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OWN YOUR ENDURANCE, LLC

@ownyourendurance

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UESCA Ultra Marathon Coach, Personal Trainer:https://credentials.nasm.org/81cfb897-793f-436d-b8b6-0a04743e78d8?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social

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The forecast said rain. My brain said tomorrow. My training plan said today. 😂🌧️

Sometimes the best training isn’t about pace, distance, or elevation.

It’s about showing up when conditions aren’t perfect.

Besides, that expensive rain jacket isn’t going to test itself!

Train for the conditions. Embrace the experience. Own your endurance. 💪# taken in Sudley Springs Ford Manassas National Battlefield Park by @ownyourendurance

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8 hours ago

Let’s go Everyday Ultra Athletes! #ownyourendurance #ultrarunning #trailrunning #trailrunnersofinstagram taken in South Riding, Virginia by @ownyourendurance

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12 hours ago

If I could give an ultrarunner one piece of advice, it would be this:

Get really good at solving problems.

Because something WILL go wrong.

A hot spot.

Your stomach turns.

The weather changes.

Your fueling plan stops working.

Your legs feel like garbage.

Or there's a freaking pebble in your shoe.

You have two choices.

You can spend the next five miles thinking about that pebble…

Or you can:

ASSESS. What's actually happening?

ADAPT. What can I do about it?

ADVANCE. Fix it and move freaking forward.

Take off the shoe.

Dump out the pebble.

Put the shoe back on.

GO.

That's ultrarunning.

The goal isn't to have a race where nothing goes wrong. That race probably doesn't exist.

The goal is to become the athlete who can stay calm, solve the problem in front of them, and keep moving.

ASSESS → ADAPT → ADVANCE.

Problems are part of the journey.

Your ability to solve them is what takes you farther.

Train with the Everday Ultra Racing Team.
Book a call with me here:
👉 https://calendly.com/focusonself1/inquiring-coaching-call (link in bio)

#ownyourendurance #ultratrailrunner #trailrunnersofinstagram #ultrarunning #trailrunninglife #runnersover50 #runnersover40 #marathontraining #runnersofinstagram by @ownyourendurance

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2 days ago

Your running form doesn't need to look perfect. But there are a few fundamentals worth paying attention to.

Here are 5 running form cues to take with you on your next run:

1️⃣ POSTURE
Run tall and relaxed. Think of your head, shoulders and hips as aligned without slouching or excessive forward lean.

2️⃣ CADENCE
Think light, quick steps—not a magic number. Your cadence will naturally change depending on your pace, terrain and individual mechanics.

3️⃣ FOOT STRIKE
Don't obsess over heel, midfoot or forefoot. Instead, avoid reaching too far in front of your body and focus on your foot landing relatively close underneath you.

4️⃣ ARM SWING
Relax your shoulders and let your arms swing naturally forward and back. Avoid excessive movement across your body.

5️⃣DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING
Breathe deeply from your diaphragm and find a rhythm with your stride. On an easy run, experiment wit⚡h a 3:3 or 4:4 pattern—inhale for 3 or 4 steps and exhale for 3 or 4 steps.

Most importantly, don't try to change all five at once; pick one.

Pick one. Practice it. See how it feels.

Good running form isn't about looking like somebody else.

It's about moving efficiently, staying relaxed, and keeping yourself running for the long haul.

Train smarter. Feel better. Stay in the sport for decades.

Train with the Everday Ultra Racing Team.
Book a call with me here:
👉 https://calendly.com/focusonself1/inquiring-coaching-call (link in bio)

#ownyourendurance #ultratrailrunner #trailrunnersofinstagram #ultrarunning #trailrunninglife #runnersover50 #runnersover40 #marathontraining #runnersofinstagram by @ownyourendurance

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5 days ago

Want to get better at running hills?

Then don't just…run more hills.
Train the specific skill you need.

🗻 Short hill sprints
Think 15-20 seconds. Hard. Full recovery. These are about power and strength—not grinding yourself into the ground.

🗻 Longer hill repeats
Think ~90-3 minute hard, controlled efforts. Now we're working climbing strength AND your aerobic engine.

🗻 Power hike + fast feet
Especially important for trail and ultra runners. Practice switching between a strong power hike and short, quick running steps.

Because sometimes hiking IS the fastest and smartest choice.

🗻 Race-specific climbing
Look at the course you're training for. How long are the major climbs? How steep?

Then train for THAT.

Here's the part I really like:
You don't just want to be good at climbing when you're fresh.

You want to still be able to climb efficiently when you're 4, 8, 12+ hours into your race and your legs have other ideas.

That's durability.

And if you're training for an ultra with serious vert, your hill training should be just as intentional as your long runs.

Train smarter. Feel better. Stay in the sport for decades.

Train with the Everday Ultra Racing Team.
Book a call with me here:
👉 https://calendly.com/focusonself1/inquiring-coaching-call (link in bio)

#ownyourendurance #ultratrailrunner #trailrunnersofinstagram #ultrarunning #trailrunninglife #runnersover50 #runnersover40 #marathontraining #runnersofinstagram by @ownyourendurance

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9 days ago

I passed more runners hiking uphill than I did running downhill.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM MY LAST RACE

Grindstone 50K: 33 miles, 5,341 feet of climbing, and a few lessons I'm taking into the next training block. ⛰️

1️⃣ Strength train for the climbs. My climbing was the strongest part of my day. I passed people on both major climbs, and I'm keeping upper-body and core strength in the plan so I can hold good posture and keep moving with purpose when I'm tired.

2️⃣Run by effort. I turned off auto-lap and kept the early miles easy, around RPE 3. That patience gave me room to run well later.

3️⃣Train the downhills, too. Short, quick steps helped me avoid braking, but my quads still felt those descents afterward. Downhill durability deserves a place in the training plan.

4️⃣Have a backup fueling cue. My 20-minute alert failed. I checked my watch and kept eating every 20–30 minutes anyway, finishing with about 77 grams of carbs per hour.

5️⃣Keep race day simple. Quick aid stations, familiar gear, and ice when the heat picked up all helped. The new gel I tested stays off my next race plan while I sort out what caused a late GI issue.

The biggest takeaway? Practice the small decisions in training so you can keep making them well when the race gets hard.

What's one lesson from your last race that changed how you train?

Train with the Everday Ultra Racing Team.
Book a call with me here:
👉 https://calendly.com/focusonself1/inquiring-coaching-call (link in bio)

#ownyourendurance #ultratrailrunner #trailrunnersofinstagram #ultrarunning #trailrunninglife #runnersover50 #runnersover40 #marathontraining #runnersofinstagram by @ownyourendurance

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12 days ago

FIRST 50K FINISH!! 🔥🏃‍♀️

Huge congratulations to Alicia on crossing the finish line at Blues Cruise 50K and achieving an incredible milestone—her first 50K!

This finish wasn’t earned yesterday.

It was earned one step, one mile, one strength training session at a time.

Day after day. Week after week. Month after month.

Alicia committed to the process. She showed up, did the work, stayed consistent, and kept building the fitness, strength, and confidence she needed to take on this challenge.

Race day was the celebration of all that work. ❤️

So incredibly proud of you, Alicia. You earned every single mile of this finish.

And now you know…anything is possible. 💪🔥

Congratulations, Alicia! 50K DONE. ✔️
#ownyourendurance #ultratraining #ultrarunnersofinstagram #marathontraining #ultrarunners by @ownyourendurance

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12 days ago

Long run through DC with Veena ❤️

She came to visit and somehow ended up keeping me from getting lost in my own backyard. 😂

Miles are always better with friends. 🏃‍♀️❤️#ownyourendurance #ultratraining #ultrarunnersofinstagram #ultrarunners taken in The White House by @ownyourendurance

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14 days ago

The first hour of an ultra can feel so easy that you accidentally ruin the next five.

Starting an endurance race is one of the easiest times to make a pacing mistake.

You're fresh. Your legs feel great. The excitement is high. Other runners are moving quickly.

It can feel completely natural to run harder than planned.

The problem is that endurance races don't end when the excitement wears off.

Starting too aggressively can create fatigue that you don't fully feel until much later. And once you've spent that energy, you can't simply decide to get it back.

A more controlled start gives you room to build into the race.

Practice patience.

Let your effort stay manageable early. Fuel before you're desperate for calories. Pay attention to terrain instead of chasing everyone around you.

The goal isn't to win the first hour.

It's to make good decisions throughout the entire race.

Want help developing a race strategy that keeps you moving strong for the long haul?

Train with the Everday Ultra Racing Team.
Book a call with me here:
👉 https://calendly.com/focusonself1/inquiring-coaching-call (link in bio)

#ownyourendurance #ultratrailrunner #trailrunnersofinstagram #ultrarunning #trailrunninglife #runnersover50 #runnersover40 #marathontraining #runnersofinstagram by @ownyourendurance

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17 days ago

RUNNERS — I think I found my new favorite earbuds. 🎧🏃‍♀️

Okay runners, I have to share these.

I picked up the Shokz OpenDots 2 at the UTMB booth, and I’ve been running in them ever since.

They literally just clip onto the side of your ear like this…

Put one on, then the other.

And I barely even notice they’re there. They weigh just 6.4 grams each, and so far they’ve stayed put really well while I’m running.

But what really surprised me is the sound quality. These are honestly some of the best-sounding earbuds I’ve had in a long time.

They’re open-ear, so nothing is sitting inside my ear canal. I can listen to my music or podcasts while still hearing what’s happening around me—which I really like when I’m running.

And my ultra runners will appreciate this:

Up to 10 hours on a single charge and up to 40 hours with the charging case.

Even better, if you forget to charge them, a 5-minute quick charge gives you up to 2 more hours of listening.

They’re also IP57 water resistant, so they’re built to handle sweat and rain.

They stay put. They’re comfortable. The sound is fantastic. And I can still hear the world around me.

That checks a lot of boxes for me as a runner.

I bought these myself—this isn’t sponsored. I just really like them.

Okay… time to go run.

#ultrarunnersofinstagram #marathontraining #ultratraining #shokz taken in Washington D. C. by @ownyourendurance

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18 days ago

Your watch says you're running slowly. Your body says you're working hard. Both can be true.

Trail running is one of the best examples of why pace doesn't tell the whole story.

A steep climb can make your pace dramatically slower while your heart rate and perceived effort climb.

A technical descent can also slow you down while demanding significant muscular and mental effort.

Then there's heat, altitude, footing, weather, and accumulated fatigue.

Your watch can measure numbers.

It can't fully understand the terrain you're moving through.

That doesn't mean you should ignore your data.

It means you should interpret it.

Use pace, heart rate, elevation, and other metrics alongside how the effort actually feels.

The better you understand the relationship between the numbers and your body, the better decisions you can make during training and racing.

Want to learn how to train by effort instead of chasing numbers?

Train with the Everday Ultra Racing Team.
Book a call with me here:
👉 https://calendly.com/focusonself1/inquiring-coaching-call (link in bio)

#ownyourendurance #ultratrailrunner #trailrunnersofinstagram #ultrarunning #trailrunninglife #runnersover50 #runnersover40 #marathontraining #runnersofinstagram by @ownyourendurance

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19 days ago

Using poles for your next trail race? Don’t forget to train the muscles that actually power them.

One of my biggest takeaways from Grindstone 50K was how strong my upper body felt after 33 miles, 5,000+ feet of climbing and just over eight hours on the course.

That hasn’t always been my experience.

At Sedona 125 and in previous races, I could feel the accumulated fatigue from carrying a pack and using poles for hours. So upper-body strength has become a consistent part of my training.

Twice a week, I work my:

• Back and lats
• Shoulders
• Triceps
• Biceps

Some of my staples are lat pulldowns, seated rows, shoulder presses, triceps work and biceps curls.

But strength in the gym is only half of it.

Practice with your poles. Practice hiking with purpose. Practice carrying the pack you’ll use on race day.

Because if you’re going to ask those muscles to work for hours on race day, they deserve some attention during training.

Strong legs get a lot of attention in trail running.

Your upper body has a job, too.

— Coach Laura

#ultrarunnersofinstagram #ultratraining #ultrarunners #ownyourendurance taken in Manassas, Virginia by @ownyourendurance

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21 days ago