Lean Horse 100 Reflection I hadn't ever been more excited or felt more ready for an Ultra than I did the weeks leading up to Leanhorse 100. That being said, I did not get the result I had hoped for. It was especially disappointing because my race execution was piss poor. I made too many big mistakes leading up to and during the race that I completely handicapped myself. Here are my big 3 lessons learned: - Fueling - This is especially disappointing to me because I have run into this issue on several other Ultra runs. Those have been 50 milers and I was able to suck it up to finish. Not for a 100. Right away I saw the temperatures were going to be between 90-95 with high humidity. Ryan and I discussed some adaptations the morning of the race to help handle the heat. Mistake 1 was I decided against throwing my camelbak in the back of my vest. The Aid stations ranged 6-9 miles apart so I thought I could get by with my 2 bottles on the vest. BAD IDEA. Mistake 2 was loading 1 bottle with tailwind and the other with a high carb drink. By mile 4 I was completely out of fluids and probably had started the stomach problems that would plague me later on by slamming all those carbs when I was clearly overheating. Mistake 3 was not respecting the course. I thought the heat would not be so bad because the course was wooded through the black hills. The first 15 miles had no trees and was a full climb in the beating sun up Crazy Horse Mountain. - Pace - The race began and quickly groups separated themselves. I found myself up front with about 20 guys. Several of them I had talked to a bit pre-race and they mentioned they were just looking to go sub-24. Before the race had started, I decided my strategy would be a lot of walking and moving slow early up the first big climb then once the sun went down I would start pushing harder. Mistake 3 was I quickly ditched my planned strategy to run with the group up front. I pushed the first 15 miles at an extremely aggressive pace. Between the heat and the climb and lack of fluids, my HR was running between 145-150 for a long stretch of that. During that time I flew through aid stations, spending less than 5 minutes at both of the first 2 stops.

Pre-race Clarify Your Intention What do I want to experience during this race? I want to experience presence. I want to stay present with my emotions, with my thoughts, with my body. Understanding that there will be adversity and there will be difficult times, then recognizing when I am in those moments and utilizing tools to pull myself back into the fight. "Relentless" is the word that describes my build to this day. It is also the word I want to reference during the race. Claim the Win No matter the outcome, how has your process already been a success? The first part of this build was very difficult for me with a lot of work, life, and family things going on. I was able to recognize that and make major changes in my life that improved all aspects. The past 6 weeks of this build have been some of the best times I have had in years. Not only training but at home with family as well. By dialing in priorities to what matters most I have been able to show up for my family as well as myself every single day for 6 straight weeks. No matter what happens in the race, that cannot be taken away. Spot the Fear I am afraid of failing, but when it shows up, I'll think of how much courage it took to put myself in the arena.

What does your Rising Ritual look like at its shortest? The one single thing I do every morning is sit in my cold tub for 5 minutes. This is my one non-negotiable. Taking those 5 minutes of space to breathe, be outdoors watching the sunrise, and complete an uncomfortable task to start my day is what sets me up to dominate the day. What does it look like when you go all in? My perfect morning routine involves waking earlier to lift weights in my garage before spending 5-10 minutes in the cold tub. Ideally, it is followed by making breakfast and enjoying it with my family. These morning hours are sacred to me as I have a wife, 2 kids, and a busy work life. Being able to step away from it all for even an hour or two helps me with mental clarity. I notice these days that I have space for myself in the morning often turn out to be some of the best days I have. How will these Rituals help you live with intention? These rituals help define my day. When I rise and complete these, I am already living with intention, and that transfers over to the rest of my day. I notice when I do not get these done, the rest of my day seems chaotic as well. Having the discipline to rise early and attack a difficult or uncomfortable task creates that mindset of dominating the day, it carries over right into work life, and then family life when I get home. It is my fuel. "The Game" “I feel nothing, I hear nothing, my eyes watch the puck, my body moves… I don’t tell it to move… yet it moves.” This quote struck me last night while reading, this feeling of being so locked in. I notice this some days when I am getting up at 4 am. Some days, the body just moves. It knows. Other days, it's not as easy and requires more willpower. This in-the-zone feeling is amazing.