I had a successful finish at the inaugural Night Train 50k ultramarathon in Farmville, Virginia. The oppressive heat and humidity were really tough on me but the support of my family and friends made a finish possible. Some interesting things happened along the way, as they always do, to make the experience memorable. That and more in this episode!

Here are some pics of my crew and the overall experience. All finishers received a magnet, very typical for small ultramarathons that interest me.

Sandy's blog was mentioned in the show: http:http://theultrafreak.blogspot.com//theultrafreak.blogspot.com/

 Music by Garageband, U.S. Marine Band, and the late Derek Miller's Penmachine.

My friend, Ryan, lives in Calgaray, Canada but he used to live right here in central Virginia. He recently organized a relay team that covered 150 kilometers to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary. His team came in 10th out of 37 teams which is awesome!

That and more in this edition of the Running in the Center of the Universe podcast!

And if you're interested in Spartan races, the code SPARTANDAD will get 50% off gear, $69 races & 2 free digital books with any race purchase (Spartan Up! & Spartan Fit!). Check out this link for more information:

http://spartanracemedia.com/#news

This is the WESURG logo on the stickers mentioned in the show. Email me at [email protected] if you want a sticker.

Music by Garageband and the late Derek Miller's Penmachine. "O Canada" was performed by an unknown artist. The recording is not copyrighted and is apparently in the public domain according to http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1443808632931.

I thought doing a 50k in Michigan would be the only race I would do this spring but I'm still in good shape and decided to do another one. My next 50k will be in Virginia and it's an inaugural race directed by an excellent RD I'm familiar with. I guess we will see what happens! I talk about the upcoming Night Train 50k and other topics in this podcast. Thanks for listening!

Night Train 50k

WESURG

Music by Garageband, U.S. Marine Band, and the late Derek Miller's Penmachine.

This is part 2 of my experience at the Potowatami ("Poto") Trail 50k Ultramarathon, and some news that I received on the way home which was very sad.

Some links mentioned in the show:

http://theultrafreak.blogspot.com/2015/05/realwomenmove-real-women-move.html

http://dirtdawg.podbean.com/

Music by Garageband and the Scottish Bagpipes.

On April 30, 2017, I ran a 50k in the Pinckney Recreation Area in Michigan. This is part 1 of my experience from that event. Not only was the race a great time but I experienced outstanding hospitality from all of the folks I met in Michigan. I had never been to Michgan before and I will definitely be back! 

http://www.trailmarathon.com/

Many thanks to my hosts and you can hear more about them in this episode and part two which will be up soon. Thanks for listening!

Music by Garageband and the U.S. Marine Band.

When traveling out of town by airplane for an ultramarathon, the luxury of using your car to store your gear during a race may not be available. I've had a little experience with this situation and I share some of those ideas in this podcast.

Marriott Rewards is now the official Hotel Partner for Spartan Race and has an exclusive offer to people who join their loyalty program - 20% off races, free VIP bag check and $5 off Spartan gear at the races. Once enrolled, points are earned when you stay at any 4,500 participating hotels around the world. All the info is here:

https://www.joinmarriottrewards.com/Spartan20/s/EN/channel/D

Thanks for listening to the show (and make you sure you listen closely for an additional special Spartan offer)!

Music by Garageband, U.S. Marine Band, and the late Derek Miller's Penmachine.

Keith Cartwright lives here in the same town as me, Ashland, Virginia. His running story is somewhat unique in that he started running as a result of a community tragedy. But there's much more to his story of hope, inspiration and faith that I just had to share. I hope you enjoy listening to Keith as much as I did.

Keith has a podcast at the link below. Check it out. Thanks for listening to the show.

TwoTim47 podcast

Music by Garageband, U.S. Marine Band, and the late Derek Miller's Penmachine.

Do you train solo for events or do you have a regular training group? If you have a group, how much do you rely on your training partners to get you the distance you need for race day? I love running with my group. It's a small group and sometimes not everyone makes it out on Saturday mornings but I'm always appreciative of their time. In this show, I talk aout Ashland Bryan and Ashland Tom. We all love running, live in the same area and are family oriented but the similarities stop there. These guys are there when I need them and I've been there for them. It's a great partnership!

There are also some miscellaneous topics covered. Thanks for downloading the show!

Music by Garageband, U.S. Marine Band, and the late Derek Miller's Penmachine.

Ashland Tom, Ashland Bryan and I ran the Dahlgren Heritage Trail Half Marathon on 2-18-17 and had a great time. I have some audio clips from the race which include a guy who likes to yell when he runs. The show also has some commentary about the experience. Many thanks to the race volunteers, especially my friend Neal.  This is a great event and I recommend it to anyone who lives in the central Virginia area and likes half marathons on rails-to-trails.

Link mentioned in the show:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1vMVnj6y4k

This link is a drone video of Ashland, Virginia if you're interested in a visual of where I run most of the time.

Music by Garageband, U.S. Marine Band, and the late Derek Miller's Penmachine.