Humble Running Newsletter #19
Ramping up training - 80, 90 mile weeks
For the latest updates on what’s going on with my training and racing, as well as the current test queue - check out my recent Q&A video. Or maybe I should start calling them “Backyard Sessions”?
I’m getting serious about the 2026 season - the first race on the calendar is the Banana Slug Backyard Ultra in April.
It’s a Silver Coin event for the BIG’s Backyard Ultra Team World Championships. Essentially, if I win, I’m on Team USA! It’s a long shot, but I’m going to give it my best shot.
I spend a bit of time discussing my training status for the upcoming 12 week block. Also lots of discussion on Backyard Ultra shoe choices including the Mount to Coast H1, The North Face Altamesa 500 V2, as well as the Tarkine Autopilot.
Btw, I have confirmation - Mount to Coast C1 is en route! Also, my “HumbleRunning” 10% off code has been re-activated. Apparently it had hit its allocation limit very quickly - I’m happy to hear that many of you did save some cash. Please tell them Humble Running sent you!
Rewinding to my New Jersey trip - I had planned some technical East Coast trail testing for these two supershoes, the On Cloudultra Pro (new PURPLE accent colorway here at REI!) and the new Kiprun Kipsummit Race.
But it snowed, so all the rocks and roots were covered up. I did cover fit and sizing thoroughly, but keep an eye out for Part 2 of this matchup at some point.
Another two-parter here, this time with a Q&A session, followed by on-the-run testing. The North Face Altamesa 500 V2 (launching March 10) vs Salomon Ultra Glide 4 (available now, also in WIDE). Spoiler, I like both of these shoes, and they will both keep a spot in my rotation.
But I think one of them has better range as far as racing (and it’s certainly on my Backyard Ultra shoe pick list).
In my Q&A video, I talk about the discrepancy between the Ultra Glide 4’s specified stack height, and what I actually measured. Please follow me on IG if you don’t already - I post specs and comparison info that I find interesting there. I also get good ideas for videos based on comments and feedback.
We had one day of snow in the valley! I dropped everything in order to try out my ICEBUG Myr BUGrip studded shoes that have been sitting on my shelf throughout this so far non-existent winter.
It was actually a solid test run, with some snow, and sections of slicker frozen stuff underneath. Check out my companion article with a few pics from the run.
I’m super excited to have the new Zygos 6.0 from UltrAspire. V5 has been my go-to for pretty much all of my longest distance ultra races. It keeps the Zygos flavor, but there are some new changes. It has moved up in capacity.
I’m a big fan in general of UltrAspire, and I have many of their vests. Keep an eye out for a roundup of some of their latest models in the near future. Yes, I do have the Traverse (20L!) in for test. I have a couple of adventure ideas for that one.
Sad news, the rumors are true. GOREWEAR is taking it’s “Final Mile” and closing up shop on March 31. I’ll cut to the chase - GO SHOP NOW. Use my “HUMBLE15” discount code for an EXTRA 15% off sale items. They have awesome gear, and it won’t last, especially in popular sizes.
There’s so much good stuff still available, these are my top picks, all of which are in my running/gear rotation -
➡️ Concurve GORE-TEX Jacket
➡️ Ultimate 2in1 Shorts
➡️ R5 WINDSTOPPER Insulated Jacket
I’m all about the SUPERPLUSH slides from ROLL Recovery these days. Their new Solace slides/flip-flops are adjustable which removes any hesitation about loose slide straps. Size 10 is a perfect, comfort fit for me, my typical running shoe size is either US 9.5 or 10. Check out my article here for more details. (Injinji Split-Toe Mini-Crew socks seen here)
Humble Running - Paid Subscription Tier
Please consider joining the Humble Running Community as a Paid Subscriber. I just wanted to take a moment and share a bit of text that I recently drafted, which will be my initial reply to questions which I receive..
(For your consideration - full disclosure, the below section is copy/pasted, as I do get so many questions and comments, and I don’t want to write the same thing each time)
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I have recently opened up a paid subscriber tier on my substack (www.humblerunning.com). The intention is to have one place for those that choose to support my work to be able to get reliable answers to their questions in a timely manner. Humble Running has grown quite a bit, and as you can imagine I receive many, many inquiries (some very detailed) across a multitude of different platforms. I do like to respond to all of them, but it is nearly impossible, and some just fall through the cracks unintentionally. I am by no means just looking to get paid to respond to questions, but please consider that there is a time component to answering inquiries thoughtfully. Even spending 10 minutes thinking about and replying to a detailed question is 10 minutes not editing videos or doing other work for the platform. For those paid subscribers, I offer that direct chat/question and answer access, and it makes sense for me because that time is accounted for in terms of support for the channel. PLEASE NOTE- this is for your consideration only, it is not a requirement by any means. Supporters help me create more valuable content.
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AFFILIATE LINKS & PROMOS
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TheFeed.com
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Maybe just bookmark it for easy access? (https://rstr.co/the-feed/humblerunning)
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