Mindset focus in music and in ultramarathons.
Dave Brimhall grew up in Montana but ended up in Kansas City. He and his wife came to Kansas City to work with the Kansas City Symphony. He played professionally as part of the orchestra.
He started in junior high school, with a small team of athletes, and he was the guy who ran the mile. In college he ran as a way to balance the effects of sitting in a chair for hours on end, playing an instrument. And, like most runners, he enjoyed the benefits and started running more.
Road running was Dave’s starting point, but when he was near age 30 he discovered trail running. Trail running became more mainstream when the book Born to Run was published.
He goes back to Montana with his family in the summer and is able to run on mountain trails. He hung a huge map of the area on the wall of his in-law’s garage. When he runs on a new trail, he marks his route on the map with a red marker. He also uses the map to plan his adventures as well as look for the places he can filter water from the streams.
He doesn’t worry about keeping a certain pace or watching the stats of his runs. He takes time to appreciate the beauty of the mountains and the joy of being there. He’s not driven by data, but he does keep on track with his training. And he mixes his training about 50/50 between roads and trails.
His first ultramarathon was after he moved to Kansas and did the Brew to Brew run. It’s a 45 mile race from Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City to the Free State Brewery in Lawrence, KS.
After that he settled on the 50K distances and ran several races a year for a few years. His first 100 mile race was the Prairie Spirit 100, a rails-to-trails course. The rails-to-trails races have the trade-off between flat (easier to run) and flat (repetitive motion for hours on end). It’s also mind-numbing. He also ran the Hawk 100 in Lawrence, KS, twice. He has some goal-races he’d like to do in the mountains.
His mindset focus he does comes from a musician’s angle, because in an orchestra they have a common mission to play beautifully. Dave says that every race is an opportunity to practice your mindset. Dave talks about music and says he believes that musicians’ awareness is heightened. Research shows that musicians trigger a lot of brain functions, that there are a lot of processes going on, that it’s not just one brain center, but the whole brain lights up right.
Dave says physical therapists are runners’ friends. He believes that from their perspective, they can help people be more proactive and not wait until something in their body breaks. He enjoys having someone come in with questions about the right ways to train. He favors strength training, but he says that often runners don’t understand the load they put on their body.
Dave is a big fan of weighted vests, he has a 15# one, he says that if you are going to put something on your back you have to be a little careful that it balances well.
His must-have gear is a good hat since he doesn’t like the sun in his eyes.
The weirdest things he has seen along the trails are some animals that scared him a little and people wearing strange costumes.
His philosophy of life is to have an open mind. We all have judgments, but try to step back and have open-minded conversations with other people.
Link to show notes for nutritionist Dana Eshelman
Connect with Dave:
Leave a Reply