Viet’s Blog

Whenever someone finds out I run marathons or ultras, the first question is almost always: "Wait—why??  All that pain? And you sign up for it?? I usually smirk and say, “So I can feel alive again.” The funny thing is… I used to think I was joking.  But I’m not. Numb is Safe. But It’s Also... Numb. For a long time, I kept everything at arm’s length—emotionally, mentally, physically. That distance helped protect me from painful or overwhelming feelings. But it also dulled the good ones. The joy. The pride. The wonder. The awe.   Even those became muted. Growing up, I learned—like a lot of people do—that my emotional needs came second. Or third. Or not at all. There was always something bigger, scarier, more important going on. So I made myself small. I stopped asking for space, attention, or care. And eventually, I stopped expecting it altogether. I got really good at surviving. And somewhere along the way, I forgot I had a voice. The Run That Changed No...

It’s go time. The Mt. Hood 50 Miler is coming up, and I wanted to drop a pre-race post to share a little about my training block, my gear, my fueling strategy, and the chaotic stack of snacks I’ll be hauling through the woods.  Also—just to set the tone— "Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need... roads."  50 Miles. All on trails, baby!   Training Block Summary I kept things pretty simple. I'm slightly allergic to structure and my brain doesn't like thinking too much when I run, so I went by these general guidelines:   Tons of easy miles. I needed to build my aerobic base, along with communicating to my muscles that we'll be doing this for a long LONG time .  Tons of elevation gain. Fortunately I live in a relatively hilly neighborhood so I got a bit of practice going up and down hills. Still, I'm at the point where I typically just walk up anything that is more than slightly inconvenient.    Long runs every weekend.  Lets also talk about strides...