Podcast Update Pre-Season 3: Back from Sabbatical and On the Road with “Annie”

You're listening to Choose to Endure , the show dedicated to the non-elite runners , where we share stories , interviews , gear and training tips specific to the tail end heroes of the Ultra Universe .

If you haven't had a moment to do so yet , please consider heading over to your favorite podcast app hit , follow , rate the show and if you're getting something of value , feel free to leave a review and let others know . My name's Richard Gleave .

I've been running ultras since 2017 now and I have taken on and finished numerous distances , all the way up through 220 miles , and I am unashamedly a member of the back of the pack , just like many of you . Well , you know it's been about six weeks since the last full episode of Choose to Endure with Iron Will Sprouse . That's an amazing episode .

If you want to go and listen to that one . I wanted to check in with you all . I've been taking a bit of a sabbatical , definitely not quitting , just taking some much needed time to recharge and refocus . You know , producing a podcast like this , especially as an all-interview format , which is essentially what season two was , can be really labor-intensive .

It takes about nine or ten hours per episode to produce for an interview , and I realized I needed to step back a little bit and reevaluate how I kind of approach it , and so , as I think about season three , I think I'm planning to focus more on some of the solo episodes , with some practical advice along with some chats and interviews still thrown in .

Season two , as I said , very interview heavy , and while I loved connecting with so many inspiring guests , I think shifting to a mix of formats feels more sustainable for me . Moving forwards , that doesn't mean the interviews are going away .

There are still so many amazing stories out there and I look forward to sharing those with you , but for now , a balanced approach feels like the right move on my part , given my availability with life , work , family , my own race , training and everything else going on .

That said , if there's something specific you'd like to hear about , if you know of a guest that I should chat with which is how Iron Will Sprouse's episode came about , or you know of a product , a business or maybe a service related to ultra running that you think I should try and get onto the show , let me know .

Always open to ideas from the amazing ultra running community out there , and this here , this podcast , is really my way of giving back , so definitely feel free to reach out if you want to send me a note on any of the socials or at info at choose to endurecom , if you choose .

On the running side , I recently completed my first 50k in quite a while actually at the Père Malfé race out at Bussey Break Wildlife Management Area in North Louisiana . That's about 20 miles north of Monroe .

For anybody who's familiar with that area , this was actually the inaugural event for the Beast Trail Racing team , who I hope to have as an interview here on the show very shortly and it was pretty cool to be part of something new and exciting in a place that hasn't had an ultra running race before , so I really enjoyed that .

Part of the reason I really enjoyed that is because I also got to test out my brand new camper van , which is incredibly cool .

I've now officially named this van Annie , since she is aenz Metris , anacapa converted van and with it I was able to camp literally right next to the start-finish line , which was a very cool experience and really added to the overall race vibe .

Having the van made everything so much easier and quite a bit more enjoyable , so I really look forward to using her from many more races and adventures to come as I travel across the country and hit up some more ultras out there now . I had also planned to run the dino valley 100 right after Pam Malfay . That is an incredible race by the Active Joe team .

Well done to everybody who went out there and ran that race , whatever your distance , great job . Unfortunately for me , I had some really last minute unexpected work drama and that derailed those plans . I was not able to make the trip up there in a timely manner and actually have the opportunity to participate in Dino Valley . That one really stung .

I had been working up to and looking forward to running that race for some time . But you know that's life , sometimes right , that's part of being an adult and sometimes it just doesn't work out . So , yeah , disappointed that I wasn't able to get up to that one , but well done to everyone who did .

I'm sure it was a fantastic race put on by Libby and the Active Joe team . Lots of volunteers up there . I was following it on Facebook , so I know it was a huge race this year and well done to everyone involved in that one .

Now , looking ahead on the race scene from me , I am now trying to put that disappointment behind me and have started a 12-week block of training specific to the Swami Shuffle 200 , again in late February , followed by the big one for me to celebrate my 50th birthday , which will be Cocodona 250 in early May .

Can't tell you quite how excited I am for giving that race my best shot . Now I'm actually trying something new for Swami Shuffle from the training perspective .

I decided and this could totally blow up , I don't know , but I decided , since I have a Garmin coach on the app and on my watch and it force feeds daily training suggestions specific for the race that you're trying to sign up for to your watch I decided that I was going to train with the Garmin coach suggestions .

So that will be really interesting to see how that works . It may completely blow up and I am sort of tweaking it as and when I feel the suggestions it makes for each day don't quite fit where I think we're at in the plan , but it does have a really nice periodized plan of training .

So I don't know , maybe it'll work , maybe it won't , but I think it'll be a cool story either way . For Cocodona specifically , I'm thinking of breaking tradition , actually , and looking potentially for some folks to share that experience with .

Normally for these big races I do them solo , just because logistically and emotionally , I worry about other people trying to crew me and what they're doing and are they having a great time and when are they expecting me and where should I be ? Because I mean it's just a whole host of things .

I find it easier and less stressful to do these things solo where I can , but Cocodona is so big that I really wanted to try to share this experience with other folks and maybe get a little help along the way . The logistics of tackling Cocodona solo feel pretty daunting .

So , with all that said , if you or someone you know might be interested in supporting or joining me for that adventure in early May I think it kicks off on May the 5th , maybe for that week definitely feel free to reach out .

I am working with limited funds to support a crew coming out or individuals coming out , but I would love to find a way to make it work . So feel free to hit me up if you would love to be a part of the whole Cocodona experience . Other than that , I am still here , still running , still passionate about bringing you some content that inspires and connects .

I really appreciate you sticking with me on this journey and through this short sojourn . I am excited for what's ahead here . Definitely stay tuned for season three . Let's keep this community going . If you find yourself out there browsing the internet , definitely still consider subscribing to the show if you haven't already .

That way , you get notified every time a new episode drops , and if you are enjoying any of the previous episodes and what you've heard on there , definitely feel free to follow , share and again leave a review .

That would mean the world to me , and your support helps grow the podcast , which , in turn , connects more runners to this amazing community we're building here and helps spread the word and get information out that we're sharing to all those runners who could benefit from it .

You can find me on Instagram and Facebook at ChooseToEndure all the handles , or visit us anytime at ChooseToEndurecom . We have an excellent website out there with all the past episodes plus some great blog articles to read . I would love hearing from you , whether that's just to say hello , whether you want to suggest a topic or maybe share your story .

There are so many great stories out there from back of the pack folks just like you . If you're not sure , contact me anyway . Walk me through it and we'll see what we can do . You can also email me directly , as I mentioned before , at info at choose2endurecom , so that's another way you can reach out .

Interacting with listeners just like you is absolutely one of my favorite parts of doing this show , so I look forward to hearing from you . Until next time and the start of season three , which is coming up really quickly now , make sure you continue to run long , run strong and keep choosing to endure . We'll see you next time .