Ego is the Enemy: Pro Ultrarunner Ian Sharman on Training Your Mindset

19 snips

Jan 16, 2025

Ian Sharman, founder of Sharman Ultra Coaching and an elite ultrarunner, shares insights from his impressive career, including a personal best marathon at 43. He discusses the mental challenges runners face, like handling pre-race excitement and avoiding the comparison trap on platforms like Strava. Sharman emphasizes the importance of a process-oriented mindset, focusing on training over outcomes, and learning to adapt to race conditions—showing that with commitment, age doesn't have to define performance.

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ANECDOTE

Unexpected Half Marathon PR

Ian Sharman aimed for a marathon PR year but faced logistical challenges.
His half marathon PR resulted from a last-minute marathon cancellation due to icy conditions.

ADVICE

Downhill Running Tips

Prepare for downhill races by incorporating hill training, even if you're a road runner.
Practice running by feel to adapt to varying course conditions instead of fixating on pace.

INSIGHT

Running by Feel

Running by feel is the most advanced skill and connects you with your body's signals.
It surpasses relying solely on external metrics like heart rate.

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Runners often struggle with mindset blocks, so let's tackle them together.

Ian Sharman is the founder of Sharman Ultra Coaching, a team of elite running coaches. He ran his personal best marathon of 2:21 at age 43, and a half marathon PR of 1:03 at age 44. Ian's won over 50 marathon+ races with at least one win every year for 19 (and counting) consecutive years.

Ian also holds the fastest time in a trail 100-mile race by a Brit at 12h44m, boasts the record for the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning (69h49m), has won the USATF 100-mile trail championship twice, and is a four-time Leadville Trail 100 Champion.

We talk about:

Ian’s training approach for his recent half marathon personal best
Running by feel and adapting to race conditions
Balancing ego and process in training
Comparison’s impact on training and performance
Racing mindset strategies
Handling pre-race excitement and execution

Send this episode to a friend who has a 2025 race so they can improve their mindset for it!

Links & Resources from the Show:

Ian on Instagram
Follow @sharmanian on Threads, Bluesky and X
Ian’s website: sharmanultra.com
Join to my upcoming live mental toughness training.

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