Gobi Desert

Lis going through a painful blister popping session after Stage 4 of the 2013 Gobi March

Ultra Marathons: Foot Care (Attack of the Blisters!)

Elisabeth Forsman

Something that I did not mention in our recent article, Lessons from 2013 Gobi March: Preparing for a Multi-Stage Ultra Marathon, but is something that Rich and I feel deserves a fair amount of attention is foot care. When doing any type of running race, your feet are your most important asset. Cracked, swollen, and blistered feet can make your life difficult and very painful. Knowing how to take care of them, though, can significantly reduce the likelihood that you’ll need to pull out of a race, or spend the next few weeks watching your toenails rot and fall out.

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Stage 1 (21)

Competing in Ultra Marathons: Why I Race

Elisabeth Forsman

Ever since I first announced that I’d signed up for my first Ultra Marathon, the Gobi March, back in July 2012, people have been asking me why. Why would I put myself through the training, through the pain, through the long days on my feet? There were a lot of remarks about me being crazy, or having a death wish, and their needing to “prep a coffin” for me. For every nice sentiment I received about my desire to compete, there were 19 others telling me that I was either insane or that I’d break down or that I wouldn’t be able to make it through.

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034 Stage 3

Lessons from 2013 Gobi March: Preparing for a Multi-Stage Ultra Marathon

Elisabeth Forsman

Anyone who was there with me at the Gobi March ultra marathon in 2013, or read my blog posts during the race, knows that I did not have an easy time of it. There are so many things that I did wrong and so many things that I must do differently if I am to have a strong go at the 250 kilometer Madagascar ultra marathon in August/September. Learning from last year does not necessarily mean success this year, but it means that I’m one step closer to sorting out what does and does not work. So, with less than two months to go before I set foot on that starting line, here is a look at how I’m changing things up.

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