Articles by Travis Macy

Don’t Think, Just Run

The cerebral nature of ultrarunning is one of my favorite aspects of the sport, and I am constantly encouraging coaching clients to “think on your feet out there.” Fueling, pace, gear, outlook, logistics: there’s so much...

Dear Young Trav

A theme in this issue of UltraRunning is young ultrarunners, so I’ve drafted a letter I wish I could have read at age 22. I’m not yet a full-on old guy, but as an experienced athlete who now cares as much about coaching...

Hill Training for Flatlanders

Some topics are covered often in ultra literature because they’re particularly relevant, and this is one of them: “How do I prepare for a mountainous ultra if I don’t live in the mountains? Is that even possible?” It’s o...

On Elk and Ultrarunning

After thousands of hours of hammering the trails through my beloved Colorado Rockies with my head down and vision marred by sweat, I realized last fall that it was time for a shift. Time to connect more fully with nature...

Casados, Kaizen and the Art of Eating Ultra

“Where innovation demands shocking and radical reform, all kaizen asks is that you take small, comfortable steps toward improvement.” – Robert Maurer in One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way In Costa Ric...

Overtraining Syndrome: In Search of Answers

Last issue we explored symptoms sometimes experienced by runners that may be related to overtraining, including irritability, low mood, lack of motivation, poor performance, and low/fluctuating hormones. This article see...

Overtraining Syndrome: Digging Deep

My first experience with significant overtraining from running occurred during my two years of collegiate running for CU-Boulder. I was a decent, All-State high school runner in Colorado’s second largest school class, bu...

Why Skimo? Ask the Pros!

I got snowed on in August while running in Breckenridge, Colorado, and my mind flew immediately to a single focus: Skimo! I’m not that good at ski mountaineering, but man, do I love it. Skimo – short for ski mountaine...

Something to Remember

We ultrarunners truly are fortunate to be able to do what we do. A lot of people go through life without a whole lot to look forward to. And that probably also means there’s not a whole lot to remember, either. If you’ve...

Doing New Things

The meat sizzled in the pan – kind of like bacon, but the smell was definitely a little off. I was actually able to swallow it a few minutes later, although that might have just been because it was covered with avocado i...

The 4:30 a.m. Rule

Over the last 10 years, I’ve been “fortunate” enough to do a number of races touted as “the hardest race in the world,” so when I received the following e-mail in December 2014 from “Run Bum,” the RD for the Georgia Deat...

FKT = NBS

We all know ultrarunning is going to beat us up physically from time to time, but we sometimes overlook the way we beat ourselves up mentally – both in running and in life. A few years ago, I realized some of my own nega...

Think Like a Champion

My friend Emma Roca is a Renaissance woman. The 42-year-old mountain rescue firefighter from Spain’s Catalonia region in the Pyrenees recently finished a Ph.D. in biochemistry while raising three children and earning pod...

It’s All About Perception

After returning from a recent ultra, I ran into a friend at the rec center. This guy is an avid marathoner, and we caught up on each other’s training and racing. The conversation came to a close and we began to part when...

“The One Thing” for Heat Preparation

By July 1993, Marshall Ulrich was well established as one of the best in the sport, a veritable King of Badwater who seemed to handle the heat better than almost anyone around. I was well established as a self-assured in...

Training for Mental Fitness

Brandy Erholtz and I were pushing hard on a steep climb at nearly 10,000 feet, but the familiar synergy, experienced many times before with friends and competitors in training and racing, made the toil bearable. The Euro...

Get Better in 2016

Podiums, prizes and PRs are nice, and I was fortunate enough to win some races in 2015. Looking back, however, the most impactful and lasting moments of the year occurred when I used well-planned goals, hard work, intent...

Wasatch Front

I’ll be the first to admit that as a sponsored athlete and someone who counts on at least some income from coaching, book sales, speaking and other endeavors associated with ultrarunning, I appreciate races with a slick...

Steep Ravine

Packing up at home in the Colorado Rockies for my upcoming race in the Marin Headlands, I wondered whether I should bring the heavy tights and winter hat I’d worn on every run for three months. I wondered what, exactly,...