Category: Uncategorized
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Getting sobriety – Realizing I am not that unique.
Whenever I had made attempts to quit drinking in the past, I often found myself stopping short for a variety of reasons. One of the most persistent thoughts was that I was beyond help, that I could never be “cured.” In my mind, I believed that I was such a unique case that no one…
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Coldwater Rumble 60k (January 2024) – Getting somewhere?
Following my 50K effort at Kodiak, something within me shifted. Up until that point, trail running and ultramarathons had been a fun, restorative, and enjoyable pursuit. While there was pain and suffering involved, the experience carried a certain whimsy that comes with starting something new. I hadn’t been putting much pressure on myself beyond the…
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Getting sobriety – Making it Manageable
While building my training back up following my first ultra, I just happened to stop drinking. It wasn’t exactly planned or thought out; it just happened. I was in transit, and the transit got delayed. I ended up not drinking for a few days while trying to get back home. I just didn’t have the…
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Kodiak 50 K (October 2023) – Much to learn
After a humbling start to ultra trail distances, I decided it was best to drop some mileage and see how twenty miles less would suit me. The next venue was another California race in the Big Bear area, the Kodiak 50K. I decided to sign up for this race about a month after finishing the…
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Getting sobriety – Creating Space for Conversation
Following my first 50-mile race, the insights on perseverance and resilience didn’t immediately influence my drinking habits. Truthfully, I was still drinking a bit at that time. However, about a month after the race, as my birthday approached—a time when drinking was typically abundant and part of my traditions—I noticed a change. For the first…
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Bishop 50 Miler (May 2023) – Trial by Fire
Waking up in the van after having slept roughly two hours before the race was not how I envisioned my first ultra starting off. However, it was very much in line with my general preparation for the race. I had jumped from nearly no training to running a road marathon, then another road marathon with…
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Training and Trails as my Gateway to Sobriety
I had tried many times before to stop drinking. I had tried everything I thought would work: tapering off, switching types of drinks, setting time frames—all the classics. I had even just tried stopping, as simple as that sounds. But a drink always wound up back in my hand. It felt like years that I…
Bonk and Rally 