Journal
Field notes
Everything I have written, newest first. Race reports, what the testing actually said, and the parts of twelve ultras in twelve months that do not make the highlight reel.
My Sweat Test: 40 Ounces an Hour, Sodium at 1,500 mg a Liter
I lose about forty ounces of fluid an hour. My sweat carries roughly 1,500 mg of sodium per liter, which puts me in the top few percent. Here is what the test actually is, what the bands mean, and how to book one this week for 175 dollars. Half of it I measure for free.
Read →The Lactate Threshold Test: What It Is, What Your Numbers Mean, How to Book One
My watch said my threshold was 5:59 per mile. The blood said 5:25. That is 34 seconds a mile of wrong, and every zone underneath it was wrong too. Here is what the test is, how to read your own curve, and where to book one this week for $150 to $270.
Read →RMR and VO2 Max Testing: The One Number You Cannot DIY
My last 20 mile day cost 5,300 calories and 700 grams of carbs. I know that because I measured it. Here is what an $85 to $400 metabolic test actually measures, how to read every number it gives you, and how to book one this week.
Read →Normal Is a Population, Not an Athlete: The Blood Panel, Line by Line
Your lab prints normal at a ferritin of 22. Rowers under 20 were about 21 seconds slower over 2,000 meters. This is the panel I actually run, what every number means for a runner, and how to book a draw this week for $110 to $150.
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Finger Lakes 50K: The Race is never about the race
And that's why this year was never about a single race....Finger Lakes was my sixth ultra of the year and my second consecutive second-place finish, but if you think that's what this story is about, you're missing the po
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You Are Never Out of the Race When You Trust Yourself
I woke up on race morning feeling absolutely nothing. Not nervous. Not excited. Not anxious. Not even particularly motivated. Just empty.
Read →No Gels. No Powder. The Maple Syrup System I Race On.
160 grams of carbs an hour out of a five-ounce flask that costs less than two dollars. The system I have raced on for five years, and the research behind going this high.
Read →Why I Don't Taper: Racing 12 Ultras a Year on A, B, and C Races
Last week I ran one hundred thirteen miles before my sixth ultra this year alone. This week is ninety, and that includes the race. Here is the grading system that makes racing every month possible, and the one kind of race that still earns a real taper.
Read →My Lactate Test: The Watch Lied About My Threshold
The watch said my threshold was 5:59 per mile. A hundred dollars of finger-prick blood testing said 5:25. Lactate isn't the enemy. It's fuel, and here's the data.
Read →How I Dropped My Heart Rate 25 Beats in One Year
Last year I was running 8:15 pace at 154. One year later that pace is 8:09 at 129. It wasn't a gadget. It wasn't zone 2 alone. It was volume.
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What Athletes Get Wrong When They’re Sick: 14 days from my second out of 12 ultras in 2026
A week after running 50 miles in California in 6 hours and 27 minutes, I got sick.
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Ultra 1 of 12: Why Fifty Miles Matters
At two in the morning the world feels honest. The noise is gone. The expectations are asleep. What is left is you and the quiet question you never really ask during the day. Why do I do this.
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Running Into Clarity: Reflections Before 50 Miles
The air in Sacramento this morning is cold, crisp, unmistakably fall. I step outside, my feet hitting the pavement, and for the first time in a long while, I feel calm. Two miles at 6:30 pace, smooth, easy. No excitement
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12 Ultras in 12 Months: Your Best Looks Different Every Day
There’s a lie we tell ourselves, especially in endurance sports, and it’s subtle enough that most people never question it. The lie is that progress is supposed to feel good. That if you’re doing things “right,” you’ll w
Read →2026 Is the Year You Stop Waiting
Most people do not ruin their lives all at once. They do it slowly, quietly, and politely. They do it by waiting.
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Twelve Ultras in Twelve Months: Calm in the Pain
The new year has a strange effect on people. It makes them reflective, hopeful, and just brave enough to imagine a different version of themselves. For a brief moment, they allow themselves to picture change. But that mo
Read →Left. Right. Racing With Love Into the Unknown
LEFT. RIGHT. That is the mantra I keep coming back to.Simple. Rhythmic. Honest. Left. Right. It is how I have always brought myself back when things get loud. When my head starts racing faster than my legs. When the miles stretch...
Read →When the Miles Stop and the Heart Speaks
I was supposed to run twenty five miles on Sunday getting ready for another ultra on 12/20. Nothing crazy in the context of my training. Nothing I haven’t done before. Just a long run. A building block. A chance to push
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How Runners Can Rewire Their Brain When They Feel Down
Cold Weather, High Volume, And The Brutal Truth About Mental Resets There is a moment every runner reaches when the training stops feeling epic and starts feeling empty. A moment where the mileage is high, the body is tired, the...
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The Miles Between Us: Why Ultra Running Is the Loneliest and Most Connected Sport on Earth
In a world where social media has never made us feel more connected, people have actually never felt more alone or distant. I think a lot of people can agree.
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Training Week 1: 102 Miles in 12 Hours: First week back. What running sick teaches me?
Some training weeks give you numbers. Others give you perspective. This one gave me both. I finished the week with 102 miles in 12 hours and 36 minutes of running, which breaks down to an average of 7 minutes a
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12 Ultras in 12 Months: Passion Project
There’s a point in every endurance athlete’s life where running stops being a hobby and becomes a mirror. A mirror that reflects who you are, what you fear, what you avoid, and how badly you’re willing to chase
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