WWCDD?

I do not run ultra marathons. Due to injury I am not even running marathons - taking a break to heal, recover and strengthen at shorter distances. I would say I am ultra marathon curious though.

Courtney Dauwalter is probably the highest achieving ultra runners today. She has dominated the sport for ten years pushing the limits of our understanding of what the body can do in endurance sports. Running the fastest the longest is her specialty. I highly recommend listening to interviews with her. In an interview Cameron Hanes (Episode 113) the kind soul of elite running talks about her visualization technique where she is literally excavating more space in her pain cave. She is a candy consuming delight of a human.

I discovered the magic that is Courtney Dauwalter on an elliptical in my parents’ basement during the Spring of 2020. To lessen my suffering on the machine I played films recapping races. Naturally due to the distance of these endeavors, ultra marathons started getting a lot of play. The algorithm took note and started feeding me more. More epic race views in high altitude, more seemingly impossible distances, more stories about amazing athletes. Race recaps like the The Source and Western States 2018 lead me to Dauwalter. Interviews on the Joe Rogan and Rich Roll podcasts provided gems of wisdom and insight. I started to ask myself on a training day What would Courtney Dauwalter do?

The answer would probably be eat more candy, run more miles. She would recommend a plate of nachos with a beer as a nutritious post recovery meal. Maybe Dauwalter would recommend being comfortable on a run, what about trying basketball shorts? Having a hard workout? Pretend you are a robot. She would remind that competitors are here to push us to our and the sport’s limits. I imagine if she had to sum up her ethos succinctly she would tell us to have a good time and push hard. This is valuable advice on the track, trail, or the daily grind.

To listen to actual Courtney Dauwalter advice I recommend the interview Advice to Improve your Running over some gummy bears.