About
Who Does This at 55?
Apparently, me.
I ran my first ultramarathon at 55. It was a 50K. In the nine years since, I have completed a 50 miler, a 100K, fifteen 100 milers, a 150 miler and a 200 miler. All have taught me life lessons, and taken me to places both mentally and physically I never thought I would go.
Just recently, I became a dog trainer. The primary motivation for this was to become more knowledgable in order to help the dogs get adopted at the local shelter I volunteer at. But here is what I did not expect, many of the skills and attributes of ultra running are also necessary to be a successful dog trainer. Patience, perseverance and flexibility just to name a few. I hope to share some of those life lessons in my blog.
The Part I Didn't Expect
Here's what surprised me: ultra running and dog training are basically the same job. Both require patience you don't naturally have. Both punish you immediately and specifically when you cut corners. Both involve a lot of time outside, moving slowly, wondering if any of this is working, and then — occasionally — a moment so good it justifies everything that came before it.
In dog training, that moment is the first time a dog that used to drag you across a parking lot walks calmly at your side and looks up at you like you're the most interesting thing in the world. In ultra running, it's mile 94 of a 100-miler, when the sun comes up and you realize you're going to finish. Different experiences. Identical feeling.
What This Site Is
Trail Grit is where I write about both. The running tips are things I learned by doing them wrong first. The dog training advice is the same. The tone is honest, occasionally self-deprecating, and always earned. I'm not selling anything. I'm just writing down what I know, which is mostly what not to do.
If you're older than you thought you'd be when you started doing hard things — welcome. You're in the right place.