Training Through Life’s Toughest Days

/June 14, 2025

The calendar changes but the goal doesn’t. The days move forward but the work never ends. The comparison to my past self lingers in the air like humidity in Manhattan on a summer day. Is this what they call the dog days of summer? It feels like it. The training and the journey for a 100 mile race seems to be more doggier than ever.

May was one of those months where everything happened and all at once – or so it seemed! We moved. We traveled. Classes were ending and grades needed to be entered. I was managing the business on my own for the first time in 4-ish years. Life.

June would be arriving soon and the first month of 100 mile training specificity would start but that didn’t mean that I could slack off in May. All the basebuilding that I had done could not just be tossed out the window because LIFE.

Having experience and perspective would help me navigate May and prepare me for what is going to be a long and hard 4 months through the summer. How did I do?

Mental Resilience Under Pressure

I think this is my greatest asset. I am not the fastest runner nor am I going to cover the most distance. What I do have is the mental ability to keep going. Lori often tells people that she has never met another person that can press the gas pedal and keep it down until ALL the gas runs out. I take pride in knowing that is who I am and I continued to build on that in May.

We went to Flagstaff during the month and this would be my first time in the thinner air of an elevated location in a long time. I live at sea level and have for over 2 years so the lack of oxygen and the massive amount of climbing was going to be a challenge. How would going up to elevation help or hurt me during this 100 mile training journey?

Running…..Out Of Oxygen

I met up with Austin Corbett, pacer for miles 60-80, in Flagstaff and we decided to climb Elden Mountain. My last foray up this mountain was during Cocodona in 2019. I was both excited and petrified.

We started out running up a jeep road and almost immediately I could tell that there was a lot less air than what I am used to. We pushed forward and I kept reminding myself that I had already done this climb once. During the trek up, we would stop every few minutes so that I could catch my breath but turning around was never an option. Gas pedal down, forward motion.

When we got to the top and began to descend, my thoughts went to breaking 21 hours. Could I do this at Javelina? The way we were descending my mind said yes. Get through the few tough climbs and descend the way I am capable of and 21 hours can be a reality.

The body can achieve what the mind believes!

Balancing Business and Base Building

The Run Tri Bike community is growing and in May I was faced with the challenge of handling all portions of the business on my own. There was inevitably going to be something that got missed but this was a great chance for me to see what was important and what wasn’t.

Change is inevitable and being able to take stock at this point of the business is important because the training for Javelina will not be getting less intense. What could I do and what could I scrap?

The first thing I did was get super organized. Both in the planning of the business as well as the planning of my training. Designating times for action was necessary if this was going to succeed and based on the outcomes of May, I would give myself a B+.

I have streamlined when podcasts get posted as well as how many interviews per week I could handle. Those interviews have also gone on a timeline that allows me to know exactly when a story get sent to the subject for review and when it will get posted to our social platforms.

The results so far have proven to be excellent. The Run Tri Bike community is not just growing in numbers but also in connections.

Beyond that, the training in May showed great promise for what is to come in June. The mileage didn’t suffer during this first month with nearly 80 miles run and 31 miles walked. The climbing was also in good shape with 10,000 feet of elevation gained during the month.

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The 500-Calorie Nutrition Strategy

In order to hit those mileage numbers and elevation gains, there had to be a strategy for nutrition. Winging it isn’t going to cut especially since I will not be winging it at the race. Over the past few months that strategy has been to reach 500 calories per hour.

This is not an easy task but similar to when I started training my gut to consume 32 oz of liquid per hour, I would focus on incremental gains. There was also the idea that I didn’t have to be perfect, just close.

Throughout my training during May, hitting 450-ish calories turned out to be fairly easy. Combining 7 Summits Snacks, OSMO Nutrition, Skratch Bars and Clif Shot Bloks helped me avoid tastebud burnout while achieving my goals.

The best part of all this testing is that my runs are filled with energy and recovery isn’t as hard. One of the things I have noticed the most is the lack of runger when a run is over. I am not overly hungry and filling my face with whatever I can get my hands on.

This has been a big change from years ago. Back then when I finished a workout I would inhale all the food near me. Part of this was from the disordered eating of starving myself for the most part but the other was that I truly needed to get calories because I was consuming around 200 kcal per hour which is not enough for me.

My gut (see what I did there?) tells me that Javelina will go very well if I’m eating 450-500 kcal per hour. This means that I have be aware of what I’m consuming but so does my crew and pacers. Team work will make this dreamwork.

Specificity Phase Strategy

We have now entered into the specificity area of training for Javelina. This means that runs will have a lot more meaning than they have had during the base building that I just went through.

I tend to break down my training into 3 parts. Part 1 is speed work while Part 2 is medium runs and some speed work. The last part is long runs and no speed work.

During the first 5 weeks of this new cycle, there will be a combination of speed intervals at different distances combined with hill climbing. This means a lot of time spent on the treadmill as I can control the pace as well as the elevation with ease.

Two speed sessions per week is on the training plan but I am also not going to force a workout. I know that one change, or missed, workout will not alter my finish one bit but getting injured will change the game for good.

The mix up will also help me avoid burnout as the training ramps up. Burnout is my biggest fear of this cycle. I want to get to the starting line feeling ready to race and not wanting to throw it all away because I’m tired.

Community as Training Tool

Community. This words seems to get tossed around a lot these days. I know I use it to describe the people that make up Run Tri Bike because it is also what I experienced growing up in the Bronx.

As a kid, I would see strangers step up to help each other out. They did this to make somebody else’s life easier. This is what you, the Run Tri Bike community, do for me. You pick me up when I’m down. There are cheers for me when I post a dancing video. You laugh with me (or maybe at) when we talk about my fancy food shopping trips.

All of these interactions make training for Javelina easier because I know that you are there for me no matter what.

COMMUNITY….often used but not always understood!

May was one of those whirlwind months that finished before it got started. I am unsure if that is good or bad – in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter. We are here now and we can only go forward.

As June has begun to unfold, I am looking back at May with fondness. It tested me mentally and physically while preparing me for the next 5 months. I know that they will go by in a flash but I have a plan, that is flexible. In addition to that there are people behind me who are ready to cheer me on.

This 100 mile training journey is just getting started. I don’t know how it ends but I am excited to find out.