I first learned about the Hills to Sea trail a few weeks ago through the awesome local trail running group I've become involved with since moving to Maine, Trail Runners of Midcoast Maine. The route goes from Unity, ME at the west side to Belfast, ME on the east side and covers some 47 miles of trail by running across over 60 privately owned lands. The trail opened in fall of 2016 after completion of the last section. After doing some asking around, I heard that two others ha

For all the unpleasantness and disappointment I took away from the state of Tennessee last month, I experienced an equal or greater amount of kindness and support along my (shorter than planned) journey. This kindness is one of the things that people rave about for the Volstate 500k. The local residents and families who exhibit this kindness are often referred to as "road angels" and they are held in very high regard among those familiar with the 500 kilometer race. These roa

Running sucks. Some days more than others, but in general, when you think about it. Running sucks. We put our bodies through hell, lose sleep, deal with injuries, upset stomachs, lost toenails, and more! For what? So we can spend hundreds of dollars on sneakers, gadgets, and race fees? Yeah, pretty much...but why? Why do we do it? We all know why. It is because RUNNING IS AWESOME! It is because in those fleeting moments when everything is clicking and our bodies are flying th

"Just get me there - I've been working toward this for 4 years." I'm not even completely sure who said this to me with about a mile to go in the race (maybe one of the John's that were with me?), but it may be one of the most memorable things anyone has ever said to me. Definitely during a race. All I remember is (getting choked up a little bit and then...) telling him that he would get there and to just stay right behind me. Moments later he was crossing the finish line unde

I awkwardly walked past the front desk of the mega-gym as I hesitantly pointed to the physical therapy office in the corner of the building not knowing if I needed to check in or if it was okay to just keep going. I didn't know exactly what was in store for the next 45 minutes, I only knew I had heard good things about Active Release Technique from friends and other runners, but this would be my first experience. Active Release Technique (ART) is defined as "a soft tissue met

“If one could run without getting tired I don’t think one would often want to do anything else.” — C. S. Lewis 2016 - what a year. This quote is of particular meaning to me when I think about the past year and my running through it. 2016 was also a great year for many other reasons, but for all intents and purposes we'll stick to the running here. It was by far my most successful as an athlete. I think it is fair to say that I owe all of my recent successes to my fantastic co

143.39. I keep thinking to myself that this number is absurd. 143.39 miles. In 24 hours. I still can't believe that I did it. I mean, in my heart I knew I could, and it is what I was aiming for, but to have such an ambitious goal realized after over a year of hard training for this very number (or at least 140) is still kind of surreal. Let's back up a little bit. Back to August 16, 2012 in Burlington, Vermont. This was 2 days before the USAT Age Group National Championships.

I've been meaning to write a few words about this product since my last 24 hour race, the Run Around the World, in Nashville Tennessee a little over a month ago. It should be noted that this is my first product review and although I got this tube to try for free, I was not asked to write about my experience or promote their product in any way and I am in no way being compensated for this review. The Run Around the World was truly the first time I've done an ultra distance eve

Before racing the 2016 edition of the Sweltering Summer 8 Hour ultra I had won 6 races overall in my running "career" (including the 2015 edition of this race). I had the mindset going into this race that it would absolutely be my 7th career win. That's how I tend to approach most races these days, unless of course I know it's not realistic. Also, coming into this race I had never successfully "defended" a title either. I also expected that to change. Suffice it to say that

I've been looking forward to the Vermont 100 Endurance Race weekend for several months, ever since my coach Amy asked if I wanted to crew for and pace her husband (Brian Rusiecki) for the race. I immediately thought this would be a great opportunity to help give back to Amy for the time and effort she has put into my training and also a great way to learn from a very accomplished ultra runner. I looked forward to helping Amy by volunteering on Friday night before the race, Sa