Sean interviews me in the latest update:
SD: What first got you interested in running–why are you a runner?
WS: When I was a kid, I had asthma and I didn’t think I could run more than about half a mile. I was a sprinter for junior high track, but I was only mediocre at best. To my mind, my asthma kept me from ever being able to run more than about a 400 or an 800 without stopping and walking. Anyway, in high school, if you wanted to play soccer, you also had to compete in a fall sport, and that was either football or cross country. I didn’t play high school soccer my first year, so I decided to join the cross country team my sophomore year. The first time we were supposed to go run this loop out in the country–it might have been 3.5 miles. By mile 1, I thought I was going to die because I couldn’t breathe, but I just kept going and then the endorphins kicked in and I ran the entire 3.5 miles. I was never fast, but my first race was with the cross country team that year. Probably out in robstown or tuloso midway or something?
SD: Do you remember your first race? Your first marathon? Your first ultra or trail race?
My first marathon was flying pig in cincinnati in 2003. That was tough even though I had been training up to a full for a few years. My first ultra was that trail rail run. We did both of those together.
SD: What are your strengths as a runner? What are your weaknesses? Do you prefer heat/cool; mountains/flat?
WS: I'm not sure about my strengths since my struggles at the 100k and 100m in the last couple of years has tested my confidence. I know I'm a creature of habit and I can stick with a training plan pretty well.
I’ve come to realize that I really like the cool. I spent this last year in St. Paul and those near 0 temps were just fine for me. I like mountains, but I can’t handle altitude, so those eastern trail races are a lot of fun. Stuff like lookout mountain.
SD: Do you have a training philosophy?
I try to just be consistent. I write out a general schedule of workouts for the week and I just try to do them even if I don’t feel like it. I’m a big creature of habit, so I got into a habit of lifting weights after work a few years back and now that’s my lifting time–something like 5-7 in the afternoon, evening. I try to run 4-5 times a week with at least one long run and some trails and hills. I like to mix things up, but since I’m a creature of habit, it’s usually easier just to do the same few running routes. This morning I did a hill route that I will do either one or two or three loops of, but it’s the same loop.
Do you have a life philosophy? Budget philosophy?
I like stoicism and I’ve been reading a lot of buddhism in the last few years. I feel like I’m a bit of a natural stoic, but reading some of the pop and classic stoics does help ground me.
As far as a budget philosophy, my main thing is just to try to keep it simple and try to make it a habit. I like doing a lot of things myself, so I’m loathe to hire people to fix things, so if I can figure out a way to in source something, I’m generally going to be happier with the work and I save money. The other day I blew out an outlet and fried my vacuum when the outlet shorted. I replaced the outlet myself and I took apart and replaced the vacuum cord. That sort of shit is deeply satisfying to me.
SD: Do you have any regular injuries or other common struggles of runners?
WS: I tend to get some hamstring and calf strains when I push it too much on speed work, so I only do a limited amount of that. I have some knee issues that pop up every now and then but nothing too bad.
SD: You didn't mention anything about your GI stuff.
WS: So that's a good follow up on that yeah I mean it's like I think of it as like my race struggle versus my like everyday struggle like I can train for 100 just fine right, I can train for like every other distance, short of 100 like I don't have I don't feel like i've any issues. But when I try a race 50 miles or above, my stomach goes and I can't keep anything down. Fueling becomes hard and my performance drops. For even a 100k, I feel like I can power through the stomach stuff since it doesn't really happen until about 5 or 6 hours in. But it has been a real issue lately in 100s. I DNF'd loup garou in 2020 and I really had to battle at burning river in 2021.
It's interesting the think about when it started. I know I puked at the Notchview 48 hour. But that was just bad decisions. it's like I got really hot, so I decided, like the way to calm myself down was to drink a bunch of mountain dew all of a sudden and then just went down and came straight back up.
SD: Well, what I did really admire at notch view the way that you did well, is that you timed you're asleep you got to sleep routine.
WS: yeah and that's sleep scene that's the thing, though, is that because I was able to rest, I was able to bring my heart rate down and that's tied to my stomach stuff you know yeah because it seems to be tied to the heat and to my heart rate getting and staying too high.
SD: Prefer to run in the morning or afternoon or evening? Why?
WS: Morning runner just because of my schedule. If I get it done first thing, then I typically have a better day. Running helps my breathing so it's nice to start off feeling energized and like my asthma is under control.
SD: What is your family background/how old are you/what do you do for a living? Tell us a little bit about your day to day life.
WS: I’m 52. I teach at the University of Southern Mississippi, but my title is now school director, so I’m middle management administrator. Two sons: one a senior in college and one graduated a couple years ago.
Training questions
SD: Do you have prepared cycles of training or is it by instinct?
WS: I try to plot out my monthly training at some point knowing what sorts of races I have ahead of me and then I break those down week by week. I end up adjusting a lot.
SD: Do you purchase a lot of things during training?
WS: I tend to buy a decent amount of fuel and snacks, but that’s really it. I don't like to have new gear and new shoes and stuff. Now that being said, I did just buy a new pair of trail shoes after bighorn and I'm going to wear them for burning river at least part of the time.
SD: Do your spending habits change while training?
WS: I do tend to be a bit more of an impulse buyer when it comes to shoes and stuff, but usually that’s just once every 3-4 months. I was out in Portland Oregon and I went to a running store downtown after a 16 miler and I got to try on the hoka speedgoats. I've been wearing cascadias but I thought it would be good to try something new. Not the most frugal thing to do, that's for sure. Too much of an impulse buy. I don't really have access to running stores and I was just a bit too over eager.
SD: What are some regrettable purchases during training for races?
WS: I’m not sure if I have anything that I’ve regretted. Usually I wear my trail shoes down pretty well. I keep my shirts and shorts for way too long. Sometimes I forget things like compression sleeves and then I have to pick up a pair before a race and then decide not to even wear them.
SD: How does your family/partner respond to a purchase during training?
WS: Usually, there’s a lot of eye rolling if there are several boxes from road runner sports showing up at the house.
SD: What makes you frugal? Do you have a particular history with money or spending that drives you to try to be frugal?
WS: And for me the funny thing about this is that I think you know my mom is super frugal, right? so she's the one who like re-uses ziploc bags and everything and dries them out and rinses them and stuff. And she got that from her father, who is you know my grandfather's pretty frugal to he was a big user of things and, like to make is.
SD: Good I thought great depression and shit.
WS: Oh yeah now I mean hell, he dropped out of UT when he was in college to go work because it's during the middle of the depression Jesus Christ hopped on a fucking train and then a boat to Colombia to work in the oil fields back in 1937.
SD:What are some cheap hacks you discovered while traveling/preparing for the race?
WS: Preparing and traveling is just a lot of this is just like food prep ahead of time and make sure that you're not eating out every single meal. You know, because that to me it's just you know it's so easy to drop like 20-25 bucks on a meal out, you know if you just get into some random restaurant by a $14 burger and then by the end of it it's 25 bucks.
SD: That's what I'm thinking about with burning river. You know you're going to pick me up at the airport at 930 and i'm like. shit what I should do is bring a tupperware. You know container of some food and eat it on the fucking plane, or something you know.
WS: That sounds like a good plan.
Rapid fire questions
Where is your favorite place to run in your town? Mountain bike trails off of the long leaf trace. Just a few minutes away from the house but feels like you're out in the country.
What is your favorite race that you’ve run in (so far)? Bighorn (even though I DNF'd)
What is your favorite post race food? Pizza
What is the one item (comfort or fuel or gear) that you simply must have during an ultra? Trail toes. That shit is the bomb for my feet to prevent chaffing.
What is your bucket list race? Western States!
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