The Evolving Adventurer

Hello friends, and thank you for listening today! We've got a fun episode with Coach Sarah as we discuss our experiences at the Dead Horse Ultra 50 mile race in Moab, Utah on November 16.

It was a fun to chat about our learnings, challenges and successes at the race, and to provide information and advice to anyone considering a fall race in the beautiful slickrock around Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, and Dead Horse State Park. We recorded the episode from a hotel room just before taking our own recovery advice and heading for the jacuzzi.

Some of the topics covered include our different clothing choices for the weather, the surfaces encountered, cutoff times, navigating challenges and troubleshooting when things go sideways, and how to come back from adversity. Gaining experience, and using that experience to build resilience for the future is a theme that comes out from our discussion.

Coach Sarah can be found on Instagram or her website. You can find me on Instagram or through my website.

Emily Keddie is the first guest on the Evolving Adventurer initiative! Emily is a mountain athlete based in Bend, Oregon with a bold goal of 2 million vertical feet covered, by foot, in 2024.

Our conversation is wide-ranging, as always, starting with how to adjust and find balance between the many facets of life other than the pursuit of that goal. We discuss Emily’s body adjustments, preparation for big days, weeks and events, last minute changes in plans, biggest lessons learned in life and the mountains as her mindset and motivation shifts through the year as the goal moves closer. 

Emily has been a friend for several years now and it is always a pleasure to have a deep conversation. She was one of the first guests on the podcast in 2020 sharing how she kept motivated when the world shut down.

You can keep up with Emily's adventures and musings on Instagram. If you liked this episode, please pass it along to someone who could benefit from Emily's wise words.

You can connect with me @cactusmoose, gregveregin.com or [email protected]

Thank you for listening! Today's episode is a neat twist where my coach, Sarah, interviews me about my experience running the 100 miler at Javelina Jundred on October 26-27, 2024, in Fountain Hills, Arizona.

We cover a variety of topics including the format of the race, how I felt leading up to it, what clothing and gear I wore, what worked and didn't, and some key takeaways. It was the hottest Javelina on record, with temperatures in the triple digits out on the course. Nearly half of the entrants to the 100 mile and 100 kilometer races did not finish, mostly due to issues resulting from the heat.

It was a fun day to be out on trails to test myself: much was learned. I'm profoundly grateful to all the staff and volunteers at Aravaipa Running, the crews and supporters who came out, Maricopa County parks, and to my pacers and crew. A big thanks goes out to Sarah, Tony, Nicole, Jen, Lindsay, Heidi, Elly, Kearstin, Mike, Lee, Jubilee, Tristan, Matt, Joe, Julian and Adam.

Some of the highlights of the race are being surprised by my friend Tony, who flew in to see Nicole and pace me; a delicious burger at Jackass Junction from Julian; sharing miles with Jon and Elly; loop 4 with Tony and loop 5 with Sarah; Nicole popping my blisters before loop 4 by headlamp. It was a huge adventure!

The burning question... will I run Javelina again? Well, tune in today to find out the answer to that question!

Connect with me on Instagram or [email protected] for questions, comments and guest suggestions. I'm excited to have some interviews in the queue for the next few months!

Thank you for listening today, friends! It's been hot out here in the desert as I acclimatize for Javelina Jundred in just a couple more weeks.

The inspiration for this episode came from an experience last week: bats were raiding the hummingbird feeder! I've rarely seen bats, or a bat, in my life: definitely less times than I can count on one hand. It was a neat experience, and I explored the deeper meaning behind a bat encounter to satisfy my curiosity.

Bats are about death and rebirth, a prescient omen with the change of seasons underway, daylight savings approaching, autumn harvests in full swing, and Hallowe'en on the horizon. Listen in for the message bat shares with us and for some musings on how that can be translated into reflection for your current experience.

As always you can contact me at cactusmoose@protonmail with questions, comments and guest suggestions. We're looking forward to some more interviews and discussions in the remainder of 2024.

Thank you for listening today, friends! I've had some setbacks the past couple of weeks, and I thought it would be worthwhile to share what I've done to process and move past their occurrence. It can be a challenge when things don't go how you anticipated, but there can be magic on the other side of what's been blocked.

Thank you for listening today friends! There are a few updates to share as it's been awhile since I recorded. I had a profound shamanic journey involving a cougar and a red-tailed hawk, both of which had wisdom to share with me. The wisdom is deep, and I feel compelled to share a new interpretation, how it relates to my life, and some questions to ponder for yourself as we move through of journey.

As always, you can connect with me a through [email protected] or on Instagram at @cactusmoose

Today we're talking about gratitude... what is it, how does it work, and how can your life change once you start being grateful for what you're co-creating?

Did Not Finish (DNF) a race doesn’t define who you are. Today I'm reading an article I wrote about my DNF experience at the Coldwater Rumble by Aravaipa Running in Estrella Regional Park on January 20.