Getting After It

161 - Three Runners, One Desert, Zero Excuses: Canyonlands 50K

• Brett Rossell • Season 5 • Episode 161

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This episode is a little different. It’s a raw, on-the-road conversation with my wife Ally and my brother Drew — recorded before and after we ran the Canyonlands 50K.

We talk about training. We talk about nerves. We talk about pain. And we talk about why anyone would willingly sign up to suffer for 31 miles across the desert.

You’ll hear real stories about what it feels like to hit a wall — and push through it anyway. From cramping legs to surprise hills, stomach issues to sand-covered trails, this race tested us. But it also taught us. That the work matters. That pain passes. And that you really can do hard things.

Whether you’re a runner, a builder, a parent, or just someone trying to level up — this one’s for you.

Three things you’ll take away:

  • Why preparation is everything, and how to trust the work you’ve done
  • What mental tricks we used when things got ugly
  • How suffering with people you love builds stronger bonds

 If this hits home, share it with a friend. Then go take a small step toward something hard. The finish line gets closer with every step you take.

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I hope today’s episode sparked something within you to pursue your dreams and unlock your true potential. If you found value in it, consider sharing it with someone who might need that same push.

Getting After It is for those who. want to silence their self-doubt. Refuse to be owned by comfort. Understand their limits are man-made and breakable. We live in a time of constant comparison. Social media drowns us in highlight reels and overnight success stories. But what most people don’t see is the grit behind it all. The reps. The quiet mornings. The sacrifices. The failures.

You are just getting started. Keep Getting After It. 

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SPEAKER_00:

I felt like those documentaries where you like watch them come in and sit down, and then it's like, what do you have for, you know?

SPEAKER_02:

What'd you do?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02:

Well everybody, welcome back to the Getting After Podcast. This is a special on the road episode. And I've asked Allie to sit here first because I had an idea. We're about to run a 50K, which is 31 miles tomorrow morning, in Canyon Lands. And I've ran an ultra marathon only once, and it's very difficult. A lot goes into it. But with that same thing, a lot goes into the training. And I wanted to bring you first, and we'll talk to Drew later, but I just talked to you about training and talk to you about how you're feeling and um everything that's led up to you, I guess, getting to this point. When did you decide to run an ultra marathon?

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, it wasn't in the books originally. I never thought I would want to do that. Wasn't until you and Drew decided decided to sign up. I think I even took a couple days, weeks, I don't know. I was like, okay, fine, I'll do it. So I've only run one marathon, believe it or not. Feels like I've run more. I don't know why.

SPEAKER_02:

You've done a lot of distances though. Like you've done a lot of high mileage distances preparing for this thing.

SPEAKER_00:

I guess, but it's just weird I've only had one official marathon. For some reason I've felt like I've done more. But regardless, despite only doing one, I just thought it'd be another good challenge. I think I was excited for trail running. Yeah. I've never done trail running, so I'm excited to see how that goes. It was a kind of a rash decision to join you guys. Yeah. But I mean that was a few months ago, so I've had time to like let it sink.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, talk to me about the preparation. Like, what has training been like on a weekly basis? How's your body responded? Um, how have you fought through difficulties? Like take me through like a week of training.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, usually Tuesdays and Thursdays are my purely run days. Yeah. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, lift, and maybe some cardio if I get to it. I probably have could have done way more cardio. I needed highlight higher mileage weeks, and I never got to that. I really didn't. I feel like I would have long runs on Saturdays, and then that was like my big run. I wasn't doing as much mileage as I should during the week. So that's what I'm a little nervous about. I feel like I'm excited. I feel like I can accomplish it. Will I run the whole thing? No. And will it be very hard? Yes. I the biggest thing I've been running into the last couple long distances is my inner quad cramping really bad. I feel like I've been doing well on my electrolytes. I bring them on my run. I don't. I'm guessing it's maybe weakness. I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_02:

So weakness as in what?

SPEAKER_00:

As in I'm not strong enough for the hills.

SPEAKER_02:

Like your muscles?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I don't think that's true. It feels very good. Probably just overuse. Like it happens in the most weird ways, at least for me when I'm running. Like if I'm doing it consistently. I remember one time I had like the bottom of my foot hurt for weeks. My ankle will just randomly start hurting. I don't think it's weakness. I mean, maybe think like maybe you tweaked it, but definitely not weak. I think anyone who signs up for an ultra marathon, you're not weak.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm not saying I'm weak, but I mean I had quite a bit of elevation gain for a shorter distance, like on my training runs.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So I'm like, maybe it's just I've not used to the mountain. I don't know. Maybe so that's something that I've been that's been coming up. That's probably the biggest thing I'm worried about because when those quads get cramping, it's like inhabilitating.

SPEAKER_02:

So somehow you fight through it though. I remember when you had your 24-mile run, and this is something like I love Ally for this. Because like the last two miles, I remember you called me. I was at work and you're like, I cannot run. Like my legs were cramp, your my your legs were cramping up, you were basically waddling.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, and I remember you you called me and you're like, I think I might have told you, I was like, Well, just stop. And you're like, no, I'm finishing this thing. Like, even if I have to go to a flat spot and just run.

SPEAKER_00:

Which I did. I've had a treadmill in the last two months. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_02:

That's exactly what it takes to that's what it takes to run an ultra marathon. As in times will come up, like Andy Glaze, love the guy, but there's something he always says is like, there will be there will come a time during your ultra where you say, I'm done. I just want to stop. And you have to push past those feelings, and they only last for a little bit of time. Like if you think about the grand scheme of things, like we're only gonna be running for you know five to seven hours.

SPEAKER_00:

And bump those numbers up.

SPEAKER_02:

Really?

SPEAKER_00:

If I hit seven, that's like an hour faster than I expected. I'm aiming for under I'm aiming for under eight. If I do, I'll be proud because I'm not on pace for eight hours.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I know it's it's the common phrase. You got that dog in you? You do. You are an animal and you don't stop until things are done. And so I'm very excited to see you run. I'm very excited to see you on this race. How are you feeling about it?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh I'm split on feelings. Half of me is very anxious and like, holy smokes, because how weird is it that you you know you're about to be in so much pain. Like voluntarily, I'm about to hurt so bad. That is such a weird concept, right? Wrap your head around. So that anticipation is getting me for sure. But then the half of me is like, no way, it's already come up. Like fast. We're not running it tomorrow. So the other half of me maybe is in denial. I'm excited overall. I think it'll be incredible. I think it's gonna be beautiful. I think it's gonna teach me a lot of lessons. I'm excited to like cross the finish line. Excited to have that satisfaction, that feeling. However, I know it's just gonna take every bit of my soul.

SPEAKER_02:

And I'm excited to see how it goes.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm excited.

SPEAKER_02:

You're gonna do great.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, uh What are you gonna tell yourself? Last question. What are you gonna tell yourself when things get hard?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, one, I'm gonna be non-stop praying. I'm big on that. I talked to Jesus and my dad nonstop. I'm like, you guys better show up or something be pissed, you know. So I'll be talking to them nonstop. And I think I just like to remind myself, like, the pain is literally why I signed up. Like, this is why I'm here. I wanted to struggle, I wanted to feel the pain, I want to test my limits, see what I'm able to do. Like, that's the whole reason you sign up for a race like this. You don't expect it to be a breeze, you don't want it to be easy. That's not why you do races like this.

SPEAKER_02:

That's not why you do them.

SPEAKER_00:

So just remind myself, like, by the way, you actually wanted all this pain and wanted to struggle and wanted it to be difficult because the victory is gonna be that much more sweet.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I'm excited to do part two tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm yeah, we'll see how it goes. So I'm sure I'm gonna be in a lot more rough shape. The fact I can bend my legs is a pretty good sign for right now. We'll see how I do tomorrow. I'm excited.

SPEAKER_02:

So all right.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I'll see you soon.

SPEAKER_02:

You'll see me soon. Give me some.

SPEAKER_00:

Love, babe.

SPEAKER_02:

Love you.

SPEAKER_00:

Part of it.

SPEAKER_02:

Hey, this is part two.

SPEAKER_00:

Part two. We're back.

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome back.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02:

Tonight you seem a little bit less worried and anxious.

SPEAKER_00:

Because it's over.

SPEAKER_02:

Because it's over. Thank heavens. Last night it seemed like you were uh definitely thinking about it. You were worried about it.

SPEAKER_00:

Which is funny because I definitely was worried, but I slept pretty well actually considering.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's true. But let's talk about the race. How was it? How'd it go?

SPEAKER_00:

The race. Uh actually I think it was harder than I was expecting.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I I knew I was gonna finish, but I do think that it was worse. Um it felt honestly pretty good most of the time. However, as far as like cardio goes, how are like my joints like jumping from boulder to boulder? That was one thing I was not expecting. Plus an additional like 600 feet elevation gain that I wasn't anticipating.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So just because the course it said it was gonna be like 26.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I don't know what the issue was with that, but yeah, it was definitely awful.

SPEAKER_00:

It felt like I was hiking. That's the one thing I I I thought that there was like one big climb and then a bunch of little ones. It felt like I was hiking the entire time.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it's tough.

SPEAKER_00:

I just don't think I had the muscle for it. But we did it. I had some stomach cramps in the beginning, which is weird. That's the first. Not sure if that was a a feel thing or hydration or fear, probably. But yeah, I've never really had that. It did go after way or go away after some time, but I think my core was pretty sore. I don't know if it's because it was more climbing or what, but just weird pains compared to normal. However, tell me my I think I mentioned yesterday I've been having bad issues with my quads cramping up.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I did not cramp.

SPEAKER_02:

And you had no knee issues.

SPEAKER_00:

No knee issues. I taped my knees. I didn't tape my knees my last couple long runs. And I guess too.

SPEAKER_02:

So shout out to Brindley Walker. If you're in uh the Draper area.

SPEAKER_00:

Or she's in Linden.

SPEAKER_02:

If you're in the Linden area and you have any PT issues, go see Brindley Walker at Resilient.

SPEAKER_00:

R S L N T.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. Check 'em out. She's great.

SPEAKER_00:

Saving my life.

SPEAKER_02:

Anyways.

SPEAKER_00:

She I mean, I should have been doing what she was telling me this whole time, but I did it for the race and it worked. I assume my quads didn't cramp up, knees were as strong as they've been, my cap cramped a little bit, but that's showbiz. Yeah. I was expecting something. Didn't chafe anywhere, no blisters. Like I was literally looked down upon God as a favorite child today. It felt incredible. So as far as that goes, and I think I mentioned my goal was under eight hours.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Tell everyone what your time was because it's unbelievable.

SPEAKER_00:

My time was six hours and 34 minutes.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so you cut off basically an hour and a half of your predicted time. It's amazing.

SPEAKER_00:

I was shocked. And because my 24-mile-long run in the mountains took almost seven hours. Like it was slow because of how bad my quads are cramping. And so I was anticipating cramping quads, all those things. And I was like, no way I'm gonna get an extra seven, six, seven miles in under an hour. So I was like, it's gotta be at least eight hours, but I don't know. I guess today was my day. I had a good race.

SPEAKER_02:

What was the hardest part about the race?

SPEAKER_00:

I think there was a couple. I think first one was for sure miles like 14 to 7. 14 to 20, let's be honest. But 14 like 17, 18.

SPEAKER_02:

That that stretch was the hardest part of the race.

SPEAKER_00:

That was that was I was like in shock. I w mind blown. That it was hiking.

SPEAKER_02:

Basically, for everyone like listening to this thing, for miles 14 to 20, it was all uphill.

SPEAKER_00:

And literally not even like flattening out really ever.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, nothing.

SPEAKER_00:

It was like you're on a hike and you're just climbing rocks.

SPEAKER_02:

It's brutal.

SPEAKER_00:

Luckily, it wasn't gravel, it was like it was sand, though. Big boulders.

SPEAKER_02:

And bull, yeah, boulders too, I guess.

SPEAKER_00:

That part was more boulders. Yeah. But yeah, the sand, I was shocked because well, it had rain yesterday, so I was like, oh, it's probably gonna be pretty compacted. Felt pretty good about that. It felt like clay.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, did you get to the part where it was like Did I get to the part?

SPEAKER_00:

I sure hope so.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, yeah. Well, do you remember the part? Um, where you're going straight and then all of a sudden it like goes down so fast, but it was just sand.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

It was like thick. And it was kind of nice though, because then when I was going down, it like it was cushiony. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

That's actually what I was gonna say is although I hated it like running in the thicker of it, I like the parts where you kind of are like leaping from spot to spot at some points. And it was like, or the times you went downhill, I think it was a lot softer on my knees. Like I think it it like kind of had some give to it, which so at those points it was pretty nice. Overall, could have done without it. So I think the hike was like, I'm gonna call it the hike because that was crazy. Yeah, that was the hardest part, and then as and then I'm just like ghast after that. Oh my gosh. And then you get to that aid station, and you're just like, Oh, also, that aid station was so far away. So far away. It's that like the max aid station distance was like seven miles or something. That took so long. I was like, I'm I'm like uh gonna pass out right here. Like, where is this guy?

SPEAKER_02:

I know it was tough.

SPEAKER_00:

For like an hour, I was like, you come in? What's happening? So that was a nightmare. Um, and then the other hard part was the kick out where at mile 25 there's an A station, and then you went two miles in one direction and just flipped around and came two miles back.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, the people run the marathon just kept going straight, but we didn't run the 50k. Yeah, had to get an extra four miles.

SPEAKER_00:

And that was hard. That was that was the deepest sand spot.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it was brutal. And that was uphill too.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that was uphill. Luckily, it was uphill one way, where I feel like the whole race was uphill both ways somehow. Yeah. So it's crazy. That was uphill, but that was a really special spot for me too, because of course I saw you. Yeah, I was at mount 25, Brett was like about to finish, and we were able to cross, and that I got a little a little peck, and that really got me going through the rest of it.

SPEAKER_02:

And it's cool because I saw you the whole time I was thinking, I was like, I hope Allie's doing okay. Like, I wonder where she is, where she's at, and like oh man.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that was ice shaker. Are you okay? You good? I was like, shockingly, I'm just like emotionally not available.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, just talking.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm exhausted.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, what was your favorite part?

SPEAKER_00:

Favorite part, probably that part seeing you and Drew at that corner, and then um also I felt really good around mile nine to thirteen. Random spot. But it was fun because I was running with Drew for a few miles around there, and it was like mainly downhill, and downhill is where I shine. So I was leader of the pack for a little bit around there. But once I hit the A station at 13, you just never saw me again. I was walking from there on out. So I always say like those miles felt really good.

SPEAKER_02:

Seeing people, yeah. Seeing people it's funny how like that does give a little jolt to you. You're like, oh man, all right, I can keep going.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so that was really nice. And of course, like the finish.

SPEAKER_02:

Of course, yeah, that was awesome. Yeah, that was really cool seeing you go across. And it was nice. Shout out to Carmen for also going across the finish line.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, my mom like followed me in. She's such a loser.

SPEAKER_02:

It's so that's so cool.

SPEAKER_00:

Little cutie pie, but like such a dork, is what I mean. I didn't even know that she was chasing me until I watched the video back and she's like, ow, yeah, ow with her sign or whatever. That was really cute.

SPEAKER_02:

Um okay, so when things got tough, when you know you're jumping from boulder to boulder or you're hiking up a hill, what'd you tell yourself to keep going? Because you finished.

SPEAKER_00:

I did. I mean, I would tell myself regularly, like, this is why we signed up. Yeah. Right. Like this was this is the whole plan. Like, you want to hurt, you want to feel the pain, because like I will finish, and it teaches me that I can do hard things, I can finish. Um, also, I talked to God and dad a lot. I was like, guys, where are you at? Did they talk back to me as much as I would like? Probably not, but it was still kind of special for me to just be able to like like wow, this is like really happening, and it was gorgeous. So looking around, being like the fact that I have a body that's capable of handling this mileage, and we're running in a beautiful place. I was trying to just come from a place of gratitude. Yeah, like this is and the fact that my quads weren't cramping, that was like the biggest blessing ever.

SPEAKER_02:

Gratitude can get you far.

SPEAKER_00:

And I recognize it while I was running. I was like, every time I got stepping and I didn't feel blister, I was like, God, you're so good.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So I love it. So that's probably what what I was thinking about majority, besides me just like counting my steps because I'm bored. I try to listen to Megan the Stallion for the the end, and I had cord headphones because my headphones die so fast, and it just got stuck up in my camel back. It was just a mess. So I was like, you know what, Megan? Next time.

SPEAKER_02:

Next time, Megan. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

But it was beautiful, it was incredible. I feel definitely very, very grateful more than anything.

SPEAKER_02:

It's awesome. I'm so proud of you. I know, like, I I think you and I were laying in bed afterwards.

SPEAKER_00:

And oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02:

I was just like, I'm so proud of you. And you're like, you don't have to say that. And it's like, no, I I'm proud of you because I know how freaking hard that was.

SPEAKER_00:

I say, you c you I'm glad that you say it. I'm just saying you don't have to tell me like 17 minutes.

SPEAKER_02:

I know, but I just like I I'm like a little kid. You know, I'm like a little kid who gets something new. I'm like, look at this, mom, like look at this, dad. Like it's a cool new toy. It's good. But like I just want to be like, uh, I'm so freaking proud of you because I know how hard those are. Yeah. And you did so good for your first one.

SPEAKER_00:

That's one thing that um You pushed. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And you got what? In your age five?

SPEAKER_00:

I got five in my well, there's only like fifteen girl girls in my age group. But five to fifteen in my age group. And then um I got sixteen out of I can't remember how many girls ran. That's awesome. But females, sixteen out of however many females.

SPEAKER_02:

You beat me, I got 43. I think it was like males.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, that's what's crazy is like there was not a lot of female runners. I felt like I was only around females.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

But um, there's definitely more male runners, and I was shocked how little was in our age group, actually. Only 15. I know, it's crazy. It's weird. Um, that was really neat. And um, oh gosh, I was gonna say something, but oh, I was just gonna say, I think my favorite part definitely is just the fact that I ran with you and Drew. Like that is so cool to be able to do with your family, and not only does it like bond you, but it's just neat that we can like have these share experiences, and it's been like the best week. And then Emily is a freaking baller, like she's been so supportive, and same with little Reese. And so it's it's just like so fun to be with family this whole week.

SPEAKER_02:

So it was awesome. It was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it was great.

SPEAKER_02:

And uh on to the next one.

SPEAKER_00:

It's a little too soon to talk about this. A little too soon.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, not for you know, I'm already planning, but um, I'm so proud of you all.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you. Thanks for getting me here.

SPEAKER_02:

You know what? You got yourself here, but you deserve to be getting after it athlete. Oh, you already are. I didn't know if you knew that, but you already are.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, I assumed.

SPEAKER_02:

We all got we got our shirts every every athlete today we're getting after it shirts is pretty good.

SPEAKER_00:

I got the exclamation point one, which is cool because I haven't seen it printed yet. So I really liked it.

SPEAKER_02:

I'll put it up very comfortable to write it right here in between us, so you can see it.

SPEAKER_00:

And my exclamation point and you and Drew and your getting after it's yeah, so you oh we didn't get a picture of Reese without his jacket on.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, that's okay. Reese was also wearing one. So same with Emily. Shout out to everyone. Was Emily?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, she wore a getting after a shirt.

SPEAKER_02:

Dang it, okay. Everyone wore them.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And my mom was mad at us because her and Brad have um getting after shirts, and we didn't give him a memo. So next time.

SPEAKER_02:

They did make signs though. So that's true, they made signs. Yeah, we're gonna. Yeah, here we go.

SPEAKER_00:

Anyways, as you can see. Yeah, that was incredible, but I'm grateful for you.

SPEAKER_02:

Hey, I'm proud of you, and I love you.

SPEAKER_00:

I love you too.

SPEAKER_02:

All right, why aren't you wearing your hat? I can wear my hat. Go get it. Go get it. He's getting my hat right now so we can match. Yeah, here we go. Canyon Lands Ultra Marathon, baby.

SPEAKER_01:

How you feeling? Feeling good. Excited? I'm excited. Got a little bit of the butterflies. Yeah. But overall, I'm excited.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I think uh how's it look?

SPEAKER_01:

Looks good. You look handsome.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you. Look handsome. That's uh that's a that's a good sign. Yeah um I think it's pretty crazy with your journey that you're you've been on. Um the fact that you're going to run an ultra marathon tomorrow is pretty astounding, honestly. Pretty crazy. It's been two years, yeah. Not even almost.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, no, it'll be uh two years November, I think. Yeah, November.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, but what's that been like? Like going from zero, basically zero miles a week to now you're doing an ultra tomorrow. How's it feel?

SPEAKER_01:

It feels pretty crazy. Like um, like I was talking to Ally earlier this week, and it's just crazy that I went from like running my first half marathon, running my second half marathon and being under two hours, and like that being so strenuous, and like afterwards, like I was so hurt to like now where it's like we run a half marathon on the regular, you know, we ran a marathon on a treadmill, and like I didn't even hurt afterwards, yeah. You know, so it's like it's just kind of crazy that we I've come from running zero to about to run a 50k, it's so impressive.

SPEAKER_02:

So like um, I don't know, I think it just shows kind of what's needed for running an ultra marathon. And for me, like I when I ran it, it was basically it came down to drive, like being hungry enough to get it done, and then when things come up when it becomes difficult to just commit that you're just gonna get through it, and it doesn't matter how slow it takes you to get through that pain, like you can get through it, yeah. Um, and I just I I think you've been such a good example to me of just like, hey, I'm always striving for the next thing. Um, because like you said, it was like half marathon was the first, and then it was marathon, and now you're like, why not an ultra? Let's go. Um next is 50 miler, next is 50 miler's in April in April, yeah, going to Sedona. So it'll be a lot like Canyon Lands, but um talk to me about the training. How was that? Um like it was a lot of training, it was a lot of time on feet, a lot of miles every single week.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, how have you prepared for tomorrow? I think I've put in everything that I possibly could. Like, we had a lot of volume um in the training, and I the one thing I could have probably done better is like getting out and running more in the mountains. Yeah. Um, but I tried to get as much as I could done. The problem is it's just it's like 90 degrees, you know, in when I was trying to train. So um, yeah, I feel like I've just put in the most effort that I could. Um and I think I'm just like I'm just ready. Yeah, you know, like I don't know how many miles I've ran over the last how long have we been training? Is it six months, seven months? Since May, maybe? I think so. Yeah. Probably May was when I missed that marathon. Yeah. Yeah. Like the first week of May.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. I think so. Yeah. So um, I mean, it's crazy. So I mean, all the work that's gone into it, you put everything into it. How's it make you feel for tomorrow?

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, I I I just feel like I know I got it. You know? Like I've got a strategy, I've got I've got all the food I can need. Like I've I've just got it in my head. Yeah, I know what I'm gonna do, how it's gonna go, you know, and I'm just gonna go out and get it. I love it.

SPEAKER_02:

So well, I'm excited for tomorrow. I'm excited to see how we all come back afterwards. And yeah, of course. The nerves the nerves should be there. I mean, it's going to be hard. Ali was just talking about how like it's weird because you expect so much pain going into this event. You sign up for it, and you're signing up kind of for the reason of enduring pain, being able to push yourself. And I mean, I think that's where I get my nerves for these things, is like there's gonna be one time during that race where I know I'm gonna be fighting myself, just like, hey, you can throw it in, you can throw in the towel, but I'm just difference is I'm just not gonna look listen to that. And no, you won't either. So I'm excited to see how it goes. But me too. Um do you have a goal time?

SPEAKER_01:

Honestly, um I just want to finish it. That's like my real goal, but I would love to be somewhere between five and seven hours. That's a good goal, yeah. And I I feel like I can I feel like I can hit that too. Yeah, so for sure. Yeah. Well, sweet man.

SPEAKER_02:

We'll uh we'll bring it back tomorrow, but let's get it. Heck yeah. Welcome back, sir. Thank you. And uh you are an official ultra marathoner.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm an official ultra marathoner.

SPEAKER_02:

That's right, baby. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. That is sick. Yeah, you should be proud of that. How was how was the day?

SPEAKER_01:

Um, it was good. I I think that on our last interview I said I wasn't anxious, didn't I? Yeah, I think so. I couldn't fall asleep till like 11:30, so I was very anxious. Just a little nervous. Um waking up, I was less anxious. Yeah, and then when we got there, I'm not gonna lie, my first like feeling was like, This sucks. I don't want to be here. I don't want to be running. And then we started, and it's probably because it was cold and early, but then dark. And dark, and then we started running, and it took me a little bit to warm up, and then I don't know, I just felt I did exactly what I was gonna do. Yeah, stuck to a simple pace out the gate, and then got to the downhills and really pushed myself so I could try and make up time, and then uh, you know, got to a point where I was just one foot in front of the other, yeah, you know, and then got my I got my goal. Yeah, what was your final time? Final time was 624, and my goal was five to seven hours. That's awesome. It's crazy. I'm really proud of that. Yeah, you and Allie both did way better than you thought you would. Yeah, I there was a point in the race where I also thought I was gonna do seven or eight hours. Like that's where I was feeling. Was it around the hill? Yeah, it was like close to the hill because I was like, I have to walk this. Yeah. Because it was just and there was like little breaks where I could run, but then for the most part, like which I think my first mile on that hill, I did 17 minutes. Okay, but then the rest of it, I think I did 13 to 15, so I felt pretty good about that. Yeah, that's awesome. So it was tough to make up.

SPEAKER_02:

Like that was um Allie was just in here talking about that, and how it was just like from mile 14 to 20, basically uphill most of the time. Yeah, and then like there's just no aid station, so there's no support or anything.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it was kind of it was tough. It was daunting.

SPEAKER_02:

It really was like when am I gonna get a break? Yeah, I thought the same thing, it was rough. Yeah, um, I did ask Allie, and I'm curious what you would say. Like, what was the hardest part of the race?

SPEAKER_01:

Besides the hill, I was hungry the entire time. Really? Yeah, like I I woke up feeling hungry even after I ate a bagel, and um, and I had some tailwind. Like at the beginning of the race, I felt hungry, and then so I ate. Normally I wait until I'm an hour in. I think I started eating 30 minutes in, and then I was eating every 20 to 30 minutes, and I went through all my food until I got to last aid station uh or to the the long one, yeah, I think, or the yeah, whatever it was around 21. Um, I ate like a a quesadilla and an and an orange, and then I got like refilled my water and my electrolytes, so I was feeling better. Um, and then that last aid station, I grabbed like four bags of candy and a rice crispy treat, and I ate three bananas, and then so that was just like it was weird. Like, I didn't like I kind of going back to my no November marathon, I think that was like one of the biggest issues was electrolytes, and then I don't think I was eating enough. Yeah, and then like I felt that and I was feeling like nauseous, and so I wanted to make sure I never got to that point, even though I was feeling hungry. So I was trying to try and put down as much food as things in there, and that was really just the hardest thing was like making sure I was putting down my food and then going, like keep going.

SPEAKER_02:

I I think it like I noticed a very significant difference like when I was not eating, even if it was for a couple miles, because like the trend terrain was pretty pretty tough, difficult, and then um like yeah, I would just feel like my energy is starting to go down. I was like, this is so weird, yeah. Yeah, I mean it's it's awesome. Um it's awesome just sitting here and like being able to talk about this with you because it's it's such a hard thing to do, yeah. Um so yeah, that makes total sense. Like, I I think that's something a lot of people struggle with is the nutrition side. Yeah, but what was your favorite part of the race?

SPEAKER_01:

Honestly, it was so pretty. And yeah, that was nuts. And honestly, like I I felt like it zoomed by. Yeah, that was odd. I felt the same way. Like it was my longest run to date in miles and I think in time. Yeah. Like, you know, six hours and 30 minutes. Like, that's not short, but like all of a sudden, you know, like it was just over, and I was like, oh, it didn't really seem like it went very long. Oh, it's crazy. But besides that, I would say my favorite part was when I saw the finish line started running up, and then Reese ran across with me, and then like I was I didn't see Emily standing with you guys, and I was like, Where's Emily? Then I looked up and she was waiting for me at the end with videotaping me. And I think that was my favorite part, was just getting to run that with Reese and then getting to celebrate with Emily right away. Yeah, so freaking cool. Yeah, it was pretty, pretty fun. Um, what'd you tell yourself when it was hard? Um, I feel like it really didn't get hard until after 21 miles. That's when I really started to struggle a little bit. And I just had to keep reminding myself like this is just a Tuesday. Yeah. It's a Tuesday morning, or oh, it's a Wednesday morning. And then when I got to like um five miles left, I just said, like, it's you know, it's just around the corner. And I just once I got to that part where they had us go out and they turned around, yeah. I kind of felt like I had almost like a second win. I was still hungry, yeah. But I was like, once I get up and out of this, I turn right and I'm and I'm there, you know. So like that kind of gave Gave me some motivation to just keep pushing. It's crazy. It's like it's just the little things too.

SPEAKER_02:

Um to get you through, like I I think, yeah, I was astounded by how pretty it was. Um, like I told you, I I sounded like Owen Wilson, I'd be running and then look around and be like, wow, wow, yeah, you do it better than I do. Um, and it's just like, you know, Allie brought up the good like a good point of she thought a lot about like gratitude. Like yeah, she at least can be here doing what she's doing. Right. Um, I think it's just a lot of stuff like that. Like it's just how you look at it. And um, I'm just freaking proud of you, dude. Like insane. Two years from swearing off running to today you ran an ultra marathon. Yeah, you should be proud of that. I am proud of that. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I feel like I I kicked butt today. Like I was a little um there was parts of the run where I felt like I was letting myself down, if that makes sense, where I was like, okay, I'm not gonna put in this great time, like I'm just gonna finish it. And then by the end, I realized like, no, I did a great time for my first ever 50k. Absolutely. And like to be at 624, like that was I was proud of that. You should be, dude. So and I felt good like finishing the cr like crossing that finish line, just being like, okay, I'm finally done with this. I'm done, you know. I could sit down. Yeah, I didn't, I didn't sit down. It hurts to sit down now.

SPEAKER_02:

So yeah. Um, but hey, how's it make you feel about the 50 miler?

SPEAKER_01:

Intimidated or intimidated because I know it's a lot longer, and but at the same time, I think it gave me better insight on how I could better prepare. That's good. Yeah. For like like things that I could have worked on during this last training block for the 50k that would have benefited me. Yeah. So I think we're gonna do it. Yeah, I think it like I get I get excited, but I also like I think it's just this experience gave me a lot of insight into how to be better. Well, we're gonna crush that one too. Yeah, we are.

SPEAKER_02:

It's gonna be it's gonna be sweet, it's gonna be dope. So we got a lot, we got about what, six months of training around there. And then we'll get right to it. Yep. So we gotta sign up and yeah, that's it. But dude, I'm freaking proud of you. You are like I I've said it many times, though, you're one of the dudes I look up to the most. Because you got no quit in you, and yeah, it's just it's awesome to see you like succeed in the way that you are. So man, thanks, dude. On to the next one, on to the next one. Never finished, never finished, man. Love it, love you, love you too. Love you too. All right, friends. It's just me now. My wife and my brother, they're both gone. And I wanted to just share some thoughts that I have about this this race tomorrow. Um I'm excited. I think above all else, I'm excited. Of course, there's a little bit of nerves. Like these things are painful, they're difficult to do. But at the end of the day, you know, I've prepared as much as I can for this thing, and I know that the work that I've done is going to propel me quite literally across the finish line. I've built my body up to be able to endure this kind of distance. I've you know, eaten very well, I've stayed on top of my nutrition, my electrolytes, my fuel. I've stretched, I've got the miles in, I've logged them in the mountains. And now this is the time that we get to see how that all comes together. How that formula of effort times nutrition times recovery it equals success. And it's really interesting to me. Um it all is based on your preparation. Like all that work, everything that goes into basically preparing for tomorrow is preparation, the training, the fueling. And it's interesting because if you think about big things that people do, and it could be just you know, it could be a 5k. If you're training for a 5k, that's and you've never done one, that's that could be a big thing for you. It could be starting a business, it could be starting a family, it could be going for a 50K. But whatever you do up until that point to prepare for it is preparation for this thing. And for this Canyon Lands 50K, I've prepared for the past seven months, and I know that the effort that I've done is honest, and it is exactly what I needed to do to get ready for this thing. I'm confident that I'll be able to get it done. That confidence does not come from arrogance, it does not come from believing that I'm better than anybody else. That confidence comes from simply preparation, it comes from understanding that I know I've done what I can to get ready for this thing. And I'm confident in Allie and Drew, too. Like they're not in here, but I've seen the work that they've done, I've seen how hard that they both get after it, quite literally. And it's it's so admirable, and it's so fun to see them both succeed, it's fun to see them fail, but then get back up and push. They don't quit. And anybody who's out there getting after life in any s sense of the word, you know, you're getting after it's gonna look different than mine. My getting after it's gonna look different than Cameron Haynes. And the thing is, is if you're doing an honest effort, if you're putting yourself out there, if you're trying as hard as you can, that's gonna get you very far. That's gonna make you a better person. And getting after it is a lifetime focus. It is a time for you to prepare to become the best version of yourself. And one thing that I think a lot of people kind of miss about the idea of getting after it is they compare themselves a lot to other people. Like, today we've been talking a lot about the race, and Drew and Allie are both like, Brad, you'll finish like two hours ahead of us, and I don't think that's true at all. They're just being nice. But really, you know, you you can compare yourself to so many people, and you can compare yourself to what they're doing, how fast they are, if it's a race. But in reality, you should just be comparing yourself to who you were yesterday. If you're better than you were yesterday, you can call it a good day. And I'm gonna be better tomorrow than I was today. Especially after I get those 31 miles in, I'm gonna be feeling a lot better. But I will be better tomorrow than I am today. And that's the power of doing things like this, is I know that I'll learn things. I'll learn lessons about myself, I'll learn how to push past doubt, push past fatigue, push past cramping legs or tired legs, whatever the story might be, push past the elements and come out on the other side with a story to tell. And tomorrow night, I'll tell it to you. And until then, stay tuned. Alright, friends, I'm back. And I hope listening to Drew and Allie talk about their experiences was inspiring, um, motivating, because both of Drew and Allie, I think when I ran my 50k, they both thought like I was crazy last year. Um, and to see them both here actually doing it with me was pretty awesome. Like Allie said that her favorite part of the race itself was um you know seeing Drew and seeing me at at different points of the race. And I think that's pretty spot on on how I feel. Like seeing two people that I love push themselves in ways that they never have before and doing something that's incredibly difficult. It was awesome. It's just great to see. And um I've been thinking a lot about well, I want to back up because this race was kind of interesting for me. One, um it was a mo the race wow, it's a race that I ran that had the most elevation I've ever done. It was only around 3,000 feet of elevation gain, and I don't know if there's races out there that are like tens, tens of thousands. Um, but for me, it was my hardest. It was the the most I've ever done. And secondly, I didn't listen to headphones or anything uh the entire race, which is crazy because usually when I'm training, I'm always listening to something, either a book, a podcast, or music. Like it doesn't matter. Usually something's in my ears, just kind of helps me think about things. But I wanted this race to be different, I wanted to be fully present, and I was basically writing out a journal entry in my head as I was running. Um, just so like my thoughts were clear, so I had everything documented in my head, and I just remember getting there this morning and everything was dark, it was cold, and you could tell that there were nerves. People were you know doing some runs before there were a lot of people stretching, many people using the bathrooms, which is a common thing in races, but anyways, we started, and it was really a neat experience for me to be starting a race like this and look to my right and I see Drew and look to my left and I see Allie. And once we got through and we started actually going on the race, I I broke off a little bit just so I could um you know, my my legs are fresh, they felt great, so I kept pushing myself a little bit there. But I mean, you heard me ask Drew and Allie what the hardest part of the race was, and I'll tell mine. Um obviously they both mentioned the hill. That was difficult, that was a hard part of the race. But for me, like one thing that was really difficult was um it's egotistical, but I kept worrying about my pace a lot. I kept thinking about like, oh man, I'm behind, I am not doing as well as I can. Which might have been true, but if you ask me right now, I'm I'm telling you, I I gave it my all, I put it all out there. And it's really interesting because like the you know, the the human side of me wants me to have a fast time, so people are like, dang, that's awesome. This guy crushed it. But in reality, it's just like I I should set goals for myself. And I even said this yesterday yesterday when I recorded my pre-race podcast, um, the episode or the section just of me, where I said, like, the only person you should compare yourself is to you yesterday. And it's so interesting because it's it's easier advice to say than it is to take and apply. And so I I struggle with that for a little bit, but then I realized, like, you know what? I'm not gonna be the fastest, I'm not gonna be the strongest, I'm not gonna be the best at ultra running, but I can be my best, and I can do the very best that I can to at least try and do something difficult with a positive attitude, right? So that was probably the hardest part for me, besides the actual physical aspect of the race. But my most favorite part of the race was just it's honestly the running community. Like, I love running past people who are way ahead of me, and they turn around and they say things like, um, they say, Hey, you're doing great, or hey, great work, keep it up. It's just like everyone's really motivated and everyone's supportive, and everyone's suffering together. And it's so funny because like I was also running with people, and I was like, man, I am feeling it, and they're like, Yeah, this this is getting hard, this sucks. And so you're suffering all these people together, and Ali said the same thing like you should you build these bonds with people that you never thought you would, and then it builds bonds with you know your friends and family that you run it with even closer. Like, it's funny because I I ran the start of the race, um, probably the first 10 miles I ran with some German guy, and he uh he had pretty broken English, but he was great to talk to. And um, I ran with a couple other people throughout the race. There's this dude in pink shorts. If you know if if that's you, you're the man, you were great to run with. Um it's just fun to be able to share that experience with other people and see them doing something difficult, seeing them put themselves out there and and put themselves like in the face of adversity and pain. Um just pretty interesting. Like, I that it's why I love this thing. It's why I love running. It's because it is a challenge. Andy Glaze said, Um, and I think I shared this with Allie yesterday, but that there comes a point in every race that you do, whether it's a marathon, whether it's a 5K or an ultra marathon where you want to quit, where you want to throw in the towel, but you get to decide if you listen to that voice or not. And the reason I love doing these things is because it teaches me that there's other things that I can do in my life that are difficult, that are challenging, that are going to put me through pain, that are going to take a long time and require me to be patient, but the result is worth it. This race built confidence in myself to know that I can push myself and do difficult things. The reason why Allie and I always talk about that phrase that her dad says of you can do hard things, because I think a lot of the times we forget that. I think a lot of the times we forget that we are capable of doing difficult things. We're so used to comfort, we're so used to everything being pretty easy in our lives that we forget about the benefits adversity brings. We forget about the confidence that it builds within you. Confidence comes from doing hard things. You know that by now by listening to this podcast. It comes from many things, but confidence comes from hard things that has to be the biggest one for me. That's like, yes, you can have confidence in who you are as a person, in your job, but if you're during if you're suffering, if you're doing something difficult, that teaches you, that really teaches yourself a lot about who you are. If you're able to keep going, despite being in s in pain and your ankles are swelling and your feet are starting to blister, your legs are starting to stiffen up and not want to move, your body's feeling low on energy, you're tired. But you decide to keep going and push on. And no matter how strong those feelings become, you persevere. And you just take one step at a time, one step in front of the other, and that's how you get to the finish line. So I'm very glad that I was able to do this race. It was probably my most favorite race that I've done in terms of the course, in terms of the challenge, in terms of who I was running with. Um it was great. And in Mad Moose events, I've got to give a shout out to them. They're the guys that put that hosted this race. They're great at hosting races, loved it. So if you're thinking about writing an ultra, I'd highly recommend a Mad Moose event. So, anyways, that's all what getting after it's about is setting the bar high for yourself and then doing all you can to reach that. And then once you do, you keep that standard, you hold it, and you continue pushing yourself in ways that you didn't think you could. So this I hope this episode was kind of fun. Um, kind of a cool insight into pre-race nerves versus or like pre-race nerves, worries about the race, um, you know, a lot of curiosity versus actually completing it, talking about some of the hardest things, talking about some things that enjoyed, and then also the lessons that are learned in the race itself. And the biggest takeaway for me today is you can do hard things. Allie proved that, Drew proved that, and I proved it. And so did all the other 100 racers that ran with us. They all proved that you can do difficult things. So, um, if there's something in your life that you know you want to go and pursue, but you know it's gonna be hard, take one step. Just take a small step today. Because when I was running that race, I was taking a lot of small steps. But all those small steps got me to cross the finish line. And it can do the same thing for you. So I appreciate you guys for listening to this episode. It means a lot. Um, as always. If you liked it, please uh leave a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, share it with a friend, and as always, keep getting after it. Thanks, guys.