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...
Articles by Ann Trason
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...