Wednesday, September 21, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
9
Ultra runners say ‘actually, you can’
By andrew loscutoff
Correspondent
A trio of Sisters women
each possess a penchant for
pushing their bodies to the
limit and exploring the depths
of fortitude through ultra
endurance running.
The Sisters women —
Ashley Nordell, Rebecca
Touvelle, and Riva Johnson
— have each competed in
many ultra endurance events.
Off the trail, these stellar
endurance athletes don’t look
like superwomen; they look
much like many of the people
seen on sidewalks or in line
at the coffee shop. They have
kids in the schools, they strug-
gle with the same day-to-day
conflicts as everyone else.
Yet they accomplish feats of
extraordinary endurance.
When asked about what
motivates them to keep going,
the women all answered that
kinship of suffering with
friends and competitors is
essential. Extraordinary blis-
ters and toenails removing
themselves during runs might
be insurmountable without
community, without those
text messages from each
other on the dark cold morn-
ings — “better put on an extra
layer this morning.” They
bond through suffering and
come across the other side
stronger, with a unique level
of friendship.
Training for an ultra endur-
ance event is not much more
extreme than a marathon plan.
All of the ladies agreed that it
isn’t extraordinary, and fol-
lows a similar progression of
increasing mileage. This pro-
gression stays modest; their
longest training runs might
be 25 miles. The women sug-
gested doing a training run or
practice race of 50 percent of
the distance to be run in the
event, then strategizing how
to cope with the increase on
race day.
Fueling for an event that
can last many hours is tricky.
The standard rate of calorie
consumption is around 200
per hour. This equates to
three bananas, or a couple of
sport gels. It is not quite so
simple: the athletes all had
differing advice which culmi-
nated into a suggestion to find
what works for the individual.
Nordell consumes light drink
mixes and the occasional gel,
whereas Touvelle might reach
for something more substan-
tial, a bar or other solids.
Stories of vomiting trailside
and stomach distress swirled
among the group as evidence
that fueling truly is personal.
The race itself is a chal-
lenge logistically. The run-
ners all spoke of the tremen-
dous amount of support they
receive from friends and fam-
ily. A runner goes through
many checkpoints along the
way, and at each station they
either receive a drop bag or
outside support. They all have
essential tools: Band-aids for
blisters, Vaseline for chafing,
electrolyte tablets, layering
clothes, socks, etc. A mental
checklist through each area of
the body is a good prevention
strategy — asking yourself if
there is any looming injury
before it’s too late to deal with
it. At these rest stops, a men-
tal break is just as important.
A time to see support, loved
ones, or friendly encourage-
ment from other bystand-
ers can fix the dark thoughts
creeping into the mind. The
mind telling the body to stop,
to quit, to relent, is amplified
in solitude.
Motivation is personal,
too, but there are common
threads. The thought of let-
ting down the ones who have
helped along the way, the
sacrifice of family members,
ones who have traveled along
with the runners was the com-
mon thread of motivation to
keep going.
Another strategy the trio
agreed on was the “opti-
mistic pessimism” strategy.
They all know the race will
be extremely difficult, and
things will get hard, testing
their limits. Acknowledging
that it will be hard, and at
points it will be miserable,
they develop strategies to
overcome the dark moments
and don’t gloss over the dif-
ficulties with false positiv-
ity. Using mantras, music,
and simple comforts all
helped them. Touvelle has
dreamt of heated seats in the
car, Johnson of her custom-
ary Diet Coke post-run, and
Nordell has thought of her
most comfortable and warm
pair of Ugg boots.
Many runners assume
they don’t have what it takes
to compete or finish an ultra
event. The Sisters women all
want to lend some helpful
advice: Look at the race as
a mission of self improve-
ment, rather than a race or
event was Rebecca’s sugges-
tion. They agreed that time
shouldn’t constrain; they all
have kids, work, and finances
to balance. They make it hap-
pen. Running with a stroller,
in the predawn light, or jug-
gling two-a-day runs between
obligations are all strate-
gies to get in the necessary
training.
They love the daycare
service at the gym, allowing
them to workout while the
kids stay occupied. Nordell
was especially moved when
she commented “my daugh-
ters get to be there, see-
ing their mom do amazing
things.” Touvelle agreed.
s
Siste e r d!
Own
My daughters get to
be there, seeing their
mom do amazing things.
— ashley Nordell
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The fact that these women
are able to take on such a
daunting challenge — and
overcome it — runs counter
to a current social order that
promotes instant gratifica-
tion and rejects too much
work and effort for a distant
event. The trio of Sisters ultra
women all echoed the same
sentiment for anyone contem-
plating taking on such a chal-
lenge: “Actually, you can.”
Old-School
Walk-Ins
photo by andrew loscutoff
rebecca touvelle, riva Johnson, and ashley Nordell all balance everyday
life with the demands of training for ultramarathons.
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