Dear Ann, I was thinking of signing up for the Vermont 100. It will be my first 100, and is a long way from where I live. I’m a little worried about what to do in a 100 and how to respond if I make a mistake or if somet...
Articles by Ann Trason
Dear Ann, Doing 100-mile races is a huge challenge, but all the training and hard work on race day is really rewarding to me. So much so, that the worst part by far is the comedown in the days and weeks after a 100-mile...
Dear Ann, I hear advice all the time from friends about the things I should be doing to be a better runner. I try to be consistent, but I sometimes find myself slipping back into old habits or too busy to do everything....
Dear Ann, I have been an ultrarunner going back 15 years. However, for the past five years, our family has had a very big tragedy in our lives that has also really impacted my running. I am now 65 and my running is almo...
Dear Ann, Our conversation really opened my eyes to the one thing that is preventing me from getting to the next level. In my mind, I am still that fat kid who always got picked last in P.E. For this reason, I race and...
Dear Ann, I would appreciate it if you could share some tips for training for races at altitude, such as TRT100. I DNF’d there this year at mile 40. I was taken by surprise, because I thought that I’d been building up w...
Dear Ann, At this time of year, how did you go about planning your races and schedule for the upcoming year? Also, how did you approach these winter months? I’m getting stir crazy and want to be out there, racing long o...
Dear Ann, It was nice to meet you at Gary Cantrell’s newest creation, A Race for the Ages. That was my first multi-day timed event, and although I was pleased to get in 120 miles under the hot and humid conditions, I’m...
Dear Ann, I’m a nurse and work 12- to 14-hour night shifts. Depending on my schedule and how exhausted I feel from working nights, I’m able to train a lot some weeks, and almost not at all in other weeks. Any advice for...
Hi Ann, I know this is a bit cheeky, but I wanted to ask your advice about racing. Your success in ultrarunning is legendary, and I have found it really interesting reading how you approach racing. I appreciate that...
Dear Ann, Now that you’re a coach, are there some key lessons you pass down from your own coaches? —Michael Dear Michael, I have always loved being a student of the sport-- reading, asking questions, trying new t...
Dear Ann, Back in the day you were able to recover from racing long ultras and then come back quickly and strong, like in those years that you won Comrades and then flew around the globe to win Western States only a han...
Dear Ann, I recently signed up for a local 10k race. It will be my first ever. Now I’m thinking about doing either a 50-mile, 100k or a 100-mile ultra. Most folks would probably do a half marathon first, then a full mar...
Dear Ann, I have done the training, and I’m ready for my big ultra race this summer—but first I have to get through my taper, and it is stressing me out. What do you advise? What was a key for your tapering back in the...
Dear Ann, First, I must say you are an amazing athlete, and your accomplishments are mind-blowing. My question is concerning the ideal weight for distance running. I have heard height in inches times two is the best; ho...
Dear Ann, I live in the Midwest. I recently signed up for a hilly ultra. How do I train for hills when I live where it’s flat? —Carter Dear Carter, Don’t lose heart. There are always ways to prepare for the ups an...
Dear Ann, I was coming off a nice, long racing season and had finished my next-to-last race of the year when disaster struck. I rolled my ankle on a rocky downhill. It turned out I broke the fibula (lateral malleolus)....
Dear Ann, I have an ultra coming up and am thinking of having a pacer. I’ve never run with one before so I’m worried I won’t know how to use them. What should I do? —Aaron Dear Aaron, Your pacer is much more than...
Dear Ann, I just got a heart rate monitor, what do I do with it? A.S. Dear A.S., Congratulations on acquiring one of the best tools an ultrarunner can have. Heart rate monitors are individual to the wearer an...
Ann - It seems every time I go for a long run (for me, that's 13 miles) on the trails, the rest of the day my eyes are extremely dry and irritated. I’ve tried wearing sunglasses for the entire run, and upping my hydrati...