Reddit reviews Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon

> I joined the cross country team since I'm too uncoordinated to play a sport with a ball so I opted

Ah /u/smallefforts - This was exactly why I did xcountry in Jr. High/High School! Best of luck with your race season! Hope you get those goals!

1. Yup! I have an old-man crush on Laz. I had heard mumblings about the Barkley when I was first lurking the local ultra scene. Learned more about it through reading Running Through the Wall a while back. And the documentary sealed the deal. At some point when I've completely lost my mind I would love to try for a Fun Run. As to this year's event - Just wow. Some incredible performances. Lots of great stories will come out I'm sure considering the visibility issues. Did Wardian make any kind of statement? I know he got lost but in all the commotion I really didn't catch anything. . . I was hoping he was going to be a pro that would actually do something there. But I think that also makes me love Barkley even more.
   
2. SHHHH LALALALA! I promised myself THIS time I would wait to make training decisions while I was in the process of recovery. Usually I get antsy during taper and end up filling in the next cycle. So far so good. . . . I have to make it another week. Reading about some other possibilities is helping though. . . And I know what my next races will be.
   
3. March was great! It got tough leading up to peak week. Happy to be tapering. Not counting . . . but 12 DAYS!!!! Excited to see what Pete-pals racing this weekend drop!!
   
4. We have a great LRC. And there are a ton of in-town options for routes. Guaranteed lake features. Lots of water stops if you need it. But places I would recommend. . . Circle B Bar reserve (If you caught the 'dinosaur' alligator known as 'Humpback' on FB - this is where he lives. Yes we've seen him before.) It's a pretty cool place! Our x-country park is pretty cool too and has some cool wildlife in the middle of the city as well. If we get to leave town. . . well I'd have months of adventures for ya'll.
   
5. Summer is coming. . . the humidity blanket is becoming stifling. . . But the transition isn't feeling as rough this year.

I started at 46, relatively fit but a complete non-runner. I ran a 70K ultra less than a year later and now I'm training for a 100K. Consistent training and injury avoidance are crucial. It helps that I don't care much about my speed, so I'm content to do most of my training at an easy pace. But I have no trouble keeping up with friends in the local trail running club.

Edit: Check out Hal Koerner's new book. I can also recommend Relentless Forward Progress for training advice and Running Through the Wall for inspiration.

I'm half way through

Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon

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And really enjoying it.