(The iconic Keys 100 buckles for the past 6 years . . . is this really Year 7 for me? Man, time flies...) 

Well, it's mid-May in Florida ultrarunning, and that can only mean one thing . . . it's time, yet again, for the KEYS 100, one of the very premier Florida ultras (and, one of the two "prime-time," point-to-point road 100s run along beautiful coastline scenery . . . hint . . . the other one is in December . . . .) :)  

Seriously, Bob Becker is the gold-standard in race directing, not just in Florida, but in the United States. The KEYS 100 should be on everyone's "must-do" list, and, if you're not signed up yet, there's still time. (Click here to do so).  This is the 10th anniversary of the race, and to mark the occasion, Bob has planned all sorts of cool stuff, including the band Sister Hazel, who will be running the relay race and then performing on Sunday for us!  How cool is that???  

                         (My goal this year is not to win the 100-mile race, but rather to beat these guys...) :)  

In addition to awesome entertainment, this year's version of the KEYS 100 features the most-competitive and deepest field in the history of the race. While the "Queen of the Keys," Aly Venti, will be sitting out this year's race (she's 8 months pregnant), the firepower at the start line on Key Largo on May 10th will be nothing short of world-class. Leading the way will be the two DAYTONA 100 champions from 2016, Marc Burget (whose 14:40 winning time was good for the 4th-fastest 100-miler in the entire country last year), and Noelani Taylor (whose 16:00:03 winning time was good for the 7th-fastest female 100-miler in the U.S. in 2016). Lining up next to them, among the 200 or so starters, will be about a dozen other runners who all have their eyes on the ultimate prize . . . the coveted KEYS 100 conch shell for the winners:  

                                      (The prize for winning the Keys 100 . . . Alex not included . . . sorry guys!)

This is the fourth year in a row I've written this Keys "Playbook." The basic premise behind it is although I'm a coach and have about two dozen Zwitty runners coming down to the Keys this year to compete their asses off, I fully believe there should be no "secrets" in this sport, so I have always tried to share all of my accumulated knowledge of this great race with anyone and everyone who wants to hear it. I believe that is what this sport is all about . . . helping each other, building each other up . . . keeping it . . . what's the word I'm looking for . . . classy. :)  (And for reference to why I chose that word, click here).  

Seriously, I absolutely consider it an honor to be able to help a lot of runners -- formally and informally -- to reach their goals in our amazing sport. With that in mind, here is this year's edition of The Playbook. For the 2014 edition, click here. For 2015, click here. And for 2016, click here.  

This year's Playbook's five tips will focus primarily upon perhaps the most-important factor in determining success versus failure at the race: pacing . . . 
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If you are in the small group of people who are vying for a podium spot or even the win, and even if you're not, here's the first piece of free advice . . . wave goodbye to Marc Burget and Noelani Taylor at the start of the race. It is a fool's errand to try and run at their speed from Mile 1. Marc recently won the Donna 110 by running 86 miles in about 12 hours on Day 1, and then waking up the next morning and running a 3:01 marathon. Three-Oh-Fricking-One. If you can do that as well, feel free to stay on his hip...

And for Noelani, I coach her, and one of her "staple" workouts is she will run 20 miles on a treadmill . . . in two hours flat. (Yes, that's a 6min/mi pace, or a "10" on the TM). She considers that workout "easy."  Again, if you're in that kind of shape as well, feel free to tag along with the "Smiling Assassin." (She is seriously the nicest person ever; trying to get her to swear is one of my favorite pastimes!) 

                                                                                                   (The Dynamic Duo)
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The point I'm oh-so-subtley trying to make is RUN YOUR OWN RACE.  In a 100-miler, you are certifiably fricking insane if you let another runner dictate or change your pace for (at least) the first 80 miles of the race. With 100-milers (or longer races), I like to pretend I'm a passive character in a movie for the first 80 miles. I think it's utterly unrealistic to say "don't pay attention to what others are doing . . . just focus on yourself" during these things. Of COURSE you're going to be paying attention to others; we are on that course for so damn long, we need ​something to occupy our minds. So just pretend you're in a movie for the first 80 miles, watching the action unfold around you. If, by Sugarloaf Key, you find yourself in a race with someone or multiple people, then, by all means, become the lead actor/actress in your movie, use strategy/race tactics/etc. Until then, however, if you let someone else dictate your pace, I guarantee you it will end badly.  

Which brings me to the 2017 KEYS 100 PEACOCK AWARD!!  If any man not named Marc, or any woman not named Noelani is the first one to reach Aid Station 1 (Mile Marker 90, Mile 10 of the race), he/she will become the official KEYS PEACOCK!!!  (You don't want the award, trust me!)  Seriously, run your own race. If you don't trust me, listen to the smartest man in ultrarunning...
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I like to think of myself as a pretty educated guy. I went to Yale. I went to Notre Dame Law. I graduated magna cum laude, was on the Law Review, blah blah. But compared to ultrarunner Bob Hearn, I'm a certified idiot. You see, Bob has a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence from M.I.T., which I think means he builds robots that are smarter than all of us. 

Bob is over 50 years old. Bob ran the Spartathlon last year and finished in the top-15. His last 13 miles were faster than anyone else in the entire field. Last month, he ran 152 miles in a 24-hour race, finishing agonizingly-close to making the U.S. 24-hour team, battling at the World Championships next month in Belfast, Ireland (Bob was beat out for the last spot by a few hundred yards . . . think about that for a second...)  

Bob's marathon PR is around 3 hours, which is WAY slow for someone who just about made a national team in running. And he's over 50 years old . . . while ultrarunning is certainly not a kid's sport, Bob is definitely not in the prime of his athletic career from a physical standpoint. So, how in the heck did he become a world-class runner -- and make no mistake about it, he's world-class -- and how in the world did the guy run 152 miles in 24 hours??  Training? Sure, that's a given with everyone at the top of the sport. Bob's main advantage, however, is his (very big) brain: while Bob may own a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence, he is the world's foremost expert on pacing strategies.  He figures out his "forever pace" (i.e., the pace he can run all day long), and he never goes faster.  Here is the graph of his pacing from his 24-hour race last month, a race he dubbed his "masterpiece":  

LOOK at that graph. If that's not a thing of beauty to you, I don't know what to say to you. In the world of ultrarunning, that graph is Kate Upton on the SI Swimsuit Issue cover, or -- a better example so I don't get my ass kicked -- my wife on a daily basis :)  

​Seriously, in his race, each lap was a half-mile, and every third lap, he walked for one minute (that's why you see two dots at 4.5 and one dot at 5, repeated for a long time). Bob figured his "forever pace" was 9-min miles, so he never ran faster.​  

                               (Bob at the end of his 24-hr race last month . . . literally giving everything ​he had)

This will be the 7th year in a row for me running the KEYS 100.  In 5 of those years, I've finished in the top-10, and in 4 of them, I've finished in the top-5 (including winning the men's race in 2013). Despite all that accumulated knowledge and experience, I have a lot to learn from Bob and his pacing. My guess is you do too.  It makes zero sense to "bank time" in the first 25 miles of the race. Find your "forever pace," and never run any faster. That's what Bob does, and he's a hell of a lot smarter than all of us.  

As an aside, if any of you want to pick my brain about what your forever pace is for the Keys, feel free to hit me up! I deeply love this sport and really like hearing from you guys :)  
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If the KEYS 100 was set in the STAR WARS universe, the "Emperor" would be the pervasive heat and humidity that is ever-present down there. Yesterday, probable 2017 Keys champ Marc Burget messaged me, and asked if I had any advice for him for the race. I won't bore you with most of the stuff I said (which really only applies to the very few people at his level), but one of the main things I emphasized was that the heat/humidity is DIFFERENT down in the Keys. Right now, the forecast for race day is sunny and 85, with something like 60% humidity.  Many Floridians running the race are probably thinking, "oh, okay, I run in that shit every day . . . I can handle it no problem."  No. No. No. No you cannot. 

The heat down there is just different. I ran the Keys three years while living in Miami (i.e., 30 miles away from Key Largo). The heat/humidity is noticeably different even from Miami. "Sunny and 85" in Miami, or Jacksonville, or Austin, or wherever the heck you're from is not ​the same as "sunny and 85" in Marathon or Islamorada or Key West. The heat in the Keys is disgusting, it is all-encompassing, and it is unavoidable. 

                                               (Perhaps the only race on the planet hotter than the Keys 100...)

So what does this all mean for you? Again, don't think because the race is flat and on a road, you'll "crush it" and set the course on fire. Find that "forever" pace, and never, ever, evah deviate from it. You can thank me at the post-race party :)  
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Two weeks ago, as one of the final preparations for my new ultra, the LIGHTHOUSE 100 in God's Country (i.e., Northern Michigan in the summer), I ran the entire course for a second time to make sure every step was perfect on the course. I took my time doing so, taking tons of pictures along the way, stopping for lunch and dinner, etc etc. (It's an insanely-beautiful course . . . I wanted to savor the experience.  As an aside, some spots are still open for the race; click here to learn more). But it does get a bit lonely when you're out there by yourself for 100 miles. Luckily for me, one of my entrants, Dan Oberski, a local high school principal in Traverse City (and first-time 100-miler), joined me for Miles 30-60, to preview that section of the course and pick my brain about ultrarunning. 

                                                          (Dave and Dan, at Mile 40ish of the Lighthouse course)

During the run, the one thing that Dan was most-surprised about was the amount of walking we did during those 30 miles. Dan wants to finish LIGHTHOUSE in under 24 hours (which, I'm sure, is a goal of most of the people reading this, for the Keys). I finished the 100 miles in 20 hours and change, and we walked at least 30 percent of the time. Think about it . . . for a 20-hour finish, you need to run 5 miles an hour. That's a 12min/mi pace. If you want to finish sub-24, you need to run a tad over 4 miles an hour. That's basically a walk. If you are properly trained, there is no reason you can't reach those goals.  

The problem, coming from a marathon background, is that "walking equals failure." Because in a marathon, if you walk, that means you've "bonked" and are having a terrible race. But what Dan learned that day, and I hope everyone learns, is that unless you are planning to run Keys in under 15 hours, you will be walking at points during the race, so why not choose those times yourself, versus being forced to walk/crawl/sit because you pushed yourself too hard??  Again, look at Bob's chart above. Every 1.5 miles, Bob walked for one minute. He still got to 100 miles in around 15 hours. There's probably a lesson to be learned there...

Those of you who have been following this blog for a while know of my affinity for all things "Taylor," including "T-Swizzle" (Taylor Swift) and Coach Taylor from "Friday Night Lights." 

I fully believe the best way to run ultras is to honor the rallying cry of the fictional Dillon Panthers . . . "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose"!!!  If you are well-trained, have a rational goal, and think clearly about how to accomplish it, you are well on your way to getting there. And when you're running, run with love in your hearts, for your crew, for your fellow competitors, and for the fact you're accomplishing something absolutely amazing that 99.999% of the world can't even comprehend. If you have that mindset in the back of your head during the race, I promise you, you "can't lose." 

I know, it's not easy to feel "love" when you're in the "Corridor of Death" in those f--king mangroves at Mile 44, and it's easy to lash out at your crew or others when you feel that way. But believe me, the one thing that can get you back to feeling good again is to take the focus off of yourself, and focus on all the people who sacrificed to get you the chance to do something so audacious as running 100 miles in the Florida Keys. In those dark times, focus on them; focus on those who will always believe in you, no matter how long the odds.  
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Alex, Zoey, Witt, and I can't wait to see all of you next week in the Keys! I truly hope everyone has an amazing experience down there!!

www.zwittyultra.com

This past weekend, for the first time ever, I got hit by a car during a run.  It happened at about Mile 50 of a 116-mile race across Florida called the "Route 40 Romp," which literally runs from the Gulf Coast to the Ocean.  (I'm fine; the car just clipped me and nothing is broken). 

I've averaged 4000-5000 miles running a year since 2001.  The overwhelming majority of those miles have been run on roads in populated areas, so I'm no stranger to running in traffic with cars whizzing by me; it's honestly a minor miracle I haven't been hit prior to Saturday.  

At any rate, with my nerves completely frayed, I decided to call it a day at Mile 50, so I DNF'd (i.e., "Did Not Finish") the race.  I felt great physically the whole time, and was winning the race at the time I stopped.  (I also own the course record at this particular race from my run two years ago).  But I just could not muster the motivation to stay on the road any longer; I had no "reason" to be out there anymore.  

It still was a great weekend overall.  My friend Lauren was in town from Philadelphia (she's also the very first Zwitty coaching client ever), and so Lauren, Alex, and I spent Saturday night at a great restaurant near home, and then had a fun Sunday afternoon with more great friends.  I woke up today feeling awesome, and looking forward to a fantastic trip this weekend to Bald Head Island, North Carolina, for the 51-mile Badwater Cape Fear race, with about a dozen Zwitty runners who will be there as well, in addition to so many really good friends from the Badwater family.  In other words, I had already turned the page on the debacle of this past weekend.  

Then I saw this...
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(true name/picture of classy FB poster -- we will call him Mr. Classy -- withheld)

That's right . . . some guy I don't even know (who I just met on Saturday morning at the start line) decided to use Facebook to bash not only me, but my Zwitty Ultra coaching company and the other Zwitty runner who ran the race.  

One of my favorite aspects of ultrarunning is that it's an almost-universally positive sport:  the runners are not professional athletes, and we participate in the sport to find out more about ourselves, enjoy the activity we love, and -- perhaps above all -- be part of a fabulously-supportive community of people.  In large part, ultrarunning is a "judgment-free zone":  we all run for different reasons, we all have different motivations, and we all have different goals and aspirations.  So it really makes zero sense to attack/call out another runner's decision to call it a day.  Zero.  

Unfortunately, the subject of DNFs often can evoke negativity among ultrarunners.  A small but vocal faction of ultrarunners consider it a "mortal sin" to DNF a race, and would rather drag a broken leg for miles on end than make the sane/rational choice and stop for the day.  Which is fine . . . I guess . . . if you want to stick to a "bright-line" rule that quitting an ultramarathon is never an acceptable option, more power to you.  I know a ton of people in this sport, and many of my good friends pride themselves on having never DNFd a race.  But my friends also would never attempt to publicly shame someone else, or a group of others, based upon their own personal philosophies.  

Negative judgments are obviously not unique to ultrarunning.  Negativity, confrontation, and incivility seem more and more "normalized" in today's world (which, honestly, makes a positive sport such as ultrarunning so much more important these days . . . it is increasingly-necessary to be reminded of the inherent goodness of people).  I say this to my non-running friends all the time:  if you want to be inspired, come to an ultramarathon.  Every one I have ever attended has been a celebration of struggle, friendship, teamwork, and above all, humanity.  

Which is why Mr. Classy's Facebook post really bothered me (initially, before I realized it gave me an excuse to write about the power of positivity).  Our sport should be a place where we find solace from the poisonous negativity that pervades our daily lives, not a place where we must confront that ugliness.  

My affinity for the "Tao of Taylor Swift" is well-known in the ultrarunning community.  As I said above, ultrarunners come in all shapes and sizes, we have different backgrounds, different motivations, and different goals at races.  So those people who criticize/judge others' decisions to stop at a race (for whatever reason) are necessarily saying "my worldview is correct and yours is not."  What a lonely way to go through life...

Judgment is silly.  So don't judge.   And when encountering judgment/negativity, I encourage you to follow T. Swizzle's lead and "Shake it Off"!  

I have run about 30 races now of 100 miles or longer.  I've had great successes (such as finishing a 200-miler a month ago, finishing the 175-mile UltraMilano-Sanremo in Italy twice (and in about 33 hours the first year), finishing the 153-mile Spartathlon in Greece, finishing in the top-5 at Badwater, and running the Keys 100 the past 6 years in a row, winning the men's race in 2013.  

I have also had some pretty spectacular failures in the sport (a Badwater DNF, for example).  I've finished races I should have stopped (like hobbling the final 45 miles at Iron Horse 2013 with a stress fracture, to "prove" my toughness (pure idiocy, looking back).  I've stopped at races I should have finished.  And pretty-much everything in-between.  

My point is our motivations in any given race are just that . . . our own.  For example, this past weekend, I was running to lower my course record by a few hours.  But after getting hit by the car (after several very close calls before that), I just didn't care about that goal anymore.  Do I have reasonable friends who would have kept going in the same situation?  Of course.  Do I have reasonable friends who would have stopped?  Of course.   Does that make one group "better" than the other?  Of course not.

We are all unique, and reasonable minds can differ.  So why on earth would anyone in this sport want to publicly judge someone else regarding a DNF?  It just seems so mean-spirited and counter-productive to why we are in this sport in the first place.   Sure, we are all entitled to our own opinions -- after all, opinions are like assholes (i.e., we all have them . . . and apparently some in this community are them) -- but in the sport of ultrarunning I love, public shaming/judgment is just awful.  Keep it positive; it's really pretty darn simple.  

In the end, I'd like to thank Mr. Classy for giving us all a reminder regarding the type of negativity that has no place in our sport.  Being confronted with ugliness from time to time only helps us see and appreciate all the beautiful aspects of the sport.  So hopefully you learn from this, Mr. Classy, and in the future will take your kindergarten teacher's words to heart and "if you don't have anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut."  

One final point: Mr. Classy's attack on Team Zwitty was not just silly, but its implication is dead wrong.  Since starting Zwitty Ultra in 2014, we have had over 250 runners (living in 43 states and 6 countries) come through the program, making it one of the most-successful coaching programs in the country.  Our runners have achieved absolutely stunning and amazing things, from winning some of the most-prestiguous ultras on the planet, to setting distance/time PRs all over the globe, to reaching their own goals . . . by training hard, training intelligently, and having lots of fun along the way as part of an incredibly tight-knit and supportive community.  

Along those lines, if you want to learn more about the program, I encourage you to explore this website.  And I can't wait to see the dozen Team Zwitty members who will be running at the beautiful Badwater Cape Fear race this weekend in North Carolina!!!  

www.zwittyultra.com

(Skydive RD Eric Friedman handing me the dinner-plate sized Skydive 200 belt buckle . . .
the reward for 28 7.25 mile loops...)  

The question I've gotten the most this week, after finishing/winning the inaugural SKYDIVE ULTRA 200-MILE race is, "Why? No, seriously, man, WHY did you put yourself through that experience?"  

It's a fair question. Set in the middle of nowhere (Clewiston, one of the cities on Lake Okeechobee in central Florida, which is one of the poorest areas of the state), the Skydive Ultra course consists of a 7.25-mile trail loop through a bunch of farming fields that surround an airpark. To say the course is "nondescript" would be the understatement of the century . . . it is flat, plain, and the terrain is non-technical. (Seriously, I didn't fall once in 203 miles, and anyone who knows my disdain for technical trails will quickly realize the Skydive course must have been the smoothest trail in the world (which it basically was).  

(The 7.25-mile Skydive Ultra course; the start/finish line is the red dot at the bottom of the diamond)

As you can see, notably absent from the course are the sweeping vistas and inspiring views of some iconic point-to-point races, such as the Badwater 135, the 153-mile Spartathlon in Greece, the 175-mile UltraMilano-Sanremo in Italy, the Keys 100, the Daytona 100, the inaugural Lighthouse 100, and basically every other point-to-point ultra in gorgeous locations that I've run in my life. Also absent was any real competition:  only 4 brave runners started the race, and we started a full 40 hours before the vast majority of the runners doing shorter distances (from 100 miles on down to the 10k) started on Saturday morning.  (The 150-milers started 26 hours after us, at 5pm on Friday). So that meant for the first 26 hours, there were a grand total of 3 people on the course (one guy dropped after 50k, citing boredom and the fact he (completely rationally) thought there were better ways to spend his birthday weekend.)

After 26 hours, 10 or so more people running in the 150-mile race joined us. In other words, I ran the first 153 miles of the race almost completely alone, with nothing to look at, no one to talk to, and no one pushing me, competition-wise. So, as I explained to the Skydive RD (and founder of the Florida Ultra Runners (FUR) Facebook group) Eric Friedman, this was a race with no "external" motivation or stimuli. We 200-milers would only have the motivation we packed along with us, nothing more, nothing less.  

And therein lies the primary answer of why I chose to run this race: I wanted to put myself through the most lonely, mentally-tough, repetitive, rationally-pointless endeavor I could possibly find. I figured if I could get myself through this race in one piece, I could accomplish anything. Well, I succeeded in that respect . . . this race's brutality was all I knew it would be!!

Now that six days have passed since finishing the race, I've had plenty of time to recover, for my blisters to heal, for the soreness to subside, and for me to reflect upon what transpired out there. Rather than a traditional "blow-by-blow" race report that seems to be all the rage in the ultra world these days (e.g., "and then at Mile 128, I took 3 SCaps, an Apple Cinnamon Hammer Gel, and took three minutes to defecate..."), here are 5 take-aways from my race I think contributed greatly to my ability to finish the race, and things that apply to any ultra out there:  
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But after just one loop at Skydive, I was completely drenched in sweat, and I quickly came to the realization "this pace is stupid."  So at 4pm on Thursday (7.25 miles into the race), I decided to try and run as evenly as possible that I could throughout the entire race . . . I'd run each 50-mile (50.75-mile) quarter of the race in as close to 12 hours as possible.  

I fully believe that more than anything, it is this pacing decision that allowed me to have a strong and successful race. My first 50-miles were 11:30, and my second was 12:15 (anything under an hour between the first half and second half of a 100-mile race is considered really good). While I definitely slowed down in the second 100, and was forced to take breaks off of my feet (which I never do in ultras), my decision to scrap my initial plan was absolutely key to my race.

(Feeling good at Mile 100 (101.5), the half-way point)

As a coach, I see this issue come up all the time during a race:  a runner will stubbornly stick to his planned pace for the first half of the race, even though all the external (weather, course conditions, etc.) and internal (fitness level, motivation, overall "feel") factors tell him or her to slow down and run more conservatively. While the runner may be able to hold the planned pace for the first half, the over-exertion absolutely kills him or her on the second half. Where he/she could have slowed in the first half and only lost minutes off of the projected finishing time, pushing it hard at the beginning will inevitably cost many hours on the back half.  

The key is to be able to quickly assess the race, the conditions, and how you feel, and then adapt your plan accordingly. 
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In other words, fear is an important pre-race tool. But once the gun goes off for your race, now is the time for supreme​ confidence. You have to believe you're the best runner you can possibly be, and nothing is getting in your way today. For a long ultra (100 miles or longer), no other attitude will suffice. You need to be able to say "I'm finishing this race today, no matter what, and nobody can stop me."  

"Arrogance" is probably the wrong word to describe this feeling, because it implies a sense of confidence that is unfounded. What you need is confidence based in reality, which you will have if you train as diligently as intelligently as possible going into the race. For me, I averaged 125 miles per week in the month prior to Skydive . . . while I largely took it easy in 2016 (only completing 4 races of 100 miles or longer), I knew from my last month of training that I was "back" to where I needed to be for this race. 

Based on my training, I knew I was going to finish the race and do well.  So I adopted the "nothing is stopping me today" mindset . . . any other result besides a strong finish was simply unacceptable. Fear and doubt have their uses, but not on race day.  Train hard enough to leave them behind where they belong . . . on the miles and miles of training roads and trails.
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Any ultramarathon can be a complete mind "duck" . . . the numbers are just so large and overwhelming when you think about the big picture of your race, especially when you're going through a rough patch early in the race. ("I'm only on Mile 25, on lap 4, and I feel horrible. There's no way on earth I'm going to be able to complete 24 more laps or 175 more miles.  That's just insane...")  

That is the opposite of a "winning" mindset.  Just as Capt. Algren was repeatedly getting his butt kicked by Ujio because he couldn't maintain focus on the one important thing in front of him, you too will get torn apart by an ultramarathon unless you are hyper-vigilant about staying in the present. If you feel like crap at Mile 25, your only thoughts should be about diagnosing what is wrong, and the immediate steps you can do to start climbing out of your hole.  That's it. If you feel good at Mile 25, then just focus on the next segment of the race, and reaching the goal you set for yourself in that segment.

The Skydive 200 is 28 loops of 7.25 miles.  I further divided it into about 15 segments per loop. That's 109 individual segments throughout the race. One of the most popular questions I've gotten this week is "what went through your mind, being out there so long for so many miles?"  Well, 99% of my thoughts were about those 109 segments, and reaching my goal for each one of them.  ("Okay, from here to the aid station is one mile; let's do it in 10.5 minutes.  We've got this.")  We can handle the concept of running a mile. No one can handle the concept of running 200 miles (especially on a loop course). But you don't have to handle that concept . . . just stay in the present and focus on the task in front of you right now; sooner or later, the task in front of you will be "cross the finish line and receive your belt buckle."

The Skydive 200 taught me to be laser-focused on the present like no race I've ever run before. As my body got more and more tired throughout the race, my focus became more and more narrow. I developed a wicked sense of tunnel vision, where all I could basically even see/acknowledge was the segment of trail directly in front of me. Sue Edwards, who volunteered at the race over the weekend, took this great picture of me on Friday morning . . . it perfectly encapsulates what the course looked like to me, in my head, for the final 50 miles on Saturday:

While I was hyper-focused on small, obtainable, present goals, I also gave myself some bonus "rewards" throughout the race.  Every fourth lap, I would allow myself to run with my iPod Shuffle, which provided a fun bolt of energy, especially when one of my favorite songs came on.  And on Saturday, I knew Alex and the kids would be arriving around 3pm (or, about 180 miles into the race).  That fact got me through the few laps right before they arrived.

Finally, long-time Zwitty runner and friend, "Magic Pat" Hrabos showed up at around 3:30pm to run the final three loops with me.  It was an absolute life-saver, as while I was never in danger of stopping, I was getting very tired at that point (I only had 1.5 hours of sleep between Thursday at 6am when I woke up, and Saturday night). So it was great to have someone else to talk to and share the last 22 miles with.  

Pat's presence also provided a fair bit of comedy, and showed me just how much of a "running robot" I had become throughout the race. On our first lap together (Lap 26), Pat noticed all sorts of things on the course.  ("Hey look, what kind of tree is that?"  "What is that building over there")  ("Uh, Pat, I've never seen that tree (even though I passed it 25 times already); there's a building over there??") It definitely made me smile when I realized how narrow my vision had been throughout the race!  

While sure, in an ultra, no one can run the miles for you, and in one like Skydive, you are alone for the vast majority of the race, I think it's also important to not only focus upon yourself, but to also feed off the energy of all the other runners and volunteers out there who only want to help you achieve your goals.  

I say this all the time: if you ever start to lose faith in humanity and the basic goodness of people, attend a local ultramarathon; my guess is your faith will be restored quickly and resoundingly.  Skydive was no exception to that rule . . . in fact, it has one of the best atmospheres of any race in Florida.  Eric Friedman does a wonderful job of creating a supportive and festive atmosphere at the start finish line, and he was cheering me on throughout the entire race, as was race timer Mike Melton.  As well as hundreds of others.  Most notably, Scott Richards and Jamie Woyton took me under their wings and got me anything I needed until Alex and the kids could show up.  And encouragement from others such as Tom Grinovich went a long way to keeping my spirits up and keeping me moving!

So thanks, everyone, for a wonderful experience of self-discovery!  And for everyone coming up to the Jacksonville area next weekend for the Donna 110, I'll see you out there!!!

Two years ago today, I started the ZWITTY ULTRA program to help runners reach -- and exceed -- their goals . . . anything from running a first half-marathon to a top finish at the Badwater 135 or other iconic ultramarathons!  

And in the last two years, over 100 runners have done just that!!!  We have had dozens of first-time 100-mile finishers, countless marathon and ultra PR's, too many podium finishes to count, and . . . most-importantly . . . have had a ton of fun along the way!!!  

Here are just a few pics from Team Zwitty's first two years!  Congrats everyone!!!  We can't wait to help even more people over the next two years and beyond :)  

(2015 Overall Champion Pete Kostelnick)

Welcome to ZWITTY ULTRA's second-annual STYR Labs Badwater 135 Ultramarathon men's preview!  For the women's preview, click here.  

While the women's field is top-heavy -- with three clear favorites -- the men's field features the most-talented and deepest field in the illustrious history of the Badwater 135:  about a dozen guys have at least some legitimate shot of not only a podium race, but winning the race outright.  At least 6 former champions return, including each winner from the past three years.  We start with them...
​

With multiple former champions, world-class rookies, and hungry veterans headlining the elite field at Badwater this year, it truly is a wide-open race.  While about a dozen runners have some chance to win the race, I believe the winner will likely come from this group of five race favorites:

The 2015 Badwater 135 champion, Pete Kostelnick is one of only a handful of runners to ever break the magical 24-hour barrier at Badwater (finishing last year's race in 23:27, and in the process, winning the race by about 2 hours).  To give you a sense of just how hard it is to run a "sub-24" Badwater, consider that the greatest American ultrarunner of all-time, Scott Jurek, ran (and won) Badwater twice, and each time, failed to break 24 hours.  (In fact, even though the 153-mile Spartathlon is almost 20 miles longer than Badwater, Jurek always took several hours longer to finish Badwater than he did when he won the Spartathlon . . . just to give you an idea of how hard Badwater truly is to race.)  

Since Badwater last year, all Pete has done is run an incredible 163 miles at the Desert Solstice 24-hr run (held on a track in central Phoenix), making him one of the top 24-hour runners in American history.  And just last weekend, Pete -- a road runner from flat Nebraska -- finished the venerable Western States 100 in under 20 hours.  

Now, Pete is attempting something only Scott Jurek has accomplished in ultrarunning history:  following up Western States with a win at Badwater just three weeks later.  Can he do it?  I -- for one -- will not be betting against him; he has the talent, the experience, and is wearing bib number 1 for a reason.

The 2014 Badwater 135 champ, Harvey is seeking a first win on the traditional Death Valley-based course.  Given his background in road ultrarunning, his experience in 24-hour races, and his extensive (and very successful) history at Badwater (Harvey has run the race the last five years, and has several podium finishes among those races), Harvey is always a race favorite whenever he toes the line at Badwater.  

Like Brenda Guajardo on the women's side of the race, Harvey is most-comfortable as a front runner, and will gain more and more confidence the longer he leads the field as at the race progresses.  So the field will need to keep an eye on him at all times, as Harvey possesses the leg speed, experience, and drive to simply run away from everyone else.  Will this be the year Harvey breaks the tape on the traditional course?  Time will tell.  One thing is for sure:  it will be a monumental upset if anyone but Harvey is leading the race after Mile 1 . . . per Harvey's tradition, he clocks the first mile somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 minutes!  

A Portuguese runner -- and good friend of Harvey's -- Carlos is a professional ultrarunner who won the extremely-hot 2013 Badwater 135, and followed that up with a third place finish in the 2014 race.  

This year, all Carlos did was finish an amazing 8th place overall at the 150-mile Marathon des Sables stage race in Morocco.  (It is ​exceedingly rare these days for men from the U.S. or Western Europe to finish in the top 10 of MdS . . . the race is always dominated by Moroccans and other desert-based runners).  

It would shock no one to see Carlos Sa standing atop the podium when the dust is settled at the end of the race.

Probably the most-consistent elite runner in the field, "Mr. Podium" Oswaldo Lopez has won the race (2011), finished second four times (2009, 2010, 2012, and 2015), and finished third (2013).  This guy simply knows how to race Badwater really well.

This year, Oswaldo has likely trained harder than ever before.  And in full disclosure, he is the guy I will be pulling for to win, given that (a) he is -- easily -- the nicest runner in the field (seriously, he's one of the nicest guys you will ever meet), and (b) Mexicans such as Oswaldo who live and work in the U.S.A. have experienced a lot of vile and nasty things said about them recently by one of our major presidential candidates and his supporters.  So I would like nothing more than for Oswaldo to win the race, and in the process, send a "deport this, you bloviating hot air bag!" message to Mr. Drumpf!

The lone Badwater rookie among the race favorites, British runner Dan Lawson is certainly no "rookie" to the world's iconic road ultra marathons.  He is the course record holder at the 145-mile Grand Union Canal Race (from Birmingham to London) in England, he is an accomplished 24-hour runner for England, and -- perhaps most impressively -- he was the runner-up at the 2015 153-mile Spartathlon in Greece (from Athens to Sparta), finishing as one of only two runners to break 24 hours at that race!  

Lawson has the "big-race" experience to perform very well at Badwater, and even win the race.  The only X-factor is whether this Brit will be able to manage the intense, otherworldly heat at Badwater, that has taken out several former Spartathlon top runners from Western Europe (including last year's Badwater race favorite, Piotr "Polish Rocky" Kurylo of Poland).  If he can thrive in the heat, however, Dan certainly has the chops to be the one to break the tape at this year's race.  
​

In addition to the five race favorites mentioned above, it would not be a huge upset for any of the following six runners to finish on the Badwater podium, or even win the race . . . they are starting the race just a tick below the race favorites, for one reason or another:  

The third place runner at last year's Badwater 135 (and as a rookie, no less), Aussie Mick Thwaites continued the age-old universal Badwater truth:  Aussies always kick ass at Badwater!

Reports are that Mick has trained much harder than ever for this year's race, and is looking to improve his placing from his incredible finish in 2015...

The other elite Aussie in this year's men's field, Grant Maughan is well-known in the Badwater community, given his second-place finishes in the 2013 and 2014 races, as well as a top-10 finish in the 2015 race, when -- despite it clearly not being his day -- he simply willed his way to a 30-hr finish and a top-10 placing.  

While Grant may not possess the pure leg speed of some of the race favorites like Pete or Harvey, he more than makes up for it with perhaps the strongest mental resolve of any runner in the field . . . the guy has a superhuman ability to knock out 8-9 min miles forever, despite his level of suffering.  He simply presses through the pain and does not slow down.  

Grant has spent much of 2016 going up and down some of the biggest mountains in the world, so we know his endurance is in top form.  He also has a history of putting up big results when the spotlight is on others, so do not surprised at all to see him on the podium this year...

The other ZWITTY ULTRA coach toeing the line at Badwater this year (besides yours truly), Michele is one of the most-versatile and determined runners in the elite field.  From winning a 175-mile race in Italy (the gorgeous UltraMilano-Sanremo in 2014), to winning mountain trail races (such as this year's highly competitive San Diego 50-miler), to winning multi-day stage races (such as his course record at the 167-mile Grand to Grand Ultra in 2014), Michele is simply used to standing on top of the podium when all is said and done.  (To demonstrate his incredible versatility, Michele won a 100-mile race in the fricking Yukon Territory this past winter, dragging a sled of supplies with him the entire time in sub-zero temperatures!  Mind you, this is a guy with 1% body fat who lives in L.A. and Italy!)  

Even though this is his first attempt at Badwater, do not be surprised at all​ to see Mickey at the front of the pack...

To our knowledge, the first Moroccan to ever toe the line at Badwater, Mohamad is a former winner of the Marathon des Sables, and finished in 11th place overall this year, so we know he can "handle the heat."  

He is perhaps the biggest wild card among the race contenders, however, as he has done very little racing in Western Europe or the United States.  Can his prowess on the sand translate to success on the road?  We will find out in two weeks...

Jared, who finished just outside the top-10 at last year's race, has started 2016 with a vengeance, already winning the first two legs of the "Badwater Ultra Cup" (the 51.4-mile Badwater Cape Fear in March, and the 81-mile Badwater Salton Sea in May).  

Despite this success, Jared apparently prefers to stay under the radar, as he indicated in his race application that he didn't even want to start the race in the elite (11pm) wave, but rather run the race "Ferg Hawke-style," and contend from the middle wave!  

Given his year so far, do not be surprised at all to see Jared finish in the top-10 or even top-5 of this year's race.  

One of the many TEAM ZWITTY runners toeing the line at Badwater this year, rookie George Myers has been spending the spring racing multiple marathons in the sweltering Kansas heat and finishing them in the 2:50 to 3 hour range.  He has several very fast heat 100s to his name, including a 16:30 at the 2014 Keys 100, a win at the Honey Badger 100 in the July Kansas heat (2014), and a win at a Missouri 100k just two weeks ago.  

If you are looking for a dark horse contender who could sneak into the top-5 or even the podium, Heat Myers might just be your guy!

Should some of the above runners falter, and one of the guys below has the race of his life, well . . . anything can happen!  Here are some very talented runners to keep in mind throughout the race:

• Luigi Dessy:  Puerto Rican runner who finished in sixth place at last year's Badwater 135, narrowly getting beat for 5th by some bum from Florida!  Luigi has run some major international races, including the Spartathlon, and he has the experience and know-how to do very well at Badwater once again;
• Mark Matyazic:  The "man with the muscles," if Badwater were a MMA-style fight instead of a 135-mile run, he would be the prohibitive favorite.  Turns out he is a hell of a runner as well, almost always finishing in the top-10 for the past five years at Badwater;
• Ed Ettinghausen:  Known globally as "the Jester," Ed holds the world record for most 100-mile races in one calendar year (40, I believe, which he accomplished in 2014).  His 100-mi PR is under 15 hours, so he possesses the speed and experience to be a factor in any race he enters;
• Jimmy Dean Freeman:  The head of the "Coyotes," an L.A.-based running/coaching group, Jimmy returns to Badwater as a runner for the first time in several years, and looks to be in top form;
• Marcus Berggren:  Swedish runner who has won the 135-mile Arrowhead Ultra in Northern Minnesota (2015), Marcus is a gritty and experienced runner who always puts forth a solid performance at any race he enters;
• Brad Lombardi:  Known throughout the ultrarunning world as "the Peacock," ex-Floridian Brad must have realized peacocks are actually not very rare in South Florida, so he moved to the desert in June 2015 and now lives and and works in a village on the Badwater course (Panamint Springs, Mile 72).  By all indications -- the "Desert Peacock" is now primed to make his own mark on the race :)

So, how do you think this year's race will shake out?  Any other runners that deserve mention?  

One thing is for sure . . . with the best and deepest field in Badwater 135 history, the drama will be high in the desert in two weeks!  #seeyouinfurnacecreek

www.zwittyultra.com

(2015 women's champ, Aussie Nikki Wynd)

Yes, it's that time of year again.  Western States is in our rear-view mirror, the mercury is rising, and the ultrarunning world once again turns its attention to the most inhospitable place on Earth, Death Valley, for yet another edition of the STYR Labs Badwater 135 Ultramarathon, the World's Toughest Footrace!!

Welcome to the second-annual ZWITTY ULTRA Badwater 135 race preview.  This year, we start with the women's field.  (Tomorrow we will release our preview of the stacked men's field, where about a dozen of the guys have at least some realistic chance of winning the race).  

By contrast, however, this year's women's field is top-heavy, and there are three women running Badwater  who are clear favorites to finish on the podium.  Now, the order in which they will finish is anyone's guess, and there are a handful of women ready to jump up and grab a podium spot should any of these ladies falter.  So let's get right to it...!

The three women sitting at the top of this year's Badwater 135 race are three of the best road ultrarunners in the world, and they routinely win some of the largest and most-prestigious ultras on the planet (often winning races outright, beating all men as well).  I have no idea which one of these three will wind up winning the race, but it will be a monumental upset if someone not named Nikki, Aly, or Brenda wins the race.  (In fact, it will be a big upset if they do not fill the podium).  

Let's meet these three race favorites:

The 2015 Badwater 135 female champion (and 4th overall finisher), Nikki continued to prove a universal Badwater truth:  Aussies always do really really well at this race.  Last year, Nikki ran a smart, controlled race, and stuck to her own plan the entire race.  Personally, I had a front-row seat to her battle with Aly, as the three of us were trading spots from about Mile 50 to 110.  (Nikki passed me at around Mile 110, and I didn't see her until the finish line at Mt. Whitney...).

Nikki knows that Aly and Brenda both possess immense talent, and I am sure she has been absolutely training her butt off this year to defend her crown.  Unlike last year -- where I (in)famously stated that there was "only one world class woman runner" in the race (a fact Nikki's crew mercilessly (and deservedly) reminded me of as she blew passed me during the race -- I will NOT be surprised at all this year if Nikki winds up defending her crown.  She is fierce, determined, and tough as nails.  

Owner of one of the fastest female 100-mile times in U.S. history (14:42 at the 2014 Keys 100), Aly is the 2014 Badwater 135 female champ, and is known as the "Queen of the Keys," as she lives in the Caribbean (Barbados), and owns the course record for the Keys 100, Keys 50, and has won the Keys 100 three times, including the outright title in 2014 and 2016).  And even more impressively, Aly finished in second place at last year's 153-mile Spartathlon in Greece, and finished in the top-10 overall.  

Given that Aly pulled out of last year's race at about Mile 100 due to an injury, Aly is likely very motivated to reclaim her spot on the top of the Badwater podium.   Will this be the year that Ms. Royal Caribbean cruises her way to the title?  

Rounding out the group of race favorites, Brenda Guajardo is an extremely-experienced runner who specializes in road ultras (especially those held in Italy:  for the past three years, she has won the very competitive 120-mile Nove Colli ("9 Hills") race in Italy, and she won the race outright last month.  

She is also a finisher of Badwater and the Spartathlon, and has won many other ultras, including a blazing-fast overall win at the 2012 Graveyard 100 (16:33), as well as the overall win at the 2013 Keys 100 (17:16, where she smoked yours truly by 14 minutes) :)  

Brenda is a classic front runner, who is most comfortable when leading the race, and she appears to gain more and more confidence the longer she stays in front.  This means Nikki and Aly will have to pay close attention to her at all times, because Brenda has the speed and experience to pull away and never look back.  

This should be the best -- and most hotly-contested -- women's race ever at Badwater.  Personally, I cannot wait, and like last year, I hope to have a front row seat to their race :)  

Should any of the three favorites falter, there are plenty of women in the field who can step up and claim a podium spot, including:

• Kathy Youngren:  a longtime ultrarunner who has run Badwater years ago, Team Zwitty runner Kathy has aggressively trained for this year's race, and her results so far this season have evidenced her fitness.  In April, she won the Strolling Jim 41-mile race (one of the country's oldest ultras), in the blazing fast time of 6:22.  She followed that up with a finish at the 130-mile Ultrabalaton in Hungary last month.  Expect Kathy to have nothing less than a fantastic race at Badwater!
• Sada Crawford:  the winner of the 2016 Brazil "135+" (and this year, that "+" meant the race was 160 miles!), Sada followed that effort up with a third place female finisher at this year's incredibly hot Keys 100.  She will unquestionably be ready and raring to go at this year's race...
• Sandra Villines:  the masters' champion of this year's Keys 100, Sandra is yet another one of the Team Zwitty runners participating in this year's Badwater 135.  She is also one of the Badwater 135 runners who is gunning for the Badwater Ultra Cup (which means running Badwater Cape Fear, Badwater Salton Sea, and the Badwater 135 in the same calendar year).  Expect a very solid race out of Sandy in her Badwater debut!
• Sandy Suckling:  I don't know anything about Sandy except for the fact that she is Australian (see my above comment on Aussies).  That's enough for me to put her among the contenders :)  

This will be one of the most fiercely-contested women's races in the history of Badwater, and because of that, Jamie Donaldson's course record (26:16) is in serious jeopardy.  My bet is that the record goes down, perhaps by as much as 60-90 minutes (seriously, that is how talented the three women are at the top of this year's field).   No matter how the women's race shakes out, however, it promises to be a race for the ages at this year's STYR Labs Badwater 135.  

Tomorrow, we will post our preview of the men's race . . . and the men's field this year is the deepest and most-talented in the illustrious history of the race...

www.zwittyultra.com

(Approaching Stovepipe Wells (Mile 42) during the 2013 race.  Believe it or not, we are actually on a road in this pic...)  

Welcome to the Zwitty Ultra (www.zwittyultra.com) Badwater "Playbook":  ten tips to help you perform to the absolute best of your ability when you run the World's Toughest Footrace . . . the Badwater 135 Ultramarathon.

It is no secret in the world of ultrarunning that Death Valley in general and Badwater in particular have a very special meaning for my wife Alex and myself.  So much so that we named our son "Witt," after the race's finish line on Mt. Whitney!   And despite only being 4 years old, our daughter Zoey has already been to Death Valley twice . . . and she is the inspiration behind the "Badwater Baby" onesies you can buy at their online store :)  

(Zoey in 2013, and the Wittster a few months ago.  BTW, for those who don't know where "Zwitty" comes from, it's simply a combo of Zoey + Witt) :)  

Additionally, in the past few years, Alex and I have become more and more involved with the race and gotten to know race director extraordinairre Chris Kostman pretty well, which has only added to our love of the race and Death Valley!  

Personally, this will be my 5th year in a row at the race (I crewed in 2012 and 2014 for other runners, and I ran it in 2013 (14th place, 30:53) and 2015 (5th place overall, 2nd American, 28:09), so Alex and I have definitely picked up a lot of "dos" and "don'ts" along the way...

So without further adieu, here are our top 10 tips to kicking ass and taking names at the 2016 Badwater 135 Ultramarathon!  

This might just be the most important tip in the article.  You are going to be running 135 continuous miles through the most-inhospitable conditions on the planet, over the course of 23-48 hours.  So do you think it is a good idea to show up to the start line after already being awake for 16-20 hours??  

This is one of the primary challenges of the "night start" the race now employs . . . how to get a significant amount of sleep during the day of the race so that you are fresh and ready to go when the gun goes off.  The earliest you will be starting is 8:00 pm (if you are in wave 1); the "elites" don't start until 11:00 pm, so getting sleep on race day is of paramount importance.  And cruelly, the runners that will have the hardest time relaxing enough to sleep on race day will likely be the rookies (the group that needs the sleep the most).  

So what sleep strategy will you employ?  Whatever it is, start thinking of one now, and practice it a few times between now and race day.  Here is mine from last year:  I finished an appellate legal brief the morning of the race.  I could have written it at any point in the week leading up to the race, but I waited until race day, because nothing puts you to sleep like reviewing a 1000-page trial record and forming a coherent argument out of it for a panel of appellate judges!  And after I spent 3-4 hours finishing that brief, I immediately headed over to the Corkscrew Saloon and pounded two pints of beer.  30 minutes later, I was passed out for the next 6-7 hours.  Mission accomplished :)   (As an aside, if any of you want to write an appellate brief for me out there in Death Valley this year, come see me!)  

Seriously, though, think about that thing in your life that never fails to make you sleepy.  Bring it with you to the race . . . it can  be the difference between success and failure.

(2015 pre-race favorite Piotr "Polish Rocky" Kurylo, saying "You Ain't So Bad!!!" to the night start...)

Polish Rocky was wrong; he was forced to pull out of the race after about 50 miles.  In fact, a lot of the pre-race favorites ultimately pulled the plug before reaching the finish line.  While some pundits may posit that the night start is "a lot easier" than the traditional daytime start, those people are -- hmmm, what are the words I'm looking for -- ah, yes:  "completely and utterly wrong."

With the night start, the race is now a lot harder (and don't take just my word for it; ask any veteran who has run both the day and nighttime starts, including the authority on all things Badwater, Marshall Ulrich). In addition to being forced to wait until the end of the day to start running (leading to runner fatigue before the gun even goes off), the race is harder for several more reasons:

1.  Badwater is now a second half "heat race" instead of a first half one.  With the traditional morning start, yes, the first 42 miles to Stovepipe are really hard, as is the climb up to Towne Pass, but things really start to get easier once runners get into Panamint and beyond.  With the night start, however, while the first 58 miles are undoubtedly easier, the rest of the race is undoubtedly harder.  The Panamint Valley is only a few degrees cooler than the Death Valley floor, and instead of hitting the "heat" with fresh legs, now runners get to experience it after running over 60 miles.  Believe me:  there is not a single section of the "traditional" course that is as difficult as the climb from Panamint Springs to Father Crowley (Miles 72-80) on the "night start" course.

(While the outdoor thermometer at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center won't read 120 when you pass it on race day, it can definitely get that hot (and hotter) when you hit the Panamint Valley (Miles 68-72).

2.  The crucial Darwin to Lone Pine section (Miles 90-122) is much harder as well:  For those of you with aspirations of doing really well at Badwater, and maybe even getting the win or earning a spot on the podium, the race is won and lost every year on this slightly downhill 32-mile stretch into Lone Pine.  If you can run this stretch in 5 hours, you'll likely win the race.  If you can run it in under 6 hours, you'll finish in the top-10 (at least).  In other words, it is an absolutely pivotal stretch of the race . . . and it is a lot harder now that the majority of it is run during the daylight (for the front-runners).  With a traditional morning start, the leaders usually go through this section in the middle of the night, and are spared the mental anguish of staring at Mt. Whitney and the rest of the Eastern Sierras for 30+ miles, with the mountains never seemingly getting any closer.  This section can really mess with your mind.  

                                                                      (Those mountains stay in the distance fo-ev-ah...)

3.  The Portal Road and the Switchbacks:  Okay, here's something you need to wrap your head around . . . you are going to be dragging ass on the final stretch between Lone Pine and the finish line (Miles 122.5-135).  Last year, no one "ran" this final stretch quickly (I use quotes because if you power walk at 4mph for the 9-mi Portal Rd. section, you will be WAY ahead of the curve).  

With the night start, the course just takes its toll on every runner.  So when you find yourself swaying on the road, barely able to move in those final miles, just remember that everyone else is feeling the exact same way.  

(Yes, some of the world's best ultrarunners toe the line at Badwater every year.  And guess what?  You belong...)

One of the greatest challenges that I face as a coach to prepare first-time Team Zwitty Badwater runners is to make sure they keep the race in the proper perspective.   I have witnessed world-class​ runners toe the line at Badwater for the first time, literally shaking because they were so nervous.  Sure, Badwater is a lifetime goal for most, a "bucket-list" race that they have been dreaming about for many years.  And yes, the race is every bit as hard as advertised.  So leading up to the race, you need to give Badwater the respect and awe it deserves by training your ass off, as well as steeling your resolve for the journey that awaits.  (And if anyone wants help in those regards, hit me up...).  

But once training is over and you are standing at the Badwater sign on the evening of July 18th, the time for awe is absolutely over.  You have put in the work; you are ready.  You already know how to run 100+ miles, and how to overcome difficult situations and obstacles.  In other words, when you start running the actual race, you cannot be in awe of it anymore.  Rather, you have to just go about your business, get into your routine, and systematically make your way towards the finish line . . . just as you would in any other race.  

I'm not going to debate what ultra on the planet is the "hardest" or "toughest."  But as far as road ultras, I have not run a single race that demands more out of you than Badwater.  So train accordingly.  But during the race, lose the "awe" factor, and just get down to business...

I see this every year at Badwater:  teams of runners and their crews arrive at Furnace Creek a few days before the race, and basically hole up in their hotel rooms for 48 hours until the race starts.  

I highly-suggest the opposite approach:  spend the few days before the race socializing with all the other amazing people out at the race.  Do all the touristy stuff, like play on the Mesquite Sand Dunes, hike on the path to Jabba's Palace (Golden Canyon).  Stay up late one night and catch the starriest sky you've ever seen in your life (Death Valley is one of the only certified "dark skies" in the country).  Go to Lone Pine and pay a visit to "Badwater Ben" Jones, who has forgotten more about the race and its history than any of us will ever know.  Take a team picture at the Badwater sign at the start line and walk a mile or so into the salt pan.  

There are so many cool things to do and see out in Death Valley; it would be a shame not to experience them.  Plus, you paid a lot to be out there . . . might as well get your money's worth!!  And, as an added bonus, the more stuff you do the few days before the race, the more likely you'll be able to sleep during the day on race day!

Bottom line:  have fun out there​!!!

The great "life lesson" of ultrarunning in general -- and Badwater in particular -- is not that human beings can run 100+ miles in a certain amount of time.  It is not that we are somehow cooler than others because we have run further at one time than most ever have.  And it certainly is not that ultrarunning gives us Facebook bragging rights over our non-running friends.

Rather, the core teaching of ultrarunning is that when we are in the middle of a race and facing unimaginable lows, the voice inside our heads that tells us there is no way we can possibly go on . . . IS ALMOST ALWAYS WRONG.  In other words, ultrarunning teaches us that we are always capable of more than we think.  Sure, if you break a leg during a race, you are a fool to continue.  But 99.9% of the time, we can always still keep moving, get through our rough spot, and come out on the other side feeling much better.  

You need to have this mantra seared into your consciousness:  no matter how bad things get, if I just keep pressing forward, they will get better and I will persevere.  

Now (I know), we can all accept that premise as logical and rational when we are feeling good and thinking clearly.  But how about at Mile 72, when you are throwing up on the side of the road at Panamint Springs, it is 120 degrees outside, and you can barely walk because of how blistered your feet have become?  How do you convince your brain -- which is actively conjuring up all sorts of sensible reasons why you should quit -- not to listen to those reasons?  

Here's the key:  do not trust your own brain during these "low" spots in a race.  Rather, recognize that you are not thinking clearly, and fall back to your mantra (things will improve if I just press on).  And then do exactly that . . . get moving forward.  Take your thoughts out of the equation, and simply start moving.  It is that simple.  You will eventually feel better, I promise...

Every year, runners from parts of the country (and the world) where it is not routinely 90-110 degrees outside will attempt to "train" for the Badwater heat by spending ludicrous amounts of time in saunas.  Some people go so far as to actually exercise in the sauna.  

Here's why I am not a big fan of sauna training:  it is not really "training" at all.  At no point during the Badwater 135 will you be earning points by sitting down outside in the sun.  And at no point will Chris Kostman allow you to haul an elliptical or trainer out on the road.  In other words, by sauna training, you are not training yourself to run for long periods of time in extreme heat.  Rather, you are just tiring yourself out when you could be improving your fitness, running tempo runs, raising your heart rate, and improving your V02 max and lactate threshold levels.  

Plus, how much does sitting in a sauna, a few times a week, for 30 minutes or less, actually "adapt" you to the conditions you will encounter in Death Valley?  (You are still spending well over 95% of your day in non desert-like conditions).  To see some tangible effect of sauna training on your ability to withstand extreme heat, you would likely need to spend absurd amounts of time in there, which is both dangerous to your health and counter-productive.  Yes, you may -- marginally -- improve your tolerance to heat by sitting in a sauna occasionally, but you are also dehydrating yourself, and making it harder for your body to recover for your next hard training workout.  I would much rather have my runners feeling 100% ready to kick ass on their next tempo run than only be at 80% because they spent an hour or two in the sauna the prior day.  

The fittest runners are the ones who tend to do the best at Badwater.  Sorry, but it really is that simple.  I will take a well-trained athlete who lives in Alaska, has a smart and intense training block leading up to the race (80+ miles a week, with regular tempo/speed work), but never sees the inside of a sauna, over someone who runs 40 miles a week and spends 20 hours a week sitting in a sauna.  It's not even close. Further, if saunas actually improved your fitness, everyone would be doing it, and it would be some new fitness craze (which, thankfully, it is not).  

Yes, you may -- marginally -- improve your tolerance to heat by sitting in a sauna occasionally, but you are also dehydrating yourself, and making it harder for your body to recover for your next hard training workout.  I would much rather have my runners feeling 100% ready to kick ass on their next tempo run than only be at 80% because they spent an hour in the sauna the prior day.  

Focus on improving your running fitness in training.  If you have an extra 10-15 minutes a few times a week to sit in a sauna, knock yourself out.  But do not make it a main part of your regimen:  it really does not constitute "training."  (Still don't believe me?  Next time you are in the sauna, look around you.  Do the majority of people around you look like LeBron James?  Or more like Kevin James?  My strong suspicion is the latter...) :)  

(Photos from my annual 'Badwater Camp' in Arizona, June 2015)

While sauna training is more or less a waste of time, it is vitally-important to get used to actually running in hot and dry conditions.  Just as you cannot train to run Hardrock by running on flat roads at sea level, you cannot properly train to run Badwater on cold trails.  With any race you run, it behooves you to run as many training miles as possible in race-like conditions.  So, for Badwater, that means running lots of miles (1) on a road, (2) in really hot weather, (3) with little to no humidity.  

Some people choose to take a trip or two out to Death Valley in May or June before the race, and train on the actual race course.  The problem, of course, is that such trips are very expensive, and you are already likely paying a lot of money for the actual race weekend.

The solution I have come up with over the years:  spend a long weekend in June training in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area in Arizona.  In June, Phoenix is every bit as hot as Death Valley (often hotter), there are thousands of miles of hot roads to run on (with gorgeous scenery), and the mountains surrounding the valley offer excellent replicas of the famous climbs you will encounter at Badwater.  (My personal favorite mountain to train on in Phoenix is South Mountain, the highest peak in the "Valley of the Sun," which actually has a road (Summit Rd.) that you can take all the way to the top.  It is perfect Badwater training...)

And the best thing about a weekend in Phoenix/Scottsdale in June is that it is very affordable.  People that live in the Phoenix area take their vacations in June and July to escape the heat and bolt off to San Diego or Denver.  And since -- besides us -- no one is crazy enough to actually want the heat and vacation in Phoenix in June, hotel prices are dirt-cheap (less than $100 for a 4-star hotel in Old Town Scottsdale).  Car rentals are about $100-150/week.  And all of the prime training locations are within a 15-mile radius from Sky Harbor Airport, so logistically, it is far easier than planning a trip out to Death Valley to train.  

With all of these factors in mind, we are proud to announce that starting next June (2017), we will be hosting the first official Team Zwitty Badwater Training Camp in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area!  Details will follow in the coming months, but you can expect 4 days of running, strategy sessions, and a tour of the best and most-distinctive restaurants the Valley of the Sun has to offer!   Stay tuned :)

And for this year, for those of you with flexible work schedules, we will be hosting a free Badwater training camp in Phoenix, from June 17-20 (next weekend)!  All are welcome to attend . . . if you are interested in getting in a lot of quality miles, learning key tips about Badwater, and basically spending a long weekend with like-minded individuals, just let me know, and I'll forward you the details!!  

Everyone has a theory on how to prevent blisters during an ultra, especially Badwater.  Some people like to pre-tape their feet.  Others wear special socks, put powders on their feet (or other various products), cut out the toe box of their shoes, change socks every 10-20 miles, change shoes every 20-50 miles, etc etc.  

If you feel any of the above things work for you, great, by all means, keep doing what works.  I'm not going to offer any opinion on the efficacy of any of those strategies or products.  Rather, I just want to highlight the one thing that absolutely WILL minimize your chances of getting blisters at Badwater, regardless of what "race day blister strategy" you employ:

Run as many miles as possible during training in race-like conditions.  It really is that simple.  As humans, we are adaptive beings.  We respond to training.  When our feet get used to running on hot roads in dry conditions for long periods of time, they won't blister as much anymore (if at all).  The more you can get your body (and feet) used to running in hot/dry desert conditions, the better equipped you will be to handle Badwater.  

(You . . . alright??  I learned it by watching YOU!!!)

In his excellent new book, Training Essentials for Ultrarunning, Jason Koop states that the number one mistake he consistently sees coaches make is that they simply try to teach their runners what worked for them, as opposed to what objectively works.  "You should do 'x' because that's what I do" is the worst and most-irresponsible advice any coach can give.  Why?  Because it is based on a statistically-insignificant sample size (1).  

In ultrarunning in 2016, it seems like every weekend, a new "coach" is announcing his or her services, imploring his or her clients to pull tires (or even cars . . . seriously) for hours on end, or otherwise giving advice based on that person's own experience, rather than objectively looking at training in a scientific way, combined with the experiences of hundreds of athletes and what they respond to in training.  

My point:  when training for a bucket-list race like Badwater, it is important to (a) gather as much information out there as possible, (b) question everything from an objective point of view, (c) think like a scientist, and (d) come to your own conclusions about what is sound advice and what is not.  All advice is not created equal.  

In my articles on this website, while of course I have certain habits and strategies that work for me in my own running, I do not simply recommend them to my runners unless (1) they are substantially validated by science, and (2) scores of other runners have responded positively to the particular advice/strategy.  Coaches need to take their own personal biases out of the equation in order to avoid the "N of 1" mistake.  

Correspondingly, runners need to be aware of this problem as well, and not just say, "Well, Chris Roman cuts the toe boxes out of his shoes, and he's an awesome runner, so I'm going to cut the toe boxes out of my shoes."  It may very well turn out that cutting the toe boxes out of shoes is an objectively-valid blister prevention strategy.  But it is not objectively valid just because I say it is or Chris Roman says it is . . . you need to do your homework to ensure what you choose to do in training and on race day is in your best interest.

I will end by simply saying "good luck" to everyone running the race this year or at some point in the future.  Badwater is my favorite race in the world, and it is not just because of the immense difficulty of the course or the race's spectacular beauty.  For me, it is mainly because of the incredible people I have met and lifelong friendships I have made over my past five years of association with the Badwater family and race administrators.  

I cannot wait to see everyone next month, especially all of the Team Zwitty athletes and crew members who will be at this year's race (over 20 strong)!  Train hard, train smart, and if I can ever help in any way possible, please do not hesitate to reach out!  

​www.zwittyultra.com

So, Keys Week is finally here!!  In just 2 days, hundreds of ultarunners (and a lot more relay runners as well) will line up in Key Largo (100-milers), Marathon (50-milers), and Big Pine Key (50k-ers), and start running toward Key West.  I write this particular article -- which is now in it's third year -- for one simple reason:  to share everything Alex and I have learned during our time running the Keys 100, in order to give you the best chance to have the best race possible, and reach the finish line at Higgs Beach in Key West.  (For my 2014 Keys Playbook, click here; for the 2015 version, click here).

Alex and I love the Keys.  We got married in the Keys.  We ran our first 100-miler at the Keys 100 (2011, 7th overall).  We've run the race every year since (2012, 6th overall; 2013, Male Champion; 2014, 8th overall; 2015, 4th overall).  And yes, I use the word "we" even though I was the one running and Alex was supporting me . . . in point-to-point "heat" races like the Keys 100, your crew is vitally important to your success.   Anyway, you get the point:  we love the Keys in general and the race in particular!  So here we go:
​

Okay.   Our first tip might be the most essential and most basic.  

​Here is the weather forecast for the Middle Keys (Marathon area) for this weekend:

That is HOT . . .  with a capital "F."  When the temps reach 90 in the Keys, with high humidity, that means the "real feel" is in the neighborhood of 110 degrees.  

So what does that mean for your race?  If you take one point from this article, and one point only, it's this:  don't run your race based upon what your watch says; instead, run it based on your effort level.  This will be my sixth year in a row running the Keys 100 (wow, I feel old just writing that), and -- believe me -- I see it every year:  a bunch of incredibly-fast and talented runners come down to the Keys to run their first 100-miler, simply do not respect the obscene heat/humidity down there, and are puking at the side of the road by Mile 15.  (There is some serious speed coming down this year . . . a few guys with 3hr 50k times are running their first 100-milers . . . that is elite speed).  

Yes, you are an ultrarunner, so that means you are very-likely (1) an anal, type-A personality who will have a detailed pace chart for each section of the course; (2) will feel like a failure if you don't hit your pre-conceived time goals; and (3) have no mechanism for recovering from that near certain result.  

Here's my advice:  while it's fine to have a plan, in "heat" races like Keys and Badwater, you really need to be able to have the maturity to abandon your original goals and create new ones on the fly.  This year is shaping up to be one of the hottest Keys 100's ever (on par with the 2013 race).  DO NOT struggle to maintain a predetermined pace in the first 20 miles if you feel like you are working too hard.  Everyone else is feeling the heat too.  Make the mature decision, reassess your situation, and adjust accordingly.

Case in point:  last year, I ran the Keys 100 for the 5th time.  I was two weeks removed from running the 175-mi UltraMilano-Sanremo in Italy, and I had already run 5 races of 100 miles or longer that year to date.  So, suffice to say, I wasn't exactly in "fresh" shape for the Keys.  The race started at 6:15.  By 7am, I was already complaining to my crew about "how f--king hot" it was out there (not a good sign).  My original goal was to run the first 50 in 7:30, and the second 50 in 8:30, for a finishing time of 17 hours (or a few minutes faster).  But after only a few miles, I knew that wouldn't happen.  So instead of running myself into the ground in the first half of the race, I re-adjusted my goals to "50 in around 8 hours, and then we will see from there."  

It worked.  I wound up finishing 4th overall, losing to 3rd place by a few seconds (more on that later).  But had I been too stubborn/arrogant to abandon my original goal, my finishing time would have been several hours slower (if at all).  

Bottom line (especially for you first-time 100-milers from a state where it's not 900 degrees outside on a regular basis):  run based on EFFORT.  Everything else will take care of itself.  Don't be a "peacock":  no one cares who is winning the race after 10 or 20 miles.... :)  

(Every year, I warn against people "peacocking," showing their bright, beautiful feathers, and basically sprinting the first 10-15 miles.  So this year, I'm proud to announce the first-annual Keys 100 Peacock Award, which will be awarded to the first runner not named Aly Venti to reach the Mile 10 (Mile Marker 90) aid station!)  Hint:  you really do NOT want this award!!!
​

Okay, so there is an incredibly stupid and sexist term that has been floating around forever in endurance sports, called "chicking" or "being chicked."  What it describes is a man getting past and losing to a woman (gasp, the horror).  It is stupid and insulting, if you ask me, because it implies that men are supposed to beat women in ultras (and women have consistently proven to be better at longer distances, as well as pacing themselves properly over those distances...)

Well, in Florida, if you are a guy and will actually be surprised by getting "chicked" in any of the Keys races this weekend, you are a certified idiot.  Seriously.  If you had to ask me to name the top-3 ultrarunners in Florida (regardless of gender), all three spots would be women.  (And while you might fairly debate me about #3, the top two ultrarunners who live in Florida are unquestionably female).  

At least 4 world-class women are running one of the Keys races this year.  So -- in addition to this being Chris Thompson's dream race :) -- what does that mean for you male speedsters who dream of winning that overall first-place prize in one of the Keys races?  Here's what it means:  Check your ambition at the valet of your hotel in Key Largo, and pick it up when the weekend is over, because it would be a monumental upset if anyone with a penis wins the overall Keys 100-miler, Keys 50-miler, or Keys 50k.  Let's discuss in more detail:

A.  The Keys 50-miler:

We start with the 50 mile race, because that race features the best female long-distance road ultrarunner ON THE PLANET, Katy "The Silent Assassin" Nagy.  

I guess her resume isn't really all that impressive . . . um . . . except for the fact she: (1) is the reigning 24-hr World Champion (over 150 miles in 24 hours); (2) is the record-holder (blowing away the old-record) at the most-competitive road race on the planet (the 153-mile Spartathlon in Greece, with an INSANE finishing time of just over 25 hours); and (3) came in 4th overall at Sparty (which is an unbelievable accomplishment, considering every year, about 20-30 world-class men compete at Sparty).  

So to all you guys with dreams of winning the Keys 50 outright . . . good luck.  You will need a LOT of it.  (And, oh, by the way, in the unlikely event Katy falters/slips at all, Sara Maltby, who's won multiple ultras and is a sub-3 marathoner, is also running the race...)  

B.  The Keys 50k:

Sorry, guys:  your chances of winning the Keys 50k do not get much better, as former Keys 50-mile winner Alice Henley is running the 50k.  Again, good luck.

C.  The Keys 100:

Okay, the main event.   Let's look at the raw numbers:  well over 1000 people have toed the line at the Keys 100 over the 8-year history of the race.  And during that time, exactly one -- ONE -- person (male or female), has ever finished with a faster time than Aly Venti's 14:42 result in 2014 . . . and that person was some obscure guy who no one has ever heard of (named Mike Morton, who just happens to hold the U.S. 24-hour record (172 miles), as well as winning Badwater (about 2 minutes off of the course record), Western States, and basically every other race he's ever run)...

Aly hates me writing about her, so for the rest of the article, let's refer to her as "Valy Fenti" to protect her anonymity :)

Valy holds the Keys 100 (female) and Keys 50-mile (overall) records.  She lives and trains in the Caribbean (Barbados), and runs over 200 miles a week.  So to you guys who have dreams of winning the race . . . um, yeah . . . have fun with that.  To help you out, I'll give you a movie analogy:  

Valy is Liam Neeson from the "Taken" movies.  The 1st-place conch shell is her kidnapped daughter.  And the rest of the field consists of the Eastern-European thugs getting in her way.

We contacted Valy for this article, and here is what she had to say:  

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long ultrarunning career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let me win the Keys, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will pass you, and I will 'chick' you."

Okay, that might be completely made-up.  But you guys get the point . . . here in Florida, getting "chicked" is the norm.  The unusual result would be one of these women getting "micked."  (And, as an aside, there is definitely a less "PC" word that rhymes with "chicked" that can be substituted for "micked," but this IS a family show...) :)  

Also, should Aly not be "feeling it" during the race, guys, keep in mind that Badwater LEGEND (and two-time overall BW winner) Pam Reed will also be toeing the line this year at the Keys.  Seriously, Pam is a certified ultrarunning badass.  In fact, she almost started running Badwater in the "B.C. era" (which, of course, means "Before Chris Kostman"!!)  

In addition to being one of the most-accomplished road ultrarunners in history, she also was one-half of one of the greatest (and funniest) news headlines in ultrarunning history (in Outside Magazize . . . my buddy Dean being the other half):  

"Desperate Housewife Stalks Male Supermodel in Sports"

(click here for the article) :)  

This is a phenomenon I've witnessed over and over for years in "heat" ultras . . . late in the race, people tend to get "locked-in" to their places, and basically death-march to the finish line.  This is most evident during the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon, where the last 13 miles (from Lone Pine to the Mt. Whitney Portals) are literally 5000 feet up a mountain.

I have run the Keys 100 5 times and Badwater twice.  Some free advice:  late in either of these races, you absolutely need to have some external motivation in order to perform as well as possible in the last 10-20 miles.  Two of my own examples:  at the Keys last year, I was in 4th place until about Bahia Honda (Mile 65), when I passed Byron Roca, a super-young and very talented ultrarunner from South Florida.  But he started five minutes after me, and I knew that if I saw him again, it would be a race.  Well, by Mile 90, I got word that he was only 5 minutes behind me, and the race for third place was on.  (No one was within an hour of us, either in front or behind).  Without each other, we would have basically crawled to the finish line.  But because we were engaged in a race, we pushed each other to a much faster finishing time than we could have done alone.  He wound up beating me by a few seconds, but I didn't mind, because (a) I had just run 175 miles two weeks before, and (b) looking-back, it was such a fun experience to be running 6-7 min/mi over the last 10 miles (which I've never done before in a 100-mi race).  

My point:  our bodies are ​always more capable than we think . . . we just need to give our minds reason to believe it...

This maxim was confirmed for me a few months later at Badwater, when, at the final checkpoint (Mile 132), I learned I would finish top-5 if I could just beat Luigi Dessi's time on the "switchbacks" (the last 5k to the finish line), with a 10-min cushion.  I was completely dragging for the prior 9 miles . . . seriously, if you would have seen me on that stretch, I looked like I was about to pass out.  But upon hearing at that last aid station that I had a good chance to finish in the top-5 overall at the world's toughest footrace, it was like a shot of adrenaline to my heart!  

So, late in the race, find something to motivate you, if you want to finish as quickly as possible.
​

This is another important point.  Yes, it will be stupid-hot and stupid-humid out there.  Yes, you will be suffering beyond imagine the whole time.  But -- under no circumstances -- should you lose your temper with your crew.  First, it is completely unproductive, because "running angry" is a terrible idea, and it is just wasted energy.  Second, unless you are a paid professional athlete (which you are not), your crew are very likely your close family members/friends who are volunteering their weekends to support you; they are not your paid employees.  So be nice to them, even when you feel like shit.  They are there to help you, and they deserve your praise and compassion.  

I know; that is sometimes hard when you are emotionally-stripped by the course and not thinking clearly.  Here's a tip:  when I feel like crap on a course, I deliberately make myself ask others how they are doing.    No, I'm not being nice or unselfish; rather, I just want to take my mind off of something else besides how crappy I feel.  (Promise you won't tell Alex, okay...) :)  

Whatever your motivation, be nice to your crew, and try to run as "happy" as you possibly can.  If that doesn't work, just remember that if I run by you during the race, and you are berating your crew, I will -- without hesitation -- punch you in the face.  And keep in mind, I'm a lawyer, so go ahead, sue me.  :)  
​

When you are at Mile 30, and you feel like dying, and that 70 more miles is COMPLETELY impossible, just remember . . . you WANTED this.  As my buddy, and Fort Clinch 100 race director Caleb Wilson is fond of saying, "great things are never easy."  Running 100 miles from Key Largo to Key West is epic for a reason.  It is supposed to hurt.  So "embrace the suck."  Laugh at it.  Just keep moving forward, and you will reach Higgs Beach, I promise.  :)  

I cannot wait to see everyone in Key Largo in 48 hours!!!  And for those of you who are in town on Friday, I am hosting a "shake-out" run at 2pm, leaving from the host hotel (Holiday Inn), and running the first 1-2 miles of the course.  The pre-race meetings do not start until 5, so you have plenty of time to get a very short run in, which will help you calm your nerves a bit, and I'll be happy to answer any questions you guys might have!!  

Alex, Zoey, Witt, and I can't wait to see everyone on Friday :)  

www.zwittyultra.com

If you are a sports fan -- and older than 10 years-old -- you have probably heard of Jason McElwain, the autistic athlete from Rochester, NY who set his high school basketball court (and the Internet) on fire on February 15, 2006.  The long-time equipment manager for the boys' varsity hoops team, his coach decided to insert him into the game for the first time ever at the end of the last game of his senior year.  

What happened next captivated the nation:  after missing his first two shots, he made his next 7, including six 3-pointers, for 20 points in the last 4:19 of playing time.  The video of his amazing game predictably went viral, and in the next 5 months, "J-Mac" met the President, Magic Johnson spoke at his school, he spent a week at training camp with Peyton Manning and the Colts, he appeared on virtually every morning and late-night show out there, and to top it off, he won an ESPY for "Best Moment in Sports in 2006"  ​(beating out other nominees such as Kobe Bryant's 81-point game...)

Thinking back, it's pretty amazing to me that J-Mac's big moment happened ten years ago already.   At the time (and now), it was seen as a "triumph of the human spirit."  Despite any limitations he may have had because of his autism, Jason seized his opportunity and made more with it than anyone could have possibly hoped or imagined.

So how did he do it?  Did he just get lucky, as some have since asserted?  Um, sure.  Maybe -- maybe -- you can get "lucky" during a game and hit one or two three-pointers.  But six in a row, in the first varsity game he ever played???  I guess "luck" is one explanation.  Or . . . perhaps . . . the fact he would regularly stay after practice, long after the "real" players had left the floor and he was done with all of his managerial duties, and practice his own shot . . . maybe that had something to do with his success on his big night.  

This was a kid who did not speak until he was five years old.  Yet he had the self-confidence to go out there during his one chance, and he showed the world what he was made of.  Wow.  
​

In the decade that followed that magical moment in February 2006, Jason took up a hobby that fit his spirit of self-belief, faith, and desire to simply work harder than anyone else:  distance running.  

I have written this for years . . . distance running (and especially ultrarunning) is really the "fairest" sport out there.  It is as close to a pure meritocracy as you will find in sport; the harder you work, the better you do.  Period.  Attitude, discipline, and determination mean far more to your chances of success than "natural" talent, your socioeconomic status, or even how old you were when you first started speaking.  

When, a few years ago, I heard Jason became a distance runner and wanted to run the Boston Marathon, I figured it was a really cool story and that he would surely take the "celebrity" route to get into the race, following people such as Will Farrell (who ran a 3:56 in 2003), Mario Lopez (5:41 in 2002), and Tedy Bruschi, former Patriots' linebacker (5:26 in 2012).   None of them ran official "qualifying" races; rather, they used their celebrity and money to get into the race.  (Note:  Don't get me wrong; I do not think there is anything wrong with a race designating a selected number of its spots to raise a lot of money for charitable causes).  

Although he surely could have taken this same path, J-Mac chose the only path he had ever chosen when confronted with a challenge:  he worked his butt off.  After training all year in 2012, Jason toed the line at the Rochester Marathon (on September 24th).  He didn't just qualify, but he realized his goal with a smoking 3:01 finish.  That qualified him for the 2014 Boston Marathon.  (He had to wait until the 2014 race because his marathon was a few weeks after the "qualifying window" had closed).  

                                                        (J-Mac bringing it home in blazing fashion in Rochester...)

Fast-forward to April 2014, the most eagerly-anticipated Boston Marathon in the race's history, given the bombing in 2013 and the "Boston Strong" movement that emerged from that unspeakable tragedy.  

While many runners who qualify for Boston are just "happy to be there" and train much harder for their qualifying race than for Boston itself, that apparently just is not the way J-Mac is wired.  He trained even harder for Boston than he did for Rochester...

Unfortunately, the race conditions for Boston '14 were far from ideal:  the temperature reached into the 70s, which -- while ideal for the millions of spectators who lined the course -- is far from ideal for the runners themselves.  (In my experience racing marathons, the "sweet spot" is about 45-50 degrees).  

So, given everything above, do you think J-Mac used the weather as an excuse and let it affect his performance?  

​I didn't think so either:  he ran a blistering 2:57!!!  (That equates to 6:45/mile for 26.2 miles).  Wow, redux...
​

,J-Mac is a story of an autistic kid who didn't start speaking until he was five years old.  He never played a varsity basketball game until his team's last regular-season game his senior year.  All he did was score 20 points in 4 minutes.  And as an encore, he ran sub-3 at the Boston Marathon. 

"Luck," I humbly-suggest, had nothing to do with any of these events.  Rather, Jason tapped into his inner lion, that confident voice inside all of us . . . the one that says "we've got this."  The one that says "there are no limits."

Jason McElwain's success was not an accident.  He worked his ass off for it.  He was not born with any special athletic gifts or abilities.  Quite to the contrary, the odds were stacked against him from the beginning.

Think about Jason when you pursue your goals this year, whether you are running your first marathon, trying to qualify for Boston, running your first ultra, trying to win a 100-miler, or trying to get into the Badwater 135.  If you really -- truly -- want to reach those goals, you can.  It is completely within your power . . . you control the outcome . . . you just need to know how to get to Carnegie Hall.

Good luck to all of you with your 2016 running goals.  And for those of you who will be at the Long Haul 100 this weekend in Wesley Chapel (Tampa area), Alex and I will see you in a few days!!  

http://www.zwittyultra.com

(Rumor is that this guy turned to the Dark Side after DNF'ing at an ultra in 2015 and being unfairly-judged by others . . . if only he would have followed the Tao of Taylor Swift...)

Happy New Year!!  With ringing in 2016, and saying goodbye to 2015, we say hello to new resolutions, crowded gyms, busier lines at salad bars, and . . . perhaps most-importantly, a whole new slew of ambitious running-related goals!

Well, whether 2016 will see you run your first marathon or ultra, get a PR at a 50-miler, hit the podium at a 100-miler, or finally qualify for the Badwater 135, here are 10 tips to help make 2016 the best ​running year of your life!!
​

Okay, if you are anything like me, the first thing you do when planning your running year is . . . well . . . plan your year by setting goals.  What races are you going to run?  What new distance are you going to try?  

Here is my two-part advice on this topic: 

Step One:  Set an audacious goal.  Something that scares you . . . a lot.   A guy I know -- and have competed against at Badwater -- who is simply referred to as "Seal" in a recently-released book, puts it this way:  "I can't find out about myself in a 5k.  I can't find out about myself in a marathon.  I need to find the most ridiculous, disgustingly-hard thing I can find, and try and conquer it . . . and when I finish, I have all the answers to the questions I've been asking."  (Yes, I'm paraphrasing a bit, but you get the point; this guy has gone through the infamous SEAL "hell week" twice; he probably knows a thing or two about suffering and overcoming it...)

As one of my friends, a super-famous running buddy (who also happens to share my initials), says:

"Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not demanding more from yourself - expanding and learning as you go - you're choosing a numb existence. You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip."  

Amen, brother.  (And thus ends the "kind-of name-dropping" portion of the show) :)

The point, though, is that the bigger the goal, and the more scared of it you are, the better the reward when you finally conquer it.

But being audacious, however, is only the first step of the "goal-setting" equation.  

Step Two:  take baby steps towards reaching that goal.  Having grand plans without having a chance in hell of actually completing them is, well, "sub-optimal," as Rog and Davo are fond of saying (bonus points to anyone who gets that reference).  Psychologists have a name for it:  delusions of grandeur.  That's where Bill Murray and the movie What About Bob comes in . . . take baby steps towards your goals.  If your goal is to run a 100-miler in 2016, don't schedule your first 100 in February if you've never run longer than 20 miles.  Run a marathon.  Then run a 50-miler.  Then a 100k.  Why skip steps?  

And the idea of "baby steps" transitions us nicely into our Tip #2:

(Fair warning:  Tip #2 will ask you to follow the advice of Nick Saban, the "Darth Vader" of college football...)
​

As all college football fans nauseatingly know, Nick Saban is famous for preaching to his team not to think about the result of a game, or the cumulative result of a season, but rather on the process of getting there.

For those of us who are not Alabama fans -- which encompasses pretty-much everyone who does not live in the great state of Alabama -- I like to phrase his message a bit differently:  Win The Day.  Don't focus on the "big picture."  Be a "trees"-type of runner, not a "forest" one.  

​With the runners I coach, I only give them schedules for one week at a time.  Believe me, I do not have this policy to give myself more work to do; it is obviously far-easier to write a schedule for a month and say, "here you go; report back in 4 weeks."  So why do I make more work for myself?  Because (in addition to wanting customization as much as possible), runners should be concerned with today's workout.  ​All that matters is today.  String enough "todays" together, and that is when amazing things start to happen...

Put more directly:  be better today than you were yesterday.  That -- quite literally -- is all you need to do.  If you can honestly say to yourself when your head hits the pillow at night that you made yourself a stronger runner than you were the night before, and string enough of those days together for long enough, you will reach unimaginable heights in this sport.

And that leads us to Tip No. 3:
​

​“What was the secret, they wanted to know; in a thousand different ways they wanted to know The Secret. And not one of them was prepared, truly prepared to believe that it had not so much to do with chemicals and zippy mental tricks as with that most unprofound and sometimes heart-rending process of removing, molecule by molecule, the very tough rubber that comprised the bottoms of his training shoes. The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials.” 
--John L. Parker, Once a Runner

That quote perfectly encapsulates what it takes to be a successful runner:  consistency in training.  I have written about this point ​ad nauseum for years, and it is still as true in 2016 as it has always been . . . there are NO magic pills in this sport.  The runners who achieve their goals are the ones who train consistently and intelligently, plain and simple.
​

-"Balance is key, Daniel-san."  While quality consistent training is definitely the key towards reaching great heights in marathon and ultrarunning, none of us are professional runners.  We need balance in our lives, in order to be the best runners and -- more-importantly, people -- we can be.   While we all think running is awesome and, if you are anything like me, a big part of your life, it is not your life nor what encapsulates you as a person.  We all have other interests, responsibilities, desires, passions, etc etc.  And while most people reading this right now share a passion for running -- often running for a really long time -- we need to recognize that while we are similar in that regard, we are not necessarily similar in (a) what drives us to run, and (b) what else we like to do when we are not running.  Which leads us to good ole' Tay-Tay:

-"Shake it Off"  Again, none of us are professional runners.  So why do we see others -- so often now, especially in this age of instant reactions and social media -- trying to push their own agendas, values, and beliefs upon us?  There is so much running-related "noise" on social media these days that it can be deafening.  Wouldn't it be great if we all recognized, as an absolute truth, that (a) all runners are different, (b) we all have different motivations, and (c) there is NO "right" or "wrong" in this sport??  My main point here is simple:  don't judge others, and don't let others' judgments of your goals affect you.  Your goals and your motivations are yours and yours alone.  So own them and be proud of them.  If family members, work colleagues, friends, Facebook "friends," or anyone else judges you for setting an audacious goal, for being content with a DNF, or for whatever reason, just recognize that they are projecting their own issues upon you.  That does not and should not become your ​reality.  Just do your thing (with "clear eyes", and follow your heart, and you can't lose).

("Clear eyes, full hears . . . can't lose!!!")
​

The final tip of this article is one that your rational brain will not believe until you have "been there," but I will say it anyway:  there is absolutely nothing magical about any of the distances of races you will be attempting, whether it is 26.2 miles, 50 or 100 miles, the Badwater 135, or something even longer.  

They are just random numbers.  Take the marathon for example.  The 26.2 distance came to be because of the confluence of two factors:  (a) the distance from the city of Marathon to Athens in Greece is roughly 25 miles, and (b) in 1908, the King of England added 1.2 miles to the traditional "marathon" distance (25 miles) so that it would finish in front of his residence.  Absurdly-random, right??  The same can be said about 50 miles or 100 miles . . . they are simply round numbers, ultimately based upon 5,280 segments, measured by the average size of a human foot hundreds of years ago.  

My point:  do not be scared of distances.  Sure, each new distance presents its own challenges, and its own strategies for conquering the distance.  But after running well over a hundred marathons and ultras (of increasing length), I firmly believe that, with experience, you will agree with me that the numbers that define these races are just that . . . numbers.  And once you realize that, and take away the power that some daunting distance may have over you, then you can begin to see it for what it really is:  simply a measurement of the distance from point A to point B.  There is nothing preclusive about any distance . . . if you want to run x number of miles (no matter how big "x" is,  you can, regardless of your "talent" as a runner).  In other words, there are no limits to what you can accomplish.  As my buddy Ray Zahab (dammit, yet another name-drop) is fond of saying:  "90% of this sport is mental, and the other 10% is in your head"!

I hope 2016 will be the best running year of your lives, and I cannot wait to see as many of you as possible throughout the year, starting on Jan. 16th at the Long Haul 100 in Wesley Chapel :)  

See you "out there"!!!

www.zwittyultra.com