One of my favorite running Vloggers, Billy Yang, sums it up in this inspirational and beautifully made video: When the going gets tough, and it will, you need to have a solid why in your mind to keep you moving forward. That momentary comfort instantly melts their drive down to nothing because they didn’t prepare their minds. I have seen them sit down and quit at mile 50 just as often as mile 80. Sometimes runners struggle into an aid station, sit down on a cot or the ground, and they don’t get back up. I have seen athletes in much better shape than me hallucinating on the trail, curled up in the fetal position at the aid station, and zoned-out standing motionless in the middle of the trail at 3 am. This sounds silly, but it is critical to success. When it comes to running 100 miles, knowing your why will help you sell that seemingly monumental task to yourself. Finding Your WhyĪs Simon Sinek reveals in his influential, Start With Why, knowing the reason you are doing something will help you sell that idea to others. Information is based on personal experience and personal research. Please remember, the content provided below is not meant as an expert opinion. As renowned hardman David Goggins puts it, we must also work to build calluses in our minds. Through training we build calluses on our feet.
Start with your mind and you will excel much faster than those around you.ĭon’t get me wrong, you also have to train your physical side hard (like really hard-we get into that further down too), but the key to long term success while maintaining your drive is mental toughness. To be successful at finishing your first ultra race, whether its 50K or 100 miles, requires mental fortitude.įurther on we will get in-depth about training tips and tricks but you must start with why.įind your reason for running 100 miles and your mind will hold you accountable. Then each mile takes its turn chipping away at your will power. Mile by mile they tear down our joints and muscles until they are, paradoxically, hard knots of jello. We hope to see you the weekend of August 27th and 28th for this amazing trail race in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.100 mile races are grueling.
We are all so excited for this small and cozy trail running weekend. We thought it would be fun to have a shake out run and pot luck meal together. Our team is working on planning some "get to know each other" events for the Thursday before the race. Part of the adventure will be camping leading up to the race. I would much rather travel all the single track. It makes me feel so happy that there are long trails like this to travel on. This may sound small, but I love when you come off the trail onto the dirt forest roads and cross to enter another part of the trail. The forest bed is lush & the sounds of the forest are music that engulf your soul. When I do, you can tell they are feeling a deep appreciation of the peaceful & wild nature around them. When I visit this part of the Chequamegon National forest I am excited to see the landscape change as I travel through each section of the forest. I felt it was important to use part of the Ice Age trail since it is iconic to Wisconsin. My personal inspiration for this race was to create an event that is challenging, adventurous and on less travelled trails. Many of my close friends & family have helped bring this project to life. The Midwest deserves the recognition & the trail running community here is strong. In 2019 I dove in deep to try and make this event happen. Midwest States 100 is a project that has been on my mind for at least 8 years.