The Mind of an Ultramarathoner - Goal Setting (Part 2)

PART 2 - GOAL SETTING
’Predicting the Future’

In racing, we always set 3 goals, Goal A, B, C. This helps us prioritize our focus during training. Our Goals can be general for the year or most often specific for an upcoming race. In this Part 2, I share my general running goals for the year to give you a broader perspective, then in Part 3, I share my race goals for my most recent 100k. 

My 2024 Goal A is to gain international racing experience, burst out of my bubble of the Ontario racing series, and see how I would compete on the world stage. By gaining international experience and partaking in the UTMB world series of races, upon successful completion of races, I gain points based on ranking as well, I would then be able to qualify for the mecca race, the Boston Marathon equivalent, The ‘UTMB 100-mile’ in Chamonix, France. The UTMB (Ultra Tour de Mont Blanc) is a race organizing company that specializes in putting on Ultramarathons around the world. I hope to race in 3 ultramarathons this year, 100k Canyons, which I’ve completed this past April! Woohoo! Another race in the summer, perhaps a 50k or 50-mile, and finally another 100k in the Fall. Once I complete these races, I’ll have enough points to enter me into the Ultra runner’s dream race, the UTMB 100-mile in 2025. So the mission is to get these races under my belt by staying healthy and keeping my mind focused. 

My 2024 Goal B is to establish myself as one of the top Canadian Asian Ultramarathon Racers and start down the path of becoming the top Ultramarathon Coach in Toronto. Some would argue that I’ve already established myself as a top Canadian Asian Ultramarathon Racer, considering the successful history of wins under my belt. But for those that are in the Ultra world, it’s a big ocean, we know there’s a lot more competition and credibility to gain on a larger stage, than just winning a bunch of flat land Ontario races and calling it a day. Maybe I’m hard on myself, but because I don’t have a coach, I have to be tough on myself in a nudging-reality-check kind of way, one that’ll push my perceived limits, and push me to reach my fullest potential. There’s no way to measure this Goal B, but with my Goal A, I will have competed in world renown races, which will add to my portfolio of experience. Expertise and knowledge are very necessary as a coach, but to many runners, experience through the achievement of accolades in the sport is deemed mandatory. So with the recent completion of the UESCA Ultra Coaching certification, my expertise is there, now onto the ‘walk the talk’ path of achieving accolades.  

My Goal C is to see this Ultramarathon passion through to the end of 2024. See what this level of dedication and focus brings me as I’ve never picked one thing and made it my thing to this depth. To prioritize one thing, one sport, one objective, which shapes my career trajectory, my brand as a coach and consultant, and my lifestyle, is difficult as a multi-talented person. There’s a bit of an identity struggle in that. “Be a meaningulf specialist, not a wandering generalist” is a quote I have on my wall from 2023. “The riches are in the niches” is another saying I’ve adopted from financially savvy friends. The reason for the inner struggle is typecasting, pigeon holing, and narrowing my options. If you’re a generalist and you have a range of skills that don’t apply to one job or career, but instead many, you know what I’m struggling with. The only way out of this predicament is through. By committing to this Ultramarathon journey, it will help me further understand my current disposition as a generalist. By flipping my mindset from what I have to lose to what I have to gain is key. Maybe as I shift into becoming a specialist, I’ll have learned that this may better reflect who I am becoming. Just like how I started as a Batman lover and Joker hater, but now that I’ve experienced a lot of life, I sometimes identify with the Joker (not in the killing of people for fun, but in how he lives free, and explores free will, as opposed to Batman, caged by his morals and duty). I digress. 

As you can tell, I’m in a reflective phase right now, and writing this article is very helpful, almost therapeutic; a process I’d recommend to any milestone-chaser, change-maker, and high achiever. So if you’re reading this, thank you, thank you for being my muse of an audience. With the template of training and race learnings from my 2023 100-mile race win, my 2024 goals set, I’m moving through 2024’s race season with lots of momentum. Excited for this year to continue to unfold so wonderfully.

Also, I can’t not mention a cherry on top, which is becoming an On Ambassador for 2024. This nomination is an incredible reflection of alignment and perfect timing. The support has been generous and adds more wind to my wings.

Now let’s get into more juicy stuff, Part 3, where I share my training for the Canyons 100k World Major by UTMB, in Auburn, California. 

The Mind of an Ultramarathoner - Canyons 100k Race Reflections (Part 1)

PART 1 - PREFACE
’My 100-mile win in 2023 was just a stepping stone’ 

Change begins when you think about changing. But results from change only come from the commitment to training. And true training commitment begins only when you register for a race (the big gulp moment), the moment you begin to self-actualize. Here is part 1 of my race reflections. This part will provide a foundation of context and I hope this brings you inspiration on your upcoming endeavors. 

Last year (2023), I registered for my favorite local race called the Sulphur Springs 100-mile Trail Race knowing I was going to win it. It was my home race in that the course was an hour away, I’ve spent hundreds of hours on those trails, I had run the race’s numerous distance offerings already (50k, 50-mile, 100k), and could call myself a seasoned ultramarathon runner, if not a top competitor in the region. Though it had been 3 years since I had competed in an ultramarathon. 

I registered with a winning mindset not out of cockiness, but because I had no reason to doubt it. I had the opportunity to stack the cards in my favor. I had enough time to mentally and physically orchestrate a winning program. A healthy runway of work-life balance to implement it, and make constructive alterations along the way with little to no adverse effects. On top of that, the 3 years off gave me a refreshing competitive edge; a nothing to lose, nothing to prove, mindset. It’s like I was starting from scratch, like many others who took a break during the pandemic since there were no sanctioned races. Albeit, I did have a bit of imposter syndrome, moments of “do I still have it in me?”, but that quickly faded when I hit milestones and put up big numbers during training. Typically imposter syndrome corrects itself quickly with action. This drought of 3 years actually took the pressure off, and allowed me to run wild and free, which to me, is the most dangerous x-factor of an ultramarathon competitor.

Of course I made room for anomaly scenarios like a threatening injury on race day, GI-distress, unpredictable poor weather, or a Professional elite-level ultra-runner showing up randomly to crush and humble the locals. But my mind had already planned for an intense training program.

(Reminder, all of this context about my 2023 100-mile race, will contribute to my most recent 2024 100-km race).

Firstly, my physical training included a hyper focus on injury prevention by hiring a team of clinicians to support me; a Chiropractor, Physiotherapist, and Massage Therapist. I upheld a daily regimen of mobility and myofascial self-massage and became known as the mobility guy at my workplaces. I switched all of my physical fitness training to advanced but experimental biomechanical run-specific training, no more aesthetic weightlifting, no more sports that could be a liability (team sports or contact sports). I joined a Contrast Therapy (Sauna and Ice Bath) studio to access the facilities regularly, which upgraded my breathwork knowledge, and increased the frequency of my healing protocol. 

My mental training was in full swing when I audited my outdated fueling strategy and overhauled my game-day plan by registering for an Ultramarathon Coaching Certification by UESCA (United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy). I learned more Ultra-Running strategies and training specifics from this course, as if I had hired a team of run coaches to bootcamp my knowledge base. I devoted myself to an earlier start to training by beginning in the harsher conditions of winter, which helped me adapt to adversity scenarios much sooner, translating to increased mental toughness over the entirety of this journey.

Lastly, I realized I had reawakened a deeply competitive spirit within me that was in hibernation during the pandemic. My awakening came from closure. I had finally internalized many lessons learned from my 2-year sabbatical to and from Costa Rica. By moving on mentally and emotionally from a headspace submerged in uncertainty, the opportunity to reignite my role and identity from a place of certainty brought me deep clarity and enthusiasm. That paved the way to the principle of ‘beginning with the end in mind’. My state of certainty sparked my competitive spirit, which illuminated the path to win.  

By using the hybrid identity of Pura Vida Julian, one that’s of purity and earthliness, and Get-Shit-Done City Julian, one that’s … well … a go-getter A-type, manifesting generator, the odds felt stacked in my favor. The plan was set and all I had to do was show up. I followed through with a win, and came away with a program plan that became a recipe for success, one that I was able to use as a stepping stone for my most recent ultramarathon success at the 2024 UTMB Major - Canyons 100 km Ultramarathon, in Auburn, California.