In Part 1 of this two-part series, we’re talking about the moments during an ultra when your brain starts trying to convince you that you’re done.

Not necessarily physically done, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually done.

If you’ve ever sat in a chair during a backyard ultra convinced there was “no way” you could do another loop, this episode is for you.

We dive into:

• why your brain becomes so convincing during low moments
• the difference between discomfort and true physical limitation
• why runners often quit emotionally before they quit physically
• how psychological flexibility helps runners stay in the race longer
• practical strategies for handling doubt, fear, and overwhelm during ultras

This episode is a reminder that you do not need to feel confident to keep moving forward, and that a temporary low should not always get to make a permanent decision.

Because more often than you think… you’re not actually done yet.

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website

Are you ACTUALLY ready for your backyard ultra? This episode dives into the often overlooked mental, logistical, and emotional readiness required for backyard ultras and timed events.

We discuss the importance of process goals versus only having outcome goals, mental resilience, decision making and handling emotional low points, and strategic preparation to succeed in ultra-distance running.

What questions do you need to ask yourself before training begins to ensure your goals align with your season of life? We cover the thought process needed and how to understand your life support system and training capacity.

Resources:

Episode 14: Goal Setting

Backyard Ultra Preseason Checklist

Process Buy-In Reflection Worksheet

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website

Backyard ultras require physical fitness, but they are really a test of the mind!

Your brain is designed to keep you safe, not help you perform. You can show up to race day as the fittest runner out there, but your mental game can bring you down the fastest if you haven't practiced it or you've thought "I've got a good mind."

In this episode, Jaci sits down with Neal Palles, a licensed clinical social worker, certified mental performance consultant, ultrarunning coach, and ultrarunner, to break down what’s actually happening in your mind during training and racing.

We dive into the unique mental challenges of backyard ultras, where there’s no defined finish line and every hour presents a new choice: keep going… or stop.

Neal shares how your brain is wired for safety (not performance), why your thoughts get louder when you’re fatigued, and how to work with your mind instead of fighting it.

We also unpack:

• Why you almost always have “one more loop”
• The benefits of experiential education
• Mental flexibility in ultra runners
• The truth about DNFs (and why they don’t mean what you think)
• How mental health directly impacts performance
• Why self-compassion is a performance tool that is often overlooked (or more often pushed away)
• Values and how to define them
• How to stay present during races
• A growth mindset versus fear
• Why boredom, pain, and doubt aren’t problems to fix but experiences to navigate
• A simple mental framework you can train before race day to stay in the race longer

If you’ve ever felt like your body was capable, but something in your mind held you back, this episode will change how you approach both training and racing.

Follow and learn more about Neal:

https://www.instagram.com/the.trail.mindset/

https://www.instagram.com/nealpalles/

https://coloradopsychotherapyandsport.com/

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website

Backyard ultras aren’t won with big moments, flashy workouts, or hype. They’re built on the things no one talks about and the things most runners try to avoid.

In this episode, we break down the “unsexy skills” that actually determine how long you last in a backyard ultra or timed event. The quiet, repetitive, often overlooked habits that become everything when the race stretches into hours 18… 24… 30… and beyond.

Because the truth is, backyard ultras don’t reward excitement. They reward consistency, patience, and discipline.

If you’ve ever wondered what really separates the runners who go long from the ones who fade early, this episode is your blueprint.

🎧 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why consistency beats “hero workouts” every time
• The real role of strength training in ultra performance and injury prevention
• How (and why) to use walking as a strategic tool, not a fallback
• Why repetition and monotony are skills you need to train
• The role of patience in pacing and long-term success
• How ego sabotages races and what to do instead
• Why buying into the process before race day changes everything

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website

Ultra running might look like an individual sport, but this episode proves it’s anything but.

Jaci sits down with Ashley, creator of Ultra Widow, to pull back the curtain on what really happens behind the scenes at ultra races. From chaotic aid stations to all-night crewing shifts, Ashley shares what it takes to support a runner through the highs, lows, and everything in between.

They dive into the biggest mistakes both runners and crew make, how to actually prepare your crew (hint: it’s more than just handing them a checklist), and why clear communication can make or break your race. Ashley also shares hard-earned lessons from crewing multiple 100-milers—including what happens when nutrition falls apart, plans go sideways, and you have to adapt in real time.

You’ll learn:

• The most common crewing mistakes (and how to avoid them)
• What runners need to communicate before race day
• How to support your runner without overwhelming them
• Why crew needs to take care of themselves, too
• Practical tips for staying organized, efficient, and adaptable at aid stations
• The emotional side of crewing—and why it’s so much more than logistics

Whether you’re a runner, crew member, or new to the ultra world, this episode will change how you think about support, teamwork, and what it really takes to get to the finish line.

Send it to your crew, your runner, or someone stepping into the ultra world for the first time.

How to follow Ashley:

Instagram @ultra.widow

Website

Facebook

TikTok

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website

What do you do when life keeps telling you “no”?

For Parker Stinnett, the answer is simple: find another way forward.

In this episode of The One More Hour Podcast, Parker shares his unconventional path, from being a backup college football kicker, to failing out of BUD/S prep, to becoming an officer in the Navy flying both helicopters and the Osprey, and how that same mindset carried him into ultrarunning.

In just two years, Parker has gone from his first brutal 50K to winning his first backyard ultra. What makes his story stand out isn’t just the results, but how he approaches challenge, discomfort, and failure.

We dive into:

• Why “no” is never the final answer
• How he mentally navigates pain and adversity
• Lessons learned from backyard ultras and long-distance racing
• The role of perspective in building resilience
• Why signing up might be the hardest and most important step

If you’ve ever doubted yourself, felt behind, or wondered what you’re capable of… this episode will challenge the way you think about limits.

Key takeaways:

• No is just information, not a verdict
• You don't need to feel ready, you just need to start
• Pain is something you can interpret, not just endure
• Perspective changes everything
• There's no substitute for lived experience
• Consistency beats perfection
• You're either growing or getting complacent

Follow Parker on Instagram @gonegumpin

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website

"You don't need to be like Goggins to succeed."

What does it actually take to keep going when your body hurts, your mind is spiraling, and the race won’t end?

In this episode of The One More Hour Podcast, Jaci sits down with ultrarunner Dylan Ledbetter to break down the mindset and strategy behind succeeding in the Last Man Standing format and how his strategy has changed over time.

He's ran Midstate Mile three times, Barn Creek Backyard Ultra two times, Mad Backyard Ultra, and many other timed events and fixed distance events. And he's also gearing up to run Cocodona. He has an incredible story and is a proponent of faith, fitness and sobriety, and relies on discipline to get him through each day while looking towards ultimate progress.

Dylan shares the simple but powerful approach that keeps him moving: stop thinking about the entire race and focus only on the next waypoint. Whether it’s a tree, a bridge, or the next aid station, staying present is what prevents the mental unravel that takes most runners out.

They dive into pacing discipline, how to recognize the “death spiral” before it’s too late, and why focusing on other runners can either hurt you or help you, depending on where you are mentally and physically.

The conversation also explores fueling strategies for long efforts, the importance of digestion over just hitting carb numbers, and how simplifying the process of racing can actually improve performance.

Beyond strategy, Dylan opens up about a major shift in his identity as a runner, from a prove-yourself, cutthroat mindset, to one rooted in community, gratitude, and helping others go further.

Dylan also shares the Three Chambers of Ultra Running: physical, mental and spiritual, and how you build them and move through them.

Follow Dylan on Instagram @dylan_abnormal

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website

At some point in every backyard ultra or timed event, you’ll hit it: 2:00 a.m.

The moment where everything suddenly feels heavier, harder, and a little bit hopeless.

In this episode, we break down the psychological shift that happens in the middle of the night and why your brain becomes a completely unreliable narrator when fatigue, darkness, and sleep deprivation collide.

Because here’s the truth: Most runners don’t quit because their body is done. They quit because they believe the story their brain is telling them at 2 a.m.

You’ll learn why these thoughts feel so real, why they’re not, and how to respond in a way that keeps you moving forward when it matters most.

If you’ve ever questioned continuing in the middle of the night, this episode is for you.

🎧 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The most common “lies” your brain tells during overnight races
• Why your thoughts feel like truth (even when they’re not)
• The danger of making decisions in low moments
• How to separate feelings from facts in real time
• Simple mental strategies to stay in the race when everything feels off

👉 Don’t miss the next yard. Hit Follow on The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset.

⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a quick review. It helps more runners find the show and keep going when they want to stop.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram → @onemorehourpodcast

📩 Got a story about going one more? I’d love to hear it. Email me at → theonemorehourpodcast@gmail.com

🎁 Freebie → 5 Mental Traps Backyard Runners Fall Into (and How to Fix Them)

⭐️ Learn more about working with me on my website