The Ultra Crewed Podcast

67- (video) Cruel Jewel, Vagus Nerves, and Parking Lot Felonies

* Not for Apple listening Our weekend started with promise, a conservative plan, good weather, and even a rattlesnake encounter, because Georgia likes to add side quests. Then my race turned sideways when post-viral vagus nerve issues made swallowing, drinking, fueling, and generally existing like a normal mammal impossible. What looked like stomach trouble was actually a neurological throat-and-body revolt, complete with choking, puking, and the deeply glamorous experience of trying not to become a full-body disaster on the side of the road. Ultra running: it’s basically wellness, if wellness hated you. After the DNF, instead of disappearing into the Airbnb to sulk like a reasonable person with Wi-Fi and emotional boundaries, Jon and I jumped into crew mode, helping friends, supporting runners, and staying in the race community even after my own race was over. Then we take a hard left into one of the great endangered species of ultra running: crew people with spatial awareness. We get into people parking over white lines, trucks blocking access, nervous drivers, one aggressively awful tailgater, and why race volunteers should not have to teach adults how roads work. If your crew setup requires state troopers, a tow truck, and a community meeting, congratulations, you are now the aid station hazard.

67- Cruel Jewel, Vagus Nerves, and Parking Lot Felonies

Our weekend started with promise, a conservative plan, good weather, and even a rattlesnake encounter, because Georgia likes to add side quests. Then my race turned sideways when post-viral vagus nerve issues made swallowing, drinking, fueling, and generally existing like a normal mammal impossible. What looked like stomach trouble was actually a neurological throat-and-body revolt, complete with choking, puking, and the deeply glamorous experience of trying not to become a full-body disaster on the side of the road. Ultra running: it’s basically wellness, if wellness hated you. After the DNF, instead of disappearing into the Airbnb to sulk like a reasonable person with Wi-Fi and emotional boundaries, Jon and I jumped into crew mode, helping friends, supporting runners, and staying in the race community even after my own race was over. Then we take a hard left into one of the great endangered species of ultra running: crew people with spatial awareness. We get into people parking over white lines, trucks blocking access, nervous drivers, one aggressively awful tailgater, and why race volunteers should not have to teach adults how roads work. If your crew setup requires state troopers, a tow truck, and a community meeting, congratulations, you are now the aid station hazard.

66 - (video) Water Totes, Backyard Legends, and the Cruel Jewel Queen

*VIDEO Not for Apple listening We start with the kind of enormous race announcement only true professionals would lead with: Mid-State Mile has officially entered the water tote era. Yes, a 275-gallon tote. Yes, it required a country drive, cash, accessories, and somehow ice cream. This is event logistics, but with more emotional damage and Facebook Marketplace energy.  Then we get into the real Mid-State Mile news: Harvey Lewis and Mark Dowdle are coming to town, and the field is getting spicy. We talk about what makes Mid-State different from a traditional backyard race, why the 20-minute loop changes everything, and why experience on this course matters more than whatever shiny resume somebody brings to the start line. Whistle to whistle, there is no room to hide, nap, scroll, or build a private little emotional support fortress.  We also dig into Rachel’s monster Cocodona performance, the “women vs. men” hot-take fallout, downtime efficiency, sleep, electrolytes, and why “why not me?” might be the most dangerous and useful thought an ultra runner can carry into a race.  Finally, Becca gets ready for Cruel Jewel, the race that has become part suffering ritual, part relationship scrapbook, and part annual trip into the mountains to see what still works. There’s also cave digging, because apparently ultra running wasn’t already enough of a cry for help.

66 - Water Totes, Backyard Legends, and the Cruel Jewel Queen

We start with the kind of enormous race announcement only true professionals would lead with: Mid-State Mile has officially entered the water tote era. Yes, a 275-gallon tote. Yes, it required a country drive, cash, accessories, and somehow ice cream. This is event logistics, but with more emotional damage and Facebook Marketplace energy.  Then we get into the real Mid-State Mile news: Harvey Lewis and Mark Dowdle are coming to town, and the field is getting spicy. We talk about what makes Mid-State different from a traditional backyard race, why the 20-minute loop changes everything, and why experience on this course matters more than whatever shiny resume somebody brings to the start line. Whistle to whistle, there is no room to hide, nap, scroll, or build a private little emotional support fortress.  We also dig into Rachel’s monster Cocodona performance, the “women vs. men” hot-take fallout, downtime efficiency, sleep, electrolytes, and why “why not me?” might be the most dangerous and useful thought an ultra runner can carry into a race.  Finally, Becca gets ready for Cruel Jewel, the race that has become part suffering ritual, part relationship scrapbook, and part annual trip into the mountains to see what still works. There’s also cave digging, because apparently ultra running wasn’t already enough of a cry for help.

65 -(video) Training Checks Your Body Can’t Cash

*NOT for Apple Listening Jon and Becca kick things off with Home Depot parking lot tension, Walmart aisle rage, and the ongoing reality that some humans should not be released into public before coffee. From there, they dig into Mid-State Mile prep, arena upgrades, shaky foundations, training mistakes, overdrawn energy banks, and why your body may not care that your ego signed up for something stupid. They also get into women in backyard ultras, the problem with comparing yourself to everyone else’s “fancy house,” and why Mid-State is less about beating the field and more about finding out what kind of foundation you actually built.