This one’s a little different—no guests, no live race calls—just me sharing the full story of how I went from a bullied high school runner to a thru-hiker to an ultra runner trying to get comfortable being uncomfortable.

I talk about quitting school to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, building a monster endurance base through FKTs and 8,000-mile slogs, and how I’ve had to completely rewire my brain and body to embrace faster, higher-effort racing. We hit on pacing, fueling, treadmill hiking, crew control issues (yes, I admit it), and why I “Jeff” everything in life.

Plus, I talk about my weird obsession with making my own drink mix, being risk-averse in ultras, and how training for Cocodona (year 5!) is going. There’s a bunch of insight here—especially if you’re a thru-hiker looking at ultras, or an ultra runner wondering what lessons the long trails can teach.

Oh—and we start by breaking some actual running news: Des Linden is coming for the 50-mile world record at Tunnel Hill. So yeah, this episode really has it all.

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Stay elite, my friends.

takeaways

Des Linden is making waves in ultra running.

Pacing strategies are crucial for ultra marathons.

Nutrition needs differ between ultra running and thru-hiking.

Sleep and recovery are vital for performance.

Problem-solving is key in unsupported races.

The importance of adapting training for specific events.

The balance between endurance and speed is essential.

Chapters

00:00 Breaking News in Ultra Running

01:11 Jeff's Journey to Ultra Running

06:25 Pacing Strategies for Ultra Races

12:10 Nutrition: Fueling for Performance

20:13 Sleep, Recovery, and Problem Solving Mindset