tips for older adults, managing running gear issues, footwear for ultra running, running comfort solutions, advice for female runners

Mentioned in this episode:

Dive Bar Music Club, the Low Key, High Taste Music Podcast

A rotating cast of The Regulars gather to chat about the music they're currently listening to.

Life Comes at You Fast, or Ferris Beuller's Worst Couch to 5k Day

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 03:33:00 -0400

In this episode of Momma Runs an Ultra (where a 50-something runner trains for her very first ultramarathon), I get a sharp reminder that not all training risks come from mileage or missed workouts. Sometimes, they come flying at you…in the shape of a sofa.

What starts as a routine 2nd long run on a rare, glorious stretch of sidewalk turns into a near-miss story I won’t forget: an unsecured couch launches out of a pickup truck and literally bounces towards me mid-run. It’s equal parts absurd, terrifying, and darkly funny, and it completely reframes my idea of what “staying healthy for race day” actually means.

Beyond the chaos, I reflect on the hidden hazards runners often overlook, like traffic patterns, loose dogs, and the false sense of safety in familiar routes. There’s also a candid look at my mindset: the adrenaline spike, the surprising calm afterward, and the realization that some risks are simply out of my control.

It’s a quick, entertaining episode with a serious undertone: even the most disciplined training plan can’t account for everything. So stay alert, expect the unexpected, and maybe don’t trust a double-wide sidewalk as much as you think you should.

How I Procrastinate

Chapters

00:05 - Introduction to Ultra Marathon Training
02:16 - The Bridge Incident
03:26 - The Dangers of Debris
05:25 - Adventures in Ultramarathon Training
06:04 - Reevaluating Safety in Running

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ultramarathon training, first ultramarathon, running safety tips, couch to ultramarathon, running in South Carolina, elevation training for running, running with traffic, running hazards, podcast for runners, tips for new runners, avoiding running injuries, running in rural areas, dog safety while running, running routes, long run training, mental challenges in running, ultramarathon experiences, running infrastructure, safety while training, Momma Runs an Ultra

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:01.280 - 00:06:39.870

And what I did not consider was the fact that a sofa could possibly kill me. Welcome to Mama Runs an Ultra. I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s who decided to train for my very first Ultra marathon.

And this podcast is me saying all the things out loud of what the hell am I thinking?

So when I first was interviewing coaches for transitioning to my very first ultramarathon, one of the things that I made really clear was that my hope through training was to show up to the start line health. My second hope was to be able to finish in one piece.

And up until this weekend, I pretty much attributed all of those things to training and decisions over which I had full control. And what I did not consider was the fact that a sofa could possibly kill me. So let me back up if you're new to Mama Runs An Ultra.

I live about 15 minutes away from a small town and because I live out in the county, I live in a place where we have to take our own garbage to the dump. And it's a really flat place.

So trying to get enough elevation for my training without having to drive an hour and a half means I can basically run one bridge over the interstate or this one neighborhood with a man made dam. Either way, I'm getting like 25 to 35ft of elevation max in any one incline.

So it takes a lot to get the kind of elevation that I need to be properly prepared for my race.

So I didn't feel like driving out of town for my second of my back to back long runs this weekend and I thought I'll just go run the bridge, it'll be fine. And it's one of the few places in this area that has sidewalks. It's actually like a double wide sidewalk right there. Fantastic.

We don't have this sort of infrastructure around here, so it's a huge deal. I love running there, A, because it's convenient and B, sidewalks. Did I mention sidewalks?

So when I run, our South Carolina laws are that feet face traffic, wheels go with traffic, feet face traffic. Former teacher here. Like those little sort of mnemonics.

So I am fanatical about feet face traffic to the point where the people I run with are like, really all we're doing is crossing the street. So I am super, super particular about it.

And the only place in town where I do not follow that rule is on the bridge because it's a double wide sidewalk. Surely that's a place where you can go with or opposed to traffic as long as you're up on the Sidewalk.

And I have never given this a second thought until this weekend when I was at mile nine and a half of a ten mile run and I hear like a weird wooden sound and then honking and I could not figure out what it was. And all of this happened in a split second.

And I turned around and a ginormous black sofa was bouncing towards me on the sidewalk, on the road, back onto the sidewalk, back onto the road. Because sofas don't bounce in a predictable manner.

It had flown out of the back of a white pickup truck on the way to the dump who had chosen not to secure their load. Now this is an absolute pet peeve of mine. I live on the road that goes to the dump, so there is debris in our roads constantly.

And I don't just mean like a little 2x4 or, or a piece of sheetrock. I mean entire loads of garbage, cans full of yard waste, entire chopped up trees. There is stuff in the road constantly. It absolutely is my pet peeve.

Between that and the burning, those are probably the two things. Why, if I could move away from here, I would in a minute. People just have zero concern for other people around here.

It's all about whatever works for them at any given time. Just no thought for the greater good whatsoever. So, yeah, I was almost killed by a sofa yesterday on my run.

And had it bounced so it went like left, right, left, right, left. I guess had it bounced one more time to the right, it would have gone over the bridge of the interstate and killed someone down below.

So thankfully I was uninjured. I just found what my max heart rate is. No need to pay for an expensive test that didn't take much.

And then this idiot backs up down the hill into the lane of traffic to pick up his sofa. And when I mentioned this to a few friends, one of them is like, why didn't you say something to him? I was like, what am I going to say?

I probably would have ended up in jail because I would have been fist fighting some idiot in the middle of the road on the way to the dump. So no, I kept going and I got in my car and I went home.

But I never considered the fact that a sofa bouncing down the road might be the thing that takes me out and running. And can I tell you how mad I would be if I had actually been injured?

Anyway, I'd probably be on the news because of also getting arrested for going after the person. I don't know, I'm like, I'm like a hothead in the aftermath.

But at the time, like, first my heart rate spiked, truly probably the highest number I've ever seen. And then I was like, bizarrely calm to the point where I was, like, kind of concerned about myself because I was so calm.

So anyway, there's no point to this other than, yeah, watch out for flying sofas. They might take you out on your training for your first ultramarathon. I don't know.

And the weirdest part is right before that, I was a little bit shaken already because I went by, you know, the biggest concern where I run is loose dogs. And it's a huge problem where I live. My husband has been bitten multiple times. I've only been bitten once.

But we have a friend who was killed by a dog that the person's going, hey, sweet as it murdered her. So, like, I have zero patience for dogs who are not under the proper control of their owners at any given time around us.

And I went by this one house that had two dogs who were jumping higher than the fence.

And having had dogs who were fence jumpers in the past, it was clear that had those dogs decided to clear the fence and come after me, they very much could have. And they were not happy with me going by. So I was kind of on alert about the dogs right before this whole sofa thing happened. I don't know.

That was my main adventure from training for my first ultramarathon this past week.

I don't really want to go down the rabbit hole of, like, terrible things that have happened to y' all while you're running because that's not really helpful.

But I'm certainly going to reconsider my false sense of safety of running with the traffic on the double wide sidewalk, because, yeah, no, I guess I'm going to have to face them at all times now. Which means crossing a six lane road that doesn't have crosswalks. So this is why I run on the San. The same side.

I don't know, it'd probably just be easier to drive out of town to get these hills at least a lot less likely to get squashed by a flying sofa. I mean, it's funny, but it's not at all. Anyway, here's to safe travels and safe running for all of us.

I hope that this is the biggest blip on my radar as I continue training for my very first ultramarathon. No real questions this week, other than maybe things that y' all have taken for granted.

Running that you're glad you suddenly have to pay attention to, that would actually be quite helpful. To know because I really gave that double wide sidewalk a lot more credit for safety than it offered.

Best place to leave those comments is in the comment sect on whatever your favorite podcast app is. Thanks again to everybody who has left. A five star rating and a kind review in your podcast app takes less than 10 seconds.

It really helps other people, especially newbies to the ultra running space. Find this podcast. Cheers from Mama Runs an Ultra.

Mentioned in this episode:

Dive Bar Music Club, the Low Key, High Taste Music Podcast

A rotating cast of The Regulars gather to chat about the music they're currently listening to.

I Ran So Far Away...That I Fantasized About Soft Pretzels

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 03:33:00 -0400

Summary

This episode of Momma Runs an Ultra is all about the real-life process of getting ready for my first ultra marathon, especially pushing past distances I’ve never run before. I share what training has been like as I prepare, including the surprises, struggles, and little wins that come with stepping into completely new training.

We talk a lot about fueling during long runs and the trial-and-error that goes into figuring out what actually works. That’s meant experimenting with some unexpected carb sources like mashed potatoes and soft pretzels, because sometimes I just cannot look at another sweet.

I also get into the realities of training in humid conditions and the never-ending search for the best ways to prevent chafing on those really long days. Overall, it’s an honest look at the physical and mental side of ultra training, and a reminder that figuring it out as you go is part of the process. If you’re curious about ultras, currently training for one, or just love hearing about the journey, this episode is for you.

Chapters

00:03 - Beginning the Journey to My First Ultra Marathon
01:48 - Preparing for the Ultra: Nutrition and Strategy
03:35 - Choosing the Right Fuel for Running
05:12 - Chafing Prevention in Humid Weather
06:13 - Chafing and Running: A Personal Journey

How I Procrastinate

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ultra marathon training, long distance running tips, running nutrition for ultras, carbs for endurance running, back to back long runs, hydration strategies for runners, electrolyte balance for athletes, chafe prevention for runners, running gear for long distances, soft pretzel snacks for runners, mashed potatoes as running fuel, overcoming self-doubt in running, running in humid weather, confidence in endurance training, training for your first ultra, running in your 50s, notes for ultra marathon training, East Coast running advice, fueling strategies for long runs, running podcasts for women

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:01.200 - 00:07:11.580

Hey y'. All. Welcome to Momma Runs an Ultra. I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s who decided to train for my very first Ultra marathon.

And this podcast is me saying all the things out loud of what the hell am I thinking? So when I looked at my running plan, I was kind of overthinking the last couple of weeks as my long runs were longer than I've ever run before.

Now if you're new to Momma Runs an Ultra, I'm a long time roads half marathon runner.

But until about a month ago I had never more than 16 miles and that was on one of my friends birthdays when we decided to hit the kilometers of her age and we stopped for coffee. In the middle of it we took a few breaks. This is the first time I've ever run that far without stopping. Okay, one tiny pit stop for the potty.

But that, you know, doesn't really count. I didn't dawdle anyway.

I had gotten myself a little bit wound up about it ahead of time, but I did all the prep, I had all my stuff ready to roll and it went fine. Like maybe I can actually do this. I kind of did. I didn't believe I could. One of the things about ultra training is the back to back long runs.

Now for me at this point it's like long run and what I would consider a medium run. But that's rapidly about to change. I looked ahead a couple weeks to what I have coming my way and I can do this.

But I actually feel more confident about it now after that very first 16 +miler because I felt okay. I felt okay. Later on in that day, I felt okay running my medium run the next day. I felt okay that afternoon.

Like nothing hurt, nothing was sore, not good. But I'm feeling a little more confident about all of this at this point with overall mileage, we are still within range of miles I have done before.

We have not yet come close to like maximum mileage per week. So that part is not scaring me at this point. So kind of two thumbs up at this point? Sure, why not?

One of the things I've been working on since day one of this ultra training has been giving myself a variety of carbs from which to choose while I run because I have already had the experience in a number of half marathons where I could not look at one more sweet thing at all on any level. So I told y' all a while back that I had done little baggies of pre measured mashed potatoes and I gotta be Honest, they work really well.

They fit right in the little drink pocket on the vest. I mean, I don't love mashed potatoes anyway, so I don't dislike them anymore eating them while running than I would just eating them on a plate.

So, yeah, mashed potatoes are a choice. I've been trying with those. Like, one of my blocks will get the carb load from those mashed potatoes.

And then I've recently added in a new one because I got to like, mile 12 of a run. And I was like, you know what would sound good right now? You know, you're like, way in the run when suddenly you're, like, fantasizing about food.

I was like, I'd really like a big old soft pretzel right now. So when I went home, I rolled by the food line and I picked up a thing of frozen soft pretzel sticks.

I don't think I even realized they came in sticks. So they look like breadsticks, but they're like soft pretzels.

And mainly I chose those over the breadsticks because the fat content was low because, oh, I can't. I don't think, like, the fat of a breadstick is going to sit well in my stomach while I'm that far into a run.

I'm not willing to try that at this point because the soft pretzel stick totally worked. Wrapped it in a little bit of parchment paper, shoved that down in the drink pocket on my vest. It was actually really nice.

So, yeah, let's hear it for frozen soft pretzels as a carb choice in the middle of a run. I'm sure I look ridiculous, but I'm sure that was the least of the things that made me look ridiculous. I don't know, maybe I'll know these things.

I've read about people using rice balls and various rice concoctions as on their own carb choices. And I haven't gone down that road yet.

I might, but as long as mashed potatoes and soft pretzels are working, I think I'm gonna stick with those just because they're. I can get them really easily.

And the place where I am gonna be doing this ultra this summer is a bit remote, so I also mentioned that it has warmed up here. We apparently went from wintertime to summertime. Not really. We're only in the 80s. It's gonna get worse.

But I'm at the point where more than just my electrolyte fuel drink is needed.

So I thankfully keep really good notes from all of my previous training and I Went back to see what I used to use in the summer because whatever reason, it's like having a baby. I have total amnesia about the details.

So I went back and looked and I will be adding my favorite cheap electrolytes to my drink mix in the proportions that work for me. I also have those chewable salt tablets. They're like vaguely flavored.

Those are actually great because they're gross, but so, like, you're not gonna just eat them. But they're easy because you just sort of chew them up and stick them on the side of your mouth. I don't want to know what they're doing to my teeth.

It kind of actually makes me nervous. But they're really easy to deal with. And you know, 88 degrees and 90% humidity, which we're already in, got to have a little bit of salt available.

Even if your drink mix is not quite enough. Want to be able to get a little more specific with that when necessary.

I am a salty runner and it's kind of funny because the way I first realized this was that my legs are coated. It looks like I rolled in sand. If I am not good about the amount of electrolytes that I'm taking in while I run. So feeling pretty good.

This week's training is pretty similar to last week, honestly. Maybe even a few fewer miles. Few viewers. Sure. Less. I don't know. Fewer versus less. There's a grammatical reason to use the correct one.

I need one more cup of coffee to answer that one. Anyway, feeling doable despite the warm weather that has come our way. Cause that's only going to get worse.

So last week, if you didn't get a chance to listen, I was talking about body lube and the need for chafe prevention in humid, humid, humid places. And that is still a work in progress.

And I finally went ahead and read the ingredients on the one that I was having trouble spreading and have known lanolin is the main ingredient. I don't know if you ever nursed a baby and had to deal with lanolin stuff that is like industrial heavy duty lube. Really hard to spread.

I still feel like that's probably going to be one that's going to help with these weird issues. I'm getting on my hips of chafe.

I have done a little bit of environmental change, so I have turned my undies inside out so there's no seam rubbing against my hips. And I have gone through all of my running shorts and skirts and stuff and double checked for seams.

And so I have removed all the ones that have seams along my hips from even potential race outfits.

So I'm glad I keep little like fashion notes every time I run because I'm thinking it's the combo of like seam on the undies plus seam on the like running short tights that was causing it. So weird place to get chafed sides of my hips. Anyway, hopefully I am dialing in the lube and fashion combo.

Whoever thought I would be saying that to prevent future chafe? But yeah, I'm still taking suggestions on how to deal with that, especially for people who run in humid places.

I have learned already that some of the desert environment advice simply does not apply when you're running in places like where I am. So yeah, East Coast Runners, I would love to hear from y' all about chafe prevention.

You can pop that in the comments on any of your favorite places to listen. YouTube is definitely the easiest. It's not my personal favorite place to listen to a podcast, but it's definitely the easiest to interact with folks.

If this has been entertaining in any way or useful in any way or intrigued you at all, I would sure love it if you would give a kind five star rating and review and share Share an episode with a friend Good place to start is that very first one because your uterus might fall out. You never know. Anything could happen. Just not very likely. Thanks for running along with me today on Momma Runs An Ultra.

Mentioned in this episode:

Dive Bar Music Club, the Low Key, High Taste Music Podcast

A rotating cast of The Regulars gather to chat about the music they're currently listening to.

Slip Slidin' Away: It's Not Awkward for Runners to Talk About Their Favorite Lube

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 03:33:00 -0400

Summary

If you know the liquid fire of a post-run shower, you might have chafed. In this episode, I talk about the moment it hit me that chafing can be just as painful as poor fueling. Turns out, nutrition isn’t the only thing you need a strategy for.

I share some of my personal trial-and-error with different anti-chafing products, including how well they hold up when humidity decides to join your training run. Some survive, some melt like cassette tapes on a dashboard.

Since I’m still navigating the adventure of training for my very first ultramarathon, this episode is a pretty honest look at the small challenges that come with stepping into longer distances. I also invite listeners to share their go-to anti-chafe solutions, because when it comes to ultrarunning, the best advice often comes from the community that’s been through it before.

As I keep moving toward that first ultra, one thing is clear: every long run teaches a new lesson, and sometimes that lesson involves a lot more lube than you expected.

Chapters

00:12 - Introduction to Ultra Marathon Training
01:59 - Exploring Anti-Chafe Solutions
02:59 - Exploring New Running Products
04:07 - Exploring New Products for Comfort during Runs
05:26 - Introduction to Ultra Running

How I Procrastinate

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chafe prevention, anti-chafe products, ultra marathon training, running tips for women, long distance running, humidity and running, running gear review, silicone anti-chafe, chub rub solutions, best chafe prevention for runners, running in hot weather, hydration vest tips, back to back long runs, running and chafing issues, ultra running beginner advice, how to prevent chafing, running lifestyle podcast, chafe prevention for thighs, running in humid conditions, ultra marathon first timer tips, salty britches, squirrel nut butter, chamois butter, body glide, trislide, 2Toms, monkey butt, chub rub

Mentioned in this episode:

Sleep with Rock Stars

Sleep with Rock Stars, the Gen X sleep podcast. You deserve a good night's sleep...or whatever.

Ain't No Stopping Us Now

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 03:33:00 -0400

Summary

What exactly is recovery?

As I dive deeper into ultramarathon training, I keep hearing the phrase “take recovery seriously.” Sounds simple, right? But what does that actually mean?

Massage? Naps? Yoga?

I’m currently following a structured plan with an awesome coach, checking the boxes, hitting the workouts, yet I still find myself wondering if I’m really recovering the way I should. In this episode, I open up about the real-life juggling act of hard training, sore legs, second-guessing myself, and trying to strike that sweet spot between pushing limits and not completely wrecking my body.

I share what I’ve been experimenting with, the advice I’ve been given, and the challenges of slowing down when everything in you wants to keep grinding. Because let’s be honest, running more feels productive. Resting? Not always.

So let’s talk about it. What does “prioritizing recovery” actually look like in the middle of big goals and ambitious training blocks? And how do we know if we’re doing enough…or maybe too much?

Tune in, and then tell me: what does recovery mean to you?

Chapters

00:06 - Introduction to Ultra Marathon Training
01:08 - Trusting the Process in Ultramarathon Training
03:42 - Understanding Ultramarathon Training
05:34 - Understanding Recovery and Sleep Metrics
06:25 - Trusting the Process: A New Journey

How I Procrastinate

Recommended If You Like

ultramarathon training, recovery strategies for runners, trust the process in training, running in your 50s, half marathon training tips, hilly running routes, sleep and recovery for athletes, coaching for ultramarathons, strength training for runners, managing running injuries, training plans for older runners, how to take recovery seriously, running motivation for older athletes, endurance training for beginners, tips for better sleep as a runner, heart rate training for ultramarathons, back-to-back long runs, running community support, benefits of ultramarathon training, managing workout volume for runners

Mentioned in this episode:

Dive Bar Music Club, the Low Key, High Taste Music Podcast

A rotating cast of The Regulars gather to chat about the music they're currently listening to.

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 03:33:00 -0400

Summary

Anna Gibson is the gateway inspiring a late 50's hobby jogger to run her first ultra marathon. Momma discovers that 11 feet of elevation does not count as hill training. After running her town’s one bridge approximately eleventy zillion times, she accepts her fate, if she wants “triple-digit vert,” she’s gotta leave the swamp.

Cue state park field trips and back-to-back long runs with actual hills. Gasp.

Meanwhile, the Winter Olympics introduce her to Ski Mo (ski mountaineering), which is basically: ski uphill, rip skis off, sprint upstairs in ski boots, ski again, and casually launch off a jump. Completely unhinged. She’s obsessed.

Training update:

Block one DONE
Block two WTH
Looking ahead at the full plan? Absolutely not.

Momma's running by effort, ignoring her humbling paces, dodging sketchy gym-bro advice, and kindly requesting five-star reviews because that’s how podcasts survive.

Vert is here. Momma is nervous and talking a little too fast. But she’s running it anyway.

Chapters

00:01 - Introduction to Ultramarathon Running
00:46 - Training for My First Ultra Marathon
03:58 - Introduction to Ski Mountaineering
06:24 - Entering the World of Ultramarathons
08:54 - Starting a New Journey in Ultramarathon Training

How I Procrastinate

Recommended If You Like

ultramarathon training, running in your 50s, first ultramarathon tips, ultramarathon preparation, elevation training for runners, long distance running, running hills, ultramarathon coach, trail running advice, South Carolina state parks, running routes, running heart rate training, ultramarathon nutrition, running gear recommendations, overcoming running challenges, hill training for ultramarathons, ski mountaineering, ultramarathon community, running motivation, female ultrarunners, Anna Gibson, skyrunning, skimo, golden trail, subultra

Mentioned in this episode:

Sleep with Rock Stars

Sleep with Rock Stars, the Gen X sleep podcast. You deserve a good night's sleep...or whatever.

Misty Mountain Hop

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 03:33:00 -0400

Summary

Momma's in her first official ultramarathon training block, and things are getting real. Back-to-back long runs? Check. Experimenting with mashed potatoes in a Ziploc mid-run? Also check. (Sweet gels, sometimes we need a break.) As she navigates fueling flails, lopsided pistol squats, and the humbling realization that some “lost skills” were never there to begin with, the ultra journey is serving up equal parts grit and comedy.

But the real plot twist? A full-on obsession with the Black Canyon Ultras livestream. Eight hours of desert running, elite women crushing it, and shockingly good coverage, better than the Chicago and Tokyo Marathons. Trail running entered the chat with drones, commentary, and vibes.

From desert cacti to her new word "vert," Momma's falling hard for the ultra world, while also spiraling (just a little) into Olympic ski mountaineering fandom. Foot care books are on the way, shoe decisions loom large, and the quest for “vert” while living in a place with 11 feet elevation change is officially underway.

It’s midlife, miles, and mashed potatoes, and she’s saying all the quiet parts out loud.

Chapters

00:12 - Beginning the Ultra Journey
01:03 - Transitioning into Ultramarathon Training
03:52 - The Transition to Trail Running
04:39 - Experiencing the Excitement of Trail Running
06:39 - Introduction to Skimo and Ultra Running
07:29 - Preparing for the Ultramarathon

How I Procrastinate

Recommended If You Like

ultramarathon training, trail running tips, ultra marathon nutrition, back to back long runs, desert running events, running coverage comparison, fueling for ultra marathons, ultramarathon for beginners, ultramarathon coaching advice, running and nutrition, marathon coverage issues, trail running for newbies, ultra marathon gear, how to run an ultra, best foods for running, ultra marathon training plan, ultramarathon experiences, running techniques for older runners, ultra marathon community, ultrarunning podcasts, Leah Yingling, Mountain Outpost, Hilary Yang, Hillary Yang, Molly Seidel, Des Linden

Mentioned in this episode:

Dive Bar Music Club, the Low Key, High Taste Music Podcast

A rotating cast of The Regulars gather to chat about the music they're currently listening to.

Tubthumping: Great for Playlists, Terrible for the People Running Near You

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 03:33:00 -0400

Summary

Are we really runners if we don't talk about either barf or poo? Join me as I apply my ultimate nerd hack to the wonderfully weird world of ultra-marathon fueling. As I train for my very first 50K, I share my sticky history with sports nutrition.

What starts as casual trial and error quickly spirals into full nerd mode, complete with a meticulously organized spreadsheet ranking gels by flavor, texture, and how likely they are to make my stomach file a formal complaint. Spoiler: the winners were not what I expected, and some fan favorites did not make the cut.

Along the way, I share hard-earned lessons about why “I’ll figure it out later” is not a valid fueling strategy when you’re hours into a run. With a few cautionary tales and plenty of laughs, this episode is a friendly nudge to fellow newbies to experiment, plan ahead, and find the fuel that actually works for them. Because when it comes to ultras, your legs may carry you forward, but your nutrition decides whether you finish smiling…or swearing.

Chapters

00:16 - Embarking on a New Challenge
02:10 - Exploring Sports Nutrition
03:13 - Finding the Right Fuel: My Experience with Energy Gels
05:12 - Hydration Strategies for Racing
07:46 - Getting Into the Thick of Ultra Training

How I Procrastinate

Recommended If You Like

ultra running, endurance training, sports nutrition, race day tips, hydration strategies, energy gels for runners, best running gels, fueling for endurance events, running in your 50s, half marathon training, marathon running tips, gels vs. liquid nutrition, training for a 50k, running gear advice, hydration packs for running, ultra marathon preparation, nutrition for long runs, running fuel preferences, best flavors of energy gels, common running mistakes, Gu, Maurten, Honeystinger, honey stinger, maple syrup, SIS, science in sport

Automated Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:02.640 - 00:07:53.190

Hey, y', all, this is Mama Runs an Ultra.

I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s who decided that I would run my first 50ish K. Now, I've run a whole bunch of half marathons over the last several years, but I've never run more than 16 miles. And as I dive into training, I spend a lot of time asking myself, what the hell am I thinking?

So, a few episodes ago, I was telling y' all about my first half marathon, the one that I don't even remember running other than I burst into tears at the finish line and I had the police escort court because I was the last person. Yeah. Okay.

So in the years since then, I have started doing a little bit more study of the craft and learning what you ought to be doing before you get out there for endurance events. And especially in those early days, a lot of it was that I just plain didn't even know that I didn't know.

So now that I have a little bit of information, I kind of have to laugh at the route that I decided to take now. Disclaimer. I am not a medical professional in any way, and I am absolutely not a registered dietitian.

And if you have needs surrounding fueling and your sport, see a professional. This is a comedy podcast. Anyway, the first time I tried to take a gel was in the middle of a race, and that is not a good idea.

First of all, I was hot and sweaty and I couldn't get the package open properly. And by the time I did, I was like, what is this horrible thing? It was like caramel something.

And that's when I realized that if I was going to be using any kind of sports nutrition during races, I was going to have to practice with it so that I did not gag or vomit in the middle of the race due to it. So I did what any logical person with an $80 credit at one of those sports nutrition websites would do. I ordered one of every single thing. Yes.

About 50 different gels, different flavors, different brands, and then I made a spreadsheet. Because that's what you do, right? Yeah. Well, that's what I did.

So I made a whole spreadsheet of them by brand, by flavor, and I ranked them based on consistency and sweetness and aftertaste and how they sat in my stomach and all kinds of things. And. And frankly, I was completely surprised by what I ended up liking. But hold on, let's back up. I'll tell you where I started.

I like, in real life, I like, like, fruity, citrusy, Flavors I like like grapefruit and mandarin orange. And I'm a massive fan of like coffee and things like that.

So I at first thought that what I was going to like was going to be all the fruity flavors of the different gels. And that could not be farther from the truth. I quickly discovered that cannot handle anything. Strawberry, raspberry, banana. Not at all. Not happening.

If it says fruit punch, forget it. So that was totally unexpected. And then there's the whole consistency factor.

All right, now I know that people like to hate on certain brands and it's definitely one of those your mileage may vary sort of situations. But I tried some of the newer runny, they call them gels, but it's more like a liquid.

I tried some of those, I tried some of the chunky ones if you know, you know. And I tried some of the old school ones and I actually ended up on old school goo. Now here's my special magic trick.

I store it in my deep freeze so that it actually changes the consistency so that it's actually a little even thicker when you put it when you take it. But for me, that actually works great. I just stick that blob in the side of my mouth and it just sort of works for me. And it's not as gooey.

But I thought I was going to be like hug a tree natural. And I tried all the different maple syrup and honey ones.

And I live, as I've said, I live in the hot swampy south and those are too runny and too sticky and they were hard nose for me. Absolutely do not work. Just ended up with like bee catcher stickiness down the sides of my arms. I was like, this is not gonna work for me at all.

Plus they were too sweet. I know that sounds weird for something that is sweet anyway, but huh. Like I love honey, but the honey ones. Oh, absolutely not.

Felt the same way about the maple syrup ones. No, no, no, not for me. So anyway, I ended up on like the, I think it's espresso flavor of goo. Maybe it's just coffee anyway.

And the vanilla one, which those both are my favorites. That's what I like.

I also like their mandarin orange one, which is kind of funny because every other orange flavor of any kind of gel was a hard no for me. But all the rest of them like lemonade. Noop. Can't do it. Limes. Nope. Can't do it. Watermelon. Nope. Can't do it.

Which is weird because I love all of those things in real life, but not as Far as gels go. But the one gel that absolutely got me was that super expensive one that's on the market that's kind of chunky.

If you know, you know, it is the only gel that when I took it, I immediately vomited all over the side of the road from the texture. That is the biggest, hardest no ever. I don't care if it's magic and will take five minutes off of my half marathon time.

That is not gonna happen for me.

So if for some reason you end up with the $80 credit from the online source that sells a lot of nutritional fuel, you too could be a complete running dork like me and go ahead and make a spreadsheet. Honestly, I'm kind of proud of myself for it because after a while I forgot which ones I'd tried.

Especially when it came down to like six different brands that all have, you know, watermelon, lime or something similar. Ultimately, I also discovered liquid nutrition and I absolutely have a favorite one of those.

And that has been the game changer for me of taking little sips of it throughout the race rather than a big old chug of it. And it works. So even on races where they supposedly have water indoor hydration mix available along the way, I take mine with me just in case.

But also I ran a race down in Charleston many years ago where they ran out of water on the course after the second mile and we still had many, many miles to go. So I'm never having that happen to me again.

I will always have something with me and I always run with at least a few bucks nowadays because that was the one time I didn't take anything at with me and I was completely stuck.

So when it comes to an ultra like this, I'm definitely going to be relying on some aid stations and I don't know yet what the nature of them will be, but I do know that they're extremely well organized.

It's one of the reasons I chose the race that I did because everyone talks about how great the aid stations are, but part of that for me is how to deal with the hydration that I want to have that I know will sit with my stomach and planning for that sort of thing. So I kind of have an idea at this point, but I'll have to read more of the details as we get closer to the event.

I have until summertime, so we got a while.

If you are also a newbie like I am to all of this and you have not tried figuring out what sort of fuel works for you, feel free to do my whole spreadsheet thing. It really was helpful.

And when my husband finally got into running, it was kind of funny because his personal preferences as far as gels go are completely different than mine. And it's wonderful because he never steals my gels out of the freezer. It's great. And I am not touching any of his chocolate caramel. Whatever. Bleh.

Not happening. Marital bliss right there. Endurance Running Version.

Had a couple of fun conversations with some folks in the comment section talking about running shoes for long distances before and most of y' all sounds like have experience running on trails and what I'm doing is really more of like a paved ish rail trailer. So still trying to decide about the comfort in the shoes to wear.

But if you have any feedback about nutrition, fuel hydration, whatever, along a ultra course that does have a couple of aid stations, I'm definitely seeking that sort of advice. Think I'm gonna I have a vest but I'm a borrow a vest from a friend too so like maybe I can preload a second best to swap out. I don't know.

Still figuring all that out. But I would definitely love your advice. Feel free to leave it in the comment section. YouTube is the easiest place to do that.

You can leave general comments on Apple and most of the other podcast ones as well. If you answer a specific question, I will know exactly what you're talking about, even if other readers are like what the hell, it's fine.

Anyway, thanks so much for hanging out today as we start to get into the thick of it with the training plan here as Mama runs an ultra.

Mentioned in this episode:

Dive Bar Music Club, the Low Key, High Taste Music Podcast

A rotating cast of The Regulars gather to chat about the music they're currently listening to.

Captain Sensible Says, "Wot?"

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 03:33:00 -0400

Summary

In this episode of Momma Runs an Ultra, I'm tackling the wild world of ultra marathon training while also trying to keep my sanity intact. You know, just a jaunty jog through my 50s, right? Between holiday illness smacking my entire family (because why not?) and trying to breathe through my neighbors' smoke out, it's been a season.

We also dive into the mysteries of pacing my upcoming half marathon. As I gear up for my first ultra marathon, I’d love to hear your best sleep tips. Basically, send me all the good advice so I can stop googling "how to stay asleep like a normal person" at 2 a.m.

Links

Recommended If You Like

ultra marathon training, half marathon pacing strategy, asthma management for runners, recovery tips for endurance athletes, sleep challenges for runners, training for ultra marathons, benefits of sleep for athletes, overcoming sleep issues, running at 50, endurance athlete health, managing asthma while running, social media for runners, nutrition for endurance training, mental health in running, preparing for long races, tips for staying asleep, running and respiratory health, coaching for endurance athletes, benefits of meditation for sleep, living in the country as a runner

Automated Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:01.040 - 00:07:02.730

If I go to jail, I can't train for my ultra, right? Well, hey y', all, thanks for getting back here on Momma Runs an Ultra.

I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s who decided to sign up for my first ultra marathon. And this podcast is all about me figuring out what the hell am I thinking. The last time I chatted with y', all, I was losing my voice.

Or I had already lost my voice. It actually got worse from there. And then I started to feel bad.

It was weird because for the first couple of days it was just my voice wasn't working and I felt a hundred percent fine. But it got to the point where I finally had to go to the doctor, which honestly pissed me off. My family got super sick right before the holidays.

And even though we are fully vaccine and do our best to stay as healthy as possible, one of them got Covid, which turned into pneumonia. And real pneumonia is pretty darn scary. Well, I've had asthma my entire life and it's pretty well managed with some daily medication.

But as I've mentioned, I live out in the country.

One of those neighborhoods built like 60 years ago that was like speculative at the time and they were hoping that civilization would build up that direction. Well, they were wrong. There's nothing out here. But living out in the county means that there is not a lot of rules and regulations.

Which sounds great until you have things like my fucking neighbors across the street who burn every leaf that falls from the sky. And I'm really not kidding. I actually videoed my neighbor out one time catching leaves as they came off of her tree.

And I'm not making this up, but what really ticks me off about them and it's both the neighbors across the street right next door to each other, they wet down their leaves and then burn them. So it's just smoke everywhere and absolutely sets off my asthma.

So what happened was they burned for five days in a row of wet leaves and wet boxes and it set off my asthma to such an extent that I ended up with bronchitis and had to go on antibiotics like massive horse pills for days. It was terrible. Eat your yogurt, y'. All. You know what I'm talking about. And if you don't, you should.

Anyway, that's my rant about living in the country. It is noisier than when I lived in the city because people fire weapons constantly and shoot off fireworks every friggin day of the week.

And my neighbors open burn constantly. And there is not a thing I can do about it.

And had I known to ask about those things prior to moving out here, I think I would have stayed in the city where it was quieter and less smoky. Anyway, enough of that because I feel better now. I'm back to running. I had obviously when I finally got actual sick, I did not run through that.

I'm not one of those people mentioned that before, but I'm back to running and now I'm looking at taper before this half marathon that I already had planned before I signed up for the Ultra. So I don't really know how to plan for a pacing strategy for this half marathon.

I know what I can do like just show up and run, but I also know that given the right circumstances, I'm capable of running much harder. Am I? I think I've nailed down this coaching situation I hinted at before. Anyway, that doesn't start until after the half marathon.

So at this point I'm thinking of calling them up again and saying hey, let's start a week before so you can tell me what to do for this half marathon based on my training. But that person is an Ultra coach and I don't know if they have any experience with halves because that wasn't part of our conversation anyway.

I don't know. I don't know. I did build in an extra day for some travel on the way there because it's one of these places where I have to drive there.

It is not any faster to take a plane and it's prohibitively expensive because the race is also in the middle of nowhere and so if I were to fly I would have to drive two and a half hours, wait two hours at the airport, fly, catch a second flight and then still drive another hour and a half. So just not worth it. I'm just gonna get my car and drive 11 a zillion miles. Could be worse. I have the opportunity to do so.

I will double up on some work the day before I leave so I get that extra day to drive.

But now that I've kind of put it out there that I'm training for this first ultramarathon my social media, which I hate social media, but I do occasionally get sucked into it. Woo. Boy do I have some weird stuff coming through my feed now.

But one of the things that being sick got me thinking about was the role of sleep in recovery. And I'm one of those people who I can fall asleep anywhere but my quality of sleep is terrible. Notoriously terrible.

I have never been a good sleeper, like even as a little kid I wake up a million times in the middle of the night. I cannot stay asleep. And sometimes it's because my brain is going, if you haven't figured it out so far, ADHD right here.

And that stays when I'm asleep as well. But even when I'm exhausted, sometimes I can't fall asleep, or I do fall asleep, and then I wake up two hours later, like, wide awake.

Clearly, two hours is not enough sleep. So when I read all this research, that's like, yes, you should be getting nine hours of sleep.

As an endurance athlete, I'm like, I don't think I've gotten more than six hours of sleep ever in my whole life. I would love to. That would be amazing.

But a lot of the tips that are out there about it are things that just don't work for me, particularly the one that's like, make your room really cold. The worst thing for me is when a room is really cold, I can't sleep at all. And I have terrible nightmares if I do fall asleep.

So sleeping as a recovery tool is one that is a bit of an elusive mystery for me. I've done all the environmental stuff. Like, I don't do any screens for three hours before bed. I don't have any lights on in my room.

I have a whole night routine with some chamomile tea and the whole deal. But sleep is still just a huge challenge for me. I do have some meditation apps that I love. And so falling asleep isn't the problem.

It's staying asleep. In fact, I even host a sleep podcast called Sleep with Rockstars.

And I think it's hilarious because in, like, a really quiet, you know, very soft voice.

I read from Wikipedia about bands like the Clash, and I find that absolutely hysterical because the contrast of those things, I know most people don't have that sense of humor anyway, I find it hilarious. Sleep with Rock Stars. I love it. So, like, I can fall asleep, I can't stay asleep. So if you have the magic answer.

And I will not take pills or substances. Not my bag. You do you.

Anyway, I would like to have a better ability to sleep through the night, because I do think that that is going to help my training and recovery as I'm fixing to start this ultra training, y'. All. Yep, just a couple of days. And now I'm super nervous.

So hit me up in those comments with all of your recommendations and suggestions that are safe, healthy, and legal. If I go to jail, I can't train for my ultra right Priorities. Oh, man. Anyway, sure appreciate y' all being here.

I love the feedback that I've gotten, particularly through Instagram, which has been interesting because I hate Instagram. But thanks for commenting anyway.

If you would comment within YouTube or Spotify, or even in the main comments on Apple podcasts, that would be way better because one, it helps the whole algorithm game they make us play, but two, it would help me stay off social media. That would be amazing. I'm glad to be back at it, glad to be running.

And I will let y' all know afterwards how this half marathon goes, because right now I have no idea what I'm going to be doing. I mean, some left, right, repeat, but beyond that, no clue. No idea.

Fingers crossed, because I don't even have a plan, so I don't even know how to aim for it. So. Advice? Sure. Send it my way.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sleep with Rock Stars

Sleep with Rock Stars, the Gen X sleep podcast. You deserve a good night's sleep...or whatever.

Rockin' Pneumonia & the Boogie Woogie Flu: I Lost My Voice

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 03:33:00 -0400

Summary

In this episode of Momma Runs an Ultra, I open up about the unexpected challenge of losing my voice while training for an ultra, a reminder of how unpredictable life and training can be. Despite feeling physically fine, this setback sparks a deeper reflection on the vulnerability to illness and the privilege of good health. I also dive into the complexities of balancing personal goals, friendships, and aging, with the importance of staying active and resilient. I invite listeners, especially those navigating similar life transitions, to share their thoughts as we explore these meaningful themes together.

Chapters

00:05 - Losing My Voice
00:49 - Managing Health in Ultra Training
01:52 - The Impact of Smoking on Childhood Health
03:14 - Embracing Health and Mortality in Running
04:26 - Navigating Adult Friendships and Health Privilege

Recommended If You Like

ultra marathon training, running after 50, health and running, losing your voice, hydration for runners, nutrition for endurance athletes, training plan for ultra marathon, running podcast, adult friendships and fitness, privilege of health, preparing for an ultra, overcoming training setbacks, mental health and running, benefits of running, challenges of aging and fitness, maintaining fitness over 50, staying active later in life, running community, personal growth through running, experiences of older runners

Transcript

00:00:02.320 - 00:05:22.900

So after I went to make my cup of coffee, I went to go talk to the dog. And that's when I realized I had lost my voice. What the heck? Hey, y'. All. Welcome to Momma Runs an Ultra.

I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s who decided to run my first 50ish K. And this podcast is where I totally overshare about the process while I train leading up to it this summer. So I almost didn't record this episode. Cause as you can hear, I've lost my voice. I have no idea what happened. I feel totally fine.

I didn't even know I'd lost my voice till I was making coffee this morning and I turned to talk to the dog, as you do when you work from home. And I was like, what is coming out of my mouth? So this will either be your favorite episode I ever do or the one you want to skip. Totally cool.

But it reminded me that there are so many factors about training for an Ultra over which I have no control. And one of them is, is getting sick. Now, I don't think I'm sick right now. I feel totally fine. No headache, no sore throat, no fever.

Like, everything feels totally normal. But sometimes we do get sick. And that is definitely something that can cause a wrench in a training plan.

So for me, I'm not a person who's going to go run if I'm actually sick. And today is one of those kind of head scratchers.

Like, I don't feel sick, but clearly my body is telling me that something is wrong because I can't talk. So I think what I'm going to do is just make sure I'm really good about my hydration and nutrition today and see how I feel in the afternoon.

I'm not really an afternoon runner. I prefer to just sort of run about 7 o' clock in the morning. When you work from home and you have a flexible schedule, it's something you can do.

Not everybody has that privilege. But I'm not a person who's been sick a whole lot as an adult.

I was one of those really, really sickly kids, like constantly strep throat, ear infection, some sort of problem. And in retrospect, it's probably because one of my parents was a chain smoker in the house.

And we now know not just the impacts on children's breathing, but it's so directly impacted to other children's health and illnesses as well. So, yeah, people who are always talking about how the 70s were great clearly have forgotten about things like that.

Or did not grow up in a house or chain smoking Lucky Strikes was totally normal. But anyway, I was a teacher for many years and I used to always joke that that's why I'm immune to everything. So I don't get sick very often.

And it kind of makes me mad when I do because it just messes up the schedule. You all know how that is. And one of the things that I like about training for this ultra is that there is a schedule.

Like, I need to do these things, not because I have to do them, but because they are part of the building blocks of helping me show up to that starting line healthy. And being unhealthy is a blip in the road to making it to that starting line. So hopefully this is the only time that this happens to me.

And again, I hope I continue to feel fine.

I really don't know since this is the first symptom, but health is such a privilege, and it's a stark reminder of how much running is a privilege and not something that everyone has the time, the health or the support system in place to be able to do it. And I'm very aware of that. This is an ego project and I know it.

And I'm grateful for all the people in my life who support me in being able to do these things. And I'm also fully aware that this late 50s 50 ishk race is very much that looking down death's door sort of challenge to myself.

Right after I turned 50, a number of my guy friends from college had heart attacks and passed away. They lived hard, had a good time, but it still seemed so unexpected and so young.

And it's probably part of what started this idea of do the things you want to do because tomorrow is never promised. And on some level I've always known that.

But when your buddies that you used to go to concerts with aren't there when you text them anymore, it's a little too real. So that's definitely a factor in the back of my mind. Every so often.

We went hiking a few weekends ago and there were folks my age for whom it was a real physical problem and they'd clearly bitten off more than they could chew.

And I think the thing that really stuck out, especially for a couple of the men that were on the trip, because they kept saying, well, I used to be able to do this, I used to be able to do this.

But if we don't keep doing the things that help us be prepared for these sort of endeavors, it is just that, it's just something we used to be able to do. And training for this ultra is definitely me seeing what are the new things I can do that I've never done.

And I don't have anybody around me, my age or older who's doing these things or who talks about these things. And maybe y' all are out there, but my IRL friends are not.

So I don't know, maybe this whole, like losing my voice and thinking it's about the privilege of health, which it is, is also about the challenges of adult friendships, especially as you head towards retirement ages and people of different backgrounds move on to other places, move back to wherever they came from, move to the place that was always their dream, or don't get that choice. I'm just figuring this out as I talk to y'. All.

So if you're one of those folks also on the other side of 50 who's figuring this out, I'd love to hear from you. The easiest way to do that is in the comment section on YouTube or on Spotify. You can also leave it in the general podcast app comments or on Apple.

They don't really let you reply to a specific episode, at least not that I can figure out. And as always, I sure appreciate you sharing these episodes with your friends. It goes a long way to helping other people.

As I figure out why Momma Runs an Ultra.

Mentioned in this episode:

Dive Bar Music Club, the Low Key, High Taste Music Podcast

A rotating cast of The Regulars gather to chat about the music they're currently listening to.

Tears of a Clown, or Why TF Did I Burst Into Tears at the Finish Line?

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 03:33:00 -0400

Summary

Dive into the surprisingly emotional side of endurance events, including those finish-line tears you swear you didn’t see coming. I share my own journey as a runner, from picking up the sport late in life during the pandemic to reflecting on my very first half marathon back in 2013, when I had absolutely no clue what proper nutrition or hydration meant for long-distance running. Spoiler: I still finished with a police escort…and then promptly burst into tears.

As it turns out, that post-race emotional roller coaster is more common than you’d think. Throughout the episode, I talk about what those big feelings can teach us, especially as I train for an ultra marathon and face all the physical and emotional challenges that come with pushing past your limits. Join me as we explore why endurance running can hit us right in the heart, and maybe think about your own “Wait, why am I crying?” moments along the way.

Links

Chapters

00:05 - The Journey to Running an Ultra Marathon
01:15 - Reflection on Past Races and Nutrition Insights
02:17 - Preparing for the Half Marathon
03:28 - The Emotional Finish: Understanding Runner's Highs and Lows
03:59 - Navigating Emotions in Training
05:13 - Understanding the Unexpected in Ultras

Recommended If You Like

ultra marathon training, running after 50, beginner running tips, hydration for runners, nutrition for endurance athletes, emotional reactions in running, running races experiences, running logs and progress, preparing for a half marathon, runner's mental health, running and tears, running fasted, fueling for long runs, unexpected race moments, running advice for seniors, overcoming running challenges, running playlists, running community support, sharing running stories, ultra marathon preparation

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.720 - 00:05:37.190

And then I completely burst into tears. Hey, y', all, thanks for finding Mama Runs an ultra. I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s, training for my very first ultra marathon.

So I was telling y' all that I didn't really start running until the pandemic. And that's true, but not true, because I didn't start running regularly until then.

But I ran off and on for the decade before that, starting back with that three miles, three days a week that I used to do that I mentioned in an episode a while back. Well, I was trying to see what my progression has been over the half marathons that I've done over the years.

And apparently I did a race back in 2013 that I completely forgot about. I have no memory whatsoever of running this race, but there's photos, so clearly I did it. It's absolutely, definitely me.

And I still have the outfit, so it didn't even go that badly. I went back through my running logs and there it was, all my notes, everything that happened, that.

And to this day, I have no memory whatsoever of running this particular race. But after reading my notes to myself, I remembered the one thing that happened that day.

The second I crossed the finish line, I absolutely burst into tears. So we'll come back to that. Because back in 2013, I had no idea about either hydration or nutrition on a run. I had never had a gel ever in my life.

At that point, I did not understand why people took gels. I have weird texture issues. I wasn't about to take a gel. And I was still in the world that thought you should quote, run fasted.

Okay, I'm not a nutritionist. I am not a registered dietitian, but if you are running fasted, this is not the podcast for you. We have nothing in common. Do your research.

Eyeball roll. Anyway, I didn't know. I had no idea. I did not know you were supposed to fuel a run.

I don't know if anybody really knew you were supposed to be fielding long runs at that point, but my method of preparing for that race was I did 16 mile long run. And evidently in my notes. And again, I have no memory of any this, but I have excellent notes.

Apparently I did this one six mile long run, which was a double path on a local rail trail, and that was it. That's all I did to prepare for this half marathon. I don't think I knew how long a half marathon was until I was in the middle of the race. So.

Because I had no idea. And not only did I have no idea what I was doing. I didn't know that. I had no idea.

I thought you would just go out there and do that and it would all be fine and everything would go well. So I had one small bottle of zero calorie electrolytes before the race, and that was it. Nothing during the race. No carb loading, no gels, nothing.

And according to my pace notes, I went out at my 5k pace for the time and then I walked the rest of the way, which totally valid, but I genuinely didn't know any better. Somehow I finished the race. And the reason there's so many pictures of me is because the police escort was right behind me. Yes.

I was the absolute last person to finish. I wasn't even mad about it. I was so lost, literally lost.

I didn't know where I was that I had no idea how far I'd gone, how much I had left when I was gonna get there. Nothing. No clue. So I wasn't even mad. It was kind of hilarious.

And so when I crossed the finish line and then unexpectedly burst into tears, I was mad because I wasn't sad. I wasn't angry. But then I'm, like, crying and can't make myself stop, and I don't even know why.

Well, in the years since then, I have learned that bursting into tears at a finish line is actually very, very. Has nothing to do with how well prepared you are. Although it can sometimes have to do with how much you have depleted yourself through the effort.

Happens to all runners and athletes of endurance events and other rigorous exercise. It can happen even in practice. I had no idea.

I thought I was, like, the only person that had ever experienced this of, like, tears of a clown, Just ridiculousness. Nope. Evidently, it happens.

So if you have never experienced bursting into tears for no reason, when you're not even mad or sad, it can happen to you, too. At a finish line. It is hard to be this cool, y'. All. So at this point in preparing for this upcoming ultra, I'm kind of. Of the.

Let's train for what we can and just roll with it for the things we can't train for. I've got a couple weeks left until my half marathon. That was part of the training plan before I ever decided to do this ultra.

So that's all rolling really well, feeling good about it, and then we got a little transition week, and then it is full on, and you can probably hear it. I'm a little nervous and a lot excited at this point, so I hope y' all enjoy my little music playlist. Obviously this one is Tears of a Clown.

I like a lot of different versions of that song, but I am partial to the one from the English beat or the beat depending on where you're from. And that's the one that's on my playlist. I link all that stuff in the show notes to these episodes for y'. All.

But I guess I'm wondering what are those things that I had no idea I should have expected that can happen, especially in regards to an ultra? Like, are there physical responses good or bad that you just you didn't expect and that you kind of couldn't control?

Like the bursting into tears for no reason. At this point I'm like, if I'm just running and crying, it's totally fine.

And I'm fully aware of like bathroom issues for whatever reason that just rolls with it doesn't bother me. I mean, I don't want it, but that's not something that mentally is going to disrupt me. Possibly physically, but not mentally.

What are crazy things that have happened to you on your ultras?

It's definitely looking like the easiest place to leave comments is there on YouTube or even just in the regular podcast rating and review section on Apple. That works really easily as well. You can be specific about it. I'll know what you're talking about.

I sure appreciate all those five star ratings and reviews and the follows in your podcast app. They make us play this game and your support really makes a difference. I sure appreciate it as I figure out why Momma runs an ultra.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sleep with Rock Stars

Sleep with Rock Stars, the Gen X sleep podcast. You deserve a good night's sleep...or whatever.

You Spin Me Round: Runners Evidently Call This a Backyard Ultra

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 03:33:00 -0400

Summary

Join me on my journey prepping for my very first ultra marathon! It’s been a mix of excitement and nerves as I dive into the challenge, which originally started as a wild idea to do a unique looping run from my home. Turns out, my idea was not novel at all, and there’s a whole community around this kind of thing, like the Backyard Ultra! I talk about why I’m really doing this. It’s all about pushing myself, not seeking validation from others. I also share the behind-the-scenes planning, from preparing for the terrain to figuring out nutrition and building the mental toughness needed for the race. Join me as I walk through this prep, share insights, and connect with other runners along the way.

Chapters

00:10 - Embarking on a New Challenge
01:44 - Personal Insights on Running Events
02:22 - Preparing for the 50k Ultra Marathon
04:19 - Preparing for a New Challenge
05:47 - Preparing for the Ultra: Footwear and Comfort Tips

How I Procrastinate

Recommended If You Like

ultra marathon training, backyard ultra events, first ultra marathon experience, running tips for beginners, how to train for an ultra, ultra marathon diet, pacing strategies for ultra marathons, elevation gain in running, mental training for long races, comfortable running shoes for ultras, ultra marathon nutrition, solo running motivation, running loops training, trail running tips, running events for older adults, managing race day pressure, planning for ultra marathons, ultra marathon race profiles, running community support, personal goals in running

Transcript

00:00:01.680 - 00:06:59.380

To be honest, it kind of ticked me off that somebody already came up with the idea. Hey y', all, thanks for stumbling into Mama runs an Ultra. I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s who decided I'm gonna run my first Ultra.

What the hell am I thinking? As I shared, I've been spinning around this idea of doing an Ultra in some capacity for the last two or three years. And.

And my first plan was that I would have everybody out to my house to tailgate in my yard for my birthday while I went and ran this about three and a half mile loop from my house every hour on the hour.

And I talked about this for quite a while, thinking that I had come up with the greatest idea ever, only to discover that apparently this is a thing not only every hour on the hour races or time races of time, typically 6, 12, even more hours. But also there's something called a backyard Ultra. Okay, this is an official thing. And I had no idea. I had never heard of this. No clue.

And That's a almost 4.1-ish-mile loop every hour on the hour. And you're out when you can no longer complete the loop in the hour. They could go on for days.

But I was super disappointed to discover that apparently there's thousands of people out there who do this all the time. All right, so call me Scoop.

But the main reason that I decided not to do this every hour on the hour 3 ish mile loop near my house was I mentioned it at the gym one day and one of my friends who is an attorney said, hey, maybe not, because if your friends decide to run with you, you could potentially have liability if something happened to them. And I was like, oh no, this isn't about them. This is about me. And I don't do a whole lot of things that are like, this is just for me.

And so that actually solidified this concept how I wanted to approach my Ultra a pretty long time ago, before I ever really decided I was really doing one, I was like, I'm not doing this for other people. I'm doing this for me. Just like this podcast. The whole reason of sharing all this stuff is so I can think it through out loud.

I'm one of those people who can't process my thoughts really unless they come out of my mouth. Hence every single report card in my entire childhood saying, very chatty, talks too much, always has something to say. I know, I know.

It hasn't changed. So I still might go do one of these six hour events or every hour on the hour events type someday. But for now I am officially signed up for a 50k.

I think it's a point to point it might be a loop. I probably should know that as we get closer to it.

I have made the mistake many years ago of showing up to a half marathon, having just run the distance, but not training specifically for the course. That was a huge mistake and I learned that in a much easier environment. So yeah, I will absolutely know my elevation gain in the next week or so.

Nice thing about ultras is most of them have pretty good profiles about that and I went through the platform to sign up for this race. There's even some sort of app that'll help you break down pacing, etc. And you can add in your aid stations and all that kind of stuff.

I actually don't have enough information yet to know how to plan appropriately for that, but I will. I already know that I'm not a person who can do sugar only carbs throughout a race. I have to eat something savory salty.

So practicing what I'm gonna eat will be a whole nother deal. I have a whole. I have a plan. I have a plan, y'. All. I'll talk more about that in another one.

But yeah, I'm sort of sad that I'm not gonna be doing this big loop from my house every hour on the hour for a while. Except that it seems like a whole lot of pressure to be the one person that people come and are cheering for.

That's as much as I love to be, you know, up on a stage, not in that environment, especially when things go sideways. Because I'm one of those people who burst into tears when I'm mad. I know it's super effective sarcasm font for those of y' all who don't know.

And then it makes me more mad because I'm crying because I'm mad. Yeah, I know some of y' all can relate to that.

The other thing is doing the same loop over and over and over all by yourself has got to be pretty boring. So I ran my first like five years of running only running this one same loop back when I was doing the three miles three days a week.

So I'm not really sure I can actually mentally make myself do it. That might be good mental training to force myself to do that sometime, but not this time. That's not what this one's about.

So real soon I'll be checking out exactly what the elevation profile is for this race that I'm signed up for, but also I need to know the terrain. They've said it's mostly flat and it's mostly groomed, so I have an idea of what that means.

But, you know, groomed packed sand, which is what we have near where I live, is very different than groomed packed. Like crushed stone versus pea gravel versus big gravel. And I already know that just from, like, hiking adventures and how that footing feels.

So I'm just grateful that it's not, like, technical trail, because I'm not. I'm not prepared for that. I don't have the ability to train for that appropriately.

And as much as that sounds appealing to observe, it's not a challenge. That sounds interesting to me at this time. See how I'm already, like, scope creep.

Those of y' all have worked in nonprofits like I have will be like, oh, yeah, I can see where this is heading. All right. But we're reining it in. We're only doing one thing this time around.

This 50 ish k. The more I talk about it, the more I'm talking myself into it. Right. Right. That's what we're here for.

So if you didn't catch it from the last episode, I am loosely titling some of these episodes from the songs that are on my playlist. So this one, of course, is you spin like a record, baby. But of course, when they sing it, they say, you spin me right round, baby, right round.

I will spare y' all by singing, but not on the trail. I guarantee you will hear me singing.

I cannot carry a tune to save my life, but I have former DJ disease of knowing every word to every song I've ever heard. It's a problem. So one thing that has me a little concerned here is some advice from y' all on what shoes to wear on different types of terrain.

From what I know, this is like sort of that asphalt y paving that they do on, like, old rail trails. And there might be some sections where it's either crumbled or the they've put in some gravel to deal with where it's washed away in storms.

So generally decent footing, but not super fabulous. What have y' all worn to deal with both traction on those, but also comfort over that many hours?

I'm way more interested in being comfortable during the uncomfortable experience because fast is not going to be a thing for this event. Not for me, anyway. If y' all would leave a comment with your suggestions, I would super appreciate it.

It's looking like YouTube has been the best place to do that. You can do it on Spotify too. I wish Apple had a better method for doing that.

Apple lets you like leave an overall podcast comment, so if you want to be specific in that, go ahead. That's super helpful too.

And as always, I super appreciate those of y' all who have popped by in your podcast apps and left those five star ratings and reviews kind comments, all the good stuff. And if my way TMI sharing about training for this very first Ultra has caught your attention, I sure appreciate you sharing it with a friend.

As y'all help me figure out why Momma Runs an Ultra.

Mentioned in this episode:

Dive Bar Music Club, the Low Key, High Taste Music Podcast

A rotating cast of The Regulars gather to chat about the music they're currently listening to.

The Lido Shuffle and Down Step Running Photos

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 03:35:00 -0400

Summary

In this episode, we get real about the messy mix of running, life stress, and whatever’s going on in our heads, especially when training for something as daunting as an ultra. After a rough half marathon that felt like one long mental battle, our host talks about how emotional overload can totally derail a race. There’s also an unexpected cameo from Boz Scaggs’ “Lido Shuffle,” which ended up looping through the run and becoming this weird little window into their mood and mindset. We chat about what our go-to running songs say about us, how playlists evolve with our training, and why music can be such a lifeline on the hard days. And of course, we want to hear from you: what tracks keep you moving on those long runs?

Chapters

00:09 - Introduction to My Running Journey
00:45 - Navigating Life's Challenges: The Sandwich Generation
03:28 - The Challenge of the Process
06:15 - The Intersection of Music and Running
07:56 - Exploring Music and Podcasts

Links

My Apple Music running mix
countryfriedrock.com podcast from 2009-2020 with archives slowly returning
divebarmusicclub.com new podcast launching 2026 where I chat with some of my music friends about what we're listening to right now
Sleep with Rock Stars, the Gen X Sleep Podcast
Support this Podcast

Recommended If You Like

running playlist, ultra running, half marathon experience, running challenges, training for ultra marathons, running motivation, music for running, running headspace, overcoming race challenges, running in your 50s, running gear, running podcasts, coping with running stress, race day preparation, running tips for older athletes, music and running performance, mental aspect of running, running community, running reflections, personal running journey

Transcript

So now I'm kind of wondering if my running playlist is my subconscious. Why else would I have Boz Skaggs Lido Shuffle on there? Hey, y', all, thanks for finding Mama Runs an Ultra.

I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s who decided to run my very first ultra. And this podcast is helping me think out loud. How did I get here?

So I just got some horrendous official photos back from a late fall half marathon that I did. I'm not going to name it. It was a fantastic half marathon. I just had one horrific days every so often. Well, let me take that back.

I'm not sure I've ever actually had a race that went as badly as this did for no identifiable reason other than my training block was full of a lot of life stress. I don't know if any of y' all are in this whole sandwich generation situation of you still have kids and you're taking care of parents and it sucks.

Nobody told nobody. Nobody prepared me for this. My parents did not deal with this with their parents.

And I don't want to get into the drama of it all, but just to say I was not emotionally prepared for this. Never mind all the other details. I hate it. And that's me being nice about all of this.

Anyway, I think that's really what impacted this particular training cycle on this half marathon that I did. Because the race itself was fantastic. Drivable distance, well located race hotel, good logistics for the event itself, perfect weather for running.

It just didn't go well. I felt terrible and I couldn't salvage the day. I finished, nothing was broken, gave myself two hours to be mopey about it, and then I moved on.

You can tell I totally moved on, right? I got these pictures in the my email the other day and I was like, oh, those pictures reflect exactly how terrible I felt that day.

It was kind of hilarious. They are. If you were going to make like an Instagram of terrible race photos, it would just be filled with these photos.

Every single thing about it just looked awful. And the funniest part was I'm not sure I picked my feet up off the ground the entire time. I'm not sure how I ran at all. It looked ridiculous.

Just like not even running. It was just shuffle, horrendous, terrible shuffle. And everything felt terrible. Can I say terrible one more time? Why not?

So I ended up somehow like with my phone sweaty in my pocket or something and it got stuck on repeat on the Boz Scaggs song Lido Shuffle, which is on my running playlist, but not over and over and over again. And I was in such a bad headspace that day. It never occurred to me to say, hey, Siri, skip this song. And I like that song.

But it's funny, while my legs were, like, barely doing their job and just shuffling along, literally, like, every single step was a down step, you know, those photos. Oh, my gosh. Couldn't. Could not possibly be less inspiring. Anyway, the lyrics of that song are actually.

They sort of helped me get through it all for some reason, until it finally dawned on me to pull my phone out of my pocket and fast forward with my finger. Like I said, I was just not in it that day. So it's sort of a song about. I mean, this is my interpretation.

Every song has meaning to whoever the listener is, but it's really about, like, rolling your last gamble at a life choice repeatedly. And like, every next time is gonna be the last time. And it never quite panning out.

Even when the third time around, the people in your life are like, yeah, this is it. And you're like, one more, just one more, just one more.

And with the whole preparing for and getting ready to train for this very first ultra, I'm a little bit being clear to myself that I'm not in the headspace of just one more, because that's not where this is coming from. It's more the challenge of the process. I don't do a ton of races every year, so it's not.

I have a friend who does like a marathon every month and, you know, knock yourself out, but that's not something that I would be able to physically do or recover from appropriately. And, you know, as I joke, and I've said this one on this podcast before, but this is one of my favorite lines. I say it all the time in real life.

Nike is not coming to reduce my contract if I do not perform on this day. But, you know, if you want to talk about funding this venture, by all means, hit me up.

Because, you know, late 50s women who've never run an ultra are surely the top market for them. Although, have you all seen. I hate to even go down this road. Did y' all see the holey hole filled? What would you call it? Like, mesh?

I don't even know what it was. Some sort of open Swiss cheese mesh something or other shirt that Kipchoge was wearing in that last big marathon. It was pretty cool.

I kind of thought they were going to have it in orange for some reason, but turns out it's white. Anyway, I think it's a cooling shirt with some sort of cooling technology.

I think that is the coolest thing I've ever seen, and I am all about trying something ridiculous like that tangent. Not even sure where I was going with this. No surprise, but I do have a running playlist. It's out there on Apple Music if you want to see it.

Super simple to find. It's called Running Mix. Yeah, I know.

Real, real, real original under the name of one of my early podcasts from 2009, Country Fried Rock, which has some resurrected archives out there. Y' all can find it. Anyway, that's the name I use on Apple Music.

And that mix generally skews heavily to disco because when I am not in a good headspace, you know, turn the beat around, it'll really get you going.

So it's kind of funny that for whatever reason, on that one horrible day, it was just Lido shuffle over and over and over again until I finally fast forwarded to my, like, comfort music, which is the Clash album London Calling. So, yeah, I know I generally don't train with music, but I do like to have one earbud in during a race for those rough moments.

And I've only had one other race where I had any sort of rough moment, and that's because I was really pushing on that particular day. And it helped me stop obsessing about the fact that I was pushing harder than I thought I was capable of doing.

And I was really glad to have it on this day where everything was not coming together the way I hoped for, because it was a pretty good distraction, even the hilarity of being stuck on a Boss Gag song. But I definitely on that day realized there were some oldies in my playlist that I just couldn't bear when things were not going well.

They were not helping me get to the next good headspace. And I'm sorry, Morrissey and the Smiths, y', all are absolutely 86'd out of this running playlist.

I was in that headspace where I was like, yeah, cancel your concert one more time. Anyway, typically I'm listening to Ultra Running Trail podcasts when I'm on my long runs. One of your in one of your off.

And that's what I was saying in one of the earlier episodes, that that's kind of where I've been in this contemplative phase about running an Ultra for a really long time.

So, I mean, if you could know what to do by listening to 11d zillion podcasts about a subject I am definitely your armchair expert, but I'm not egotistical enough to think that that actually prepares me to do anything. But I am curious, for those of you who do run Ultras, do you listen to anything on them? Do you? Is it podcasts? If so, like, what subject?

If it's music, is it like, upbeat music? Is it mellow music? What? You know, it doesn't matter if we don't have the same kind of taste. I'm just curious.

I actually have super, super broad music taste. I worked in the music business for 25 years, and I could go on about that subject. I do go on about that subject.

I have multiple podcasts related to it.

I have one that we're just getting ready to launch called Dive Bar Music Club, which is me and some of my friends hanging out, talking about the music we're listening to right now. So, like, music is part of me. I wake up with a song in my head every single day, and that is something I can't control.

And sometimes I'm like, why is this one in my head? Where did this come from? Ah, it's a mystery. I have never figured that one out.

So I would love to know what y' all like to listen to, if anything, when you're on your podcast. And, like, specific names. Like, if it's a podcast, I want to know the specific name of the podcast you listen to.

But if it's music, especially if it's music I don't typically listen to, I would love to know, like, what album or what song or however you find it. I know that folks who are younger than Gen X generally don't listen to albums, so that's okay.

Tell me what you like, because it's always good to branch out.

That's really what I'm doing here with my goofy little shuffle, moving along and getting my brain ready for the physical training that's on the way for this very first Ultra. I'm. I'm getting that, like, excited stage now. Anyway, thanks so much for tuning in and running along with us.

Y' all can leave comments and stuff more easily, like on the YouTube or Spotify. I don't use Spotify personally, so it'll send me an alert if y' all write something there. But YouTube's might be a better way to interact with.

I hate having to play the whole like, like, share, subscribe game, but that is so much part of what the algorithms make us do these days. So please do tap the follow button. All that sort of good stuff in your favorite podcast app.

Let a friend know if you have listened to this and enjoyed it. If you hated it, that's okay. Just be quiet and move on. Totally cool. We don't have to be friends. I wish I'd gotten there earlier.

Anyway, thanks for being here with me. As I figure out what the hell I'm thinking as Momma runs an Ultra.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sleep with Rock Stars

Sleep with Rock Stars, the Gen X sleep podcast. You deserve a good night's sleep...or whatever.

Rain, Here Comes the Rain Again, Purple Rain: A Soggy Runner Tells All

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 03:34:00 -0400

Summary

In this episode of Momma Runs an Ultra, we splash straight into the sweet spot where weather and running collide. I share why a rainy run makes me happy as I gear up for my very first ultra marathon. From prepping for the training to navigating whatever the sky decides to throw at me, I talk through the mindset it takes to train outdoors when the forecast loves surprises. I also chat about the idea of bringing a coach on board and why clear, honest communication might be just as important as logging miles. Join me for a joyful, slightly soggy riff on embracing the messy magic of running toward a big, brave goal. Really, I'm just procrastinating.

Links

Chapters

00:00 - Running in the Rain
01:38 - Understanding the Weather's Impact on Running
03:22 - Running in Different Weather Conditions
05:28 - Preparing for the Ultra Marathon
07:09 - Navigating Coaching Relationships
09:40 - Preparing for the Ultra Challenge

Recommended If You Like

running in the rain, ultra running preparation, training for ultra marathons, running in cold weather, benefits of running in rain, how to train for an ultra, ultra marathon coaching, half marathon training, running gear for rain, communication with running coaches, strength training for runners, merino wool running gear, running in different weather conditions, preparing for race day, mental preparation for running, outdoor running tips, running safety during storms, enjoying running as a hobby, overcoming running challenges, fitness tips for older runners

Transcript

00:00:00.240 - 00:10:17.570

I kind of like running in the rain. I mean, not really when it's like 36 and pouring rain all winter. Like when I lived in the Midwest. No shade to y'. All.

Seriously, I'm just not that tough. But like 50 to 90 degrees, pouring rain, no thunder and lightning. I am all about a wet run like that.

And as y' all can probably hear it, it's pouring rain right now. Which made me think about this. Hey, welcome to Mama Runs in Ultra.

I'm a runner in my late 50s who decided it would be a really great idea to run my first ultra. And this podcast is helping me figure out what the hell am I thinking.

So when I decided that I wanted to run an ultra, I spent a couple years listening to podcasts and watching some videos on YouTube about ultra running. And mostly I found these amazing videos about mountain running.

I love a beautiful vacation hike to somewhere with mountains, but I live in flatland in the middle of the swamp in South Carolina. I am completely unprepared to run on a mountain in any capacity. And honestly, it doesn't appeal to me as something to do for myself.

I love watching it. It's beautiful, but I don't want to do that. So I didn't even know that ultras on rail trails or paths even existed.

In fact, I didn't even really figure that out until a couple months ago when I signed up for my actual race. But the pouring rain made me think about it because the conditions are definitely part of the training.

And I'm one of those, I only run outdoors kind of people. I can do that. I live in South Carolina. Our weather is pretty good most of the time. I've gotten in six miles in my driveway in middle of a hurricane.

You do what you got to do. But I've also come to really respect the weather and know that toughing it out sometimes just doesn't make any sense.

I think back to, I don't know, what year was it with the Boston Marathon when Des Linden won and it was pouring rain and she's the only person running in a jacket in the attrition of those poor runners with hypothermia you were just watching on the video? So I'm just not one of those, like, David Goggins style, stay hard, be tough kind of people.

I think that's absurd because ultimately we're just doing this for fun. Nike is not coming to reduce my contract if I don't get out there.

I get out there because I enjoy it, and I really, genuinely enjoy running in the rain, it's weird. But also, I wear super thick glasses and can't see anything without them, so I do have to wear a hat.

So if you ever see some ridiculous drowned, rat looking person running through a neighborhood in the middle of nowhere in the pouring rain, it's probably me. I never, ever run in thunder and lightning, though.

When my child was younger, he was playing soccer, and there was a terrible tragedy of a parent that got struck by lightning in the middle of a soccer field on a day that really wasn't even that bad of a storm.

But that old rule that I grew up with of, you know, you listen for the thunder and you count the seconds for the lightning and all that kind of stuff, or you see the lightning and you count the seconds till thunder, and that's how far away it is or whatever. Well, you can get struck by lightning without that being two or three seconds apart. So if no one's told you that, Mythbusters. Right here, y'. All.

I'm kind of hyping myself up right now to go run in the rain. It's cold for us. You know, cold is relative. I'm not gonna knock it. I have friends who live in Saskatchewan who are runners. You know who you are.

You're an ultra runner. You're one of the people who's inspired me here.

And, you know, y' all run in cold weather that I can't even comprehend, but I can run in hot temperatures that y' all can't handle. You know, 95 degrees is not a reason for me to stay inside. I'm gonna go out there and run. I'm not gonna be stupid about it.

I'm gonna dress appropriately and take cooling drinks and all that sort of stuff. And my pace will be slower, but I'm going to run when it's 95. No big deal. But it's like 45 degrees right now, and that's extremely cold for us.

And I'm sorry, I can't do metric conversion, y'. All. That's like the lower end of my wet and cold.

I used to try to run it with, like, a super waterproof jacket, and I found that, at least for me, if I'm going to go get in some miles in the rain like this, the waterproof jacket just makes it worse because I sweat underneath it. And then you're just frigid, and it's just terrible. I'd rather just wear, you know, the greatest thing I've ever discovered. Merino wool.

I grew up thinking I was allergic to wool because wool Made me itchy. Well, merino is amazing. I'm all about a bargain online. Looking for, you know, past season sales and crazy colors. I don't care what it looks like.

I'm here for function. Life motto right there. I'm kind of sharing this with y' all to psych myself up to get out there and do the miles. So I've been thinking about it. I'm.

I'm actually wrapping up the end of training for a half marathon right now. It's December 5, 2025, as I'm recording this, and I have a half marathon in January that was on my calendar for quite a while. And I enjoy the plan.

I enjoy the process. I like the training.

I like having, like, different runs on my schedule and knowing that I'm gonna get out there and do them, because on my own, I will always do the miles. I'm one of those people who does not need motivation to get out the door. I like it. I enjoy it.

But if I was just gonna do it myself, I would run same distance at the same pace every day, and I wouldn't change anything up. But having a plan has really helped me, one, become a much faster runner, much to my surprise.

And, you know, fast is relative, and it's not always the goal. But it's made running way more fun for me because when I get to a race environment, I'm way more prepared for what's coming my way.

And that's kind of what has me just really pondering with the whole ultra thing, is the whole preparation thing.

I like to be prepared, but I like to be prepared for the things I can be prepared for so that when the unknown things come my way, I can handle it, or I can problem solve it, or I can just be laughing about it. I think I heard someone else say, you know, control the controllables, and it's kind of that sort of thing. But I'm not a control freak.

I'm kind of both. I'm, like, super organized and on top of the preparation for some things, and then the rest of it, I'm just like, whatever, let it happen.

And so when it comes to this ultra, I want to be as prepared as possible. So I think I'm hiring a coach. I've talked to a couple of folks.

I reached out to a number of my friends who have run ultras of different kinds who gave great advice on who to reach out to, what to look for appropriate plans if I just wanted to follow a written plan. And I think. I think I'm going To go with a coach.

There's one person in particular I've talked with that I'm feeling like maybe gets my vibe, but I don't know, like, it seems kind of silly because, like, there's no time goal here. I want to finish this. I mean, honestly, I want to show up to the start line healthy. That's really the goal.

It's not really any time for finishing it, but I want to be as prepared as I possibly can to show up healthy on the day. And it's such an unknown for me that I think a coach is going to be the way to go. So I don't know. I've worked with a couple of coaches in the past.

When I first decided to switch up my training for half marathons, when I went from just me doing the same set of miles every single day, I was fortunate enough to get picked for like a professional coaching thing.

They were testing, essentially they were testing some software with the watch brand that I use and they had four actual human coaches who were guiding us. It was really great.

Like, I massively, massively PR'd my half marathon by following her plan and she checked in with us every week and it was incredibly helpful. I found the plan to be exactly what I needed. It was challenging, but I was prepared. It was, it was really cool.

So I worked with that coach for one, two, three half marathon cycles. And that was fun. I really enjoyed it. And then I used a different coach who came well recommended for my most recent half marathon.

And that was not a good fit. And I'm not really sure what questions I should have asked beforehand to have made that a better relationship.

I haven't been able to problem solve that of what I did wrong in my communication to figure out why it wasn't working. But basically the first half of the plan was way too easy and, and the second half of the plan was way, way, way too hard.

I couldn't achieve any of the targets. It was just entirely too difficult. And despite my putting in daily feedback from my runs about what was not working for me and why.

So everything from life stress to sleep to, I mean, those are the main things that were impacting it.

But just I was trying to be as descriptive and honest as possible with the coach about what was impacting me and how to adapt the training so that I could continue to be successful. And her approach was more, yay, you're doing great, everything's fabulous. And I was like, no, it's actually not fabulous.

I'm not reaching any of these targets. And I can't possibly do it. I need something that is different. And we just, we weren't. We weren't vibing. I'm not really.

I'm frustrated that I wasn't able to communicate with her that I needed something different. Despite saying I need something different. Clearly my language was not speaking her language. And so it wasn't a great fit.

And that race was not my best. I was not in a great headspace and I was feeling awful physically. I just. I didn't feel prepared despite doing all the miles.

And I had slacked off a bit on my weightlifting, which I love to weightlift. And I honestly, I think that was a lot of it, but just the running prep was not there.

So the coach that I'm considering using for this ultra training, the reason why I felt like we were possibly a good fit was that she said, you know, how do you feel about strength training? And I was like, oh, I love strength training. I said, but I really like a barbell.

I'm not real good about doing, like single leg stuff and that sort of thing. And she's all about the strength and mobility. And I was like, okay, we are probably going to be a very good fit right here.

So still in that, like, contemplative phase. Those of you took psychology classes, but I'm thinking that's how I'm heading. I don't know.

All of this is the kind of thing that I think about when I go out on a cold, rainy run as I'm fixing to do out my door. I don't know, I'd like to know how to communicate that more effectively.

If you've worked with coaches on big, scary goals like this, what have you done to keep that communication line really clear when maybe you're not getting your point across to them? I would love your suggestions.

If you're listening to this on, like, Spotify or YouTube, you can actually, like, write comments and then it'll help me because I genuinely would like to do this better. And I feel.

It's not like I feel like this ultra is like a one and done kind of thing, but I do feel like I want to lay the groundwork for this to be as positive of an experience as possible. So brain dump right here for y'. All and I appreciate your advice and recommendations and all that kind of stuff.

And if you are a person who is offended by me saying that it's really, really cold at 45 degrees, that's fine. Enough procrastination right here. I gotta get out the door because mama runs an ultra.

Mentioned in this episode:

Dive Bar Music Club, the Low Key, High Taste Music Podcast

A rotating cast of The Regulars gather to chat about the music they're currently listening to.

Your Uterus Will Fall Out

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 03:33:00 -0400

Summary

Plot twist: my uterus did NOT fall out.

In this episode, I wander back through the strangely misguided athletics messages of my youth, namely, that girls absolutely should not run because, according to my parents, my uterus might fall out. (Yes, really.) Fast-forward a few decades, and here I am in my mid-50s, having gone from enthusiastic fitness walker to full-blown runner, now staring down the start line of my very first ultra-marathon.

I share how I got from “running is forbidden” to “sure, let’s run absurd distances for fun,” and how shedding those old myths opened the door to a passion I never saw coming. It’s a story about hilariously outdated advice and discovering that it’s never too late to choose your own adventure, especially one with a lot of miles.

Join me as I puzzle, laugh, and jog my way into this unexpected chapter as Momma Runs an Ultra.

Links

Chapters

00:05 - Starting the Ultra Journey
00:16 - The Journey to Running
01:31 - The Journey to Running: Breaking Barriers
02:08 - A New Approach to Fitness: From Walking to Running
03:04 - The Journey to Ultra Running
03:18 - The Journey to Ultra Running

Recommended If You Like

ultra running, running after 50, female runners, couch to 5K, overcoming running myths, distance running for beginners, fitness journey, late start running, ultra marathon training, running motivation, women in sports, age and fitness, running tips for women, running stories, first ultra marathon, transitioning to running, fitness after 50, training plans for beginners, mental health and running, personal running experiences, medical myths, 1984 olympics, Joan Benoit Samuelson

Transcript

00:00:00.480 - 00:03:22.800

I mean, plot twist. My uterus did not even fall out. Hey, y', all, this is Mama Runs an Ultra.

I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s who kind of said, hey, y', all, watch this. And signed up to run my very first ultra. As of today, December 5, 2025, I have never run further than 16 miles.

And the race I'm signed up for is like 30 something. And I'm still in that stage of going. What the hell was I thinking? I did not grow up as a runner.

In fact, I was not allowed to run when I was in high school. I wanted to do cross country because they seemed kind of like a cool group of folks.

And I really liked the fact that you could be part of the team and never, ever have to run the races because only the top seven got to run. And my school was one of those pretty competitive schools, so there was no way that was ever going to happen for me.

Well, the summer before the season that I wanted to run, the coach sent a summer training plan on a piece of paper to our house for new runners. And the first step was run a mile. Well, I couldn't run a mile. And then my parents read the list and they said, you're not allowed to do that.

Your uterus will fall out. Looking back on this from my 50s, I can tell you if your uterus would fall out from distance running. So many women would be running voluntarily.

But plot twist, my uterus did not fall out, but I also did not run the mile ever. I wasn't allowed to because it was too far for girls. And at the time, women were not even allowed to run in the Olympics marathon.

Yep, some of y' all remember that between the stereotype of bad for your knees, possible medical emergencies of uteri falling out, and my parents favorite quote, you'll use up your lifetime heartbeats, they really believed all this stuff. I. I was not a runner. And that did not change until my mid-40s. From my 30s through my mid-40s, I was a dedicated fitness walker.

Three miles a day, three days a week. That's it. And I was convinced that that was too much. At some point, walking was just taking too long. And I found couch to 5K. Now this is old school.

Couch to 5K on a piece of paper. Before the apps, I don't think I even had a smartphone yet. I don't even know if they existed. I didn't have a GPS watch or any way of measuring it.

So I found this loop.

It was a little over a mile around in a neighborhood down the street from me and I would run one mailbox, walk one mailbox, run one mailbox, walk one mailbox. And it was supposed to be an eight week training plan, but by the end of the eight weeks, I was running about a mile and a half, not a 5K.

So it took me another six months to build all the way up to being able to run a 5k without stopping. And at that point, for many, many years, I ran three miles a day, three days a week. Somewhere along the lines, it became fun.

Honestly, you could have never convinced me of that so objectively, here I am in my late 50s, definitely more physically fit than I was 25 years ago. What does that have to do with running an Ultra? I don't know.

But somehow we all end up either buying into the myths we grew up with or waking up one day and going, that was total bullshit. So that's where I am. How did this lead to running an Ultra? Well, that's a long story. And that's why we're here as Momma runs an ultra.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sleep with Rock Stars

Sleep with Rock Stars, the Gen X sleep podcast. You deserve a good night's sleep...or whatever.

Momma Runs an Ultra, The Trailer

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 03:33:00 -0400

Summary

Ever decide to celebrate a birthday with something epic…and then immediately wonder what on earth you just signed up for? That’s basically how I tumbled into the world of ultra-running. Back in 2020, I had grand plans for a 50K to mark turning 50, but the pandemic had other ideas. Cue a lot of reflection, some mild existential spiraling, and the growing realization that my 50s weren’t going to wait around for me to face Big, Scary Goals.

So in Momma Runs an Ultra, I talk about finally taking the plunge and registering for my very first ultra, even though I’m still not entirely sure how may miles these kilometers are, how many snacks I can handle while running, or whether my I can even do it. It’s a mix of excitement, confusion, and the kind of “Why am I doing this?” energy that pairs perfectly with a long run.

Join me as I jog into this wild new chapter. Let’s see how far we can go.

Links

Chapters

00:13 - The Impact of the Pandemic on Personal Goals
00:18 - A New Beginning in Running
00:43 - Understanding Ultra Marathons
00:57 - Reflections on Choices

Recommended If You Like

running motivation, ultra marathon training, 50K race preparation, pandemic running journey, celebrating 50th birthday, consistency in running, running in your 50s, ultra running experiences, long-distance running tips, race day expectations, running community support, personal fitness goals, overcoming running challenges, 5K to ultra transition, preparing for ultra races, running milestones, finding joy in running, age and fitness, mental health and running, podcast about running stories, masters running, grand masters

Transcript

00:00:00.720 - 00:01:08.930

So back in 2020, I had big plans for my running. I was going to celebrate my 50th birthday with a 50K. I was already 50.

And that's where it kind of kicked in of like, ooh, I've done nothing with my life. And then the pandemic. So the race got canceled. I never did it, but I did start running consistently.

Fast forward to 2025, and I was like, well, I am running out of years in my 50s. I better start making this happen.

And one thing led to another, and I saw this race that kind of reminded me of all of my theater friends grow up, as if they all decided to go run really, really long distances. Next thing I knew, I was waking up bright and early to sign up for my first ultra.

I mean, I'm the kind of person that when I run a 5k, I'm mad if it's not exactly 3.11 miles in ultras. It's a whole different deal. Like a 50k might be 48k, it might be 56k. You don't really know. It could change when you show up.

What the hell am I thinking? Well, I'm going to share it all with you as Mama runs an ultra.

Subscribe to the podcast now and help me figure out why I didn't just go buy my high school car.