This week on The West Coast Ultra Podcast, I’m diving into two themes that feel especially relevant right now: the impact of stress on our health and fitness as ultrarunners, and the balance between dreaming big adventures and actually being present in the moment.
I start with a quick update on my own training. Running is coming back, but my Achilles has flared up a little — a reminder that stress doesn’t just live in our heads, it shows up in our bodies. Nights out, a bit more alcohol, less sleep, and even fighting off bugs from public transport have all played a part. On the flip side, cycling has been going really well, and I’m lining up my first 100‑mile ride this week as this episode goes live.
From there, I explore how stress stacks up in endurance sports. Drawing on ideas from Scott Freda on the Singletrack Podcast, Scott McClean from Bulletproof Cycling, and the Excellence Actually podcast, I talk about how stress is cumulative, how resilience is about total load capacity, and why excellence is really about sustainability, not perfection.
I then go into the second theme: dreaming versus presence. Ultrarunning is full of big goals — 100‑milers, FKTs, epic mountain adventures — and those dreams are powerful. But if we live only in the dream, we miss the richness of the moment we’re in. I share stories about how presence brings joy, reduces stress, and keeps us grounded, while dreams give us direction and motivation. The art is in balancing the two.
Finally, I tie it all together: how stress can make dreams feel heavy, and how presence can lighten the load. I share practical tools like journaling, reframing training as storytelling, and celebrating small wins to keep both vision and joy alive.
If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who’s chasing their own endurance goals. And if you’re looking for coaching — whether you’re returning from injury, balancing life stress with training, or dreaming of your next big adventure — I’d love to help. You can find me through Team RunRun or on Instagram @davidultrarunner.
Thanks for listening to Season 4, Episode 8 of The West Coast Ultra Podcast. Manage your stress, dream big, and stay present.
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