Ultras come down to a science problem: How can you fuel enough to push hard enough to do something that might feel impossible? After consuming 120-140 grams of carbs per hour at Leadville, I desperately wanted more data to validate the science experiment. Was it just a dream day for my GI system? I think there was a narrative going into the Javelina 100 with record heat that high carb wasn’t going to work. Athletes like me were going to learn the hard lesson that overloading a beaker and putting it on a flame would result in making a gooey mess all over the lab walls. That’s not what happened. Here’s how I solved the science problem: The first big element was gut training. When I told my dad what I did before the two 100s, he said I should keep this secret to myself. Dad, please. No secrets here. 1. I only did long runs with race ratios of carbs and fluid 1-2 times before each race, though I kept my gut transporters primed with plenty of carbs in training. I don’t think that race ratios simulate mile 60, in the same way that a 10-mile marathon-pace tempo doesn’t simulate mile 24 2. Instead, I concentrated my efforts on taking in all of my hourly needs at once, at least once per week. That meant 32+ oz of fluid within 5 minutes, channeling research on competitive eater training. I worked up to this approach over multiple years, and only did it when I needed the carbs and fluid—please be careful During the race, I started with my Leadville approach when it was less hot in the early AM. When the temps were scorching, I had to get creative. Hourly intake: 1. 40g carb gel every 30 min 2. 48-56 oz of Gu Roctane (!!!) plus sodium Assuming each 16 oz had 20-25ish grams of carbs… you can do the math. I felt good all day other than some cramps, and I feel mostly recovered a week later. Heading into the race, I thought I might be looking for GI magic. Maybe I didn’t need magic all along, I just needed advanced fuel sources and gut training. As Arthur C. Clarke said: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” We have the technology. And the result isn’t magic. It’s science: High carb fueling is here to stay, in all conditions 💪

I emailed @JamilCoury about @JavelinaJundred on August 23, 6 days after setting the Leadville record. If I had any shot of making it to the start to chase a Golden Ticket, Coach @Meg_Runs_Happy and I thought it was necessary to accomplish 3 goals: 1. Recovery. Workouts would have to activate the nervous system without pushing over the edge 2. vVO2. Speed is the basis for every equation we’re trying to solve in ultras 3. vAeT. Z2 running economy on the Arizona trails in the heat would determine who wins Here’s a list of the harder workouts (not including some steady running, biking, the long runs, or strides): 8/25: moderate bike (activate nervous system) 8/28: 10 x 3 min just easier than LT2 on uphill treadmill with 90 sec recovery (continue to activate nervous system) 9/11: 15 x 1 min fast/1 min float around 10k to 5k effort + 3 miles moderate (reintro speed, with post-workout mod running for lactate shuttling) 9/14: 4 x 7 minutes around LT2 + 5 x 30 seconds very fast + some mod (building vLT) 9/19: 16 x 1 min fast/1 min float + 3 miles mod (speed reinforcement) 9/22: uphill TM 40 min in Z3 + 4 x 5 minutes at LT2 (big controlled threshold session) 9/24: 7 x 3 minutes on/1 min float/1 min on/1 min easy + 2 miles mod (big aerobic and speed session) 9/27: pacing @allie_ostrander in 6 x 1 mile at 5:10ish pace 10/1: pacing Allie in 400s and miles 10/3: uphill TM 4 x 10 min on/2 min easy, 4 x 5 min on/2 min easy (hard LT supercompensation session) 10/10: uphill TM 12 x 5 min on/1 min easy (hard LT super compensation session) 10/12: mod/hard 1 hour climb + 3 miles fast descent (final session pre-taper) 10/15: hill workout pacing @racin__grayson 10/17: 10 mile progression run over hills (dialing in aerobic economy) On Tuesday of race week, I did 7 miles in Z2 over hills, averaging 5:51 min/mile. So I knew that at sea level on the track, that should equate to a Z2 pace of low-5s, or on desert trails, I’d probably be ready to run sub-6 min pace early on for downhills and 7 min pace on uphills without exceeding aerobic threshold. Ultras are all about developing your speed and running economy. Distilled to its essence, the ultra math equation is pretty simple: get fast + fuel lots 🙌