Blake Colton - "Go slow, be consistent, and you'll never know where it'll take you"

On the Run Your Story podcast, Blake Colton shares how he began running in high school, paused to pursue the trades as an electrician, then returned about eight years ago through marathons inspired by his dad, repeatedly failing to qualify for Boston and nearly quitting due to burnout and gut issues.

A friend introduced him to trail running, where the slower pace helped, and he became hooked, starting with a backyard ultra and progressing to 100Ks, multiple 100-milers, and a 200-miler.

He recounts earning his first buckle in a -17°F 100K with a blizzard, winning his first 100-miler in Mississippi despite flooded sections, and learning through DNFs like Midwest States 100.

Blake discusses pre-race planning, recovery (movement, compression boots, baths), favorite gear and shoes, fueling experiments, and running memories from Florida 200.

He’s training for a 276-mile Across Iowa FKT to raise money for the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital in honor of his brother-in-law who died of cancer, and emphasizes going slow, staying consistent, and chasing dreams.


Blake Colton - https://www.facebook.com/blake.colton.7


Races Mentioned
Boston Marathon
Mississippi 100k
Galena Sky Race
Midwest States 100
Cocodona 250
Florida 200
Across Iowa FKT

Shout Outs
Stefan Clayton
Michelle Hartwig
Travis

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:15

Hi Runner Story family, this is Allison Gillyard with Runner Story, where every story needs to be heard. And making sure that your incredible stories get heard this month are our friends from Rocket City Marathon. Alright, guys, take it away.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

50 years, five races, one incredible weekend, the Rocket City Marathon Race Weekend. Join thousands of runners December 11th through 13th in Huntsville, Alabama, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of this iconic running tradition. Whether you're chasing a personal record, a Boston qualifier, or your very first finish line, there's a race for you, including the marathon. Half marathon, 10K, 5K, and one mile. Experience incredible race day energy, commemorative 50th anniversary medals, and a celebration 50 years in the making. Register now at irunrocketcity.com.

SPEAKER_03 1:10

Thanks, Rocket City Marathon, for getting us so hyped up. We are so pumped for December. We cannot wait. It's gonna be epic, so pumped and excited to be a part of this. Thank you for believing in Runner's Troy Podcast. Thank you for what you've done for 50 years for Rocket City Marathon. It's gonna be an epic time. And again, just thank you for what you do for the running community. It's gonna be absolutely amazing. So, guys, make sure you sign up. Rocket City Marathon. It's gonna be amazing. We start training August 1st. Holy folks, it's gonna happen. We're so, so excited. So make sure you follow Rocket City Marathon. Make sure you sign up and go be a part of history. It's gonna be absolutely amazing. Speaking of amazing, Blake Colton. What a runner. What a human being. He's a dad, he's a husband, and he brought so many nuggets of knowledge. And he really talked about the significance of failure because where his story could have ended on the pavement, it led him into the trails. And what a beautiful story of not giving up, of perseverance, and that our greatest lessons come from failure. And that failure only wins if you play. Oh, so good. Absolutely amazing. I really enjoyed talking to Blake and his incredible heart for community, his incredible heart for family, and his incredible heart for running, especially in the trails. And I absolutely loved it. I took so many notes because I was like, I've got to write down everything he's saying. It was just that good. It was so amazing. So, Blake, thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for sharing your heart. Thank you for what you're doing in the trails with the running community. And we can always do it all to accomplish, my friend. Because you're running with a mission. You're doing something epic. So, so very proud of you. All right, guys. So Laze of Dudge Running Shoes. Get ready, get set, and go run with my friend Blake and his run story. Well, thanks, Blake, for being on the Runner Story podcast. I am so excited to get to hear your story.

SPEAKER_05 3:17

Awesome. Thanks for having me. I am excited to answer any questions you got.

SPEAKER_03 3:23

Absolutely. Full disclosure, I had no idea who you were until Stefan was like, hey, Blake Colton said yes to being on our podcast. And I was like, okay. So then I started following you, and I was like, holy smokes. Okay. So that's very exciting.

SPEAKER_05 3:36

That seems to be the trend. And I never thought I'd be on a podcast, but I won't say that this is a bad way of starting.

SPEAKER_03 3:44

I love that.

SPEAKER_05 3:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:46

So well, for those of us that want to learn about you, how did we because you're, geez, you've done several ultra marathons, several hundred milers, and you're in the midst of training right now. So again, thank you for taking time out of your training schedule to sit down with us to share your story. So how did we get here? How does your story began?

SPEAKER_05 4:04

It all started back in high school. I ran cross-country and track. I could have gone to college and run cross-country, but I didn't really know what I wanted to do for a profession. And my grandpa kind of had some influence on that. He was an electrician. So I kind of looked into the trades and ended up going that route. So my running career was on the pause for quite some time. I would say about eight years ago, it kind of picked back up. And I got into marathons. My dad was a big roadrun. I did marathons, and that's kind of how I got the idea of trying one. And of course, me, I always have to go, if you can tell from my ultraside up, I always have to pick the hard thing to do first. So I'm like, I'm like, I gotta dive ahead first. So my goal was always qualifying for Boston. Oh wow, okay. I tried four different times over four years, and certainly enough, I've never made it. And I almost quit running after that. And I ran into a buddy, and he's like, hey, if you're kind of burned out of trying to do the marathon stuff, you need to try trail stuff. And that's how I got into trail running was actually through quite a bit of failure. And I was instantly hooked because my issue with the road running was I have a lot of gut issues. I've had it since I was a kid with acid reflux and stuff. So the faster speed puts some wear and tear on me. So I almost quit because of it. So the ultra, the slower pace helps out, and I got to enjoy running again and started, funny enough, with a backyard ultra, which I never knew anything about. And I pretty much sprinted it until I blew up. And again, like I said, through failure, I just kept going and kept reaching for the next goals. And it led me to running a 200-miler last year. And again, once I hit a goal, I keep planning the next one and the next one. And I guess my running story now is I'm gearing up to run across the state of Iowa. I'm gonna go for the FKT this year. So that is my running story in a short break.

SPEAKER_03 6:28

Absolutely amazing. And I love how you said, and I really appreciate you sharing that. And I really appreciate the fact that you said my failure in road running, well, it almost stopped me. It's what led me to trails. That is beautiful.

SPEAKER_05 6:42

Well, I have buddies still to this day that won't give up the road, and I won't talk them into it, but there's always another way of running that you could try before giving up. And I'm glad I got to experience that. Because obviously, my life's changed completely because of it, and I'm grateful.

SPEAKER_03 7:01

So absolutely. And for those of us that are living vicariously through you and going, wow, I can't believe you just did that. It's absolutely amazing. So tell me, what was it like to get your first buckle?

SPEAKER_05 7:11

Yeah, that's what kind of interested me with the whole thing. Because I listened to books and audio tapes, and they always talked about the belt buckle. So that's why I'm like, well, if I'm gonna run a hundred K, I want to get a belt buckle, my first one. And funny enough, I signed up for one, not even thinking, in January. And it was in pretty much the St. Louis, Missouri area. And prior years have been warmer, but this year it ended up being negative 17 degrees starting. Yes, and I'm not kidding, people had winter coats and pants. My best friend started, I'd never seen anyone start with skiing goggles, and I was just all I cared about was just making it. I threw out all my time goals and stuff, and within 20 miles in this, I have already slipped on my back, hurt my back.

SPEAKER_04 8:13

Oh no.

SPEAKER_05 8:14

And luckily, I met some awesome people on the trail because I went just me and my friend, and we both ended up racing because we were still new to ultra running. We didn't know how important crews were, like people to take care of you. So luckily, someone gave me some iBpro friend and stuff to get me back on. And by the end of lap two, so there are 20 mile loops. Okay, I was 40 miles in and it started blizzarding. And I'm not kidding you. My friend's gonna have to quote me, but I'm pretty sure the flag markers were the silver white. And I remember sprinting the last 20 miles because I was so scared of not being able to see the markers because of this blizzard, and I ended up coming into second place unknowingly. Yes, it was awesome. And again, after that, that was January, and that was coming off of a 30 miler. I stepped it up to the 100k, and then two months after that, I signed up for my very first Hunter Miler. And I don't know if you ever see, I'll have to post it sometime, but that flooded down in Mississippi, and we had to swim. Yes, it was yes, it was a loop course, and I had to swim five times a lap. I ended up winning my very first Hunter Miler. And I could I could not believe, yes, my very first Hunter Miler. And me and my friends were talking the other day. We're like, how did that happen? And I think it was I respected both times the distance, and I never got out too fast. And my whole goal was since it was my first one, was just to have fun, and those were the races that honestly went smooth, and I had fun, and spirits were up. And again, after those two being my first longer ultras, I was hooked. I thought I was great, and which later years I would get humbled race after race, and that's why I love running. It's you learn something every race you do.

SPEAKER_03 10:28

It's amazing. Speaking of things that you've learned from running, will you share some of those lessons that you've learned? Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 10:35

Honestly, the greatest lessons you'll ever learn is through failure. And the only way failure can win is if you quit. I always have bad races, but that teaches you how to level up as a runner because you never hit them flaws before because you're pushing a little bit harder this race. Now you gotta learn a little bit more about sodium, and now you're learning real life lessons from this, like how to be more in tune with your body. I learn a lot from it.

SPEAKER_03 11:05

So I gotta know because you've done several races. Do you have a favorite race?

SPEAKER_05 11:12

Mississippi 100 will always have my heart because I love the people I met down there and the hospitality. And I'm from Iowa, so March is when that race happens. So I like to go down there and get the 80-degree weather. But around home, I have to say it's called the Galena Sky Race. It's an eight-hour event and a four-hour event, and it's a loop course, but it's on a ski resort overlooking the Mississippi River. And it's fun, awesome. Yeah, stunning views, and then plus your family gets to see you multiple times because it's a figure eight, and it's also fun because they got the lodge there. So everyone that usually races stays there. So you get to meet and have fun and have pizza. And if you drink, have drinks and stuff afterwards. And it's a cool small community, but I think 150 runners at a time. So it's a big race, but feels like a small vibe. Good people. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:15

I love that. So there's a group of us girls that we've been talking about how we want to go out and we want to do a timed event like that. And so we've all been searching, and I've not heard of that one. So I will definitely have what time of year is that race?

SPEAKER_05 12:28

It's like mid-May. Okay. So it's cooler in the morning, and then it kind of gets in the mid-70s, maybe close to 80s by the end of it. So it's awesome. Yeah. That was one race that my wife's done, and she yelled at me this year for not doing it. But I'm a person, I've done it two years in a row. I'm like, I want to try something else. There's only so many training blocks you can do a year. It's like, I want to try something else. And this new race I did this year, it didn't really impress me. So I know at least I'm gonna go back to Galena next year.

SPEAKER_03 13:06

It's fair. You try something, you're like, nah, not for me, dog. It's good. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 13:11

I'm like, maybe Galena holds high standards and it just didn't come close. So it's not the other race's fault. So there you go.

SPEAKER_03 13:18

Galena's just good. That leads me to my next question, which is do you have a race that you're like not my favorite, or I want to go back and show that race what I can do?

SPEAKER_05 13:29

So probably my first DNF came from it's the same lady that does Galena. Her name's Michelle Hartwick, and it's I think it's Midwest States 100, and it's up in Wisconsin. And okay, this is me being naive. I seen some of the times, and I'm like, Wisconsin. I'm like, 28 hours gets you the fastest time. I'm like, I did a mountain race out in Colorado, and I did 26 hours. So I was like, I feel like I can go 28. And man, I was so wrong. And I could have just read the description right on it. So Midwest States 100 in an adventure. It was double coverage woods, no self-service. It was muggy, it was an adventure, and I tried to sprint it and I cooked myself, and that's just one race that's beautiful. And if I would have just respected it from the beginning, I could have finished and I would like to go back and at least get the belt buckle.

SPEAKER_02 14:32

Okay, yeah. So I should have just read the description.

SPEAKER_05 14:38

Oh, for sure. I was like, I'm gonna run this whole thing, and I'm like running through swampy areas, and I was just a little bit delusional on that one. So I have a bone to pick with that one. I'll be back.

SPEAKER_01 14:54

That's fair. That's so fair.

SPEAKER_05 14:57

And I wasn't like, yeah, it was just from me being stupid, like just making stupid mistakes. So easily fixable.

SPEAKER_03 15:04

I just love how though you looked at the time and you're like 28, I got this, and then Oh, yeah, that's what basic my pace, everything, and I was so wrong.

SPEAKER_05 15:14

Just didn't respect it. I'm grateful for it because it totally changed my future.

SPEAKER_03 15:19

So yeah, and that was a lesson learned. Read the course description. Yeah, yep. So what does your routine look like when you're getting ready for a hundred mile or for a trail run? Do you have a pre-race routine?

SPEAKER_05 15:34

Are you talking like the week of?

SPEAKER_03 15:36

Sure. Yeah, what does your routine look like?

SPEAKER_05 15:39

Usually like the week of, I'm one of them people that it started when the marathon, I would always lay out my clothes, even the week of, just making sure I got tried and true tested gear, making sure I have my socks where because I wear toe socks, so I wear them so often that I'll blow toes out. So I'll lay them out, make sure that they're good, just making sure I don't have to order anything last minute.

SPEAKER_04 16:07

Oh, that's good. That's a good idea.

SPEAKER_05 16:09

Yeah, week of I'll lay everything out. And next week I have my first backyard ultra of the year, so I'll start planning my food and I'll start doing that by hour breakdown. That way, when I'm in the moment, I don't have to worry or think any extra.

SPEAKER_04 16:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 16:29

So that's what I'll do the week of leading up to. But for training wise, I'm a father, a husband, and a full-time electrician. So the training, I just get it in when I can.

SPEAKER_04 16:42

For sure.

SPEAKER_05 16:43

I'm not professional on that by any means. I wish I could, but I love running. I'm gonna try to enjoy it as long as I can, but it's still a hobby to me.

SPEAKER_03 16:54

Absolutely. So you crossed the finish line of your race. How do you celebrate? What does recovery look like for you? What do you do post-race celebration?

SPEAKER_05 17:05

Okay, that's just awesome. So I talked my family into going down to Florida. I tricked them, telling them I was going to Disney World, and I ended up signing up for a 200-miler down there.

SPEAKER_01 17:20

Oh, okay. And I think dad.

SPEAKER_05 17:22

Well, I kind of hinted at it. I'm like, you guys will have fun. I'll get an Airbnb by the beach. That way, when dad's running and suffering, you guys can go and have fun. And it happened. But literally, I finished it and I was pumped that I finished it because it was obviously 200 miles. I couldn't believe I finished and did it. So my wife asked me if we were still going to Disney World. And the next day after a 200-mile error, I took my family to Disney World till park closed. So I got 10 miles of walking in. I honestly, movement is key when it comes to recovery, if you can. Obviously, I've been really lucky with blisters and stuff. So I've been able to move. I'm usually tight or swollen, but the key is movement. And if you can't get the movement in, I truly believe in the compression boots, the air boots. Those will do the same thing, but for you, they kind of flush everything out and they work great. But that's usually what I like to do. I like to walk in boots. The kids laugh at me because I take probably more bass than them, but I like to soak and do salt bass and stuff. But mostly the boots.

SPEAKER_03 18:39

Most of the boots. You saying about Disney after your race, it made me think about I don't even know if they still do this, but usually after whoever wins the Super Bowl, they always ask, you know, what are you doing next? And they're like, I'm going to Disney World.

SPEAKER_05 18:50

Like, that's pretty much it. My wife's like, Are you sure about this? I'm like, Yes, I promised it. I'm like, if I have to rent one of them little rascals, I'll do it. But I ended up was relatively fine. And like I said, I think we walked 10 or 11 miles that day. But that is just getting rehydrated and yeah. Yeah, it was awesome. I would pay $30,000 to do it again. Same way. It was magical. Really.

SPEAKER_03 19:20

Unintended. It's fun.

SPEAKER_05 19:22

Yep. Yep.

SPEAKER_03 19:24

So I have to know, what is your favorite running item? You will not hit the trails without this item.

SPEAKER_05 19:30

At this point, I think I really fallen in love with the Janji, I think I'm saying it right. Janji running tights.

SPEAKER_02 19:40

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_05 19:41

And I love them just because I don't have to wear a vest, or even I've fallen also in love with the Solomon waistbelt. Just where the vest creates a lot of heat, and I'm trying to get figure out some issues again with stomach. So I'm trying to get away from the vest. So it's either the belt or the GNG tights, because they can fit your Solomon water bottles in on the side. I can fit my cell phone, I can fit gels with no extra gear. So that's probably my number one favorite thing. Plus, like a five-year warranty. Like I'm not sponsored by them, but a five-year warranty is crazy.

SPEAKER_03 20:20

Absolutely. Yeah. Especially when you're in the trails.

SPEAKER_05 20:24

Yeah. It's gonna get beat up. We're running races 50 miles on up. They're gonna wear out. But I've turned them in on warranty and they've been great to me. So that's my number one probably running item for sure.

SPEAKER_03 20:40

That's amazing. Okay, very cool. Let's talk shoes. What do you like to run the trails in?

SPEAKER_05 20:46

Definitely have fallen in love with the Mount Coast H1s. If you haven't seen it, they've become really popular with Coca-Dona 250. They came out with the new scheme where they're red, and it's like, man, you're seeing red shoes everywhere. But I used them for across Florida 200 and Mississippi. I probably have 700 miles on them, and they still are awesome. Not even joking. Maybe a month ago I even ran a fast half marathon, and it was like a 119 half, and I'm running in a shoe that has probably 800 miles in them. Still a great shoe. So I will brag about that shoe.

SPEAKER_03 21:29

Okay. Yeah. Man. Okay, let's talk fuel because you you've mentioned several times that you've had issues with fueling. So how do you fuel these days? What are we working with?

SPEAKER_05 21:43

Probably store bottom stuff. I'm gonna go with precision fuel, the 90 carb. It does pretty well. I found out my last gut issue problem was actually from ketone IQ, which I recommend them. It just doesn't work for me. They work great for my friends and stuff, but that's where my gut issue actually came from. So I found that out. I eliminated it. So I'm gonna probably stick with precision fuel. But my friends were kind of trying to get creative with online, just seeing how far just posting and everything goes. And he started one on running hacks, like how to make running cheaper. So we've been testing out making our own fuel. Whoa. So okay. Yeah. Just to make it a little bit cheaper. And it's worked. I just I tried it on my 11-hour race this last month, and it worked out pretty well. I overcooked myself. So I want to test it again before I start bragging about it. But it's got obviously your honey, dates, peanut butter, oats, and some other stuff. My friend Travis, he makes it for me. Luckily, he's the guru behind it. But yeah, so all natural. That way it's easy on the gut. And for my shorter runs, I'll even do all natural maple syrup. And that's the jar. Yep, it works. I will stand by it. But again, it's one of them things. I tested it for up to 20 miles. I'm not gonna brag about it and say that it'll work for a hundred. It's pure sugar. But it works.

SPEAKER_03 23:33

That's awesome. That's a very cool. And I know that there's a brand, I cannot think of it, but they sell pre-done maple syrup for on the go.

SPEAKER_05 23:40

So yeah. Yeah. And that works again. You're paying for the convenience of the single serve serving. You can get a good big jug of maple syrup. And what we're doing is they make soft bottles for shampoo travel where they're almost like your water bottle. And they're three ounces. You do the math with how much carbs that three ounces gives you, but easy to travel, and it's a reusable squeeze bottle for less than two dollars.

SPEAKER_02 24:15

Okay. I like the ingenuity.

SPEAKER_05 24:18

Yeah, that's how I was doing the maple syrup on the run. I was doing it in shampoo bottles. Travel shampoo bottles. Not like a pumper. I'm running with a pumper.

SPEAKER_03 24:30

You should do that though. That might win.

SPEAKER_05 24:32

That would be funny. You'd get people talking there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:39

I love that. That's awesome. I love how you guys were like, let's see if we can make this ourselves. That's so cool.

SPEAKER_05 24:45

Well, I was just doing some research on some high dollar gels, and it was $80 for 10 hours worth of fuel. And I'm like in this backyard ultra, I'm like, I'm minimum for a goal, I at least want to do a day because I'm well capable of it. But it's holy smokes, you're talking two, three hundred dollars worth of fuel. And we gotta be able to do this cheaper. So that's how that started.

SPEAKER_03 25:13

It's amazing.

SPEAKER_05 25:14

Just trying to do it a little bit cheaper.

SPEAKER_03 25:16

Sure.

SPEAKER_02 25:17

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 25:19

Do you and you've mentioned this already about Mississippi 100, how it means so much to you because you had all the crazy weather, but then also you got overall, and it's just amazing. But do you have a favorite running memory that just when you think about it, you're like, wow, that's such a great memory? Or one that kind of makes you chuckle and you're like, Yeah, that's totally running.

SPEAKER_05 25:39

Oh man, I could laugh about every race. Like, I it's me and my friends out there at the time, and we're our own characters. We could probably have our own show because we're just beef balls, but yeah, I do have another one besides Mississippi, and that was definitely the Florida one. Because I got to pick up my best friend Travis at a hundred miles, and I talked him into pacing me a hundred miles, and he's like, Well, why wouldn't I want to do it? He's like, It's $30 for a pacer, and I get to see a lot of Florida. So during that run, I got sick early on, so my second day was miserable because I was dehydrated and behind on food. But by the end of that night, me and Travis we ate at McDonald's. We went inside and had a Big Mac during the race, and there was another time we stopped at a Dollar General and got three bags of beef jerky and just sat outside drinking energy drinks during this race. And it was fun because I took it as an adventure with my best friend, and it was the coolest thing ever. And especially that we got to finish it together.

SPEAKER_01 26:49

So that's such a great story.

SPEAKER_05 26:52

Yeah, it was awesome because it was we walk in and it's almost midnight at this McDonald's in a rough area, and we looked like we were homeless. This is day or night two. I'm starving. And he's like, Are you guys biking? And I'm like, No, I'm running across Florida, and he just started laughing. I think we got our food for free, but we were delirious. And he's like, Hey, you gotta watch out for the hogs up the road. And I'm like, Is he talking about motorcyclists or wild hogs? And he was talking about wild hogs. We were gonna go in this wooded area and maybe get attacked by wild hogs. I was just eating my cheeseburger, just laughing. Because at this point, I just didn't care. I was just having fun and didn't know what I was getting into.

SPEAKER_03 27:44

You didn't read the course description for that one either, huh? Watch out for wild hogs.

SPEAKER_05 27:51

Oh man. Again, I'm gonna be positive on here. The whole race didn't fit the description, but again, I finished, so I was happy.

SPEAKER_04 28:00

Yeah. Wow.

SPEAKER_05 28:02

Well, it was it was a 200 miler that you pretty much had to run off of GPX only, like your watch or your cell phone. So it was a difficult race to actually run a dude well, because I probably put I had to have put on, I don't know, 15 extra miles just from getting lost so often.

SPEAKER_02 28:24

Get it out of here. That is wild.

SPEAKER_05 28:26

Yeah, it yeah, it's just again, it was I believe it was their first year doing it, so I'm not gonna bash them, but sure, yeah. I had my wife constantly call me, she's like, You missed the trailhead like a quarter mile back, and we would run back, otherwise we would have been lost.

SPEAKER_03 28:44

Sure, and ran into wild hogs.

SPEAKER_05 28:46

It was an adventure, yeah. I thought no, no wild hogs that stinks. I we did find a lot of armadillos, okay, which was cool. I they're kind of like raccoons there. It's funny, which I don't know what kind of crazy little animals you guys have, but raccoons are wild here, they're popular.

SPEAKER_01 29:07

Okay, wow.

SPEAKER_05 29:09

We have the this is awesome.

SPEAKER_03 29:14

I'm just trying to picture it like you're like running, you're like, was that a wild hog? No, just already done. Okay, was that a wild hog?

SPEAKER_05 29:21

Again, my friend would be laughing because he was relatively pretty awake, and I'm on, I think it took me 72 hours to finish. So I was two nights in, and I'm really good at falling asleep while running. And he said he'd be running in front of me, guiding me, and then all of a sudden he could tell my headlight would be staring up in the trees or something, and he could tell that I fell asleep and he'd come back and get me. But yeah, we heard all this rustling and we're like, oh my gosh, is it gonna be like an alligator or something? We're from Iowa, so we're hoping something just crazy, and then nope, it's a little armadillo making all this noise, and we just start busting out laughing. Oh, it was awesome.

SPEAKER_03 30:06

Do you have a favorite? Let's say when you cross the finish line, you get done, is there something that you're like, I cannot wait to eat this?

SPEAKER_05 30:14

It usually ends up being Taco Bell, and I don't know if I just finish races at really bad times where that's the only thing open, or it just hits in the moment. I don't know, but it always ends up being Taco Bell, funny enough. Yeah, not healthy. Don't follow me for any food advice. I still got room for improvement there, but it's Taco Bell.

SPEAKER_03 30:39

No judgment whatsoever.

SPEAKER_05 30:40

I'm real. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:42

Do you listen to music when you run?

SPEAKER_05 30:44

Yes, I am a party animal. I am the person which people might hate me. You can do whatever, but at night time, I usually do get scared. So I'm the person blaring the EDM, the electronic, not techno, but people call it techno music at night. And I'm just partying. Hopefully scaring spooky stuff away. I'm just partying as loud as I can.

SPEAKER_03 31:10

I love that. Oh, so much. I will say what's really cool is you'll sometimes put like, hey, this is what you need to add to your playlist on your social media.

SPEAKER_05 31:17

Yeah, I need to do that more because it forces me to find new music too for myself. So I need to start posting that stuff again for everyone's good. So I promise it might not sound good through your phone, but when you're running and you just hear the beat and it just keeps you moving, that's the best time when you're running.

SPEAKER_03 31:37

Absolutely. I I'm just trying to picture it at night with you just going at it.

SPEAKER_05 31:43

You can barely see just a little dot in front of you, just playing it loud enough that something scared of you. But I just run it as fast as I can.

SPEAKER_02 31:54

That's a great idea. Great idea. Do you have a favorite recovery tool?

SPEAKER_05 32:00

Yeah. The boots, and then I can't think of the brand if it's like RX or it's a spring-loaded roller. Ooh, okay. Yeah. I'd put on the spot now. I think it's like RX recovery roller or something, but it's attention's pretty good on it and it hurts pretty good. But that's probably one of my favorites. And then, like I said, number one is the boots for sure.

SPEAKER_03 32:29

Now, let me, I was gonna ask you about the boots. Is that to where do you take it with you if you need to stop? If you're being crude, you're like, hey, let me put my boots on real quick, or let me get the foam roller out real quick. No, no, okay.

SPEAKER_05 32:40

I've never done that. I kind of I don't know if I'm just dumb, but I just embrace it until it's over, anyways. I've never tried the massage gun or nothing. Usually I'm too beat up, and I usually a lot of them races I go with my friends and they end up racing. So I usually don't have a crew, so I don't usually use a lot of recovery stuff mid-race.

SPEAKER_03 33:06

Got it. Okay, okay. Do you have a favorite cross-training activity?

SPEAKER_05 33:11

Just the typical stuff that everyone probably says is weightlifting and biking. I met my wife through biking. Me and her used to race BMX, and yeah, that was our thing. And we raced competitively, and that's where the weight lifting came into play. That was more of a strength training activity sprint kind of thing. So I still like to bike, and my kids are getting into biking. So that's probably again, I don't have a whole lot of time. So that's usually the two things I get in for cross-training.

SPEAKER_03 33:46

That is incredible. That is so much fun. Yeah. So let's say that somebody's listening, and whether they're brand new to running or they're a seasoned runner and they're like, I can't believe he just ran 200 miles. He's talking about 100 miles. But what advice would you give to somebody who wants to start running or wants to go into the trails or wants to go for their first 100 miler?

SPEAKER_05 34:07

I would say just go slow. Go slow enough where you make sure that you enjoy it, where you're not gonna get burnt out and hurt. Make sure you're in it for the long haul, because running isn't really enjoyable until you get into shape. I will say that. And it takes a while to get there, and that's the hard part and the beauty of it. Because once you start enjoying it, you turn into maybe someone like me addicted. But just go slow and enjoy it. Because, like I said, I put so much pressure on myself with trying to qualify for Boston that I burnt myself out and I almost didn't see this whole other side of it. And again, I never would have thought I would be going from failures to two podcasts in a month and making money on social media by posting running like it's crazy. So go slow, be consistent, and you'll never know where I'll take you.

SPEAKER_03 35:03

That is beautiful. Let's talk about goals. Do you have any coming up?

SPEAKER_05 35:08

Yes. Okay. I have races coming up, which they're kind of getting me prepped for this big goal. And my big goal is the cross Iowa FKT. It's 276 miles across Iowa, and it runs across Highway 92, and it's from basically the Mississippi to the Omaha side border. And I originally had this planned out to run and raise money for my brother-in-law. He had cancer, ended up passing away in January. So still doing it. The SKT, the fastest known time, but I'm gonna try to raise money for a good cause, but a different cause.

SPEAKER_03 35:57

That is amazing that you're doing that, that you're taking a very sad chapter and making it into something with your own running chapter.

SPEAKER_05 36:06

I think I have to. And I know my brother-in-law wouldn't want me moping or nothing. And I'm using it as fuel for positive things. And I think he knew his cancer was bad, and he fought as much as he could for us. And he was young, he was inspiration for everybody, and I want to be that same thing to anyone that is kind of looking. And he had a good support teams, and I know that there's families that don't. So that's my main drive for this run across Iowa. If I can raise some money, and I think my goal is to give it back to the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. I had a buddy that his kid went through there and luckily made it out and is recovered and well. But again, I think of the families that don't have the support. And I think of little kids going through the same thing my brother-in-law did. And if I could use my running journey and my views and content for something good like that, that's my goal. That's my dream, really.

SPEAKER_03 37:14

And that's one of the things that I love about the running community is that I feel like the running community is the first one to step up whenever there is something like this. This opportunity you saw this moment, you're like, Well, yes, you're doing it for this really cool experience, but now you're taking again, like I said, you're taking this sad chapter and you're saying, But he's gonna run with me. I'm taking his story with me, and we're gonna do this together, and you're gonna get to tell his story. I think that's the beauty of this running community.

SPEAKER_05 37:44

Yeah, I agree, and that's why I'm hooked. And that's also what I try to be open and transparent online, and hopefully people will share their stories and chase their dreams and inspire other people to do the same thing. Maybe make the world a better place.

SPEAKER_02 38:01

Freaks. Oh, freaks my hopes.

SPEAKER_05 38:04

Yeah, yeah. I know that's what's wrong. It's no no one in the real world helps each other, and then we go to the ultra world and we're cheering for people that's kicking our butt. And yeah, we love to see records getting beat if it's even no, it's a guy, girl, doesn't matter. It's awesome. I just I love it. And if I can move the positivity to normal day life, people, and that's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 38:31

So very well said. I love that. But like when it gets hard when you're having to blow the music because you get scared, or you're delusional, or you're like, why am I out here doing this? Do you have a mantra? Is there something that you tell yourself to keep going?

SPEAKER_05 38:45

Well, again, with my brother-in-law passing, I knew he never gave up. So no matter what, just keep fighting as long as I can. And that got me through my first hundred mile or this year. That was the first race back from losing him. And I didn't realize how undertrained I was, and I ran it basically with no training. And in the darkest times, I'm like, he kept going to chemo, he kept fighting for his kids. He went to chemo and the same day drove back from Minnesota and played softball or played bowling or was present with his kid, like, right? Save day of getting chemo, like just being present. So in the hard times, just be present and hard times pass and just keep pushing.

SPEAKER_03 39:33

Oh, that's so good. Do you have a favorite length run? Whether it is a training run or it is race day. Do you have that mileage that you just love to run?

SPEAKER_05 39:45

I'm gonna say a hundred miler, just because I know it's a whole day, it's gonna be an adventure. Like it's it always scares me. It's always gonna scare me, even though I know I'm decent at them, but everyone's a different animal. But I know I have nothing to worry about for at least close to 24 hours. They're fun. I really want to do more longer distance because I was a kid that played outside and always dreamt of going on adventures or getting on a railroad track and see where it takes you across the country, kind of kid. But I would like to do a more at least 200 milers just because I like the multi-day deal.

SPEAKER_03 40:28

Yeah. When you're not running, what do you like to do? What fuels your soul?

SPEAKER_05 40:34

I love being a dad and obviously a husband. I I couldn't like I love being a husband, but watching my kids going through school now and doing sports, my kids are doing way better than me in school. And my son for a while didn't really like sports a whole lot, but found baseball and has found his friends and really enjoying baseball. So my passions outside of this is obviously my kids because they're the most rewarding thing that you can obviously have. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 41:06

Oh, I love that. So, are they considering coming to crew you during one of your races?

SPEAKER_05 41:13

They do, they do, and they help. So it's so funny because my boy is identical to me, and we're sensitive, big heart people. And I can tell every time I come into aid stations, my son is so concerned about me, and he's such a loving kid. No matter how sweaty I am, he'll come over and rub my back, and he doesn't even have to say anything, and you just know he's caring about you. And funny enough, my 11-hour race, I knew the heat was gonna be an issue, and of course, it was the last hour, and I'm sick. And my kid comes over to me and he's hey dad, you know what makes us tough, right? And I start laughing because I'm like, man, I tell this kid all this stuff, and I'm like, he's gonna hit me with a quote. He's like, What makes us tough is we don't give up, we keep fighting. And I'm like, man, I gotta get up off this ground and at least do another lap. And I'm like, man, if I'm gonna preach this to my kid, I gotta stand by it. And I'm like, at the point where I was about to throw in the towel, I had 30 minutes left of this 11-hour race, but I knew I could do one more lap, so I head back out. I get like halfway and start puking my guts out. I'd start laughing. I'm like, thanks a lot, man. I'm like, I shouldn't have listened to my kid, but again, I say things to my kids, and it's like, if he's telling me this in tough times, I gotta lead by example. So I'm glad I went back out, even though I puked, but again, kids are rewarding and I wouldn't change it.

SPEAKER_01 42:53

Such a great story.

SPEAKER_05 42:56

Yeah. Funny.

SPEAKER_03 42:58

Like, this has been absolutely amazing. I love that I got to know your story. And if people aren't following you on social media, they totally should. Because, again, like I said, you share so much of your life on there and it's a lot of fun. Do you have any final words of wisdom?

SPEAKER_05 43:13

Just don't be afraid to trace your dreams. It sounds funny. I'm 36 years old, and I've never thought I'd be trying to be a content creator, but since I have started and been consistent with it, it's like so many doors have opened just in a couple months. And it's just crazy because I'm chasing my dreams, and it's yeah, I'm gonna just tell everyone to do the same. Chase your dreams, even if you're 36 years old or 70 some, just don't give up.

SPEAKER_03 43:42

That is amazing. Blake, this has been so much fun, and we cannot wait to see what you're gonna be doing. I'm sure you're gonna be in October filming everything for FTK. And I hope so.

SPEAKER_05 43:54

Yes, I gotta.

SPEAKER_03 43:56

That you'll let the community know where to support your mission.

SPEAKER_05 44:08

And I'd be happy to come back later in the future, maybe social media takes a friend. My story might be different in a couple months.

SPEAKER_03 44:18

Absolutely, yeah. We cannot wait to see what all you do, my friend. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_05 44:23

Awesome, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 44:32

Oh, like absolutely amazing. You are one phenomenal human being. Your heart is is just absolutely incredible. And what you're doing for community is priceless. So keep it up, my friend. And I'd love that you reminded us just to keep fighting till the finish line. So good. Like, thank you for everything, all of the nuggets that you dropped for us of wisdom. It was absolutely priceless. So thank you for your heart. Thank you for what you're doing, and thank you for being a part of the Run Your Story community. You're absolutely amazing, my friend. And thank you to Rocket City Marathon, who is our podcast partner this month. We are so honored to be a part of such an incredible year for Rocket City Marathon. It's our 50th. It's gonna be amazing. And so we'd love to have you out. We'd love to celebrate together. So come out to Hub's full in December. You can sign up, you can find out more information on our runner's story as well. It's gonna be absolutely amazing. We are so, so pumped. So thank you to Rocket City Marathon for partnering with us and believing in the running community stories. We're honored to be a part of it. And thank you to our Patreon family members. We love you. We thank you so much for being a part of this. You make this possible, you make moments like this possible, and we are incredibly grateful for that. Guys, if you want to be a part of our Patreon family, we would love to have you. The more we have, hopefully that means the more that we can do stuff. And we would just love for you to be a part of this. So definitely come along. If you love this podcast, if you love listening, you love sharing, you love commenting, and you want to be a part of something amazing. We hope that you think that this podcast is amazing and want to be a part of it. So we'd love to have you. You can find out more information on Runner Story as well. So Gileard Tech Services, thank you so much, guys. He has been brainstorming like big, and we have some big things in store for Runner Story, and it's all because of Gilead Tech Services. I've gotten to sit down with him and I've gotten to say, hey great, this is what I'm envisioning, and and all the things, and he's taken all of that. And if you've not been to our website lately, please go to runyourstory.com because it's been updated. It looks so good, it's amazing, and that is all possible because of Gilead Tech Services. So if you have an idea, if you are like, I don't know where to start, definitely go check him out. He is such a patient individual and he understands the importance of your business being seen and how important it is. And that's your story, is what's out there. So thank you, Gilead Tech Services. He believes in runner story, he believes in running community, and we are eternally grateful for him. Thank you to Dave. Guys, if you have not read his latest blog, it's so good. You should get out there and read it. Again, it's at runyourstory.com. We would love to have you read it, share it, comment about it. He does such a great job pouring out his heart, and he puts it in the blog, and he does such a great job. So go make sure you check out Dave's latest blog as well. Thank you to our guys, Stefan and Scott. They do such a great job. They put us in contact with Blake, and so I'm incredibly grateful for that connection. It's just been an absolute honor to have these guys as part of the team, and we're incredibly grateful for them and their heart for community and their heart for Red Your Story. It's absolutely amazing. And to everyone who listens and shares and comments, thank you for being part of this. We do this because we know that your stories inspire and that someone needs to hear your story. And you never know that the person next to you what their story is. And our stories connect us, our stories make us stronger, and our stories remind us that we're not just runners, that we're human beings, that we have a story to tell, and what connects us together is running. But we always run for something more, just like what Blake has shared. So definitely get out there, definitely be a part of community and be a part of Render Story. We'd love to have you. We've also updated some new swag. We love to have you out there seeing that as well. And we love that we get to share these stories and these moments, and that we get to be a part of your story. It's truly an honor. And with that being said, go render story because every story needs to be heard.