How do you keep going when your brain is already worrying about miles that haven't happened yet?

In backyard ultras and other endurance races, one of the biggest mental traps isn't physical fatigue. It's looking too far ahead.

At yard 5, you start thinking about running for two days. At mile 17, you're worried about mile 100. Before the sun has even set, you're imagining the second night and convincing yourself you can't possibly keep going.

This episode of The One More Hour Podcast, explores why our brains naturally "borrow suffering from the future," how this creates unnecessary overwhelm, and why the best backyard runners aren't necessarily mentally tougher, they're simply better at staying present.

You'll also learn eight practical ways to train your brain during everyday runs, including:

• Breaking long runs into smaller segments
• Giving yourself one job at a time
• Delaying decisions during low moments
• Practicing mental resets
• Recognizing when you're projecting future suffering
• Training without distractions
• Ending some runs with something left in the tank
• Asking better questions after your long runs

Presence isn't something you magically find on race day. It's a skill you build every time you train.

Because the future version of you will handle the future miles.

Your job right now is simply to handle this one.

One more hour.

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website

What happens when an experienced ultrarunner steps into a completely new race format?

In this episode of The One More Hour Podcast, I sit down with fellow Minnesota runner and coach, Wendy Krause, to talk about her first-ever Backyard Ultra at Blacks Grove Backyard Ultra. Although Wendy has years of experience racing trail ultras and 100-milers, the Backyard format challenged her in entirely new ways. From pacing and self-crewing to fueling, staying present, and embracing the unknown, Wendy was curious about what she could learn.

We also dive into what it's like to coach midlife runners, why your best running doesn't have to be behind you, and how curiosity (not chasing numbers) can lead to some of your biggest breakthroughs.

Along the way, we discuss:

• What surprised Wendy most about her first Backyard Ultra
• Self-crewing, pacing, and fueling lessons she'd change next time
• Why staying present one hour at a time is the key to success
• Midlife running, longevity, and overcoming limiting beliefs
• Training and running with her two Vizslas
• Why "stay curious" has become one of her biggest lessons as both an athlete and a coach

Whether you're preparing for your first Backyard Ultra, chasing your next ultramarathon, or simply looking for inspiration to keep growing as a runner, this conversation is full of practical takeaways and encouragement.

Follow Wendy on Instagram @Wendyrunsfree

Follow Wendy's dogs on Instagram @indykodarunsfree

Follow the Heartland Trail Series coming in 2027 (10K•13.1•50K•100K) @heartlandtrailseries

Wendy's coaching link

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website

If you're listening to this episode, chances are you're in the middle of your race and your brain is trying to convince you to quit.

This is a special race-day episode of The One More Hour Podcast, created specifically for runners tackling backyard ultras and last runner standing events. Whether you're sitting in your chair questioning if you should answer the next bell or you're out on the course fighting the clock, this episode is here to help you remember why you started.

Through a mix of calm reassurance, mindset coaching, and high-energy motivation, you'll reconnect with your purpose, trust your training, silence the voice that's looking for an out, and find the courage to keep going one more lap.

When the race gets hard, and it will, press play before you make your decision.

Because your race isn't over until the race says it's over.

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website

How far should your longest long run be before a backyard ultra?

It’s one of the most common questions runners ask, and in this episode, I explain why it might be the wrong question.

Backyard ultras aren’t won because you survived one massive training run. They’re won because you practiced the skills that allow you to keep showing up every hour: pacing, fueling, problem-solving, sleep management, mental resilience, efficiency, and adaptability.

In this episode, I break down 11 different types of long runs you can use to prepare for your next backyard ultra or last person standing race, including:

• The Confidence Builder Long Run
• The Fueling Experiment Run
• Backyard Ultra Simulation Runs
• Sunset-to-Sunrise Runs
• After-Work Long Runs
• Time-of-Day Challenge Runs
• The Goggins 4x4x48 Challenge
• The Yeti Challenge (5x4x24)
• Adversity Runs
• Curiosity Runs
• The "Drop the Hammer" Run

We’ll talk about what each run teaches, when to use it, and how to determine which experiences you still need before race day.

Because the goal of training isn’t simply to accumulate miles. It’s to accumulate lessons.

By race day, you want to have answered as many questions as possible:

Can I fuel?
Can I stay awake?
Can I handle boredom?
Can I solve problems?
Can I trust myself when things get hard?

The runners who go the farthest aren’t always the ones with the biggest long runs. They’re often the ones with the biggest library of experiences.

If you're training for a backyard ultra, timed event, or last person standing race, this episode will help you build long runs with purpose.

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website

Most runners finish a race and immediately focus on one thing: the result.

How many yards did I get?
How far did I go?
Did I hit my goal?

But what if the most valuable part of your backyard ultra isn't the result, but it's what the race is trying to teach you?

In this episode of The One More Hour Podcast, I break down how to reflect on your Backyard Ultra in a way that actually helps you improve. We'll talk about why the thing that ended your race may not be the thing you think ended your race, how to identify the real limiting factors in your performance, and how to turn race-day lessons into smarter training.

You'll learn:

• Why Backyard Ultras are one of the best learning environments in endurance sports
• The biggest mistakes runners make when reflecting on a race
• How to identify the difference between symptoms and root causes
• Why studying what worked is just as important as studying what failed
• How to spot energy leaks that quietly sabotage performance
• What the best runners do differently and how to learn from them
• How to use your race reflections to build a better training plan

Whether you ran 10 yards or 100, every Backyard Ultra leaves clues. The runners who improve the fastest aren't always the most talented. They're the ones willing to study those clues honestly.

Your next breakthrough may already be hidden inside your last race.

🎙 Download the free Backyard Ultra Post-Race Reflection Worksheet and start uncovering the lessons from your own races.

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website

In Part 2 of this two-part series, we explore what happens after the race when the dust settles and a familiar thought starts to creep in: “I think I still had one more loop in me.”

If you've ever finished a backyard ultra, timed event, or endurance race and wondered whether you could have gone farther, this episode is for you.

We discuss:

• why so many runners realize after the race that they may have had more left
• the difference between reaching your physical limit and reaching your willingness to stay uncomfortable
• why ultras are nonlinear and how quickly a low can turn around
• how fear, uncertainty, sleep deprivation, and underfueling influence decision-making
• why the urge to stop is not always trustworthy
• how reflecting on your race can help you go farther next time

Most runners don't stop when their body completely forces them to stop. They stop somewhere between "I absolutely can't" and "I don't want to anymore." Learning the difference is one of the most important skills in endurance racing.

This episode is not about regret. It's about growth.

Realizing you had one more loop in you isn't proof that you failed. It's proof that your limits may be farther away than you thought.

Apply. Adapt. Reflect. Adjust.

That's how one race becomes the foundation for the next breakthrough.

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website

In Part 1 of this two-part series, we’re talking about the moments during an ultra when your brain starts trying to convince you that you’re done.

Not necessarily physically done, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually done.

If you’ve ever sat in a chair during a backyard ultra convinced there was “no way” you could do another loop, this episode is for you.

We dive into:

• why your brain becomes so convincing during low moments
• the difference between discomfort and true physical limitation
• why runners often quit emotionally before they quit physically
• how psychological flexibility helps runners stay in the race longer
• practical strategies for handling doubt, fear, and overwhelm during ultras

This episode is a reminder that you do not need to feel confident to keep moving forward, and that a temporary low should not always get to make a permanent decision.

Because more often than you think… you’re not actually done yet.

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website

Are you ACTUALLY ready for your backyard ultra? This episode dives into the often overlooked mental, logistical, and emotional readiness required for backyard ultras and timed events.

We discuss the importance of process goals versus only having outcome goals, mental resilience, decision making and handling emotional low points, and strategic preparation to succeed in ultra-distance running.

What questions do you need to ask yourself before training begins to ensure your goals align with your season of life? We cover the thought process needed and how to understand your life support system and training capacity.

Resources:

Episode 14: Goal Setting

Backyard Ultra Preseason Checklist

Process Buy-In Reflection Worksheet

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website