Trail to 100

Melody and Jacob share their experience running the Dugway Trail and Ultra Run on Oct 2. 2021. The main take away from this race: CROSS TRAIN!
 
 What Jacob has recently learned:
 -Do more cross training (he is doing insanity workouts and going to kick boxing classes)
 -Do speed work (because we've been doing A LOT of long slow runs...So now we are adding in speed work to get faster!)
 -Do race specific running (Ex. run flat if you’re racing flat, run hills if you’re racing hills!) 

What Melody has learned recently:
-It’s okay and EVEN GOOD to spend time in zone 3 (as long as you aren’t spending ALL of your time here!)
-There is no such thing as “running rules” because everyone’s body is different
-If you are looking for a coach, find a coach that fits your style of training!
-Don’t do more than 1-4 races a year!
-Work in mobility work into your training (make sure your mobility work includes mainly strengthening, because that is how you will see permanent range of motion changes. Melody is adding karate into her cross training routine for core strength and hip mobility).
 

Melody’s time: 4:04:47 – 1st place in the women

Jacob’s time: 6:34:21 – 6th place in men

Best Running Documentary EVER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EwWYa74__o

Learn more about self-defense for runner’s on Melody’s Instagram page: @thepinetreerunner

Dugway Trail and Ultra Run: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=83850

*Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions! We will do the research and/or ask the athletes we bring onto the show!!

"I am nothing...I realized how bad I wanted it...I want this so bad...So I started moving faster...I climbed that hill...I didn't stop once...Then I got to the top of the hill." These are some of the words spoken by Sherrie Shepherd as she came to the end of her first 100 mile race this year. Her story is inspiring as well as educational. In this episode, Sherrie shares the most spiritual running experience she has had thus far in her running career. She shares her advice about body love, nutrition, and mindset. Get ready to feel all the feels and get ready to run, because that’s all you’re going to want to do after you hear this story.
 
 A little more about Sherrie:
 Sherrie Shepherd is a single mom of 5 kids ages 8-20. She is a running coach, a life coach, and a professional piano player! Sherrie has released several albums and singles that you can find on most music apps, including Spotify and iTunes. (Link below).  Sherrie started running for the sole purpose of losing baby weight after her 3rd kid and she immediately fell in love with it. Since then, Sherrie has run 24 road marathons, a few 50ks, the Bryce Canyon virtual 50miler, the Squaw Peak 50, and just recently ran her first 100-mile race! (Which we hear all about in this episode). She considers herself an ultra-adventurer as she has completed multiple ultra-feats as well, including the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim and the Teton Circumnavigation. Sherrie said that she found healing in the mountains during some of the most painful experiences of her life and that running, quite literally, has saved her.

Sherrie’s advice to a beginner ultra-runner:

-Ease into it to avoid burnout

-Be a part of the scene (pace, volunteer, ect.)

-Your body can do more than you realize. You just have to believe in it, then put in the work. (<

Melody’s takeaways: “I learned a lot about nutrition and body love! I’m going to try intuitive eating and would encourage every runner who listens to this to spend more time communicating with their body!”

Jacob’s takeaways: “I love how calm Sherrie was before her race. I think it’s important to realize that you’re probably not going to finish every race and that’s okay. Even the best runners in the world DNF. I’m going to practice going into each race with the mindset of ‘whatever happens is what is supposed to happen’.”

Find Sherrie:

Instagram: @piano.runner

Website: www.themarathonmind.com

Sherrie’s most recent piano single: https://open.spotify.com/album/70cMhMtQ2rx2gGCCoTzDNj?si=X3U_04Y-S1-wXVPcY7pA5A&dl_branch=1

Sherrie’s podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5P1cZ1BzEgaAFKVVVcz6lC?si=lo5PGU_2SLeKEDTtaubSlw&dl_branch=1

Panic Attack: a sudden feeling of acute and disabling anxiety, sometimes so severe that one might believes they are about to die. Melody experienced her first panic attack this year in a tent after a series of stressful circumstances. Unfortunately, her training was affected by all the stressors in her life and she has taken a few steps back in her training (well, atleast physcailly...She has grown in understanding and mental toughness, that's for sure!) Melody shares what she has learned through her experiences this year and how her run at the Crimson Canyon Ultras taught her an important lesson about eliminating stress!

Ways you can eliminate stress:
-Quit your job (no seriously, if it's not the right fit for you, find something else!)
-Turn off stats on your watch (HR, VO2 max, performance condition (garmin) )
-Run by feel - Don't forget what it's like to ENJOY running. If you find yourself starting to dread your runs, that is a sign of burn out!
-RECOVER! Take breaks and make sure you are getting enough sleep! Mike Mcknight suggests a 6mo off season and a 6mo on season.
-Realize that life is going to happen and have faith that when set backs happen, you will come back stronger

Jacob placed 5th in the 25k Crimson Canyon Ultra. Time: 2:54:46
Melody placed 5th in the Women 25k (19th overall). Time: 3:37:43

*Crimson Canyon Ultra Stats:
-50k (5048v), 25k (3104v), 10k (1220v)
-Richfield Utah
Learn more here:
http://www.crimsoncanyons.com/

Learn more about Mike Mcknight @thelowcarbrunner
Watch his inspiring documentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EwWYa74__o

Jimmy Thomas, the finisher of five 100 mile races, and the race director of Tooele Trail Racing talks about how the trails of Tooele County Utah changed him from hating running to calling it "fun"! He shares how it is possible for a father of five children to still get out there and be an Ultra Runner. Jimmy shares how he overcame physical ailments, balancing family life, and lack of experience to still successfully complete many 100 mile races. He even shares what it's like to wander 25 miles in the middle of the night with a hurt knee through the Uintah mountains of Utah!

Jimmy's main points of advice
-Chunk the miles up. Keep small goals in sight.
-Positive thinking.
-Read Veteran Ultra Runner's stories/blogs. ( http://www.crockettclan.org/blog/ )
-Cross Train. (P90x, body weight excises, yoga)
-Train with your running pack like it is race day.
-Don't plan other obligations around the same time as big runs.
-Use trekking poles for mountainous terrain.
-Eat whole foods on runs! (fruit)
-Get the right shoes! This will help you avoid blisters. Try different shoes till you find the right ones.
-Find good friends to run with.
-Get a good vest/pack. (Jimmy uses Salomon Adv Skin 12L)
-Keep electrolytes in you, especially when hot.
-Believe in yourself!
- Have fun!

Sign up for one of Jimmy's many beautiful and challenging trail races at http://tooeletrailracing.com/index.html .

Volunteering at an Ultra race can be a once in a lifetime experience, especially one of the oldest/toughest ones in the USA! Jacob and Melody share their experience of staying up all night helping runners through one of the toughest 100 mile races in the country, The Wasatch 100! Don't miss the humbling and emotional experiences they encountered as they helped runners achieve their goals.

Not Your Grandma's Marathon is a brand new marathon created by Radical Races. It is in the conversion of being THE hardest Marathon in Utah. Melody interviews her husband Jacob about running a trail marathon through the mountains with 8,600 feet of vertical gain! He details how he endured the climbing and reviews this beautiful endurance run!

https://radicalraces.com/ - Check out their website for more crazy fun races!

Follow @runradiacalraces on Instagram!

Follow us @trailto100 on Instagram for all your beginning ultra running needs!

Josh Bryant joins us as the first official guest of the podcast! As an experienced ultra runner himself, he gives the details of what his early days of ultra running were like. He talks about his training plans, how he overcame DNF's and ultimately became the the man who ran across the whole state of Utah! You won't want to this episode as we learn how Josh became and Ultra Runner!

J & M describe the aftermath of what it is like to recover from your first 100 mile race. They detail how they finally were able to return to normal and get back to the nitty gritty of everyday running again. Jacob updates us on his newest running discovery and Melody shares her runner coach knowledge with everyone. Details of what is going to happen with their podcast moving forward is reveled here! This podcast is created for all beginner ultra runners. If you want to learn more about a specific topic please message us on our Instagram account @trailto100!

Jacob and Melody are interviewed by Steph Shoell on the Notable Peeps Podcast. She goes into a deep dive of the mental and physical toll of what it is like to run 100 miles for the fist time! In this episode, Steph interviews us about our 100 mile race. There are a lot of details in here that we left out in our last episode. She was able to get stuff out of us by asking us questions that we would have never thought of!  Make sure to check out Steph Shoell, Notable Peeps podcast. She interviews "notable" people about their failures, successes, ect (details below).
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Follow along at least every other week for updates on our training and tips for training for YOUR first ultra race!! Listen to the next episode to figure out what's next on the docket for Melody and Jacob!
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Notable Peeps Podcast: 
Website: https://notablepeeps.com/
Instagram: @notablepeeps
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Reach out to us on our instagram @trailto100. Let us know if there are any topics you'd like us to research for you!!
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Tell us about your ultra successes/failures and what YOU learned about running YOUR first ultra!!

Jacob and Melody complete their 100 mile journey by running 100 miles for the first time! This a can't miss episode where J & M recount their experience of being a first time 100 mile finisher. Tun in to hear about the highs and lows as well as everything in between!