Miranda walks us through her Ute 100 from signup to finish, including the heat, the GI distress, the hallucinations, and the one hour nap that flips the race back in her favour. We also unpack the deeper reason she wanted a harder 100 miler and what it reveals about identity, failure, and the parts of ourselves that only show up when everything hurts.

Episode highlights:
• Choosing Ute 100 to find the edge of quitting
• Training highs and training challenges
• Getting sick late in the build and managing confidence
• Summit’s emergency vet scare and the stress of caretaking
• Crew chief logistics for a remote race with sparse aid
• Race day heat in Moab and early navigation mistakes
• The Mann’s Peak climb, water and ice shortages, and nausea onset
• Bloody noses, vomiting, and hallucinations on the South Mountain loop
• The mental negotiation around quitting and what it means for identity
• The one hour car nap, simple food, and the return of clear thinking
• Finishing the brutal final climbs and accepting time goals are gone
• Reflection on failure avoidance as both strength and risk

Jon's photos: https://joneisen.me/photos/

John Kelly's fundraiser

Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run.

Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.

Correction to the intro: David Clark, founder of We Are Superman podcast died from complications from a spinal surgery.

Intro: Jon & Miranda trade stories from a chaotic week where training, race work and a scary emergency vet visit collide. We are then introduce guest, Bill Stahl and chat about a wide-range of topics with from endurance, service, and seeing the world on foot. Bill takes us from old-school Leadville to run travel mishaps, and then into the mission behind American Heroes Run and We Are Superman podcast.
• Bill’s early running years with minimal gear and zero internet guidance
• Leadville then versus now, from tiny fields to packed courses
• Runcations as a way to travel, explore and stay consistent
• Safety, risk and reality when running in unfamiliar places
• Copper Canyon, the Tarahumara and what ultrarunning history feels like up close
• American Heroes Run format, 9/11 symbolism and “patriotism without politics”
• Navigating injuries, surgery, rehab and stubborn hope
• Keeping David Clark’s legacy alive through We Are Superman and a new book project
• Coaching high school cross-country and watching kids become lifelong runners
• How ultrarunning has diversified across gender, body type and background

You can find more about Bill:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-are-superman/id1244973869

https://www.youtube.com/@BillStahl

Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run.

Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.

We sit down with Christine Reed to talk honestly about running with POTS, from the shock of seeing sky high heart rate data to the grief and relief that comes with finally getting a name for years of symptoms. We dig into what actually helps on run day and in real life, plus the harder question of where ambition ends and self care begins.

• what POTS and dysautonomia feel like during easy running
• using watch data to spot patterns and advocate for yourself
• the emotional whiplash of diagnosis, validation and grief
• hydration, electrolytes and salt as daily foundations
• compression and legs-up recovery as practical tools
• flares, fatigue and brain fog, plus the cost of pushing through
• digestive issues, inflammation triggers and experimenting with food
• deciding what kind of suffering is worth it on trails
• the Taos Traverse story and the dangers of technical terrain

You can find Christine on:

• Substack: Christine Reed | Substack
• Instagram: instagram.com/ruggedoutdoorswoman
• Tiktok: tiktok.com/ruggedoutdoorswoman
• Website: ruggedoutdoorswoman.com

Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run.

Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.