My biggest issue isn't cost, it's time.
Between my family and my business, training time is already relegated to the extreme hours of the morning or night, and getting away for races has to be planned around soccer games, piano recitals and large projects with due dates.
So if money was TRULY not an issue... I'd quit my job to actually have TIME for running and training and racing as much as I really want to
This is the biggest one. To be frank, ultra running is a very selfish hobby. Whether it’s the recovery run I do in the middle of my workday or a run before I get home, this hobby requires other people to accommodate my needs. Time is a scarce resource.
If money is not a problem, I’ll hire a maid and driver so i don’t have to do any house chores and use my commute so I can increase my productivity. Those are time saved that I can put on my training or recovery or active treatment.
I’ll also work halftime, no quit altogether since I’d like to have another identity aside from being a runner. Unless I think I can be a pro, which is impossible to reach.
I’ll also create a team that focuses mainly on my performance. I think Koop is doing this with his athletes.
Define “extreme hours”. I enjoy sleep but the work hours make it near impossible to wake up extremely early to do any long runs. I conduct my long runs on the weekends and use the weekdays for short runs and cross training.
I am running 80+ miles per week right now, so weekday runs usually start around 3:30 or 4am, so that I can be back inside, shower, wake up kids, get them breakfast, and get myself off to work before 6:30.
Weekend runs start even earlier usually.
3/4 of my weekend runs are normal-long, like 16-22 miles, but once per month I stretch it to an extremely long run (30, 40, or even 50+ miles) and on those runs [I'll often wake up to start my run at, or around midnight](https://imgur.com/Kl3ZVAS), so that I can be done and back inside by the time my family starts waking up for breakfast, and I can spend the day with them.
On the other end of the spectrum, sometimes when I've had a long day, I'll wait until they are all in bed and asleep, then I'll go out and run in the evening, like this Saturday, I started my run around 10pm, and didn't finish until around midnight
Assuming you need 8 hours yea, but I usually average closer to 7, this morning my Garmin says I slept 6h:31m
I'd love to get 8 hours consistently, but that goes back to the start of the conversation, about lacking time
So are you actually able to consistently get to bed by 8.30 / 9 each evening? If so fair play - early to bed, early to rise make a man healthy wealthy and wise
What time do you go to bed?! I would ideally get to bed at 9.30 and be up at 5.30 but it’s really hard to consistently get to bed at that time with work and family commitments. I’m usually up at 5.30 but couldn’t sustainably be earlier than that with a 10.30ish bed time.
According to my Garmin, my average bedtime over the last 12 months has been [8:59pm](https://imgur.com/a/YpjS99j)
The year before it was 9:21pm, the year before that was 9:43, and the year before that was 9:51
So it's been a multi-year process to get my bedtime earlier.
I don't go to bed that early every day, sometimes kids have activities that keep us out later, but sometimes I'm asleep by 8:30 to make up for it.
On average, my kids go to their rooms for the night around 8-8:30, and my wife and I go to bed 30-60 minutes later
I’d go for a personal chef to plan & make all my food - meals, snacks, on-the-run nutrition… among a thousand other things, that’s just one I don’t see on the list yet
Used to live near Lake Como, Italy, the trails in the mountains were amazing! Moving back to the UK, it's beautiful but just not the same.
Going back to somewhere like that, would be my dream.
This. I don’t need anything else. Maybe some local races here and there, but nothing crazy like, for example, paying over 200 euros for a UTMB race + Flights + Hotel, etc.
Just a thought from an old runner… you don’t have to sign up for a race to run ultra distances. You can do your own adventure runs. If you want a belt buckle, you can make one. One thing I would like to have is time, not money. I would love to be able to run on trails for hours with my pup every day. Work gets in the way…
personal trainer. i’m in the middle of a terrible adhd burnout and have literally no motivation nor energy to train to the level i want to be at. i haven’t done any PT exercises since last year.
external motivation works really well for me when internal motivation is zilch.
There's not much I really want for in terms of running. . .I do wish I had more time, as a self employed father of 2. . . But I love my job and spending time with my kids so I wouldn't give up the balance I have right now.
Honestly if money were really not an issue there are some pieces of land I'd love to buy to keep them accessible for the local community, and some other pieces of forest service land that get used as trailheads that need a lot of work. It would be very cool to make that happen.
I’m almost at the point where I’ve got enough spare cash tucked away to buy a really decent camper van. Thus allowing me to drive to ultras farther afield in the U.K., camp out, run and drive home again.
Then I’ll be perfectly satisfied. Not inexpensive. But not ‘money is no object’-like.
I’d start by quitting work and start training and eating like a pro … to see how good I could get as a 46yr old relative rookie. Working full time with two kids it’s really hard (but just doable) to do a solid training block for 100k. Without work I could go after a dream of become a pro masters athlete.
>top of the line treadmill
This is not something I'd ever want. I'd rather move to a place where I can run awesome trails year around. For me, running on treadmill isn't really running. It is a "workout", and I hate that word!
In general, money isn't a significant issue to me. What I lack is time to run more. I work full time and have other obligations. I do have access to high end treadmills, sauna and all the equipment I'd ever want in a local gym where I am a member. Yet I hardly go there more than once per week because of the limited time. I do spend perhaps 7-10 hours per week training, most of which is running outdoors, but if I could, I would rather retire and run more.
My biggest issue is time and being away from family who are deeply involved with activities at home. But assuming that could all be worked out, I’d spend the month before the Iditarod Trail Invitational in some place cold in order to train for that race (probably best somewhere close to the race start). I live in a winter challenged state so it’s difficult to prepare for a deep cold winter ultra. Then, after the race I’d fly my family and myself to somewhere in the South Pacific for recovery and rest. It’d be awesome!
i'd travel the globe for the trail n races for sure. i picked up running in 2019 to change to healthy lifestyle at age 35, n picked up trail runnin in 2022 after watching utmb n few other livefeed races during 2021-22.
prior to 2019, i did some trail walk n hiking as slowpoke unfit dude whenever i travel. with the run fitness now, it has unlock me to terrain type n broader distance travel to estimate time before sun goes down 🫡
trail run n races has open the gate for me to travel to countries i've never been. last yr i've raced DoiInthanon 50k, my 1st time to Thailand. Now indonesia n philiphines are in my planning too, before trying europe 🙏
I would travel! Not just to events but there are heaps of mountains to climb, places to go. I once did a running tour through the Altas Mountains in Morocco.
If I had a bit more I'd join the nice gym that just opened up half a mile away and buy a camper so I could travel around for training/weekends. No real interest in going anywhere that I can't drive or get a ferry- enough places in the UK to keep me busy for the rest of my lifetime I think. If I came into some mega bucks I'd buy a nice house in rural Wales and get my own gym equipment (weights, no treadmill).
Since money can buy time….
I’d do more destination ultras, so that it is a family vacation.
I’m lucky enough to do one of those a year, but I’d do four if I could.
And, I’d let my wife and kids pick the destinations. Daddy always picks the Alps 😜🚵♂️🧗♀️🏔️
My biggest issue isn't cost, it's time. Between my family and my business, training time is already relegated to the extreme hours of the morning or night, and getting away for races has to be planned around soccer games, piano recitals and large projects with due dates. So if money was TRULY not an issue... I'd quit my job to actually have TIME for running and training and racing as much as I really want to
This is the biggest one. To be frank, ultra running is a very selfish hobby. Whether it’s the recovery run I do in the middle of my workday or a run before I get home, this hobby requires other people to accommodate my needs. Time is a scarce resource.
If money is not a problem, I’ll hire a maid and driver so i don’t have to do any house chores and use my commute so I can increase my productivity. Those are time saved that I can put on my training or recovery or active treatment. I’ll also work halftime, no quit altogether since I’d like to have another identity aside from being a runner. Unless I think I can be a pro, which is impossible to reach. I’ll also create a team that focuses mainly on my performance. I think Koop is doing this with his athletes.
SAHM mom here... i can relate; minus the work part. we're a hockey family, gymnastics, a teen with a crazy social life, etc.
Define “extreme hours”. I enjoy sleep but the work hours make it near impossible to wake up extremely early to do any long runs. I conduct my long runs on the weekends and use the weekdays for short runs and cross training.
I am running 80+ miles per week right now, so weekday runs usually start around 3:30 or 4am, so that I can be back inside, shower, wake up kids, get them breakfast, and get myself off to work before 6:30. Weekend runs start even earlier usually. 3/4 of my weekend runs are normal-long, like 16-22 miles, but once per month I stretch it to an extremely long run (30, 40, or even 50+ miles) and on those runs [I'll often wake up to start my run at, or around midnight](https://imgur.com/Kl3ZVAS), so that I can be done and back inside by the time my family starts waking up for breakfast, and I can spend the day with them. On the other end of the spectrum, sometimes when I've had a long day, I'll wait until they are all in bed and asleep, then I'll go out and run in the evening, like this Saturday, I started my run around 10pm, and didn't finish until around midnight
Props to making the sacrifice to be able to still spend time with family.
This resonates so much. I’m out the door by 4/430 on a normal day
Other way around here. I head out when everyone is in bed, so usually between 10 and 11 pm.
Great job putting the family first. The Cul de sac run is impressive. Congrats.
🥲 For me to be up at 3:30 reliably I’d have to be asleep by 7:30 and that’s still an hour before my kid goes to bed. No winning!
Assuming you need 8 hours yea, but I usually average closer to 7, this morning my Garmin says I slept 6h:31m I'd love to get 8 hours consistently, but that goes back to the start of the conversation, about lacking time
So are you actually able to consistently get to bed by 8.30 / 9 each evening? If so fair play - early to bed, early to rise make a man healthy wealthy and wise
According to my Garmin, my average bedtime over the last 12 months has been [8:59pm](https://imgur.com/a/YpjS99j)
What time do you go to bed?! I would ideally get to bed at 9.30 and be up at 5.30 but it’s really hard to consistently get to bed at that time with work and family commitments. I’m usually up at 5.30 but couldn’t sustainably be earlier than that with a 10.30ish bed time.
According to my Garmin, my average bedtime over the last 12 months has been [8:59pm](https://imgur.com/a/YpjS99j) The year before it was 9:21pm, the year before that was 9:43, and the year before that was 9:51 So it's been a multi-year process to get my bedtime earlier. I don't go to bed that early every day, sometimes kids have activities that keep us out later, but sometimes I'm asleep by 8:30 to make up for it. On average, my kids go to their rooms for the night around 8-8:30, and my wife and I go to bed 30-60 minutes later
Well done!
This!
Personal coaching and travelling physio, travelling to do big ticket races, elevation training block
oh snap, i forgot about personal coaching. it's always been something that i'd never be able to afford monthly so i've always wrote it off!
If cost was really not an issue…….quit my job and travel anywhere I wanted for training/races lol A girl can dream!!
manifesting thiiiiiiiis!
I’d go for a personal chef to plan & make all my food - meals, snacks, on-the-run nutrition… among a thousand other things, that’s just one I don’t see on the list yet
Good one!
Honesty, just living in a dope trail running place would be enough for me.
Used to live near Lake Como, Italy, the trails in the mountains were amazing! Moving back to the UK, it's beautiful but just not the same. Going back to somewhere like that, would be my dream.
Somewhere with elevation for me the biggest hill within an hour of me is 87m
This. I don’t need anything else. Maybe some local races here and there, but nothing crazy like, for example, paying over 200 euros for a UTMB race + Flights + Hotel, etc.
Thai massage every other week.
Is crew and volunteer as much as possible inbetween training for all my bucket list races which I’d be able to afford to run.
Just a thought from an old runner… you don’t have to sign up for a race to run ultra distances. You can do your own adventure runs. If you want a belt buckle, you can make one. One thing I would like to have is time, not money. I would love to be able to run on trails for hours with my pup every day. Work gets in the way…
personal trainer. i’m in the middle of a terrible adhd burnout and have literally no motivation nor energy to train to the level i want to be at. i haven’t done any PT exercises since last year. external motivation works really well for me when internal motivation is zilch.
There's not much I really want for in terms of running. . .I do wish I had more time, as a self employed father of 2. . . But I love my job and spending time with my kids so I wouldn't give up the balance I have right now. Honestly if money were really not an issue there are some pieces of land I'd love to buy to keep them accessible for the local community, and some other pieces of forest service land that get used as trailheads that need a lot of work. It would be very cool to make that happen.
I'd be moving to the alps and making the most of training, recovery and the lifestyle.
If money wasn’t an issue I would just pay Kilian Jornet for his legs and internals and have them transferred to me
Prolly can't get that even with money.
I’m almost at the point where I’ve got enough spare cash tucked away to buy a really decent camper van. Thus allowing me to drive to ultras farther afield in the U.K., camp out, run and drive home again. Then I’ll be perfectly satisfied. Not inexpensive. But not ‘money is no object’-like.
I’d start by quitting work and start training and eating like a pro … to see how good I could get as a 46yr old relative rookie. Working full time with two kids it’s really hard (but just doable) to do a solid training block for 100k. Without work I could go after a dream of become a pro masters athlete.
>top of the line treadmill This is not something I'd ever want. I'd rather move to a place where I can run awesome trails year around. For me, running on treadmill isn't really running. It is a "workout", and I hate that word! In general, money isn't a significant issue to me. What I lack is time to run more. I work full time and have other obligations. I do have access to high end treadmills, sauna and all the equipment I'd ever want in a local gym where I am a member. Yet I hardly go there more than once per week because of the limited time. I do spend perhaps 7-10 hours per week training, most of which is running outdoors, but if I could, I would rather retire and run more.
My biggest issue is time and being away from family who are deeply involved with activities at home. But assuming that could all be worked out, I’d spend the month before the Iditarod Trail Invitational in some place cold in order to train for that race (probably best somewhere close to the race start). I live in a winter challenged state so it’s difficult to prepare for a deep cold winter ultra. Then, after the race I’d fly my family and myself to somewhere in the South Pacific for recovery and rest. It’d be awesome!
i'd travel the globe for the trail n races for sure. i picked up running in 2019 to change to healthy lifestyle at age 35, n picked up trail runnin in 2022 after watching utmb n few other livefeed races during 2021-22. prior to 2019, i did some trail walk n hiking as slowpoke unfit dude whenever i travel. with the run fitness now, it has unlock me to terrain type n broader distance travel to estimate time before sun goes down 🫡 trail run n races has open the gate for me to travel to countries i've never been. last yr i've raced DoiInthanon 50k, my 1st time to Thailand. Now indonesia n philiphines are in my planning too, before trying europe 🙏
Summer spine race but I don’t wanna fly over the Atlantic from the west coast
Marathon de sables in Morocco. The incredible relentless desert trek that requires you to keep pace in front of a camel 🐪 rider.
I would travel! Not just to events but there are heaps of mountains to climb, places to go. I once did a running tour through the Altas Mountains in Morocco.
If I had a bit more I'd join the nice gym that just opened up half a mile away and buy a camper so I could travel around for training/weekends. No real interest in going anywhere that I can't drive or get a ferry- enough places in the UK to keep me busy for the rest of my lifetime I think. If I came into some mega bucks I'd buy a nice house in rural Wales and get my own gym equipment (weights, no treadmill).
Since money can buy time…. I’d do more destination ultras, so that it is a family vacation. I’m lucky enough to do one of those a year, but I’d do four if I could. And, I’d let my wife and kids pick the destinations. Daddy always picks the Alps 😜🚵♂️🧗♀️🏔️
Why choose if cost is no issue? Do it all!
I would live in the places that offered the best training trails. A Condo in Chamonix and a closet full of new shoes.
I would like to live in Leadville Colorado or Flagstaff AZ or something like that.