550 Miles Unsupported: Cody Taylor’s Long Trail Yo-Yo FKT

0:00I remember like looking up and I see like a clown. Like literally, like just stay there in the smallest space. And then I looked up and looked down. And then I looked down and I kind of keep going. And then I saw another one. I'm like, okay, it's time to shut it down. Welcome to the Free Outside Show. Today we have on Cody Taylor, who did the out and back on the long trail. And he was unsupported. So we really dive into that. What you carry when you're gonna be out there for 18 days. Pretty crazy. Also, rewritten the film we made about my Appalachian Trail. FKT is out now and you can watch it on YouTube for free. It's hit like 50,000 views in eight or nine days. So that is awesome. Thank you guys for supporting that. It was such a big project. And we got it out less than a year after finishing. So I'm actually pretty proud of that. But today in the intro, I wanted to dive into a little bit of my own journey with the long trail. And if you haven't been out there,

1:00it's one of the most brutal trails. There's ladders, there's rocks, it's difficult. Cody talks a little bit about that when we chat with him. But when I did it, I went for the FKT in 2019, unsupported. And I got it. It's one of the first times where I realized really the power of goals and setting a time and then achieving that. I believe it was I wanted to get under six days. And with a big fight to the finish, I got under six days by like nine minutes. And that really showed me the power of your mind and mentally, like even with 10 miles to go, I was so exhausted I had to lay down for five minutes and that five minutes, I think helped me get that goal. But it's a brutal trail. It's pretty awesome. And it's one of those things where it's type three fun. Your feet are blown up. One common I got after finishing it was, it looks like you have corpse feet. And now this was a time in my life where I didn't have healthcare,

2:01I didn't have a car and I didn't have an address. My only real expense was food and a phone. And so I've come a long ways, not quite as far as our guest today, Cody. But I wanted to introduce something totally new today. So I'm getting married in a month. And I thought it would be fun to throw out a Google number and you can call in and leave a message with advice about marriage, whether you've been married, divorced, read about marriage, heard of the word, the funnier, the better. And I'll play some of these on the show or you can text something in. So the number is 5419038065. So if you just wanna text in a funny comment or something, let's get some more engagement up. And over time, I think I'm gonna keep using this so that you can send in questions or thoughts or anything and we can chat through it. I think it would be pretty fun.

3:02So we're gonna dive right into the episode, but first a word from our sponsors. Look how professional I am. So today's episode is brought to you by John G. J. A. N. J. I. dot com best parallel on the market. I've been working with them for like five years now and I still fully believe in everything they have. I have one outfit. That's what we're calling them these days. Or I guess we could call it kit running kit. But one outfit for the entire App Latch and Traile is the snappy tracker shirt with cut off sleeves because you don't wanna get too bad of a tan line, I guess. And everything worked good. So go to johnjee.com code free outside. It's 10% off and then garage crumb gear. Marketplace for small businesses. They helped with the film. I filmed a funny video over on their YouTube channel to promote it as well. So go check that out. All right, let's get into the episode with Cody Taylor. Cody Taylor is back on the free outside show.

4:02Fresh off the long trail. So first off, what did you just do? Well, we did the long trail. Actually, I just finished one week ago. I finished at 5 p.m. last Friday. We did the long trail as I called it a known back. People call it a yo-yo. We started in the north end to, went all the way south, turned around, and came back north, ended up being like 550 miles with like, I think it was like, something like 135,000 feet of climbing. But yeah, man, I just, the one way on supported FKT, which you had before, it was just so tough for me. I'm like, you know what, I'll just do a known back. So. Man, and that's like one of the most brutal trails. How did it compare to other stuff you've done as far as like, technicality? So I got to say that like, it was, the reason why it was so tough is because like, you couldn't trust your footing. I found like, the rocks over there were so slippery. You know, like, I'm used to training the Adirondacks

5:04and like, I could like, step on the rock even with like, no tread on my shoe. And I'm, I'm gripped and I'm stuck, stuck to the rock. Over there, I was like, dude, like the first four days, like, I fell so friggin' much. And like, you know, you got 50, you got 50 pounds in your back. And I'm like, so it was, I couldn't help but laugh. But like, it was also like one of those was just like, it was kind of scary. And what I would do is I would end up like, using my poles, I'd put my poles like way ahead of the rock and kind of jump into this, into like, where I was going. And I did that quite a bit because I was like, friggin', I can't trust these rocks, you know? Like, so, but in terms of like, I don't know, man, like the navigation was really easy. So like, what I did last year on the International Appalachian Trail, which honestly, Jeff, I think you should take on because like, I'm the only one that's done, I'm done and unsupported and I really think you could beat that time. But because the trail was so hard with an avogating and there was more moose than people and stuff, like, I would say the IAT was tougher, pound for pound.

6:04But this trail here, what I got out of this trail, which was awesome was that I got a lot of rain. So I got a lot more experience with like, setting up my tent and stuff on a pouring rain, everything was soaking wet. And then yeah, like, just falling so much because I couldn't trust my footing. So the reason why I feel like this year just came a little bit easier to me was just because I had that much more experience. Like, I was kind of fresh with all this stuff. I just started backpacking and doing this stuff in 2024. So I kind of went into this with a little bit more experience and also just like, not really giving a shit of the outcome. You know what I mean? It's like, okay, well, whatever, you don't get it done. It's like, you'll learn the hard way and you will try it another year, you know? So it's like, I kind of just went into this, like really enjoying my time, which was really, it was just fun, you know? Like I wasn't scared. Like the Bruce Trail in 2024, I was so scared. I had a panic attack in day seven, you know? It's like, and then last year, I was just kind of scared because it was like, wow. Like, was that just a fluke that I got that done in 2024? And then I got that one done, you know? So again, it was just a little bit more experience. Now, I went in there with a little bit more experience

7:05and then it definitely went a long way. Totally, yeah. And for people that don't know, kind of the long trail you can think about it and like the northern half is quite a bit harder. And so what was the strategy in starting with that half? And then since it was, we'll just call it a yo-yo since I think it's a fun word for it. And ending with that half was there a reason behind having the hardest section being the start and the finish? Well, I, it was closer to home. Like I just live in Canada here and it was like three hours door to door from the start point in the north section. So I was like, you learn all logistically just from my wife to go pick me up and some friends to come down. I'm like, you just made more sense to go down there. But also like the first four days of every unsupported like multi-week adventure sucks. You know what I mean? Whether it's on easier terrain or even if it's on harder terrain. So it's like, if you could like, if you could get through those first four days, it's like usually you're, you're somewhat in the clear. Like obviously, they could happen out there. But the first four days sucks. So I was like, you know what?

8:05I'm gonna go out there do the first four days on the harder section and they're gonna suck. But then you know, once I get down to the easier stuff, it's like, I'll have a lighter backpack and then like on the last hundred miles you're on the Appalachian Trail. And then you know, I get, I actually get 200 miles because I'm turning back around doing all over again. So it just made the most sense. And then you know, whenever I got back to the north, it's like, okay, my backpack's way lighter. You know, you're way stronger. Hopefully if you get good rest and whatnot. And that's kind of what happened. So I don't regret how I did it. I think it was probably the best way of doing it. But I don't know, what are your thoughts? What if you're to do it? What would you do? Yeah, I think starting with the hardest section, that's what I've tried to do on most records. I think, I don't know, I think it just, you have some adrenaline you can use and if you can weather that, it is a very choppy first few days too of just getting that mindset, the rhythm, the style. But if you can weather that on fresher legs, I think then you can capitalize on kind of the smoother,

9:05more rhythmic sections of a trail. So I'm, I'm right on board with, yeah, throw the hardest stuff at it early and get through that because you always have that in your toolkit of like, well, if I can get through this, like the trail will get easier rather than having the foreboding feeling that what's waiting for me on the other side's even harder too. But I want to go to like a really unique thing with with your trip. What was it like when you hit the Southern terminus and then you had to turn around? Like that must be kind of a weird feeling. Like, well, halfway even though I did the whole trail. It's, you know, it was, it's a weird thing because it's like you go into it, knowing that you got to do it. So it's like, it's a mental thing, man. Like, you know, the job's not done, you know, I actually just hung out there and just, just kind of took it all in. I did like one post there on Instagram, just to kind of give people the update of where I was at. I sat there for like, I took probably my longest break at the end over there. Usually I like, I wait, if I took a break it would be like five, 10 minutes and get back up and keep going. I probably took like 20, 30 minutes there, just took it in.

10:07And then I turned around and I just started running. Like I was like, man, I don't know what it was. It was like my backpack felt light. I felt good. I just started like moving quick. And I had a pretty good day that day and ended up pouring rain that night right before I set up camp. So it kind of was like a bit of a shit show towards the end of the night. But throughout that day when I turned around, I was just stoked to get back home, you know? Yeah. I just looked at it and it was like, okay, like it's home stretch now, you know? Even though I got to do the whole thing again. So yeah, I don't know, man, it's just one of those. You go into it knowing that you got to do this distance so the job's not done, you know? Yeah, totally. What was, what did you do like mental prep wise going into something like this, knowing that, I mean, 50 pounds is a ton of weight and 17 plus days is a lot of time relying on yourself. How did you mentally prepare for this? Um, I, it's dude, it's because like I put on the calendar, I'm very good for like, I'd get a project done and then I maybe take a few weeks off, whatever, but I already got something in the calendar for next year.

11:08And it's like, so you're just like, you're constantly, you wake up and you're thinking about that. You go to the gym, you're, you're, you're, you're mind, you're focused on that project. You know, everything you're doing is just like around this project. So when the time came, it was just like, I was stoked, you know? Like again, I went out there with a bit more experience. Like I've done multi-week projects now. This is my third one. And I also just like, I love just disconnecting from the world. You know what I mean? Like not, not being on social media and not coaching my clients as much as I love my clients. It's like just, just being able to just do one thing and one thing only is just move forward. And you're being on trail. I'm like, you know, I kept telling people, man, I'm like, how hard is this? You're out, you're out in the woods, you're walking in the woods, you're climbing mountains. I'm like, this is not a hard day job here. You know, I'm just having fun out here. Like obviously there's got a lot of hard moments. I don't know a question about it, but like, I was just grateful, man, just grateful to be out there. I think my mindset on this trip was just so strong out there. And like I said, man, it's just a lot of how to do with experience. So that's really what it came down to. Isn't that an amazing feeling where I think you just don't realize

12:11how good it feels until you're actually out there where your mind calms down and it's like, okay, I just need to do everything that supports this goal. I don't need to worry about emails, text don't really matter. I just, one thing. I think people who haven't experienced that are really missing out at such a calming and peaceful existence. What, yeah, can you describe it more? Well, I mean, it's just funny. Like I literally have friends that are like praising me. Like, dude, I can't believe you did that. But then meanwhile, they're raising four kids and running a business and doing all kinds of other things. I'm like, what they're doing in my mind is way harder than what I just did, you know? Like I said, it's 18 days, what are your whole year? Where you kind of like jam pack like a lot of big efforts. But then like the reward at the end of it's so huge that like, that's just kind of the care at the end of the stick. You know what I mean? It's just like, again, it's like, I'm not going to push your injuries or anything like that. I'm not, I'm not going to be the one be like, I will die out there. Like, I'm not that guy. But I'm going to put in my best effort and I'm going to give it a good shot. And yeah, man, that's kind of what ended up happening. Just having fun out there.

13:13Totally. Sorry, what was your question there? I got what all right. No, no, I think that's, that's it of just like the, the, the difference between just like a standard life or raising kids or having a fragmented focus versus something like this where everything supports a common goal which I think is really cool. Yeah, absolutely, man. So what people always want to know, like, what did you eat? What was the food plan out there? How many pounds of food a day? How did you pull it off? Yeah, absolutely. And it sounds like you might have underpacked. Yeah, no, I'll go through it all. I got my food right here actually. Perfect. So I did last two years, I was kind of like packing more like being, trying to be like kind of my body, but like my food bag was like two and a, over two and a half pounds per day. And I was like, okay, I'm going to pack 16 days. There's a lot of old vision gains. So I really tried to bring it down as much as I could in terms of weight. So I packed, it ended up being 30, it ended up being 3900 calories at 1.92 pounds.

14:18I had one dehydrated meal. I had the same food every single day for 16 days. The dehydrated meal was three different kinds. I had Pad Thai. I had, it was like a lasagna and then like a chicken rice. So the dehydrated meal was like around 700 calories. I have like this grind. There's a peanut butter, honey and sea salt mix. If 700 calories, it was like just like a squeeze pouch. I had a nut mix, so macadamia nuts and sesame roasted almonds mixed together. It was like 1200 calories. Six unreal dark chocolate bars. There was just like tiny little bars with 420 calories and it was just like coconut. I did eight maple cookies. Got thrown on those Canadian cookies in there. 880 calories. It was like 110 calories per cookie. So that was pretty good. I did five salt stick. I did one caffeine gum. I did just 150 milligram caffeine gum per day. How'd it in the morning? Like would I be too relate to element? So that was it man.

15:20It was, it's funny because like when I'm at home and I'm eating the food that I eat, I don't really do very well with high fats food. So what ended up happening? It's my B-L-T-M-I-I-2. But I like hard-bloated a lot before. So like what ended up happening is I didn't eat all my nutrition for like the first day days actually. Like every day I kind of like nodded all my nuts. They're nodded all the unreal bars or whatever. So I was kind of stashing a lot of food knowing that it might take me longer than 60 days, you know. But like yeah, man, like day three, I remember like I just could not stop going to the bathroom. Like I just all the fats were kind of just going through me and I remember like waking up in the morning and it was like I just had this really brutal climb. It was raining. It was gray. It was like moody. I'm on day three. My backpack's still fucking heavy. I'm like, so it was just like and then I'm just like going to the bathroom non-stop. I'm just like, oh, this is brutal. But my body adjusted to the nutrition. I ended up doing pretty well with it.

16:21I don't know. Like I said, dude, it's only 16 days of nutrition. I'm like, I could tough it out with this. And you know, it's really at the end of the day. It's not that bad. It's like the one thing that I find keeps me sane out there with my nutrition is dehydrated meal and night. And I do bring a stove. I know a lot of people cold soak and stuff. But like I was like, you know what? I really enjoy a warm meal at night. It's something that really keeps me feeling like I'm a human out there. But yeah, so I packed 16 days of nutrition. And then obviously I went to the 18th day. Took me 17 days, eight hours, 42 minutes. When I ended up happening was on the 17th day. I was just like, I got that trail hunger and I'm just eating all my food. I'm like putting peanut butter on the unreal bars. I'm doing all kinds of crazy stuff. And just to do a big push and I pushed to like 10 p.m. then night. I slept for a couple hours, but then woke up and I only had like maybe a couple thousand calories. But like I had still 45 K to go close to 30 miles.

17:22And I like, I got like 10,000 feet of climbing and I just had nothing in the tank. I remember like getting up to like one of the, I was getting up to the mountains there and I'm like, for the first time, I'm on the whole trip. I'm like screaming on my pool. I was like, come on. I was just like, I'm like, take a step. And I was like, so slow my climbs, but they got my descents for quick because like my backpack was late. It's like, I kind of made up some time there. But like, man, oh man, I was, I was running on fumes at the last day because I really had nothing left. All I, I for the last two days, all those eating was nuts and peanut butter. So are you, are you now like sick of any of the food that you had out there? Um, not sick of it yet, but I'm definitely, I got some nuts and macadamia nuts in the cup. I'm just like, not even looking at them. So. Yeah. Is this similar to what you took on, on previous efforts too? Or that's what I, yeah, it's a little different. I was bringing like a lot of lera bars and like a lot of like other things I remember I was bringing like a protein powder mix and I was mixing with coffee.

18:23So I'd have like this like kind of like chocolate coffee mix in the morning and I was just like, not really thinking too much about the, the food and how much it weighed is just more like what did, what I did well with. But this, this meal plan that I had here actually did pretty well with it and I was, I was pretty happy like the fact I got down, down to under two pounds per day was unreal. Like my last year when I did the IAT was 650K, 13 days and four hours and 30 minutes, whatever took me. But my backpack weighed like 55 pounds. You know, like this year I went in there like packing for 16 days and, and then it was a down, I got down to 51 pounds. So, but it just suck because I wasn't eating all my, like the first day I didn't even, I barely ate my nutrition. Same with like the other three days. So like I was still going through the north section with like 48 to 50 pounds like steady, you know. So it was, it was definitely a little bit of a kick to the nuts there. But yeah, totally. So, so the other thing that loved to hear, especially on the unsupported stuff is what, what was your gear? How did you handle 51 pounds? What were you carrying it with and what kind of a charge of stuff?

19:26Yeah, so I mean, I brought, I brought a, um, Nemo Hornet Elite tent. I was told by the FKT site that I wasn't allowed to use in the shelters. So I'm going to make it clear now because people were like, tell me, oh, you're allowed using the lean to's and like, I know I've heard people doing unsupported temps and they use the lean to's, but I was told on email threads that I couldn't use the lean to's. So I used my tent every day, um, even even when I was pouring rain and everything was soaked, still used my tent. I had a sleeping bag. I don't use a blowout mattress, which I really regret. Um, I, I just was sleeping on a phone pad, but what ended up happening, Jeff was, uh, my backpack was just weighed so much and I never did a trail with this kind of climbing and descending, um, like that much anyways. And what ended up happening was like, man, after like day four, day five, I remember like I'd, I'd go to like lay in my, my sleeping pad there in my tent and my hips with robbing, like, throbbing till about 12, one in the morning and then I wake up at 4 a.m. every day and start by 5.

20:27So like I wasn't getting good sleep because, because I was just so uncomfortable. So like honestly, I'm kind of done with the whole sleep pad thing. I'm definitely going to get a blowout mattress next time and try to be a little bit, uh, you know, just focus on the sleep a bit more, um, because I didn't sleep blow at all on this trip. It was, it was terrible, but I still got dressed. Like I usually stop around seven o'clock and then start by 5 a.m. So it's like, even though I was a sleeping, I still got some recovery, um, battery banks. I brought probably a bit more than I need it because I thought I was going to document a bit more, um, but all I did, I made a YouTube video. It was just like me basically just kind of documenting the highs and lows. Uh, I didn't do too much. So I ended up making a lot more phone calls out there, which is kind of nice. Called my wife a lot. So I brought like 40,000 in the lamp, like two, 20,000 battery banks. Um, which again, I don't regret because like, you know, you got to dock if you want to try and go for the FKT, you got to make sure you watch this charge. You got to make sure your garments charged, you know, and, and so I, I was like calling my wife, maybe like a fair, probably an average of like an hour and a half a day, like just to call her twice and just kind of just shoot the show there while I'm moving, um, because we had service out there for most of the trails.

21:28That was kind of nice. Um, what else? Uh, I brought it. Well, let me just, you know, one, one shirt, one shorts, one underwear. I barely wore my socks. I had one pair of socks, but they did, they, uh, every time, like, I don't like wearing socks when they're damp or even wet. If they're dry, fine, I'll wear them. I like, if, if I just find the socks really wreck my feet, so I just go no socks usually, um, lucho tape, I, one roll, lucho tape, uh, and then some Vaseline and yeah, I just, you know, all this is all the gear to, to make sure you can move that kind of distance. Um, rain gear. Yeah. I use the Durston. I use the Durston backpack 55 Kaka. Um, I, I'm a big fan of that backpack. I had a previous backpack on, on the Bruce Trail, um, and I won't drop the name there, but basically, what ended up happening with that backpack was like, it would not stay tight. Everything kept loosening. So I ended up happening. It was day four. My whole back got shaped up and like, there's a picture that I post all the time, but like, I had to tape my own back because like the backpack was just constantly rubbing on my

22:30skin. So the Durston, like, um, there's no like mesh, there's no like air gap in between the backpack. Like it just kind of like, it's just sits right on your back, but I mean, do your back sweaty anyways. And what I like about it is I could really refund it. So that is really tight to my back and it's not going anywhere. So, um, there's that, uh, for rain gear, I was, I brought rain pants and rain jacket. I'm not going to do that again. I'm probably just going to get a poncho next time. Um, it's something I could go over the backpack because like the backpack, whenever, whenever it's pouring rain out the backpack, as you know, like when it gets wet, it, it adds more weight. It gets waterlogged. You know, it's shit gets soaked and wet in there. And it's not everything's all in a trash bag and everything's all the block bags. Things they dry, but the backpack itself and the other things get wet. And it's just a, it just adds more weight. So, um, I'm going to get a poncho next time. I think that's going to be the way to go. So, uh, yeah, I didn't, in terms of gear, it wasn't much, but like, you know, my, my base weight was still not the greatest. Still could have been lighter. I think it was just like, while with, with the bit over a liter of water, um, it was like

23:33close to 20 pounds. So, it's like, it wasn't, it wasn't great, but I, I'm still learning. I'm still getting, I'm still trying to collect a new gear and get better gear. So, it's like, you know, I'm just, there's no perfect time. You know what I mean? You just get out there and do the best you can. Yeah. And I think that's a really cool part of your story too is like you start and then like scared to, we talked about panic attack. Uh, last time you were on and it's just like you progressed so far and, you know, your attitude and mentality of like, yeah, still not perfect. And I have the same thing like, and I always tell athletes, I coached to it. It's like, no one's ever run or done a perfect FKT or race over, I don't know, probably 50 miles or something where it's like, there's always something you can improve. And that mentality, I think is, is how you build, stay in this sport and improve too. Because if you're looking for perfect, you're always going to be disappointed in these attempts. I remember like after the Bruce trail, like I called my coach Ray and I'm just like, fuck, I'm like, my shoe was falling apart. My backpack was falling apart. I was like, I was all pissed and I'm like, you know, like even my water filter, he told

24:35me to get this hand pump. I'm like, so that was, that was taking me too much time. And he's like, code, he's like, relax. He's like, you finished it. And it's like, that's a flawless execution. He's like, like, shit's going to go wrong. No matter what when you're out there for that long. So it's like, after he said that to me, I'm like, you're right. So it's like, you know, if things go wrong, it's just like that's part of the adventure. You know, it's part of the story. So yeah. And that's the attitude you have to have because stuff does go wrong. And especially just sounding like when you laid down to go to sleep, I think I read like the first four or five days, your, your legs and hips and stuff. For it's so bad that rest was pretty rough. It was so rough, man. And then obviously whenever you don't get rest for that many days in a row, it's like now you're, you're constantly like behind the eight ball with in terms of like, in terms of recovery. So it's just like every day. But the thing is too, man, once the sun comes up and it's the new day, so you feel like a new person. So I wasn't too bad. I hallucinate a little bit on trail, but like it was only like the last push where I started seeing clowns and stuff. And I'm just like, okay, I better shut it down.

25:36Yeah, describe the hallucinations. People love these stories. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I remember I was in, you remember this spot, I think it was called Devils Notch. It's like in the Northern section. Okay. I don't particularly. Anyway, it's like, it's like really like these massive rocks are like kind of like all put like they're stuck together and it's like you walk in between them. And it's kind of cool. It's a little section. It's like super long. But like I'm pushing, I'm listening to music, I'm like singing, I'm like, you know, having a good time. It's like it's late enough. It's not super late. I usually go for sleep and before doing it an overnight all night push, especially on these two week adventures because like I just do way better the next day. Like if I still have quite a bit of miles to do, it's like instead of dragging my ass for the entire time, I'm like, I'd rather just get to hours of sleep and then go for it after, you know. But yeah, I was like, it was getting late enough like 9, 10 o'clock. And I remember like looking up and I see like a clown like literally like just stay there in the smallest space. And then I looked up and looked y'all. And then I looked down and I kind of keep going and then I saw another one.

26:37I'm like, okay, it's time to shut it down. So I ended up rolled up my sleeping bag and you got a couple of, well, I stopped for actually four hours. And but the first two hours, my toes were just tangling and like they fell numb and I'm like, I was like my toes are in pain and then they went away and then I got two hours of sleep, woke up at 2.30 and then just gave her back home. But I remember like right away, I'm like descending off this little mountain and I freaking fell and then cut my hand really bad. I'm bleeding down here. It's like three in the morning. I'm like, God, nice little last kiss from the long trail. Yeah. How many times do you think you fell out there? Oh, dude, dude, it was like, I remember like one of the falls. It was just like, this is how pathetic it was. I was like, I remember I was descending. I was getting close to Mansfield. I was like descending on one of the mountains before trying to make my climb up to Mansfield. And I remember like, I like, I like want to jump on this rock. But at the same time, my left foot kicked a rock onto this rock and then like on my right

27:38foot, stepped on that rock and then I went, my, my, my feet went way over my head. I just felt right on my back. But I'm like, you know, if they got you wear a massive backpack because every time I fell, it's like, you're always laying on your back pack. So it's like, you always got that cushion, you know, so like, but I just remember it was just like, I remember looking at the rock. I think you gotta be kidding me. So bad. Oh, so bad. But like, probably honestly, nowhere to the lie, like 20 times a day, the first four or five days, just because again, man, it was like very technical, very wet. The backpack's so heavy. Like, you know, you're kind of like, you're going down the mountain and then the moment it's kind of bringing you and all of a sudden you slip on something and you're just right down to the ground. And so yeah, I was cut up, I was cut up quite a bit. But and then I remember like even, even on the way back, I'm like, I'm in the north section again, but you know, I'm backpacks laid on, I should be fine. I won't fall nearly as much. Still fell a lot. No, no injuries from the falls though. No, no, it's pretty, pretty lucky, man.

28:40I've been again, and that, that's what I'm saying. It's just like, you know, even though you, you mentally, you could be like, I could do this. Like, you know, you could do it. You could do anything. Anything could happen out there. It's like one bad fall, one twisty ankle. So that's why I went into this a lot more humble and I definitely didn't go there in there with an ego. It was just like, okay, anything could happen, you know, and it is, it will be what it will be sort of thing. So yeah, that's such a healthy mentality to go into it with. Was there anything that you took that you wish you hadn't or anything that you didn't take that you wish you had out there? I wish I brought more caffeine gum. The caffeine gum was frigging. I was wondering about that. That's hardly any for me. Yeah. So like, well, each day, the 50 milligrams was fine, but the last push, I kept a couple for the last push, but I remember, like, dude, I remember, I think it was day 17 in the morning. I woke up and you just know you're getting, you're getting closer. I just, I was on the other side of Mansfield. So I had like a hundred K left and I remember waking up in the morning and I'm just like,

29:41I was like, I could take a dirt nap and I just just got up, but I could still take a dirt nap right now. I popped 100 milligrams of gum there and that carried me for pretty far. But now I only had like another hundred grams of, a hundred milligrams out of caffeine gum left. So I was just like kind of savoring it and I was waiting for like one to use it sort of thing. So I wish I brought more caffeine gum for sure. And they weigh light. They don't weigh anything at all. So if anything, I would have maybe brought 100 grams per day and then for the last push I'd have like quite a few more. Because you know, I could have maybe pushed it the overnight. I felt pretty strong, but it was just like, but I was tired. So I just, I opted for the sleep, but caffeine gum maybe would have helped that. And then honestly, man, like I used all my wet wipes. I didn't have one left. I used all my battery bank. I used all my food. So it's like, it's so funny because like you pack for 16, you pack for nearly nearly a month. And it's just like the fact that you could, that's, you could pull something like that

30:42off. Sometimes I just like, I laugh. I'm like, how the fuck, how do I do that? Yeah. Yeah. Just like, how did I do that, so yeah, I don't know about it. It's just like, maybe the only thing I would have, like I said, is just the bullet mattress and then maybe the poncho. I think that would be the only two things I'd probably switch out. But everything else, like I got the semi-free standing tent there from Nemo Hornet Elite there. And I like those tents because they, you don't need a very big foot space, footprints there. Like you kind of set up tent anywhere. Because I was looking at some of these like other tents there, like the ones that are being held up by trekking poles and stuff. And like you need this massive foot print. And I'm like, I don't know, man, I think my tent, I think my setup was pretty good. Yeah. And yeah. So, so what I'm curious, especially on that point, like, how does it feel when you're about to start this thing? Are you like, I hope I have enough food, I hope my plan works. Like, are you nervous? Is your brain going 100 miles an hour? And then what's your story? Yeah, I mean, like, exhale.

31:43I was pretty, I was pretty like, I was dialed this year. But then like last minute, I was like, I was like on chat GBT and I'm just like kind of asking some questions. And I'm like, then I realized, I thought it was like kind of like the same around the same amount of elevation gain as the IAT. Let's just say if it was 650K on the long trail, it was the same amount of elevation gain as the IAT. But then they were like, no, it's actually 15% more climbing. I'm like, oh shit, okay, I'm thinking of myself. I'm like, okay, maybe this might be a little longer than expected. Then I'm like kind of doing the math and I'm like, I was very close, man, I was this close to packing more food, more nutrition. But I'm like, man, I can't do that. Because like last year, I was like, I was stressed packing last minute. Next day, you know, I had an extra three pounds in my backpack. So I was just like, I was like, again, I was like, it will be what it will be, you know what I mean? And then like, and then before the adventure, I just like made sure I ate pizza, I ate hamburgers, I was eating all the friggin food. They're just a fat meal. So yeah, I was pretty dialed. That was pretty good. I have to say I was really calm before this one.

32:44There was just a short moment there where I was like running my my foster chat, which is sometimes, you know, it could be not a good thing to do. Yeah, totally. It's a you never know what kind of answers you're going to get. And yeah, exactly. Kind of on that front, how do you pace or how did you plan out or even guess how long something like this was going to take you? I just like, because like on the IAT, I average like 50 K a day, 30 miles. And I knew that one. I knew that trail. It was still a lot of climbing, but in the navigation was hard. And then I knew this trail here with an navigation be easier, it'd be a little bit more climbing. But I also knew as like a bit of stronger athlete and I got a bit more experience and stuff. So I just kind of figured it would be like around 30 miles because like dude, I went out to the long trail. I did like maybe one weekend out there. I didn't I was totally new to long trail. I scoped out Mansfield, like just a short little 15 kilometer section. And then I did all camel's hump state park. I did that in one day.

33:45But that was it. I basically just kind of like just went in there pretty blind, I'd say. But again, just from like what I was hearing from other athletes, you know, I was like kind of reading up on FKT reports and stuff. I'm like, I was like, yeah, I think I could average 30 miles a day. And I was kind of right on it, man. Like I started off the first first day was like a 37 kilometer day. I started at 8 a.m. Day two was a little bit easier. The train I found it was like a little bit more flatter. Like there's still a lot of climbing, but it was like a little bit more easier train where I was just able to kind of find momentum. But then day three day four, we're again, hard days and there were 37 kilometer days again. So I went into it knowing that in the beginning, I was going to be behind the eight ball a bit. I knew that was going to be the strategy. I couldn't just be banging out 30 miles right away. Because in the past, I would do that. I would start off the three 30 in the morning and banging out these big days. But like then you're kind of like your body, it's a shock to the body.

34:48All of a sudden all these issues and all these problems kind of happen. And then now you're troubleshooting right from the beginning. So like this year, I was like, you know what, like B okay was starting later, B okay with getting less miles, B okay was like finishing earlier and then make up for it whenever you start your backpack as a little lighter and you get to the easier stuff. And yeah, like once I got to the south, once I got to the like the last 100 miles where it connects the Appalachian Trail, I was so consistent. I think I was banging, it's 55 K. I don't know what that is in miles. I think it's like 33 miles or something. Yeah, I'm right around there. Yeah, so I was banging out like every day was the exact same number for like six days in a row. And then on the in the north, I was banging out 30 miles, like consistently every time. So I was I'm super consistent out there. That's one thing I got to say, like I'm maybe not be the quickest athlete, but like I wake up before I started 5 a.m. and I finish at 637 o'clock and I'm banging out the same numbers every single day. So I had one day where I was very close pitching out my 10 because I was dropping the hypothermia,

35:52but I just kind of kept moving and I just drank a lot of water and I was very happy I didn't stop because like then the rain held off and then I was fine for the day. So what's that? What's that story, the hypothermia story? Well, so I woke up in the morning and I remember like I was just like I knew I knew there was going to be two days really. I from what I heard in the self-section, there's like there's two days going to be Sunday and Monday it's going to be pouring rain. It's like they're talking about like friggin' what was it? Like four inches and total or something like that. So I knew there's going to be a lot of rain. The one day I it actually was nice the entire day so I was very grateful. The next morning I'm like okay here it comes. And I remember like I brought like these ponchos, these little cheap ponchos too, a little plastic poncho. So I put that on and I'm moving and I'm like kind of like you know I'm like, yelling and screaming and just having fun. You know it's trying to be kind of make the whole situation a little bit lighter by just kind of just being a goof. And then I remember all of a sudden like then it started kind of getting real because

36:57I started getting a little cold. So then all of a sudden I put my rain jacket over the poncho and then I had like a little marina wool hat and gloves. I put that on. And then I remember just like and I'm moving and I remember I just like I started kind of getting like the jitters and I was like, oh shit. Like here we go. So but then you know whenever you start dropping a hypothermia it's like you like a lot of times what people don't do is they don't hydrate and they don't eat. So it's like you got to make sure you're hydrating and eating because that's going to help your body, your internal system kind of stay warm, you know, keep everything moving properly. So like but then whenever you filter water you got to stop, you got to put your hands in the cold water. So it's just like you got to be quick you know. So it was just it was just like a real like it's just an eye opener being like you know it's like okay like you know this might happen and you have to be okay with if it gets if it goes if it's if she goes out you have to like set up your tent and get in there and get warm and drink warm water whatever but like I just kind of kept pushing through because it wasn't that bad yet like I've definitely experienced hypothermia before.

37:58I was like let's just say it was like I was knocking on the door of hypothermia you know I wasn't there yet. So so I kept going and then but then it like I said it stopped that day and and then that night I there was this guy I forget his name now he's I think he's pretty well known in the community but he was going for the FKT the one way going so found but I remember like I was up on top of this mountain and he looks at me and he's like Cody and I'm like oh shit I'm like how's it going man he's like dude he's like you're crashing in this and that's like he took a picture of me. Was it Andrew Drummond? Was it you Drummond? Yeah yeah yeah so he was going the one way so I we end up having this nice little interaction together and then like as soon as we split we went to he went to the other way it poured rain that night and it was like I and I actually be because of that poor that rainstorm he ended up pulling the plug off that because I think his feet were just wrecked from that from that rainstorm it was just dude the trails man like I remember at one point there were like up in my ankles the water like it was just like your your feet were totally

39:00submerged in water so but again like the thing is like with what I was doing compared to him is that like I get to go in my tent and rest for eight hours he's like trying to push and he's like not sleeping stuff so it's like when you get what feet like that it's like you don't really have the time like I do to kind of get dried up and be able to kind of get prepared for the next day so they both have their own challenges you want to make and like what he did is very very insane and what I was doing is also insane but just like I get I get to have those moments of recovery so I think that's really important to be able to move the distance that I was able to move so totally yeah and so before zoom in out a little bit the other big question people have is how do you train for something like this how do you specifically train how did you get your body ready to to do this you mentioned kind of possibly gaining some weight on purpose but what did you do as far as like fitness and getting ready for such a crazy thing starting with 51 pounds yeah dude it's crazy man because like I don't everyone always ask me that but I'm like I don't have a crazy training plan like I I actually like so I used to be really big and I'm still

40:04big in a weight training but like I actually took a I took it since March didn't even touch a weight I was just doing calisthenics I would go to the Adirondacks usually I like like whenever spring time comes around I'll start going the Adirondacks and just doing like some bigger bigger days and nouns but the one thing I really I did this year which was really proud of too was I went to I we did the Bob Marshall Traverse and we did as a yo yo I had a buddy named Shepp oh yeah yeah yeah shepp shepp's a great guy we never met each other and and we he's been kind on my radar and he and I've been on his radar and I'm like hey dude I want to do this project I'm like you want to come fly down do it with me so we ended up doing this Bob Marshall actually we ended up getting a trail sign made let me see that up there over the stick oh cool yeah so we had a buddy with the anyways we so we did this Bob Marshall it was it's a hundred K and it had like 35,000 feet of climbing but but shepp flew down and that was one month before I started the long trail so that was a really nice way to kind of get primed up for this I it was like like I

41:06said it was a 40 hour push to all nothing but mountains um shepp was really humbled he's just like dude he's like this is insane he's like this is the hardest 100K I've ever done he he flew down here being like we'll be done like 30 hours or something I'm like I was like yeah right I was opting to like pull out the the the the tense and getting a little sleep and stuff but then he kind of pushed me to being like no I think we should do one like one push and I'm like okay like I'm okay with that too but when it ended up happening there was um he dude he ended up getting like heat stroke we were like getting like on the weather network being like stay inside like don't be outside it's too hot like it was insane hot I don't I do well with heat I do really well with the heat actually um shepp was dying and he ended up like we ended up getting a two hour nap in it like we're two in the morning but he like spilled out his guts there in front of one of the lodges and woke up a bunch of people and it was so funny but anyways uh all that to say that was uh that was kind of like my I guess like my peak in terms of training was getting that ball martial done and then uh then I scoped I took a couple weeks where I had to kind of um get back uh to

42:10feel 100% again went and scoped out the long trail I went my wife we just kind of did a couple sections and then yeah it took another couple weeks and then went out and did the thing so I there's nothing I think honestly man it's just like when you do something that big it's just like you get in shape when you're out there you know what I mean like obviously you have to stay in shape you're around like I and that's not a problem for me I'm always going to gym I'm always staying in shape I like there's nothing where it's like I'm going out doing uh you know um 100 mile races to prepare for something like this it's like no man it's it's all in between the years um as long as you stay in shape as long as stay healthy um you eat when you're out there it's like you know you just get in shape um your body will adapt with the daily movement so yeah I I totally agree I think you can't train for something like this by doing something like this so you just have to get in shape as it goes right it's like it's like how do you train for a 17 day adventure it's like I don't know you go for 15 days but yeah but then your your body be cooked so you want to just have done the 17 exactly like like I used to be like whatever I first

43:12gotten to the fitness stuff in 2020 like I was a big David Gogga's fan I'm like like the lot of people got it a lot of people got into ultra enough because of David Goggan so love them they're hate them these are the big reason why I got into this um so my mindset in the beginning was just like keep trading keep working you know what but like dude the older I get I'm like man that's not the way to do it dude it's like you got to gotta be smart you want to be going if you want to go into your A-goal project you want to be going into it healthy you don't want to be going into it banged up like the Bruce Trail I was sovertrained I had blisters on my feet before even starting the Bruce Trail you know what I mean like I was just like I was because I didn't know if I could do the distance so I'm like I was doing these massive projects massive weekends like and just for training I wasn't going outside in FKT so I was doing it because I was just like I don't know if I could do this and now I know I could do the distance so it's just like yeah it's just just both staying healthy you know yeah totally so just out of my curiosity what kind of calisthenics do you do um like pistol squats I do like a like I have this like little outdoor gym

44:14um here in Cornwall and it's just got like these monkey bars and the guy like like the shoulder press thing and just all kind of body weight stuff and um tons of core I do I focus a lot on core but yeah like walking lunges like nothing crazy man just just things there that are just basic and and that's kind of like that's just something I I want to do to keep the weight off because when it up happening was on the IAT I did so much strength training that I was like up at 180 pounds and I just found those two heavy for me I like I'm 5'7 I was 180 and I just felt like I was a little more sluggish up on the on the climbs and whatnot so I want to kind of keep my body weight down to like 165 170 and I just found calisthenics like I do it I just found like I wasn't as tight like you know like even my shoulders my back and everything like I'm able to do these pull-ups and I'm like I just feel so much better you know like yeah maybe I'm not as bulky I'm not as like strong as I once was but I feel way more athletic so um now that I'm home I'm actually I want to get more into like swimming I want to get more into like I'm so I'm gonna get back onto the weight training

45:15but just like be a bit more explosive and and try to train more like an athlete as opposed to just I kind of had a bit of an ego year where I was just like I got that man strength and I like I kind of clicked and all of a sudden my bench numbers went through the roof my dead lift went through the roof so I'm just like pushing all this heavy weight but then I'm like but then springtime comes around on now I'm sure I got to drop all the weight because I'm trying to get into my adventure stuff so it's like I can't be doing this back and forth your weight it's like you got trained for what you're what you're currently doing so yeah it's it's nothing crazy I'm not I'm not reinventing the wheel here it's just just kind of keeping daily movement in the in the picture and that's it man and I think that's a huge takeaway too I think it's when runners or endurance athletes here strength training and get into it they they almost adopt things that might be working against their goals as far as like there's everyone in the gym has different goals and if you're training like someone with a completely opposite goal is you and it maybe it's like a bench PR would be so far from what a runner needs to be aiming at but I do I was still fixed on my bench press for like so

46:18long I like I was two steady five like oh and I can I get this thing up and I'm like do what I'm doing it was your PR yeah it was 272 like yeah I'm five seven I was pretty I was pretty stoked about that but again it was just because like I got my my man strength you know I'm like 33 now and I just like things started clicking so I was just like my I spent like the whole winter just like hyper focusing on just getting so strong but again dude it's just like none of that matters like you know deadlifting 400 some pounds is not going to translate very well so you climbing up the mountain you know what I mean so yeah it's it's gonna be different it's gonna be different going forward for sure like I really really like just the body weight movements and I want to get into swimming I'm not a very good swimmer but I think that'd be really good for the hips and the joints and stuff so yeah I got a local pool here and just kind of get after it with that totally so when you think about unsupported and now you've done a lot of them how far do you think people can do unsupported adventures well I mean like look at our buddy James and hat there I gotta give him a

47:22shout out there he's definitely gonna be listening to this podcast but I think he just he he currently has like the longest FKT for unsupported so I don't know I just I think it depends on the terrain too like you know like what he did was it sounds like a lot a lot of road walking and a lot of like easier terrain and then what I did was just a shitload of climbing I think it just depends on the terrain really like I think for for what I just did if if the terrain was like that honestly man it's like if I had a bigger backpack and I had more food and I it was like longer I could have definitely went out for further for sure you know what I mean because like I don't know man it's just I had fun out there dude I had fun out there I mean I'm especially whenever I got when I connected the Appalachian Trail I that was my first time experiencing like the backpacking culture there and I was so impressed I was like I just like I was telling my wife I'm like there's all walks of life out here and I just I don't know yeah I just had so much fun I just like it kind of made me realize like not all this speed record stuff is like none of it really friggin matters

48:25you know what I mean it's just like I'm just doing this because like I'm having fun it's kind of whatever so not another notch in the belt belt but like just made me realize like like what matters most is like are you having fun you know I mean are you getting out there and experiencing the trails you know I mean I are well taken care of and and you know getting out with friends and going out and getting after like I just I don't know man I I really had a real wake up call out there I really just I just was I appreciated everything so much when I was out there yeah and I'm really asking there but well totally I totally I really agree with the aspect of like you're having an experience more than a record or something and and maybe the record is the catalyst to have that experience but I'm I'm so on board with like even the Appalachian Trail last year it was such a big focus on like I've done this trail before I'm getting to see these places again and just like this gratitude throughout that I'm even getting to attempt this and immerse myself in what we talked

49:26about the beginning of like this really clear goal which is like the compass needle points me in a direction and then from there I just get to have this experience that's so simple fulfilling and kind of connecting the mind and the body as you push and it do you do you experience that that same thing where it's like your personal reason is a lot different than the articles about you getting an unsupported record type thing well I mean yeah and like special when I was out there it just kind of made me realize more and more like dude I'm not out here saving lives I'm out here fucking walking a trail you know what I mean like I it's like it's like it's like it's not a big deal and I kept telling I kept telling myself that it's just like like dude like my my my wife is like her she just put her mom in a home there she has Alzheimer's and like her and her family got together and and worked their ass off to just be there for her mom for like two years before that even happened and I witnessed something that was like actually freaking hard you know what I mean and so like whenever I was out there and then you know it's like I'm calling my wife and you know

50:30she's still going to see your mom in the home and stuff and I'm just sitting there I'm like man yeah like I'm just I'm grateful to do these things I'm grateful to be able to go out and have fun and push my body the way the way I'm able to push it but like it really doesn't matter you know I mean it's just like it's just it's just I'm going I'm just having fun and it's just like like I said me I'm not saving lives out here so yeah what what else do you want to do in the future are the the wheels spinning in your brain for stuff yeah for sure I mean I definitely want to get more into like expedition style like you know what I wouldn't mind like like traversing through stuff where it's like there is no trail I a lot has to do with the inspiration my coach raise a hat I'm actually going to be doing a big project with him next year I'm not going to drop the trail name that we're doing but we're doing like a big 25 day project together so that's really cool because I invested a lot of money to go run with him in the anachoma desert in 2023 just to get to know him and then he's kind of coached me and mentored me ever since and I've checked off all the boxes that he wanted me to do so now he's looking at me as an equal and we're going out

51:34to do something big together and I'm super honored about that because hey man it's like I took my shot you know and I followed through with everything he said and and now we're going to do some together so I'm just kind of taking a year by year right now but I definitely I want it I want to make this as a career like I really I'm really going to try my hardest to be an athlete and try to be a pro athlete you know I give him my best shot anyways because like yeah right now right now I'm like I'm doing the athlete thing it's helping a lot with my coaching I'm doing like online coaching and coaching athletes so that's helping a lot with my credentials but it'd be really cool to you know obviously get some help from companies and stuff like that to do these things so I just I don't know man it's like you just gotta keep going it's like my time will come one day and maybe it might not be this year but maybe eventually it will it just gotta keep showing up so totally and that's the mentality a lot more of us need in the world nothing happens overnight usually not within a year and oftentimes not within five years but I think I heard a quote the other

52:36day it was like if you quit you have no chance but if you don't quit you still have a chance like it's like that simple yeah I mean and you know what I do it's like because like I was in a band and I was pushing my my original band back in the day like I'm so used to the grind I've been ground I'm 33 now and I've never like it's not like I made it you know me with my band okay we played some major festivals and I played for a few thousand people but like I was broke the entire time got out playing music because like I was sick and tired being broke and now I'm chasing this dream but like it's still a grind I know and I mean it's like I always look at things as like if you're gonna get into something give yourself 10 years you know what I mean 10 years man so like I ran my first ultra five years ago so like I'm kind of been in the game now for five years and what I've what I've done in the last five years I'm very very proud of but like you know it's like it's I'm still not I'm not a pro athlete here you know it's like I'm a Bradford Bruce trail like oh I really was gonna fall out of my lap it's like no no no no no no no no one gives a shit you know what I mean gotta keep showing up so yeah I think we I haven't talked enough to people about kind of the

53:40the mentor relationship how has that been and what do you gain beyond just the coaching from from Ray um like what is it like having a mentor like Ray and what yeah or like you yeah it started and then kind of what what is he helped you navigate or gain experience because I think that's the power of a mentor it's not just go run this or do this thing but it's also like giving you awareness of possible problems or ways to navigate things or mindset but yeah how has it helped you it's it's he's been constantly showing me that I'm capable doing it and we're all capable doing it like going into this trail like we got together and we went through my backpack and he was kind of giving me some tips and pointers on how to make my backpack a little bit more efficient um and you know packing my food and everything and putting elastic bands around it to take the air out um learning all these things from them constantly but like just being around him now it's like he's

54:40not really he's not telling me what to do in terms of training he's not really coaching me that much anymore it's just but him reassuring that like you've got this you want to be in like um and being around a guy that's done it before I think it's super important like someone that walks the walk and you know that's why I'm like really keen on doing that for myself like if I'm gonna be a coach I better be doing the things too you want to make if I'm gonna be coaching endurance athletes I better be kicking ass in the endurance world you know so um I look at Ray as uh you know he's a very he's a big inspiration to me and uh and he's he's showed me what possible what's possible man like I said in the adicom it desert 2023 I was like my whole goal because I was still in the david Gorgonzare I'm like I just need to run more so those are gonna sign up for a bunch of 100 mile races and I'm like and I remember Ray told me is like dude you is like if you want to make an impact in this world it's like you running a hundred mile races not gonna move the needle for you he's like you're not winning them he's like and you're not gonna get any faster I'm like and I was the reality check I needed I'm like you're right he's like but he's like you got a really really big engine

55:41he's like I would be looking into like these bigger projects and then that's where he brought up the Bruce trail and then so you know it's like he I didn't know anything about these trails I didn't know about the Bruce trail I didn't know about the it I didn't know about the long trail like I'm still frigging new to this whole sport you know what I mean so I'm still learning and and you know having a guy that does know about all this stuff and has been in it for 25 plus years it's like you really need that kind of you need those people in your life if you want to get somewhere quickly in life you got surround yourself with those people like when I was in the when I was doing the band thing what did I do I went on Kajiji I don't know if you're familiar with Kajiji but I like it was like a resume I had like this like me playing drums and I was shopping for bands and I remember like all of a sudden I'm like rehearsing with all kinds of people until I found the band Kajiji and then like I found the people that were really better than me but then they took me under their wing and then next you know I'm playing after deaf leopard and playing in these major festivals and stuff I'm like you surround yourself with the people that are doing the things that you want to do and I think once you latch on to those people you you stay on for dear life and you try to like just learn and just you know just keep your mouth shut and just learn man and that's

56:46that's where you're going to see success quick so wow that is I should end it there but I have a couple of fun questions we're gonna close out with instead that was really good but um and so I'm curious you get all this time to think and be out there probably sums with music some you're just not thinking about anything but did you have any like crazy thoughts or avenues or things that you did to entertain yourself out there oh man um let's see here I honestly like I don't know man it's I yeah I've got I don't know how to answer that one there's there's so many things you think about um it's funny how sometimes like I will like create like a conflict in my head where it's just like I had like a thing with my buddy that like didn't happen but all the sudden I'm mad at my buddy for like this thing that didn't happen and you know what I mean it's just like I know I'm like that I freaking out about that all this stuff is like dude they never happen what are you freaking out about you know what I mean like I because I remember like just for a quick example like I have I have one of my buddies that made me out of the trail and like I was picturing

57:51his dog jumping on me when I just finished and I'm completely gone to stuff and I'm like and I'm freaking out my buddy and then all of a sudden we had this big interaction and it was like it was not a good interaction because this dog jumping on me stuff but I'm like that never even happened he was even at the end of the trail when I finished I'm like you know what I mean it's just I don't know stupid shit like that but sometimes your mind just wanders and then you start laughing about it's like what are they thinking about you know it is so entertaining how the mind wanders that's why I wanted to ask like I'll just like end up talk trying trying to imitate famous people or accents or something and it's just like what am I doing but it's funny so yeah exactly yeah cool so so where can people find you and did you put out that video of kind of talking about the highs and lows of it is that I mean it's on YouTube I'm at Cody Taylor performance on everything you Instagram took talk YouTube the YouTube video is nothing crazy I just like I said man I tried to document as much as I could but it was so full on out there and I just I just documented

58:53basically like how I felt throughout the day and it was only maybe one sometimes one video a day and sometimes two or three but you'll see there's some days where I'm finishing I feel I look strong at the end but I'd say maybe like 25% of the nights I was definitely being a little bit you know there's certain moments there was just like your feet hurt and then like this is happening and that's happening but just keep moving man one foot in front of the other and somehow you get the job done so yeah okay and last question here what would you tell someone that has a goal that that scares them are they're nervous to go after um there's never you never can be a perfect time you just have to go out and do it and so what if you fail honestly you're just gonna you're gonna learn from the experience and you'll go back out and be stronger the next time so good well thanks for coming on this was great yeah man loved it thank you for listening to the show supporter sponsors John Jean garage grungee and if you want more content like this I write a sub-stack

59:54every week or two I put something out and you can come hang out with us at the end of the month in just a couple weeks we have Montana meltdown a fixed time race with a four hour option 12 hour in 24 hour option and it is extremely fun it's a one and a half mile smooth trail with an aid station so you're a little nervous about distance or you want to run a further next year this is a great entry point to try out some things also me and Allison have another podcast called free inside where you can just listen to some fun banter and we definitely go off the rails quite a bit and if you want to send in some early marriage advice or any other question comment concern funny thing you can send it to 5 4 1 9 0 3 8 0 6 5 we're gonna start building this interaction so thank you guys for listening I appreciate it it is fun to do these and even more fun you guys listen and support all these projects stay away my friends