The Ultramarathon Mindset: Trail Talk

Gwen Zywicke is my guest this episode. She is an ultra runner and an Instructor at Louisiana State University and a writer. Her book, Ultrarunning Mysticism: Mind, Body, Spirit and the Sacredness of Overcoming Suffering , explores the relationship between ultrarunning and mysticism. She is working on a new book focusing on the science of the brain in relation to ultra running.

Devin and Jonathan are both returning podcast guests. They are both part of the Buckle-Heads running group in Topeka, KS. They have trained and raced together and supported each other in pursuing their running adventures. Their next big race is the Bighorn 100 on 16 June 2023.

Running is great for keeping both your body and your mind feeling great. But sometimes you need to take some time to look at how you are really doing inside yourself. And sometimes you will get an "aha" breakthrough when you spend some time working on what is inside of you. My friend, Renita, joins me this episode to talk about running long distances, being in the woods, and personal transformation.

Tara Bianca returns to the podcast for more great information about how breathwork can improve your health. She was my guest back in Ep. 74. In that episode we talked more about breathwork for runners. This week's episode is focused on how breathwork can benefit your health in general. Bio: Tara Bianca has been a holistic health practitioner for almost 20 years. She is the owner of BE Light Transformative Therapy, a now fully online holistic health company specializing in therapeutic breathwork, bodywork, mindset and sound healing. Her primary focus is on educating and coaching people to change the quality of their breathing, in order to powerfully improve the quality of their lives. She is passionate about building a global community that is dedicated to achieving optimal health and wellness – for people and for planet – as holistically as possible. Here are my links: Website: https://www.belighttt.com/ Breath Boot Camp: https://www.belighttt.com/bootcamp BE Light Community: https://www.belighttt.com/community YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/belighttt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarabelight/

Before surgery on his hand a man asked, "Will I be able to play the piano after surgery, doc?" The doctor assured him he would still be able to play piano after the surgery. To which the man replied, "Good, I've always wanted to play the piano." I took this "dad" joke and looked a little deeper. Most of us have dreams of what we want to do "someday." Hopes and dreams are usually put away on a shelf in your mind and you have comfort in knowing you can get them out "when the time is right." The sad fact is that most people breathe their last breath with those hopes and dreams still sitting on that dusty closet shelf. I challenge you to get one or two of your "someday" dreams out and start working on them. I'm dusting off an old skill that I never fully developed and after several decades I'm now going to learn it well.

John Crum was my very first guest on this podcast. When we last spoke, he was on an impressive run streak. Running at least a mile every day since November of 2015. He is still on his run streak. But his tenacity is impressive because he has also done 33 marathons or ultramarathons, including running a 100 mile race during his run streak. That means that he was out the door the day after finishing all those races to run at least a mile. I'm glad to have him back again for another conversation.

What does it mean to have freedom? We say we have freedom. But have you ever thought of what it really means to be free? In this episode I discuss my conclusion about freedom: It is, at its core, the ability to choose to do evil.

New Year used to be celebrated in the spring until the calendar changed in 1582. The New Year celebration lasted from March 25 to April 1. Some say that those who held to the old system were called fools. Thus, the origin of April Fools Day. But there is little evidence that this is true. But the fact is that your mindset is chained to the way our calendar is set up. How would you handle the change if we all went back to counting the New Year in the spring? If you are going after an epic life, you need a mindset that is able to handle and adapt to change, whether it's your choice or some crazy idea to change the calendar.

Randy Taylor is back for a second time on the podcast. He's had new running adventures since we last talked and has expanded his coaching services by partnering with other running coaches. I'm calling this a "Director's Cut" episode because I left my backup recorder running after the "official" closing and captured our continued conversation. You never know where a conversation is going to go when runners are talking. And we fell back into a discussion that is worth sharing. So keep listening past the "official" ending for the bonus track.

Artificial Intelligence -- AI -- has come to the mainstream. All the movies about what might happen when humans have to interact with AI are playing in the back of our minds. I asked ChatGPT to write a 10-minute speech about goal setting. It was a textbook speech. And the content was good. But if good content was able to change our lives, we'd be super-human by now. There's no shortage of good content. I dive into a couple of comments ChatGPT made in conclusion. Will AI ever be able to understand what a human mindset is all about?

Option 1: You have to have confidence and belief in yourself in order to run ultramarathons! Option 2: You start the race full of doubt and know that it's going to be so hard you may not finish. Which of these two options is the best mindset for ultramarathons? Both! Jeff Winchester and Jeremy Reynolds are The UltraRunning Guys. They are podcasters, ultramarathon runners, and Race Directors. In this episode we discuss what is the mindset that will get you to the finish. And discover it's not the same for everyone!

The education system conditions us to find the "first right answer." We have to learn the answers so we can repeat them back when we're asked to provide them. So we come out with a framework of "answers" that condition us to see how the world works and what our role is supposed to be in the world. Another word for "framework" is a Matrix. Yes, I want you to think about the movie. That is the world we live in. And we stay trapped in the Matrix of the answers we "know" until we learn how to ask higher-value questions. Answers will keep you stuck where you are. But asking better questions will set you free to live an epic life.

Ultramarathon running is about taking on the challenge and finding out how far can you go. Barney Riesbeck is looking at life like an ultramarathon. In this episode we talk about the races he's run, the challenges he's created for himself and others, and the people that serve as an inspiration to keep going after epic goals for life.

What are the best days of your life? If you follow the common belief they are somewhere in your past. Things were better "back then." But what if you change your mindset and start telling yourself the story that your best days are still ahead of you. How would your life be different? There is a truth that your expectations will determine what you get in life, for good or bad.

Best-of Episode: Cliff Moitt’s Spartan journey started with a TV show in the 80s called ”The Battle of the Network Stars,” and the stars were going through these obstacles. When he saw that he realized that the body is meant to do something different, something epic. At the time he was running 5 and 10K races. When the movie “300” came out, he was impressed by the Spartan culture and toughness. He continues to test himself in the Spartan races.

There is a phenomenon called the placebo effect. You can have the benefits of a drug even without taking the drug. Your belief will create the outcomes. Drug trials - placebo even creates side effects. Placebo is a fake drug. It’s a magic feather. It’s your belief and expectation that produce the results.

Ila Allen was one of my first guests on this podcast. Many people know her from her posts in the ultramarathon running groups on Facebook. She trains outside in the weather extremes of Chicago, running along the lake. Wind (lots of wind), rain, snow, sleet, heat, or humidity, she says she can't run inside nor on a treadmill. But she won't run if there is lightning. A wise precaution. She ran the 100-mile option in the race, Across the Years. And she came so close, logging a little over 98 miles. Any DNF is disappointing. But she plans to go back again this year.

We tend to believe that we are right in what we think we know. But “what we know” isn’t always right. Some things we used to “know” that aren’t so. The earth is the center of the universe. The earth is flat. The sun revolves around the earth. Disease is caused by humours in the blood. The cure is to drain some blood out of your body. Humans only use 10% of their brain. Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis. Eating carrots will improve your eyesight. Women are intellectually inferior to men.

Then there’s the story of the miner in California who gave up his claim after digging for years. 10 years later someone bought the claim and struck one of the richest veins of gold ever found after digging only 3 more feet. Perseverance is at the heart of ultramarathon running. And perseverance comes from mindset. Your mind will give out long before your body. But there are times when you know it’s time to take a DNF!

Mandy Miller has developed a strong ultramarathon mindset in her races and adventures from all around the world. She had run everything from multi-day stage races in the Sahara desert to 100 mile self-supported ultramarathons in the Yukon in January to Iron Man competitions in Hawaii.