Ultra-mountain runner Sally McRae is known worldwide for her mental fortitude and ability to push through extreme discomfort.
As a professional mountain and ultra runner for Nike, Sally is a two-time Top 10 Western States finisher, the Badwater 135 Champion, Tarawera 100 Champion, Mozart 100 Champion and Moab 240 Champion.
Recently, Sally became the first person to Double Summit Mount Whitney from Lone Pine in a single attempt, covering 92 miles and 22,000 feet of gain.
Sally is also an author, podcast host, business owner, and a strength and running coach on her own app, called Sally McRae Strength. Sally uses her platform (and her book) to encourage others to “Choose Strong” in life and sport.
She currently lives in Huntington Beach, California with her husband and two children, Makenzie and Isaiah.
Sally McRae Shares Tips for Building Mental Muscles and 200-Mile Ultramarathon Training
I spoke with Sally to dive into her philosophy on strength training and why she’s so diligent in the gym (she hasn’t been injured in over a decade!).
You’ll hear how she conceptualizes training for a 240-mile race, the benchmarks she uses during training, her mental toughness strategies, and more.
In this episode, Sally McRae and I talk about:
- The pros of using a treadmill for distance training
- The whole body needs to be strong for endurance races, not just the muscles
- How Sally structures strength training depending on the race season to build muscle and endurance
- Mobility training, stretching, and hip and glute work to combat the weakening effects of sedentary lifestyles
- Training for 200-mile races, including eating and sleeping strategies, gear, and mental prep
- The mental aspect of long distances can make or break a runner’s performance
- Power hiking and weight training for 200-mile ultra preparation
- Mental muscles, believing in your potential, and focusing on the story you want to tell yourself
- Sally’s first experience with foot and heel blisters during the Cocodona 250
- Training for the Western States Endurance Run
Listen to this episode to hear from one of the most hardcore and kindest runners you’ll ever meet.
Subscribe to the podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or Google Play
Links & Resources from the Show:
- Sally McRae on Instagram
- The Choose Strong Podcast
- Sally on YouTube
- Sally’s mobile app
- Sally’s book, “CHOOSE STRONG: The Choice That Changes Everything”
- Access the free course to help you master your mindset during training and races.
Thank you AG1!
We’re also supported by AG1, the greens superfood mix. This is a category-leading greens mix that has 75 vitamins and minerals, prebiotics, probiotics, antioxidants, and adaptogens. It’s recommended by professional athletes and has over 7,000 positive reviews.
One scoop per day is what I’ve been doing to help me fill in any nutrition gaps in my diet. It also provide a nice boost of energy and focus throughout the day. With all 3 of my kids in school, I know I need to support my immune system or else I’m getting sick and can’t train.
I also love that AG1 has changed over the last decade. They’ve made 53 improvements to the formula based on the latest research to make these nutrients more absorbable and rigorous with the 3rd party testing that they do.
For our listeners, they are offering a year’s worth of free Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs of AG1 with your first purchase. You can sign up for single shipment or for a monthly drop – the choice is yours. Check out AG1 to redeem your offer today.
Thank you MOBO Board!
Invented by renowned physical therapist Jay Dicharry, MOBO helps you stabilize your stance with an innovative rocker board that’s set up on two fins. The design effectively forces you to drive your big toe into the board to improve your stability. I was pretty arrogant going into my first session on the MOBO Board. How hard can it be to balance, right? Well, I was humbled pretty quickly!
Even if you’re a good runner, better balance, stability, and proprioception is going to help you have a more powerful stride and prevent more running injuries. You’ll learn how to improve the efficiency of the kinetic chain from your hip to your big toe. Because as Jay likes to say, it’s not just how strong you are, but how well you use that strength.
I was recently at a weekend physical therapy workshop (lol I was the only running coach) and learned how important (and rare) this simple movement is. Save 10% with code STRENGTHRUN10 at checkout at moboboard.com.
