Ride4Water: Let’s roll
Doing ultra-endurance events often puts my mind and body in the ultimate state of flow and allows me to be completely focused on just that one step ahead. During Run4Water across Maine…
2 minute read
Doing ultra-endurance events often puts my mind and body in the ultimate state of flow and allows me to be completely focused on just that one step ahead. During Run4Water across Maine in 2020 - running 138-miles nonstop across the state in 33 hours - mile 50 had me pondering whether there could have been a better, more fun way to see the state than by legs alone.
Ride4Water across Maine is just that chance to both pick up the pace by cycling and slow down the pace by stopping to discover the beauty along the long, rocky Atlantic Coast. Ride4Water is a ride I’m embarking 360-miles across the state of Maine covering about 60 miles every day from West Quoddy Head Light near the Canadian border to Kittery, Maine just across the river from the New Hampshire state line. Even more fun — my adventure pal + church friend Hannah is joining the adventure!
Here are some of the reasons I am excited to explore and share this journey with you!
🌞 Starting with the sun. The nation’s most easternmost point on the mainland is at West Quoddy Head Light in Lubec, Maine, the start of Ride4Water.
🍇 Riding past the wild blueberry capital of the world and, hopefully, fueling up on some of the best berries.
🌊 Passing through Acadia National Park and experiencing the thunder of the sea against the rocky shores at Thunder Hole!
Cycling past Old Orchard Beach, Portland Head Light, Kennebunkport, and beaches like Popham are all areas I cannot wait to explore and share with you.
But, most of all — water. The “why” behind what I do. Adventures can last a day or a week but the impact can last a lifetime. Funds raised will go towards funding a clean water project in Uganda on behalf of H2O for Life. Donations are encouraged and accepted here: give water here. There are too many people on the planet we share without clean water and we can change that, my fellow water warriors!
As always, I hope you know you can do big things even if you don’t believe you can. You can do big things despite having fears, worries, or doubts. You can even do big things even if you don’t feel like it all the time. All you have to do? Show up and start.
📣 Shout out and huge thank you to Giro, Garmin, Reelight, ORTLIEB, Sinewave Cycles, Spurcycle, Tailwind Nutrition, and Backcountry for sponsoring the Ride4Water! 📣
Listen to chat with BikeLife Podcast
You’re invited to listen to “The Gift of Exploring” on the Warm Showers podcast (Episode 27). During the episode, I share some of my cycling experiences over the years and big plans on the horizon! 🚲
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The long road ahead
How does one run 341-miles across the state of Ohio. The same way all the miles are taken – one mile at a time.
If you followed along during my last big endurance challenge – Run4Water across Maine…
3 minute read
How does one run 341-miles across the state of Ohio? The same way all the miles are taken – one mile at a time.
If you followed along during my last big endurance challenge – Run4Water across Maine running 138-miles nonstop in 33 hours – you’ll know that the last 5-miles got very raw, and I felt lower than I had felt physically than any other endurance feat, to date. My whole body hurt more than when I broke my pelvis training for Race Across America. All that I wanted to do was ugly cry on the side of the road and rip & throw grass into the air. So, I did. Then, when my temper tantrum was done, there was only one thing left to do.
RUN!
Running across the state of Maine was originally a run across the state of Ohio. But, COVID had other plans. So, now it’s time to go back to the original idea – to run 341-miles across the state of Ohio completing 11 ultramarathons (31-miles) in 11 days to fund 11 water projects in Uganda. I have no idea if my body can do it, but there is only one way to find out – to have the courage to try!
There has been some interest in what gear I use and how I fuel during long-distance endurance events. I am here to share those details about the “what” I use and the “why” behind it.
Nutrition
Early in my days of endurance, a triathlon coach kindly pointed out my fueling was as if I went to an all-you-can-eat buffet rather than having an actual plan or strategy. Since doing primary just a sports drink, I’ve had a smoother, more steady energy level. I have been using Tailwind for years now, and it got my through my last big 138-mile nonstop run across Maine. Why? Because it works! It keeps my engine running without crashing or bonking, helps me stay hydrated, and keeps things simple with a couple scoops an hour. Lots of incredible athletes use Tailwind, too, like Courtney Dauwalter and Maggie Guterl. Check them out!
WATCH
I’m rocking the latest Garmin Enduro watch specifically for endurance athletes and couldn’t be more excited about it. During some of my longer runs, I would last longer than my watch would especially running more than 24 hours at a time! I no longer need to carry with me an external power source to keep it charged. Thanks to my Garmin, you will also be able to track me during my upcoming Run4Water across Ohio.
shoes
Newtons Running shoes are great for minimizing the impact the pounding of the pavement can have on your muscles and joints. They naturally makes you more of a mid-foot (not heel-striking) runner. I’ve surprisingly been injury-free despite running, cycling, and swimming ridiculously long distances, and I believe it has to do with finding the right gear that works for your body.
recovery sandals
I used to believe that the most comfortable footwear outside of running would be to go completely barefoot until I tried OOFOS. This footwear helps with recovery with their OOfoam technology that absorbs 37% more impact than traditional footwear meaning happy feet and happy joints!
socks
Bombas are the best! So cosy. Plus, they are doing lots of good in our world with every purchase.
laces
LockLaces have been on my shoes for years now, from back when I did my first IRONMAN. Ain’t got time to tie my shoes! One less thing to get in the way to not have to deal with my shoelaces coming untied because, sooner or later, it always happens.
clothing
There are many reasons to love Athleta gear. Being someone that most would consider an “extreme minimalist”, I get excited about finding gear that I can wear on the trails or in the gym, and out-and-about. Functional and fashionable!
It is not about the watch, shoes, or sports drink. It’s about running. But, it’s hard to enjoy running if your feet are blistered, your watch keeps dying or malfunctioning during your run, or you can’t keep food down. These are all very real problems that don’t need to be that way. Thankfully, this gear makes it possible to get more joy and fun with every step.
Looking forward to sharing the journey with you virtually and in-person for the long road ahead!
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Running Everyday for a Month: Lessons Learned
The #31for31 challenge began exactly one month ago from today. 31 athletes committed to run 3.1 miles everyday…
2 minute read
The #31for31 challenge began exactly one month ago today. 31 athletes committed to run 3.1 miles every day or any day in the month of March in honor of World Water Day, and in effort to raise funds for a clean water project in Ethiopia. I am sharing with you some lessons learned after finishing the month long challenge!
The hardest part happens in your head. Really, thinking about it. The best runs I have ever gone on are free of thought and full of awareness. Thinking about things can be hard, sometimes doing them is not as hard as anticipated.
Sharing your goals can help you. There are studies about how important it is to share your goals, other findings about it mattering with whom you share your goals, and then even more research about the power of not sharing goals at all because it gives you a premature, motivation-diminishing praise. Everyone is different, and sharing the goal seemed to help me stay accountable.
You might think taking days off running would give renewed energy, but it made it easier to adjust having it as a daily practice. Running every day makes it easier to….run every day. Doing it every day rather than taking an off day or running every other day, made it easier to run.
They say it takes 21 days to create a habit (or 66 depending on who you ask!), and I found it to be true with the #31for31 challenge. How do I know it has become a habit? When the desire to run feels like an urge stronger than the desire not to, it has become the new norm.
Running outside in Maine during the month of March? Not ideal! Having a treadmill as a backup option helped on those days when outside running was especially cold, wet, or both.
Progress matters more than perfection. Setting goals is accepting the risk that you may fail at reaching the goal. However, setting a goal propels you further than you would with no goal at all. I say, sign me up for failure when the other option is a failure to try.
Running can serve a much greater purpose than….running in loops around your neighborhood. The month may be over but the impact lives on. As a result of the 31 athletes participating and oh-so-generous donors, more than $2,900 has been raised for a clean water project in Ethiopia.
Thank you to everyone who joined the #31for31 challenge. A shout-out 📢 goes to one very generous donor who matched every single dollar raised by our runners ($961!) and then one more individual who rose to the matching challenge with another large donation (of $620!). Big thanks also goes to Lock Laces for donating no-tie shoe laces for all our 31 runners. You are the hope, the light, and the change our world needs!
👟 Special thanks to Newton Running for saving the day! I also learned during this challenge that I desperately needed new running shoes especially after running across Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire in 2020. The Newton Running team made sure my feet were happy during the challenge with some new shoes to cover the miles! 👟
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