Big thank you to the podcast supporters! John Wayne Cancer Foundation - Run the GRIT Series https://johnwayne.org/ Tanri Outdoors - All Natural Sun Protection for Runners (use “ULTRA10” for 10% off) https://tanri.com/ XoSkin (use “T4U20” for 15% off) https://www.xoskin.us/ Thank you Patreon supporters! https://www.patreon.com/trainingforultra

 

Guest: Emily Hawgood

Episode 181 Title: Emily Hawgood - From Crushing Western States to UTMB

Bio: Emily Hawgood is a U.S. based ultrarunner from Zimbabwe and she currently runs for the Adidas team. Emily recently completed her graduate studies degree and understands the unique difficulty of balancing running and graduate school. Her thesis was actually focused on trail runners and taught her that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to successful training! Emily is currently coached by Paul Lind and utilizes a variety of training when preparing for races. She has been known to do everything from track-based speed workouts to 18-hour long sessions chasing mountain goats through the mountains. Emily is a big proponent of quality over quantity when it comes to her weekly mileage. Emily started running when she was a primary school student at boarding school in Zimbabwe and then went on to run on the College of Idaho’s track and field team, as well as on their cross country team, and she even swam on the swim team! Emily has run everything from the marathon to multiple Ironmans and, despite being relatively new to the sport of ultrarunning, she has podiumed at quite a few ultras! She decided to take up ultrarunning mainly as a way to maintain her love of running and to play in the mountains. Her first ultramarathon was in 2017 when she placed second at the Capetown 65k! In 2018 she returned and won the Capetown 100k! In 2020 Emily ran her first 100 miler and won! 2021 was a huge year for Emily, in her dogged pursuit of a Western States 100 spot, she ran three golden ticket races! On her third one, eight weeks before Western States, she qualified for the very last golden ticket spot and in June she took seventh place in the women’s field at Western States! If you would like to hear more about Emily’s journey to Western States we suggest you checkout T4U’s previous episode with Emily from back in May, “Never Give Up on Your Dreams with Emily Hawgood.” Emily most recently finished in the top ten in the women’s field at UTMB, which is not surprising given her love for technical mountain running and steep hill climbs! COVID race cancellations made Emily appreciate every start line and it will be super exciting to see where her talent and fantastic attitude take her in the future. 

Quotes from podcast episode:

14:51 “Just seeing everyone out there racing… there were highs and lows and disappointments and victories and just being a team and just getting behind everyone was the coolest experience I have ever seen.” - 14:51

“I didn't feel the pressure of like, I have to do this, I have to do that... it was like, no we’re gonna go out there give it our best shot and whatever happens happens.” - 16:40

“You don't need to race, let people go around you, but run strong like stay where you are at, feel comfortable, and just be smart when people are sprinting by.” - 23:25

“That start line feel just continued for like hours.” - 26:38 

“You're constantly, I think from as soon as you go into the night, you are constantly figuring out or dealing with uncomfortableness, in some shape or form, no matter where you are in terms of the field.” - 31:45

“I remember having a pep talk with myself and I was like, “Emily you're a really really tough cookie,” and I kept saying that to myself over and over again.” - 34:50

“It was tough and I had been struggling so hard. Like I really wanted to cry just because of that release of, like you know, emotion and thought in your head and everything, but I couldn't. Like there was no energy to and it was just so cold and I knew I needed to breathe.” - 35:02

“Knowing that people are out there supporting you when you are on the trails too is a huge motivation to keep going and to keep pushing and to not give up from race to race and even you know… critics and people who don't think you can achieve it, there's so many more people that believe in you and support you. The community has been incredible.” - 59:58

“These are big races and don’t underestimate what they are, but also, don’t underestimate yourself.” - 1:00:38

Episode Timeline:

1:40 How are you feeling after UTMB?

2:34 When did you decide to run UTMB?

4:20 Western States versus UTMB training

7:40 What was Chamonoix like?

10:40 Pre-UTMB feelings

12:30 Pressure to perform as an athlete

13:15 Sleep deprivation and an evening start

16:10 First UTMB experience 

19:00 Pacing and race excitement in the first few miles

20:10 Using poles

20:25 First ¼ of the race

24:25 When it starts to get hard

25:20 European aid stations

27:20 When you start pushing your limits

29:40 The first climb

30:40 The climb into Switzerland 

33:10 When do you start thinking about being in the top ten?

34:50 Racing your own race while competing

35:45 Last ½ of the race

39:00 What type of donut fuels a top ten UTMB finish?

41:30 When the race really starts

44:10 Dealing with pain

46:40 Biggest mistake

48:20 Reaching the streets and finishing

51:30 Celebrating with parents

52:49 Comparing a Western States finish to a UTMB finish

55:18 Advice for going after your dream races

Emily’s past appearance on T4U: https://trainingforultra.libsyn.com/never-give-up-on-your-dreams-with-emily-hawgood

Social Media:

Instagram:Emily Hawgood (@emilyhawgood) • Instagram photos and videos 

Sponsors: Adidas, Gauge 20 Running, and Idaho Afoot

(This is Episode 182 of the Training For Ultra Podcast)

Guest: David Theriot

Episode 182 Title: Training For Ultra - Run the Riot Swapcast!

Sponsors: Altra, UltrAspire, and Feed Your Crazy

Bio: David Theriot is an ultrarunner, podcast host, coach, and father based in Oklahoma. David’s journey to ultrarunning is truly a story about perseverance and jumping in with two feet. After tearing his ACL during jiu-jitsu, the goal-oriented Theriot needed a reason and timeline to get him to prioritize recovery, so to scare himself into doing his P.T. he decided to sign up for his first ever marathon. After that first marathon Theriot was hooked, the only problem was marathons were just a bit too short, so he decided to give hundred milers a shot! Since his first ultramarathon (a 100 mile race) he has gone on to run over 25 ultramarathons; over 15 of these races were over 100 miles! Theriot has even run a few miles alongside David Goggins. Theriot is the first to admit that not every mile of an ultramarathon is easy and he is known for staying calm and maintaining his smile even during the inevitable lows. He does this by drawing on his great mindset, inspiring faith, and eternal gratitude for just being able to be out there racing on the trails! Part of Theriot’s success is likely due to his love for consistent training and ability to view the mind and body in its entirety and problem solve accordingly (he also wears toe socks!). He is currently training to run the Triple Crown of 200s! Theriot has been enchanted by the Triple Crown ever since running, his most memorable race, The Tahoe 200 in 2018 and although the pandemic has slowed his plans it has not discouraged him! 

Quotes from podcast episode:

“I ended up running all night on hardly any calories and I was just done.” - 8:57 David Theriot

“I'm a pretty positive runner. I stay positive… I was just running mad…. I was like I don't like that, man, that is not me, so I ended up just having to pull the plug.” - 9:40 David Theriot

“It is Friday the 13th and I look up at the moon and it is blood red. How many omens can I have?” - 10:13 David Theriot

“I probably should have napped, you know just slept, until I became a different person.” - 13:55 David Theriot

“I think part of it too is with COVID and everything else I had just been training so long. I think I was kinda getting burnt out, by the time I got to the race I had just put a lot into it.” - 15:49 David Theriot

“I thought I was possibly gonna die there. I was running for my life there. If I stopped running up that mountain I thought I might die.” - 23:26 Rob Steger 

“We forget how wild these races are sometimes.” - 25:49 Rob Steger 

“I pride myself on sharing things for how they are.” - 35:24 Rob Steger

“Some of them sting more than others, but I don't like failing. I really don't, especially after I have put work into it, but it happens… if somebody can learn from my bonehead mistakes it's worth it and if I can learn from it, it’s worth it too.” - 38:20 David Theriot

“Success is finishing.”  - 39:11 David Theriot

“I don't like not accomplishing the goal, but I can always learn from it.” - 39:45 David Theriot

“There’s so many variables, that's why I love ultrarunning. It's not easy and once you have figured it out, you never have it forever figured out, it's always changing. ” - 46:18 Rob Steger

“I like the challenge. I like having something to look forward to, like a goal. Something that’s out there, and I just like that, it drives me. I like to keep pushing and see what I am capable of. I feel like there is something more, like I could have gone further.” 48:06 David Theriot 

“Plan your sleep before your sleep plans you.” 1:04:35 David Theriot 

Episode Timeline:

1:33 Meeting and suffering through the Silver Rush 50

4:10 2021 Goals and challenges

6:50 D.N.F. at Bigfoot 200

13:00 What would you have done differently mentally and/or physically at Bigfoot 200?

15:58 COVID 19 and burnout

16:53 Moab 240

18:00 Tahoe 200 and wildfires

18:50 Thoughts on the Triple Crown being cancelled

20:30 Will you try for the Triple Crown again?

25:10 No race is worth your life

29:00 Balancing a full-time job, family, and ultrarunning

29:35 Leadman D.N.F.

33:00 Better to come home with a D.N.F. than not at all

34:20 When your failures are public

35:35 “Letting down” your crew

37:35 Allowing others to learn from your mistakes

38:47 What is failure?

42:20 Biggest lesson from Bigfoot 200 D.N.F.

43:20 Mixing electrolytes 

46:00 Effects of dietary changes on hydration

47:48 Why run an ultra?

50:10 The experience of running/crewing at Badwater 135

51:20 Running with David Goggins

54:40 The reality of having drones at races

55:40 The pressure and challenges of having to film yourself while racing

57:40 The value of sharing your experiences with others

1:00:13 Leadville redemption?

1:01:30 Rekindling the love of running after a D.N.F. 

1:02:35 Breaking run streaks

1:03:30 Advice for someone wanting to run a 200 miler

1:06:40 Does it have to be a sanctioned race to be satisfying?

1:09:09 The magic of a good hamburger

1:09:43 If Kipchoge runs an ultra how will it go?

Social Media:

Instagram: David Theriot (@ri0tdude) • Instagram photos and videos Twitter: David Theriot (@DavidTheriot) / Twitter Facebook: David Theriot | Facebook LinkedIn: David Theriot - Podcast Host - Run the Riot Podcast | LinkedIn Website: Run TheRiot – …just your average Louisiana Cajun, living in Oklahoma, serving God, and running ridiculously long races wherever he can

Big thank you to the podcast supporters! John Wayne Cancer Foundation - Run the GRIT Series https://johnwayne.org/ Tanri Outdoors - All Natural Sun Protection for Runners (use “ULTRA10” for 10% off) https://tanri.com/ XoSkin (use “T4U20” for 15% off) https://www.xoskin.us/ Thank you Patreon supporters! https://www.patreon.com/trainingforultra