5K to 100miles: Where It Started
There’s a difference between running… and RUN-NING.
You know the kind I mean.
Running with purpose. With fire. With something to prove—not to others, but to yourself. And if I’m being honest, it’s been a minute since I’ve run like that.
Sure, I jog most days. I’ve laced up for 3-milers like clockwork. I’ve hiked mountains with weighted packs and checked the “active” box.
But that version of me who ran 150 miles across the Sahara Desert?
The girl who threw herself a 100-mile, solo, self-supported birthday party run?
She’s been quiet.
Yes, I’ve still been running—3-milers most mornings, the occasional long hike when I was training for a mountain endurance event. But I haven’t been RUN-NING. You know?
Probably not.
My friend, who loathes running, would still say, “Girl… you are absolutely still running.”
But let’s be clear: I most likely wouldn’t be able to successfully run 100 miles any time soon. I’d probably walk. Then crawl. Then roll my 40-ish self across the finish line long after the participants left and the crew was packing up the folding tables. You get the point.
WHAT CHANGED
I had a hard month. Like, a rock-you-to-your-core month.
A classmate passed.
A dear family member went to be with the Lord.
A friendship ended.
An opportunity slipped through my fingers.
It wasn’t one thing—it was the compound loss. And it left me feeling unmoored.
Then a friend said something that cracked me wide open:
“You need to do something that reminds you who you are.”
And it hit me—I felt so misaligned. Like the woman I know I am on the inside—the driven, gritty, resilient version—was nowhere to be found on the outside.
And the only way I know how to pull her to the surface? Is to push myself to extremes. The easiest way I’ve ever done that? Sign up for something that pushes me—like an ultramarathon.
THE PLAN
Race selected — we’re aiming for a 100-mile ultramarathon in Summer 2026. But this time? I’m doing it different.
Smarter. Gentler. Grittier. With more science and a little less ego.
Here’s what I’m committing to:
- Training Myself (Because I Know My Body Now): No coach. No outside programming.
Just me—building my own plan from years of experience running, recovering, and resetting.
I’m also using the wellness foundation from Grit + Glow—the guide I created for women in their 40s to feel strong, energized, and at home in their bodies again.
Because let’s be real: you can’t run 100 miles (or run a household) if your hormones, habits, and recovery are wrecked. - Fueling for Her—Not the Algorithm: Not what the books say. Not what the 20-something influencer swears by. What my body asks for. And I plan to listen. Closely.
- Rest + Recovery as Non-Negotiables: We in our 40s now, baby cakes. If it’s not sustainable, it’s not elite.
- Documenting the Whole Damn Thing: I may not be the girl who posts selfies mid-run (yet), but I will take notes. I’ll share what’s working, what’s not, the ugly mindset dips, the gear I swear by, and the pep talks I give myself at mile 4 of a 6-mile “easy” day.
What you can expect every Friday:
- 🔁 Training updates + obstacles
- 🧪 Supplements + gear I’m testing
- 🥗 Nutrition shifts + insights
- 🧠 Mindset wins + mental battles
- ✨ A peek into the process of becoming someone new
This isn’t just about running 100 miles. It’s about pulling the internal version of me—the one I know is still there—to the surface. And maybe, just maybe, it helps someone else do the same.
WANT TO FOLLOW ALONG
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Come walk (or jog… or crawl) beside me as we go from 5K mom to ultramarathoner. Or you can simply catch glimpses of behind-the-scenes of the journey via social @lifeasamberlg
Grit + Gumption
ALG ♥️
