Owning one’s choices is a special kind of strength. ❝What I know for certain is this: I made choices—about what I ate, how much I stressed, how I prepared mentally—that left me vulnerable. —Nicole Linke open.substack.com/pub/nicoleli... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

O-See Backyard Ultra 2026 - Race Report

5th last female out of >50 female starters. A sudden fainting ended my race early.

open.substack.com

❝Forget the brands, the runfluencers, and the “state of the sport.” Spend an hour paying absurdly close attention to your own experience. Running has always happened there. —Mike Hahn open.substack.com/pub/runningl... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

They Can't Wreck Running

Don't Confuse the Culture With the Practice

open.substack.com

❝I mean, do you just give up on a dream because you had a bad day? —John Maynard open.substack.com/pub/runandge... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Western States: Does it really matter?

In 2025, more than 11,300 runners applied for 257 spots. Is the juice worth the squeeze?

open.substack.com

It’s funny to me that marathoners are often seen as “not normal” by both non-runners *and* ultrarunners. #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Read before You Ultra@readbeforeultra.bsky.social · last wk.

❝Take marathoners as an example: sucking down packet after packet of sugary gels is not natural or normal; but neither is running 26.2 miles at a steady pace without stopping. —Beth Skwarecki lifehacker.com/health/why-a... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

❝Take marathoners as an example: sucking down packet after packet of sugary gels is not natural or normal; but neither is running 26.2 miles at a steady pace without stopping. —Beth Skwarecki lifehacker.com/health/why-a... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Why Athletes Need Sugar and Carbs in Their Diet

Avoiding them can do more harm than good when it comes to health and fitness.

lifehacker.com

❝High weekly mileage isn’t the cornerstone of effective ultramarathon training. Highly consistent training – stacking weeks and weeks of sustainable training volume – is what counts. —Jason Koop trainright.com/how-much-do-... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

How Much Do You Need To Train For A 100-Mile Ultramarathon? - CTS

"How much do you need to train for a 100-mile race?" is one of the top questions we get. Coach Jason Koop gives you his formula.

trainright.com

❝I put in the miles so I can put in the miles. —Brendan Leonard [and possibly a crowd in front of him chanting the line in unison] open.substack.com/pub/semirad/... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Why We Put In The Miles

“With enough repetition, anything can become a religion" —Hanif Abdurraqib

open.substack.com

❝The reframe worth holding is that the patience is the work. Base training is not the time before training that matters; it is what makes the rest of the training year possible […]. —Steve House uphillathlete.com/aerobic-trai... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Fast After 50: Why the Pendulum Swung Back to Aerobic Base

The case for an aerobic base grows stronger, not weaker, after 50. Aerobic adaptations have to be rebuilt.

uphillathlete.com

❝The practical message is straightforward: #protein source matters, but the answer is not simply animal or plant. —Oliver Witard www.mysportscience.com/post/protein... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Protein sources for athletes: animal, plant and alternative proteins

The question of "Which types of protein are best for athletes?" is no longer limited to which protein source produces the largest acute stimulation of muscle protein synthesis. In contemporary sports ...

mysportscience.com

❝[S]ometime during the second night, your thoughts often become very basic and negative: “I can’t do this anymore.”, “I’m never going to make it.” [E]xpect that moment before it happens. —Eric Lacroix/Gaël Dutigny ultrarunning.com/featured/run... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Running Toward Something or Filling a Void? - Ultra Running Magazine

Éric Lacroix lives on Réunion Island, France, and works with elite athletes such as Matthieu Blanchard. He has firsthand knowledge of two of the sport's most iconic races, specifically UTMB Mont-Blanc...

ultrarunning.com

1/2 ❝Sometimes I wonder whether, if all the runners of the world collectively decided to stay home one morning, planet Earth might shift on its axis. […] ⬇️ #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

❝To go harder, you have to believe there’s still something left despite everything your body is telling you—and be willing to accept the consequences if you’re wrong. —Andy DuBois mile27coaching.com/how-sunmaya-... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

How Sunmaya won Lavaredo - Mile 27

Eight minutes behind with 18km to go. The race data explains how she turned it around. On July 27, the women’s race at the Lavaredo Ultra Trail 120km delivered something special. Not only did the firs...

mile27coaching.com

What a race (and race recap)! ❝First, you know it’s going to be well over 300 miles long. Second, you do not know how long the race is actually going to be until the night before the race starts. ⬇️ #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

❝You might not think that you are strong enough to finish it right now, but you’re definitely strong enough to start it, and you’ll find everything else along the way. —(ultra rower) Kelsey Pfendler www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Female US rower completes historic solo journey from California to Hawaii

Kelsey Pfendler set out to become first US woman, youngest woman and fastest woman to solo over 2,400-mile journey

theguardian.com

❝You feel it every morning that you wake up in a body that has done miles and can do more. Now, particularly with the boot as a conversation starter with strangers, the focus is 100% on what you CAN’T do. —Scott Dunlap open.substack.com/pub/trailrun... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

This Season Finale Has An Unexpected Twist!

I broke my foot...and my race season is now over 🙈. Time to process some ambiguous grief, relax, and enjoy some being.

open.substack.com

❝Most of the time, the answer is not to think more. It’s to do the work you’ve already decided to do, and do that consistently over long periods of time […]. —Joel Filliol/Mario Fraioli open.substack.com/pub/themorni... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

the morning shakeout | issue 556

Science as a starting point, not taking the gift of being able to run for granted, why overthinking makes you slower, and a lot more.

open.substack.com

Yes! General population ≠ athletes. ❝A [protein] requirement refers to the minimum intake needed to meet basic metabolic needs. A recommendation for athletes is about optimising the response to training. —Oliver Witard www.mysportscience.com/post/how-muc... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning

How much protein do athletes really need?

Protein is one of the most talked-about nutrients in sport. It is also one of the easiest to oversimplify. On one side, there is the old-school view that as long as athletes meet the recommended daily...

mysportscience.com

Sounds disgusting, makes perfect sense in an ultra. ❝Wonder Bread and Coca-Cola. Specifically, Wonder Bread soaked in Coca-Cola so it was easier to ingest. —John Fitzgerald trainright.com/how-she-did-... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

How She Did It: Jennifer Lichter’s Record Breaking Western States Win - CTS

Jennifer Lichter set a new Western States course record on her debut 100-mile race. Coach John Fitzgerald explains how she did it.

trainright.com

1/2 ❝[S]omeone may believe that what they love about running is running itself, but when we dig deeper, we often find they value challenge, mastery, adventure, community, discipline or personal growth. ⬇️ #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Man, winning requires “a little bit” of so many things. ❝I always say that if you want to win, you have to have a winner’s mindset. And that requires maybe a little bit of ego […]. —Jenn Lichter/Jonathan Turner run247.com/running-news... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Perfect pacing and a winner's mindset: How Jenn Lichter hit new heights at Western States

Remarkable rise continues with the greatest ever female performance at America's most iconic 100-mile race.

run247.com

❝In the moment of difficulty, I’ve simply forgotten that difficult moments end. —Rachel Entrekin ultrarunning.com/featured/uno... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Unofficial Rules of the Trail - Ultra Running Magazine

There are no official “Rules of the Trail.” No one hands you a rulebook when you take your first step onto the dirt, and there’s no pre-race briefing where someone explains that you should always pack...

ultrarunning.com

This right here is how you finish an ultramarathon. ❝Part of my brain committed to the task, without a conscious decision to withstand the pain, and so I kept moving. —Jonathan S. Bean open.substack.com/pub/vengarun... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

The beautiful South Downs Way 100

4 days after 100 miles

open.substack.com

❝But: we keep going back for more. We love it all; the hard, the challenging, the ones we are still grateful that we can do. And maybe that’s what drives us. —Mary Emerick open.substack.com/pub/themount... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Type 2 fun

Aka: why are we like this?

open.substack.com

Lactate as a supplement? ❝Lactate spent decades unfairly blamed for fatigue and poor performance. Now it risks being overpromoted as the next breakthrough ergogenic aid. —Asker Jeukendrup www.mysportscience.com/post/lactate #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Lactate

For decades lactate was one of the most misunderstood molecules in exercise physiology. It became the villain of high-intensity exercise. Coaches blamed it for fatigue. Athletes blamed it for the burn...

mysportscience.com

Chills. What a story. ❝While I thought I was preparing for a marathon, turns out I was training to save my life. —John Maynard open.substack.com/pub/runandge... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Twenty-Four Years of TBI

How to run through a brain injury

open.substack.com

❝[…] maybe the most important piece of advice for backyard ultras: stay positive and hold on to hope at all costs. —Scott Snell www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2026/06/2026... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

2026 More Miles Last One Standing Challenge

My race report of the 2026 More Miles Challenge Backyard in Knoxville, MD - 120 miles.

beastcoasttrailrunning.com

This article somehow has an argument I’ve made *and* one I’ve argued against, all on the same page. But this is so true: ❝Most of being a runner isn’t actually running. It’s all the stuff around it. —Zoë Rom trailhead.ultrasignup.com/culture/not-... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Not running right now? You are still a runner.

Never question whether or not you are a runner. If you run, you are a runner. Even when you're not running.

trailhead.ultrasignup.com

Flatland-dwellers, rejoice! We do not need to match race vert in our training (all the time). #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Read before You Ultra@readbeforeultra.bsky.social · 2mo ago

❝What is a key training outcome we want for a race like UTMB ? I would argue that the ability to run all the downhills and all the flatter sections should be the goal for pretty much every athlete […]. —Andy DuBois mile27coaching.com/how-much-ver... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

❝What is a key training outcome we want for a race like UTMB ? I would argue that the ability to run all the downhills and all the flatter sections should be the goal for pretty much every athlete […]. —Andy DuBois mile27coaching.com/how-much-ver... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

How much vert should you do each week ? Its not what you think ! - Mile 27

There is a commonly held belief that your training vert needs to mimic your race vert.  E.g. if you are training for UTMB with its  170km and 10,000m vert and running 80km a week in training, then you...

mile27coaching.com

❝The question is not whether nutrient timing matters. It clearly can matter. The more important question is under what conditions timing matters and how large those effects are in real-world settings. —A. Jeukendrup www.mysportscience.com/post/nutrien... #running #trailrunning #ultrarunning #runsky

Nutrient timing: Does the "window of opportunity" really exist?

Few ideas in sports nutrition have been as influential, or perhaps as widely misunderstood, as the so-called "window of opportunity". During the 1990s the message appeared simple and compelling: consu...

mysportscience.com