Laura, Holly, and Maggie welcome returning guest Tarah to discuss her upcoming Moab 240 ultramarathon in Moab, Utah, including how she’s training, fueling, and planning logistics with her crew. After a light intro about keeping too many browser tabs and saving Instagram posts, Tarahh shares that her Leadville Silver Rush 50 was canceled due to fires and low ferritin, but she’s stayed healthy by stacking 2–3 long run days on weekends, relying on her strength-training base, and listening to her body. She details race fueling goals (up to 90g carbs/hour), homemade gels, aid-station foods, and her UltrAspire 14L pack for mandatory gear and up to 3–5L water. They cover mandatory kit, pacing plans (90/100/112+ hours), sleep strategy, fears (feet, gut, darkness), excitement about the community, travel timeline, live tracking, and plans to recap post-race.

00:00 Tabs and Screenshots Chaos

02:00 Saved Reels and Organization

02:52 Meet the Guest Tarah

04:17 Moab 240 Mindset

05:21 Training After Cancellations

08:25 Staying Healthy and Strong

11:00 Fueling Big Mileage

12:56 Race Nutrition Strategy

16:14 Gear and Water Carrying

22:05 Crew Rules and Pacer Plan

24:48 Altitude Fears and Unknowns

28:09 Sleep Strategy and Minivan Crew

33:24 Pacing Calculator and Cutoffs

36:01 Foot Care and Aid Station Routine

36:52 Mouth Care And Hygiene

38:14 Coke Pickles And Fuel

38:39 Dust Throat And Bandanas

39:49 What Excites Her Most

41:47 Will She Be Alone

43:38 Music Or Silence At Night

47:02 Midnight Calls And Games

50:18 Braids For Moab

53:48 Travel Plan And Race Timeline

55:42 Live Tracker And Updates

56:56 Wrap Up Wishes And Next Races

01:03:02 Final Sign Off

Connect with Tarah: https://www.instagram.com/tarahinturquoise?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Listen to the Pod here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/average-age-groupers/id1889949099

https://open.spotify.com/show/2LJ6G7l1oIRZUIa3lo7NFp

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUYFKP1OYAMiMR1Ve36fOAw

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https://averageagegroupers.substack.com/

Hosts Laura, Holly, and Maggie reintroduce themselves as the Average Age Groupers and catch up on Maggie’s two recent bike races. Maggie describes trying a Tuesday-night Minneapolis cyclocross race after winning a free entry, riding her gravel bike with 50mm tires on a grassy, switchback-heavy course, finishing mid-pack, and noting the high-intensity effort, timing chips, and playful “hand ups.” She then recaps the point-to-point Chequamegon mountain bike race weekend in Hayward, including logistics, a hummingbird in a bike shop, a neutral rollout, constant short climbs, and how a poorly fitting saddle caused significant pain and affected performance. Maggie highlights key course features like the Fire Tower climb, a man revving a chainsaw, the “Seven Sisters” hills, and a fast, more technical final section, praising the race’s marking, volunteers, aid stations, and finish-line food compared to Unbound. Laura shares she signed up for the Madison Half Marathon, Holly mentions recovery and returning to swimming, and Maggie discusses upcoming Moab pacing and off-season plans.

00:00 Riffing and Introductions

01:09 Voices Versus Faces

02:21 Maggie Tries Cyclocross

04:32 Cyclocross Course and Chaos

08:13 Cyclocross Vibes and Snacks

08:46 Fat Bike Race Shenanigans

15:32 Chequamegon Grand Prix Setup

18:44 Race Weekend and Logistics

23:08 Start Line and Early Miles

26:24 Relentless Climbs and Saddle Pain

32:28 Gravel vs MTB Debate

33:24 Ideal Bike Setup

34:45 Fire Tower Climb Chaos

37:38 Seven Sisters Sendfest

39:12 Final Miles Favorite

40:26 Bike Buying Banter

42:13 Race Organization Praise

44:10 Lifetime Series Talk

46:45 SoCal Hurricane Surf

47:42 Half Marathon Plans

50:06 Moab Pacing Nerves

53:58 Offseason and Yoga

56:42 Wrap Up and Plugs

Listen to the Pod here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/average-age-groupers/id1889949099

https://open.spotify.com/show/2LJ6G7l1oIRZUIa3lo7NFp

https://www.pandora.com/podcast/average-age-groupers/PC:1001121141

Follow Us:

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On Average Age Groupers, hosts Laura, Maggie, and Holly welcome guest Nick, previously referenced for mishaps that inspired lessons like leaving a cellphone in transition, to share his endurance sports journey. Nick describes not playing organized sports as a kid, being inspired at 12 by watching Kona on TV, serving eight years in the Army, then impulsively training five weeks for his first half marathon in 2009, learning hard lessons about hydration, shoes, and nutrition. He starts triathlon with Devil’s Lake in 2012 on borrowed gear, progresses through local races, wins novice and age-group finishes, and learns in-race nutrition after bonking at an Olympic before completing Racine 70.3 and Ironman Wisconsin (2015) and Lake Placid (2016). He recounts a 2018 Ironman derailed by poor pre-race fueling and a dead watch, a 2019 My Team Triumph relay raising about $25,000, a 2023 Boulder swim DNF from back spasms that panicked his wife due to tracking confusion, and a hot 2024 Waco 70.3 (about 6:02) via an Invictus Games Foundation program, while balancing CrossFit, future racing goals, and family.

00:00 Meet Nick Again

01:45 Early Life No Sports

02:26 Kona Dream Sparked

03:24 Army Years Fitness Base

04:03 First Half Marathon Chaos

07:12 Runner Gear And Solo Grind

08:17 Devils Lake Signup Surprise

09:51 Borrowed Bike Trailer Epic

12:15 First Sprint Tri Lessons

13:46 Why Triathlon Matters

15:21 Fat Bike Devils Lake Detour

17:39 2013 Breakthrough Races

19:38 Olympic Bonk Nutrition Wakeup

21:52 Racine 70.3 And Going Full

25:07 Coaching Team And 2015 Full

26:51 Craigslist Bike Hunt

28:33 Tri Bike Upgrade

30:04 Lake Placid Highs And Lows

34:50 Spectating Sparks Comeback

35:24 Milk Man Course Rant

36:55 Ironman 2018 Taper Troubles

37:59 Carb Loading Chaos

38:34 Kaizen Training Gains

39:42 Race Day Breakfast Fail

41:02 Watch Dies Mid Bike

43:55 Run Crash And Coke

45:46 My Team Triumph Relay

50:16 Invictus To Waco Heat

55:39 Boulder DNF And Panic

01:06:57 CrossFit Balance Plans

01:14:11 Choosing Races Wisely

01:17:20 Wrap Up And Plugs

Listen to the Pod here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/average-age-groupers/id1889949099

https://open.spotify.com/show/2LJ6G7l1oIRZUIa3lo7NFp

https://www.pandora.com/podcast/average-age-groupers/PC:1001121141

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUYFKP1OYAMiMR1Ve36fOAw

https://www.instagram.com/averageagegroupers/

https://averageagegroupers.substack.com/