Liz Goodman is an ultrarunner, community organizer, writer and artist based in Durham (NC). She recently ran the Table Rock 50k as a training effort en route to the Pinhoti 100—which is 6 weeks away. I sat down with Liz to ask about her development this year and what her last block of training is shaping up to be. Most importantly, I got to hear a little about what Liz values in 100-mile running, and some of the subtle mindset mechanisms that play out during an ultra race.

EC: One last training block separates you from Pinhoti 100. How are you feeling about where you are at in context to the race?

LG: Very excited because I think this is the strongest and fastest I have ever been going into any race. I have always been focused on strength and endurance, but the consistency and quality of workouts leading up to this—especially dedicating a whole ¾ of a year to build without a whole lot of distractions.

EC: That’s great to hear. What has maybe been unexpected or surprising to you in any way during this training season?

LG: Honestly, the surprise has been getting more speed without feeling like I have been doing speedwork to build it. Just that consistency of training and quality workouts for a long period of time…building up that aerobic base. I have been running for 10 years now and not really seeing the same improvement that I have seen other people have. It is just like, “Why am I not getting faster?” And so this is for the first time going like, “Oh wow, I did an easy run and I just PR’ed every Strava segment.”

EC: Oh yeah, that’s right! So awesome. Just recently you shared how, on an easy run, you PR’ed a bunch of segments on a route that you have been running for a long time?

LG: Yeah.

EC: And on an easy run too. What a reliable sign of progress. And so what does your training look like in the near future?

LG: I am in the Integration Phase. Going on some big adventures, both with a couple races in the mountains and some fun runs—runventures I like to call them—integrating a little bit more speedwork and then a couple weeks after that, it looks like it is straight into the taper.

EC: Ok, so I am trying to find a different way to ask the classic question: how do you see your pursuit of the 100-mile distance having value to you in your life?

LG: It’s a practice of resilience. Mental resilience and physical resilience. But it is very much a mental game of being present in the moment. Not thinking that, at mile 1, you have 99 ahead of you. Because there is just too much overwhelm if you do that. But really being focused on: Where am I in this step of the race? How am I feeling? Being mindful of both your body and your surroundings. Just practicing that resiliency of, “I can adapt, I can adapt, and I can move forward. Whatever comes, I’ll just figure it out.“

EC: I just got goosebumps. It’s so well said. Would you share with us any moments you’ve really experienced that mindset either in a race or during a run?

LG: At Table Rock 50k, I was looking at my watch and thinking, “Oh my god, I am running way too fast.” Historically, based on having run [the race] in 2018 as my first ultra and also just [considering] my past performances, I was thinking, “I'm going to crash and burn.” But then I thought, “No. Trust the process. Trust your body. How do you feel in this step? Don’t think about how you’ve got another 10 miles to go. How do you feel right now? Do you feel like you can keep running…?

If yes, then go.”

EC: Mic drop. Thank you Liz!

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All photography courtesy of Liz Goodman.

Follow Liz:

Instagram: @therestlesswild

website: www.therestlesswild.com