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Matt Mullin

@solo_flyerr

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Multi-sport masters endurance athlete. I also dig on business and policy.

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The guilt is real. So is the shame.

DNF. Did Not Finish.

My first.

It sucked. It still sucks, one week later.

The fact that this was my first attempt at 100 miles is probably exascerbating all of the emotions. The fact that I had been working towards this moment for four years, honestly not so much. There are good reasons it took me four years to line up at the start line of a 100. Injury, sickness, life, work, family. All of them legitimate setbacks that prolonged the opportunity to test myself on the trails for 24+ hours. All good reasons.

There aren’t good reasons why my legs and joints failed me in those mountains. Maybe there are, but I’m still searching. I’ll find them, and learn from them. Hopefully.

“There is nothing to do but learn and wait, return to work on what remains. Seed will sprout in the scar.” Wendell Berry’s The Slip. F’ing boom.

More on Impact Endurance’s Substack. Swipe right 👉🏻 for those deets.

@runrabbitrun100 taken in Steamboat Springs, Colorado by @solo_flyerr

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12 days ago

Last long run before starting the taper. Wasn’t the trail I wanted or needed but got it done anyway. 🪨🪨🪨Sometimes that’s the way it goes! taken in Catoctin Mountain Park by @solo_flyerr

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a month ago

Hey all, @gobroncobilly and his family still need some help so re-upping their GoFundMe page. If you haven’t already contributed, please consider doing so. Jeff has needed additional procedures, hospital transfers and surgeries since I last posted about this. He’s out of the hospital now and hopefully traveling home next week, but costs continue to pile up. There is a new goal of $350K and they’re about 85% there.

Thank you to everyone that has supported thus far. I know that @gobroncobilly and his family are truly grateful.

❤️🙏🏻❤️ by @solo_flyerr

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a month ago

My friend needs your help.

When I was 47 I decided I wanted to run 50 miles as I turned 50 years old. Having competed in adventure racing many years before in the early 2000s, I figured I could just start training again like I used to and nail it. That was a comical mistake; 47 years old is not the same as 27 years old.

So I set out to find myself a coach for the first time ever and ended up watching a Billy Yang YouTube interview of some guy named Bronco Billy. Everything this Bronco Billy character said resonated for me. So I cold-emailed him. And to my surprise he replied pretty quickly.

Jeff Browning has been my coach ever since. That was five years ago.

But Jeff Browning isn’t just my coach and mentor anymore. I consider him a friend. I’ve gotten to know him as a human and seen firsthand the good that he puts into this world. Beyond his strength and motivation and determination and sense of humor, I’ve seen the love he has for his family and his friends and the ultrarunning community. I have come to deeply respect him.

This past Wednesday, Jeff suffered a heart attack deep into an ultra in the mountains of France. Thankfully, medical care was provided on course quickly and Jeff was airlifted to a local hospital.

For most of us, I’m sure it's nearly impossible to imagine what the Browning family is going through right now. And in these situations, good people need all the help they can get.

So I’m asking you all - my friends and family - to help my friend and his family. They need it. Jeff is the primary provider for his family and as a self-employed athlete has limited insurance coverage. The already huge medical bills keep growing. This will be a long road.

Close friends of the family - with the family’s authorization - have set up a Go Fund Me page. Please visit it and consider contributing. Even small contributions will help. And I know all of it will be deeply appreciated.

Go to Bronco’s Instagram page @gobroncobilly for more information.

Thank you so much for considering. Even the strongest among us need help sometimes. This is that time. by @solo_flyerr

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a month ago

I haven’t posted in quite a while, mostly because I’ve been all around this world. At least that’s what it felt like. Vermont to the Adirondacks and then back to Vermont. The some time in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia and Virginia. All the while taking advantage of some natural topography and beautiful wide open spaces. Sleeping in the truck camper and feeling truly grateful for it all. It’s been pretty rad.

Here’s to taking the time to roam, go far and dig deep. 🤙🏻

(A trip to Colorado was in there too, but I focused on altitude and vert training there instead of long runs so left those out of this post. Still, equally as rewarding.) by @solo_flyerr

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a month ago

Weather and life logistics are forcing a recalculation of this weekend’s training plan, again. I’ll still get the two back2back big days I need, just not how originally planned. Onward. by @solo_flyerr

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2 months ago

So I did this yesterday – launched a new venture. Stressful. Exhilarating. Scary. Fun. Just like the last time.

Impact Endurance. Check it out: website, IG and Substack.

IE has been an idea kicking around in my head for a few years now. The general thesis is that there are endurance athletes out there that are applying the same qualities and characteristics and traits that enable them to be successful in endurance sports to impactful work in their own communities to make the world a better place. I think those athletes – and more importantly the impact work they’re doing - should be celebrated, supported and promoted. That’s kinda it.

So we’ll promote Impact Endurance athletes and their endurance events and impact work through social media, short- and long-form media, and events. And in the end, I hope these collective efforts truly do make the world a better place.

And if you know of anyone that would be a good fit, please nominate them! Send us their name, a brief description of what they’re doing, and why their story matters. As said in IE’s latest Substack post: “We’re excited to meet the people who are proving that endurance isn’t just about how far we can go, it’s about what we choose to carry forward.” by @solo_flyerr

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2 months ago

A good couple of days up in Vermont this weekend. Filled the soul, got a little bit of vert and tempo strides in, beautiful weather. Much needed.

Excited to head back up again this coming weekend to hop in the Moosalamoo Ultras by @ironwoodadventureworks at @blueberryhilloutdoorcenter for the first of a two day training camp. 🤙🏻 by @solo_flyerr

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2 months ago

Went a little farther and longer than the plan called for today but I didn’t care. I needed to stretch the legs and just run. Sometimes having a structured training plan can feel so constricting. Sometimes you just gotta go w what your spirit wants. by @solo_flyerr

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2 months ago

Strange and challenging week last week. I had to scratch the Teton Rim Trail 100K because, well, because of life. And then had to scratch the Lake Ridge 10K kayak race because of air quality. All along trying to train around heat and humidity and AQIs in the 240s. Seems like a lot of getting thrown at me right now, but persevering best I can.

So gonna head back to Vermont w the fam this weekend, and then again next weekend for a weekend mountain training camp so I can refocus, get some vert and refill the soul (Vermont is my go-to for that). And bonus: signed up for a quick 14-mile trail race just to stretch the competitive drive.

All eyes on Run Rabbit Run in September! by @solo_flyerr

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3 months ago

Capable. That’s what I always tell people when asked why training is such a huge part of my daily life. Because I want to be capable of doing anything at any time. Backcountry ski in Alaska? Hell yeah, I’m ready. Run a trail ultramarathon? Absolutely, let’s go. Kayak? Yep, I’m in. I intend to remain capable of doing sick things outside at all times for as long as I can.

This week’s training went fairly well. The heat and humidity is a real challenge right now, and it’s not fun. But that’s just another challenge to manage and work through. Onward.

(There was a Strength & Mobility workout on Thursday that got cut off, just for the record.) by @solo_flyerr

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3 months ago

Two people that I respect a lot dropped this quote recently, independent of the other, one in an email and another to close a podcast. I love this quote and have for a long time. It is why I ski and trail run and paddle and explore and adventure. I am driven by it. There are a few others that drive me too (Wendell Berry, Mary Oliver) but this one is front and center.

So when those two deeply good humans said this same quote independently of one another so close in time.... I dunno, maybe it was a sign? I guess I thought the IGverse should be reminded of it. So here it is. One of Edward Abbey's all-time best.

Keep those bodies active and alive.

(📸: All pics of me and/or by me except the last one. The last one is of me but taken by @jediahporter .) by @solo_flyerr

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3 months ago