The Next Big One Cometh

Mt. Gaoligong Ultra, Tengchong, March 2026. The race where I met my China crew chief, Vivian Lei.

Issue #8

Six months from now, in February 2027, I’ll set off on my next adventure: a run across the breadth of China, 3,270 miles from the Pacific coast to the Central Asian frontier. My goal is to run for 109 days and my route traces one of the most historical trade corridors — the Northern Silk Road.

Can you tell that I’m excited?

But, adrenaline alone won’t propel me on a mission as immense as this. 

The logistics involved are huge. Macro and micro planning to the nth degree. And I’m eating it all up!

A few important boxes have already been ticked. My crew chief will be 雷燏 Vivian Lei, who I met at the Mt. Gaoligong Ultra in March 2026. Like me, Vivian believes that the best way to understand a place is to move through it slowly, on foot, with nowhere to be but present. I believe that this partnership will be a good one.

Big thank you to Altra for sponsoring my transcon run with 15 pairs of Torin 9s (road) and Timp 6s (trail). In case you’re wondering, I average about 300 miles per pair.

But the most important detail in the mix — and my focus right now — is my fitness. How to train for a run that goes on and on and on? 

I know I can put one foot in front of another and run — that’s the easy part. But, how do I factor in all the other details that go into making a monumental mission like this possible? How to give myself the best possible odds to endure the greatest endurance adventure of my life? 

Having already completed a run across America in 2021 and across Europe in 2025, I do have some experience in this area. Lessons learned the hard way. 

When I traversed America, I let excitement get the better of me and went out too fast, too soon. A grade 3 stress fracture in my right tibia forced me to turn around and head home after 334 miles, heal, and then relaunch eight weeks later.

In Europe, I struggled once again with going out too fast and developing a stress reaction in my other tibia. Both times, I found myself at a crossroads, a moment of reckoning, during which I was able to figure things out, make the requisite adjustments, get back on the road, and finish the missions. 

Both times, I did it with the help of my family, friends and coach Lisa.

There are approximately 180 days to go until China, which sounds like a long time, but it’s really not in terms of preparing the body and mind. 

Coach Lisa and I are working on a weekly training schedule that involves about 50-60 miles per week of running and walking, pilates, stretching and strength work. I always train under my aerobic threshold, to avoid injury and burnout, and follow my Half-Full Way methodology that I detailed in newsletter #5. Those who read it will know that I measure a relaxed pace by asking myself, “Can I hold a conversation while I run? Can I listen to an audiobook and follow along?” If the answer is no, that’s my signal to slow down a bit or stop.

It really helps and reminds me of Lisa’s sage advice to athletes to always make the right choice, especially as we age.

Here’s a snapshot of last week’s workout schedule, which will develop and change over the months:

• Monday: 6 miles, easy pace, zone 1 + pilates. 

• Tuesday: 7 miles. Power walk 1 mile, then for 6 miles run at a relaxed pace with no walking. Stretch.

• Wednesday: Strength training + 6-mile walk at under 15 min/mile.

• Thursday: 8 miles. Run at a relaxed pace for 6 minutes, then power walk for 1 minute. Repeat. Stretch. 

• Friday: Pilates + 7 miles, zone 2 or at a 10-min/mile pace with no walking. Stretch. 

• Saturday: Hills for 14 miles. Alternate: Power walk up, run down at a relaxed pace. Stretch. 

• Sunday: rest day

Total Distance: 50 miles

Recommended Audiobook: James, by Percival Everett, winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, is a retelling of Huckleberry Finn from a slave’s perspective as he escapes and searches for family and freedom. Intense, inspiring, touching and historical. I also really enjoyed the narrator.

For those who want more on my training, Coach Lisa and I have decided to share the one-on-one weekly coaching conversations, which we will record. Stay tuned for an announcement on the first release of Lisa's Coaching Corner videos soon. Lisa is a legendary ultra athlete and unique trainer; I think anyone inspired to move, whether around the park or across the country, will be interested in her methods and philosophies.

Meanwhile, I’m really looking forward to my run across China and I hope you’ll follow along. Occasionally, I get lost in a fantasy that my feet will magically propel me forward as my mind gets completely immersed in the scenery, the food, and the people. But I know it’ll be anything but that, so onward with my preparation.

On a final note, I get asked, “What demons are out there, David? What are you running away from?”

I always like to tell them that I’m not running from anything, only running towards happiness.

China 2027, here we come!

3,269 miles from Nanhuizui Guanhai Park in Shanghai to Khorgos on the China-Kazakhstan border. 111,231 feet of elevation gain.

Please drop me a note, or comment in the section below with any thoughts and feedback.

Hope to see you on the road,

David.