Dreams in Action

Diggin’ It in Death Valley National Park

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Marshall Ulrich

Ever wonder what it would be like to pound sand 16 hours a day in 100-degree weather? Me neither, but now I know.

Dave Heckman and I just returned from stashing our food, water, and supplies for our July circumnavigation of Death Valley National Park. He swung the pick, and I wielded the shovel, and together we dug about one hole an hour, 38 holes in all.

We met five years ago at a training camp I was running in Death Valley, and Dave impressed me as guy who doesn’t take himself too seriously and lives on a pretty even keel, without a lot of highs and lows. In time, I also got to see how damn funny he can be.

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Hoka One One: Shoe Review

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Marshall Ulrich

Forget the barefoot running craze. For that matter, forget any other running shoe, and slip on a pair of Hoka One Ones. You’ll never go back.

Dave Mackey, 2011 North American ultrarunner of the year,
hitting the trail and the road in his Hoka One One shoes

Admittedly, I was intensely skeptical when a good friend of mine, Dave Mackey, suggested I try a pair of Hoka One One running shoes.

I mean, have you seen these things? Even to an anti-minimalist like me (no sandals or rubbery toe shoes touch these feet), they looked like broad and bulky clodhoppers. I was expecting a heavy, unstable shoe that would have me tripping over myself.

Don’t let looks deceive you, too, though, or you might deprive yourself of some of the best running of your life. Continue reading →

Posted in Injuries & Injury Prevention, Running, Training & Tips | 19 Comments

Putting it out there

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Marshall Ulrich

This Sunday, Dave Heckman and I head out to the desert to stash supplies around Death Valley National Park in preparation for our July circumnavigation. We hope to finish placing the caches before the end of the week.

In case you’re wondering what a couple of people need to survive an expedition like this, here’s what we’re dropping into about 30 holes we’ll dig in the sand: Continue reading →

Posted in Death Valley National Park circumnavigation July 2012, Expeditions, Excursions & Other Outdoor Explorations, Hydration & Nutrition | 7 Comments

Challenge list challenge: make your own

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Marshall Ulrich

Have you done an adventure run in Iceland? Me neither. Yet.

If you spend any time fooling around with Facebook, you’ve probably seen the so-called challenge lists:

“How many of these books have you read?”

“How many of these countries have you visited?”

“How many of these beers have you tried?”

Pick a topic, and there’s probably some list.

But instead of checking items off of someone else’s challenge list, why not make your own? Do you have a bucket list, or life list, or 100-things-I’ve-gotta-see list — or anything like that?

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Posted in Expeditions, Excursions & Other Outdoor Explorations, Running | 4 Comments