This episode was a lot of fun to record as Melody and Jacob Bateman from Trail-to-100 podcast joined Anthony to review everything that has been going on in the last 2 years since they last spoke.

Melody shares what it is like to be a mom, wife and have a baby and also be training for races. She shares how she felt broken and beaten down and trying to achieve too much and check all the boxes. She decided it was best to take some time away from training and let her body, mind and spirit heal and reset. Having the baby allowed her to refocus and reset things and get a fresh start. When you put God and family first and adjust training accordingly it will all work out.

Jacob shares how it is important to adjust your training and adapt it to what your current situation is. He feels it is important to trust God to fill in the gaps and help you along the way to achieve your goals and not to put guilt on yourself when you don't get all of your training runs in. God sees your heart and wants the best for you and will bless you for making sacrifices where needed.

Melody and Jacob moved from Utah to Wyoming and after settling in for a year they decided to create a race in the area and celebrate and build the running community up. They have enjoyed being race directors and to help see people fulfill goals and dreams of finishing something that most never thought they could do. It is rewarding and there isn't a feeling quite like it.

This was a lot of fun to hear them share their hearts and faith in a raw way. Make sure to check out their podcast at Trail to 100. They have some great content and have a heart for ultra runners.

In this episode. Anthony shares 5 tips on how to run your race and keep your focus on your training instead of the who, what, why, when and where that is often associated with someone's training. Anthony encourages those who run and training to stay in the moment and keep your focus. Put the fun back in the run and enjoy the journey my friends. I hope you will be encouraged by this episode.

I met up with my friend Shannon Mick to catch up and see how her ultra running has been going. Shannon has been a former guest on the Scarecrow Runner podcast and has since completed numerous ultra marathons including two 100 mile ultra marathons: The Mohican 100 and The Burning River 100. Shannon most recently finished the Glacier Ridge 50 mile ultra marathon in May with a PR of 11:13 which was an improvement of her previous attempt in 2022 of 12:36. This race was one she used to prepare for her upcoming attempt for Laurel Highlands 70.5. She DNF'd this race back in 2020 and is back for redemption in 2025.

Shannon shares several things she does to prepare herself mentally and physically for running ultra marathons and the pain associated. She even shares what she doesn't like about running ultras. It was fun to check back in with her and see her progress since we last spoke.