The Twisted Branch Part 3
“Ultrarunning is 10% physical and 90% mental.” How often have you heard that maxim? I recently heard a different interpretation: Rob Bell put it that sport is still 90% physical, but the 10% mental component is the key that unlocks the other 90%. Dr. Bell is Certified Mental Performance Consultant, a qualification registered with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). Even for an engineer like
The Way Down
You’re at a holiday party, work, the grocery store, the DMV. You’re chatting with someone and they look at you as if you’ve just sprouted neon purple antennae. Their eyes pop with a mixture of fascination, disbelief, and a dash of concern. Your shy smile, your shrug, are already prepped for their next breathless statement. And there it is. They open their mouth and the
The Twisted Branch Part 2
This is the second in a series of posts by Trails Collective athlete Clem Chung. Click here for Part 1. Now that fall is here, these days it’s so hard to get out of bed in the mornings. The weather is getting cooler, and run before work requires the use of lights and reflective gear. The biggest thing stopping me going out for a run at
Heroes
Late last summer and into the fall, when the repercussions of the fracture which I had suffered in spring continued to stretch on, the feeling I remember most vividly was one of grasping desperation. I found the cruel bombardment, noisy and forceful, which I had been prepared to hunker down and absorb for several months, to be unceasing. Trapped in the cramped, dark space of
Searching For a Girl Gang
Raise your hand if you have recently read an article, or listened to a podcast, that proclaimed, “The future of ultrarunning is female!” Ann Trason and Pam Reed must be so glad that the world finally caught up to them. Being competitive with and beating the men of their heydays was the norm for these two legends, however part of what made them extra legendary
TC Live | September 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULIDXU7viiM&t=1s A solid crew of voices this week weighing in on solid BeastCoast events from this past weekend. Join us to connect with Trent Swanson, Kelsey Miller and James Simmons from the Pemberton 24; Rhea Weaver on the Worlds End Fall Classic; Colleen Moffet, Cooper Linde, and Jason Logue on the Conestoga 10 Miler; Justyana Wilson and Paul Brungard on the Boulder Beast; and Cara Baskin
TC Live | September 21, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCg4Gj4Wj3k&t=7s Voices from the Trails Collective coming to you Live this week include: Adam Kolb on Spartan Podium and the Pie Eating Win; Jana Fridrichova on the Barkley Fall Classic; Stephanie Daniels and Shoney on Rock 'N The Knob; Zack McCarthy and Smith and Brianna Russell on Kilkenny; Dan Frank and Shannon Cebron on Grindstone; Rachel Lemcke and Arlen Glick on Run Rabbit Run 100. Gonna
TC Live | September 15, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yizo5vQNoQ From newly crowned World Champions to classic New England Mountains to the grit of getting the job done in mountain 100's, this week's Live round will be packed. Join us as we welcome Scott Traer to plug your chance to go Pro; Jennifer Britz and Cole Crosby to connect on snowshoe Worlds; Jake Moreau, Caitlin Sheasley, Jarod Gabello, Caitlin Sheasley, Molly Zurn and James Blandford
The Twisted Branch Part 1
The record shows that I finished the 2022 Twisted Branch Trail Run 100k in 19 hours, 18 minutes, and 48 seconds. In doing so, I qualified for the Western States Endurance Run lottery. I had achieved the one running goal I had set out at the beginning of the year. I had never before been singularly focused on one objective since I took up this sport
No More Expectations
We all have expectations. Expectations about things, people, relationships, jobs… and running. I think it might be time to let them go. At the very least, we need to make these expectations more flexible. Not that long ago, I was a pretty decent runner, especially at distances between ten and fifty miles. I wasn’t elite by any stretch, but I was competitive. Then, slowly but surely,
