Hey Team! Thanks so much to all who joined today's call. You can find the recording and written recap inside Classroom > Offseason Foundations Cohort In addition to the recap, there was lots of mobility talk from athletes in this call. We chatted on a "Lower The Bar, Raise The Execution" routine. Here it is: Introducing... COFFEE MOBILITY Don't think of mobility as something separate to add to your routine. Think of it as something to weave into the existing rhythms of your morning. Take 2-3 minutes to cycle through this as your coffee is brewing. 1. MOBO Board. Stand barefoot on this for a few mins each morning. Can scale this to holding a kettlebell and doing hip circles, floor taps, overhead presses 2. Deep Frog Squat Hold. Heels down, chest up. Rock side to side to improve ankle flexion 3. Downward Dog with Calf Pedal. Move dynamically in downward dog, pedal out your calves, rotate your hips, engage your core The goal is NOT to become the kind of person who does a 30 minute mobility routine... The goal IS to become the kind of person that begins the day by stretching out and continually becoming more mobile. Enjoy the recap and hit me up with any questions! -- RD

100 mile recap - it is a MONSTER!!!! (PDF attached)

Team, This experience was extremely personal for me. I’m going to share more at the end, but suffice it to say that finishing a 100 mile ultra is about 90% mental in my estimation. For as long as I can remember, I have had some demons that have been chasing me and causing me mental anguish. This was the mental test that I needed to vanquish them for good. This is a long post. This is catharsis. RACE BUILD UP: I shared previously that my build up for this race was in a word, suspect. My back got obliterated working out a month ago and it significantly limited my prep. Two game changing calls with Jordan and Ryan got me in the right headspace for the race. I realized my limitations and that helped me reframe my race and avoid any self-doubt and fixation (as I am want to do). I was going to do the best I could and that was that. If I came up short, I could always try again. I also got a very deep muscle massage 5 days before, which I highly recommend. All of this put my mind at ease and I slept like a champ the night before, which I greatly needed with all the travel in the weeks before. THE RACE: I chose the AT100 for two reasons: - It fit my race calendar - It’s known for being extremely well-supported, which was important, as I was running this solo The course is 16 miles of single-track and then an out and back. It’s hilly (16k) but you wouldn’t classify it as ludicrous mode. However the way the course is laid out makes it more challenging than you might think just by looking at the elevation profile. The way out has more climbing and the downhill is very rocky. There isn’t much time to make up in those downhill sections, but that plays to your advantage on the way back. Secondly, there is almost no flat, you’re working your quads the entire time. The need for a crew became apparent almost immediately. Despite getting there with 45 mins to spare, I had to park about half a mile away from the start and schlep my gear. The race started with a pig seuy chant, because Arkansas, and we were on our way.

I am on a quest. Has taken me a while to figure it out but I am definitely on a quest. Whether it is Mario, Froddo or many others, they leave home with an end-goal on the horizon but with an uncertain path to take them there. There are lots of mini-quests along the way, some of which they conquer, others which they fail. There are times of doubt and fear and lots of friends are made along the way. In the end, they complete their quest, take the spoils then reflect on what they have learned and how the quest has changed them. Running 100 miles became my quest after Tribal's Zion event. 10 endurance beasts set out to conquer and for various reasons only 3 could conquer. The post-race stories captured my imagination and my quest was born. Mini-quest followed mini-quest in the form of marathons, 4x4x48s, 100ks and lessons were learned in failure at my backyard. Plenty of injury scares along the way but the adapt and overcome mindset prevailed. Now I lay in bed in a roadside motel, an 8 hour drive from my home but 3 hours drive away from my destination. Come midnight Friday, with my Dad as crew, I face off against the final boss of this quest of mine: the 100 miles of the Lonely Mountain Ultra. Let's do this.

It has taken me a bit to get to this race reflection. I have been struggling over the past 2 weeks to come up with the words to describe how I felt, and my take aways from the race. I finally got to connect with Goldstein this morning and continue my clarity for this experience. From a pure race perspective... I set a freaking 50 min PR and the conditions were far from perfect. 3 Foot Rolling White Caps on the swim, 95 degree sunny heat on the run.. But it was exactly how it was supposed to be. It was the perfect culmination of the truth is in the training. The past 6 months leading up to the race have been far from ideal conditions. My dad diagnosed with a rare cancer, my cousin diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer (treated and gotten the all clear), my father in law getting diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and becoming a new dad. Far from ideal circumstances to train for another major race. And that didn't include the fact that my dad planned to host 70 people at the house the weekend of the race for a Billy Joel Cover artist. I had every excuse in the book to chalk this race up as a loss, and throw in the towel before it even started. But... This year was different. I had a plan. It was Saturday before the race, I went for a 30 min ride and came up with my mantra for the race -- "Calm and Confident". I knew what I had to do, I knew that I could do it.. no matter what got thrown my way. The day before the race I felt this calmness come over me, I just felt great. I had shown up for myself, my family, my wife, and my daughter for the past month, and I knew that the race was going to be a pure celebration. A smile on my face from beginning to end, no matter the circumstance. And that is exactly how it turned out. I trained for 7 minutes in open water this year. No... Turning my head into a 3 foot roller was not something I had practiced, but I adjusted on the fly. I took a punch and realized that I needed to sight every breath or go into a breast stroke to catch my breath, but keep moving forward. Slower than last year, but we got it done, and i felt SO STRONG the whole time. There was never a doubt.