Mastering the Ultra Mindset: Why Being ‘Bossy’ is Your Best Trail Strategy
Ultra-running is often sold as a test of pure physical endurance, but as any seasoned racer knows, the real battle is won in the margins. In a recent episode of the Trail Running Women podcast, host and coach sat down with professional runner Jenny Quilty to unpack the logistics and psychology of the long game. Fresh off an incredible win at the Fat Dog 120, Quilty provides a masterclass in what it looks like to transition from a grueling mountain hundred to a 120km adventure in Hong Kong while keeping the technical and mental gears turning.
The Art of the Efficient Aid Station
The episode title, Trail Tips: Keep Her Bossy, refers to a mantra Quilty adopted during her Fat Dog performance. It is a refreshing take on race day logistics, particularly for women who might feel socialized to be overly polite or accommodating to volunteers. Quilty argues that efficiency at an aid station is a form of self-respect.
Being "bossy" in this context means taking full ownership of your needs. Her advice is practical and immediately actionable:
- Dry Runs are Non-Negotiable: Practice your vest transitions at home. Know exactly where your bottles go and which pocket holds your salt pills.
- The Power of the Surge: Increase your pace slightly as you approach an aid station. Beating a pack of runners to the water jugs can save you several minutes of standing still.
- Direct Communication: Don't wait for a volunteer to ask what you need. Enter the station with lids off, bottles out, and clear instructions: "Water to the top, please."
Fact vs. Feeling: Navigating the Lows
Perhaps the most insightful portion of the conversation centered on how to "shake" the inevitable low that occurs in any race over fifty kilometers. Quilty uses a framework that feels like it was pulled from a high-performance therapy session: separating facts from feelings.
When you feel like you can't take another step, you have to ask yourself if that is an emotional response to being alone in the dark, or a physiological fact caused by a lack of calories. If you are moving well but feel miserable, that is a feeling, and feelings don't have to dictate your pace. By labeling the emotion and acknowledging it without letting it take the wheel, you can move through the "pain cave" rather than moving into it.
Training for the Minimum
The episode also tackled the classic listener question: what is the realistic minimum mileage for a 100k? While the answer is always a nuanced "it depends," Quilty and the host emphasized that 20 to 30 kilometers a week is a solid baseline, but peak volume should ideally sit closer to 50 kilometers for a manageable race day experience. The takeaway here wasn't about hitting a specific number, but about aligning your training with your specific goals. If you want to finish without an injury, you have to invest the time in musculoskeletal tolerance, even if it’s just for a short block leading up to the event.
The Golden Nugget
"I like to ask: Is it a feeling or is it a fact? Feelings aren't facts. You can be in a low and still be moving well. How we think about our feelings can really help us in processing them, rather than expecting them to instantly change for us to be okay."
Nuance in the Postpartum Return
The discussion concluded with a sensitive look at returning to racing postpartum. The host and Quilty both agreed that the recovery timeline is entirely individual, dictated by the style of delivery and pre-birth fitness levels. The goal shouldn't be a specific date on a calendar, but a series of functional milestones. Whether you choose to race shorter and faster or longer and slower, the primary metric for success is how well you are listening to a body that has just undergone its own version of a hundred-miler.