In this episode of Momma Runs an Ultra (where a 50-something runner trains for her very first ultramarathon), I get a sharp reminder that not all training risks come from mileage or missed workouts. Sometimes, they come flying at you…in the shape of a sofa.

What starts as a routine 2nd long run on a rare, glorious stretch of sidewalk turns into a near-miss story I won’t forget: an unsecured couch launches out of a pickup truck and literally bounces towards me mid-run. It’s equal parts absurd, terrifying, and darkly funny, and it completely reframes my idea of what “staying healthy for race day” actually means.

Beyond the chaos, I reflect on the hidden hazards runners often overlook, like traffic patterns, loose dogs, and the false sense of safety in familiar routes. There’s also a candid look at my mindset: the adrenaline spike, the surprising calm afterward, and the realization that some risks are simply out of my control.

It’s a quick, entertaining episode with a serious undertone: even the most disciplined training plan can’t account for everything. So stay alert, expect the unexpected, and maybe don’t trust a double-wide sidewalk as much as you think you should.

How I Procrastinate

1. Sleep with Rock Stars, the Gen X Sleep Podcast
2. Country Fried Rock, Podcast Archives from 2009-2020
3. Music Playlists
4. Support This Podcast
5. Dive Bar Music Club, the Low Key, High Taste Happy Hour for Music Nerds

Chapters

1. 00:05 - Introduction to Ultra Marathon Training
2. 02:16 - The Bridge Incident
3. 03:26 - The Dangers of Debris
4. 05:25 - Adventures in Ultramarathon Training
5. 06:04 - Reevaluating Safety in Running

Recommended If You Like

ultramarathon training, first ultramarathon, running safety tips, couch to ultramarathon, running in South Carolina, elevation training for running, running with traffic, running hazards, podcast for runners, tips for new runners, avoiding running injuries, running in rural areas, dog safety while running, running routes, long run training, mental challenges in running, ultramarathon experiences, running infrastructure, safety while training, Momma Runs an Ultra

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:01.280 - 00:06:39.870

And what I did not consider was the fact that a sofa could possibly kill me. Welcome to Mama Runs an Ultra. I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s who decided to train for my very first Ultra marathon.

And this podcast is me saying all the things out loud of what the hell am I thinking?

So when I first was interviewing coaches for transitioning to my very first ultramarathon, one of the things that I made really clear was that my hope through training was to show up to the start line health. My second hope was to be able to finish in one piece.

And up until this weekend, I pretty much attributed all of those things to training and decisions over which I had full control. And what I did not consider was the fact that a sofa could possibly kill me. So let me back up if you're new to Mama Runs An Ultra.

I live about 15 minutes away from a small town and because I live out in the county, I live in a place where we have to take our own garbage to the dump. And it's a really flat place.

So trying to get enough elevation for my training without having to drive an hour and a half means I can basically run one bridge over the interstate or this one neighborhood with a man made dam. Either way, I'm getting like 25 to 35ft of elevation max in any one incline.

So it takes a lot to get the kind of elevation that I need to be properly prepared for my race.

So I didn't feel like driving out of town for my second of my back to back long runs this weekend and I thought I'll just go run the bridge, it'll be fine. And it's one of the few places in this area that has sidewalks. It's actually like a double wide sidewalk right there. Fantastic.

We don't have this sort of infrastructure around here, so it's a huge deal. I love running there, A, because it's convenient and B, sidewalks. Did I mention sidewalks?

So when I run, our South Carolina laws are that feet face traffic, wheels go with traffic, feet face traffic. Former teacher here. Like those little sort of mnemonics.

So I am fanatical about feet face traffic to the point where the people I run with are like, really all we're doing is crossing the street. So I am super, super particular about it.

And the only place in town where I do not follow that rule is on the bridge because it's a double wide sidewalk. Surely that's a place where you can go with or opposed to traffic as long as you're up on the Sidewalk.

And I have never given this a second thought until this weekend when I was at mile nine and a half of a ten mile run and I hear like a weird wooden sound and then honking and I could not figure out what it was. And all of this happened in a split second.

And I turned around and a ginormous black sofa was bouncing towards me on the sidewalk, on the road, back onto the sidewalk, back onto the road. Because sofas don't bounce in a predictable manner.

It had flown out of the back of a white pickup truck on the way to the dump who had chosen not to secure their load. Now this is an absolute pet peeve of mine. I live on the road that goes to the dump, so there is debris in our roads constantly.

And I don't just mean like a little 2x4 or, or a piece of sheetrock. I mean entire loads of garbage, cans full of yard waste, entire chopped up trees. There is stuff in the road constantly. It absolutely is my pet peeve.

Between that and the burning, those are probably the two things. Why, if I could move away from here, I would in a minute. People just have zero concern for other people around here.

It's all about whatever works for them at any given time. Just no thought for the greater good whatsoever. So, yeah, I was almost killed by a sofa yesterday on my run.

And had it bounced so it went like left, right, left, right, left. I guess had it bounced one more time to the right, it would have gone over the bridge of the interstate and killed someone down below.

So thankfully I was uninjured. I just found what my max heart rate is. No need to pay for an expensive test that didn't take much.

And then this idiot backs up down the hill into the lane of traffic to pick up his sofa. And when I mentioned this to a few friends, one of them is like, why didn't you say something to him? I was like, what am I going to say?

I probably would have ended up in jail because I would have been fist fighting some idiot in the middle of the road on the way to the dump. So no, I kept going and I got in my car and I went home.

But I never considered the fact that a sofa bouncing down the road might be the thing that takes me out and running. And can I tell you how mad I would be if I had actually been injured?

Anyway, I'd probably be on the news because of also getting arrested for going after the person. I don't know, I'm like, I'm like a hothead in the aftermath.

But at the time, like, first my heart rate spiked, truly probably the highest number I've ever seen. And then I was like, bizarrely calm to the point where I was, like, kind of concerned about myself because I was so calm.

So anyway, there's no point to this other than, yeah, watch out for flying sofas. They might take you out on your training for your first ultramarathon. I don't know.

And the weirdest part is right before that, I was a little bit shaken already because I went by, you know, the biggest concern where I run is loose dogs. And it's a huge problem where I live. My husband has been bitten multiple times. I've only been bitten once.

But we have a friend who was killed by a dog that the person's going, hey, sweet as it murdered her. So, like, I have zero patience for dogs who are not under the proper control of their owners at any given time around us.

And I went by this one house that had two dogs who were jumping higher than the fence.

And having had dogs who were fence jumpers in the past, it was clear that had those dogs decided to clear the fence and come after me, they very much could have. And they were not happy with me going by. So I was kind of on alert about the dogs right before this whole sofa thing happened. I don't know.

That was my main adventure from training for my first ultramarathon this past week.

I don't really want to go down the rabbit hole of, like, terrible things that have happened to y' all while you're running because that's not really helpful.

But I'm certainly going to reconsider my false sense of safety of running with the traffic on the double wide sidewalk, because, yeah, no, I guess I'm going to have to face them at all times now. Which means crossing a six lane road that doesn't have crosswalks. So this is why I run on the San. The same side.

I don't know, it'd probably just be easier to drive out of town to get these hills at least a lot less likely to get squashed by a flying sofa. I mean, it's funny, but it's not at all. Anyway, here's to safe travels and safe running for all of us.

I hope that this is the biggest blip on my radar as I continue training for my very first ultramarathon. No real questions this week, other than maybe things that y' all have taken for granted.

Running that you're glad you suddenly have to pay attention to, that would actually be quite helpful. To know because I really gave that double wide sidewalk a lot more credit for safety than it offered.

Best place to leave those comments is in the comment sect on whatever your favorite podcast app is. Thanks again to everybody who has left. A five star rating and a kind review in your podcast app takes less than 10 seconds.

It really helps other people, especially newbies to the ultra running space. Find this podcast. Cheers from Mama Runs an Ultra.

Mentioned in this episode:

Dive Bar Music Club, the Low Key, High Taste Music Podcast

A rotating cast of The Regulars gather to chat about the music they're currently listening to.

And what I did not consider was the fact that a sofa could possibly kill me.

Welcome to Mama Runs an Ultra.

I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s who decided to train for my very first Ultra marathon.

And this podcast is me saying all the things out loud of what the hell am I thinking?

So when I first was interviewing coaches for transitioning to my very first ultramarathon, one of the things that I made really clear was that my hope through training was to show up to the start line health.

My second hope was to be able to finish in one piece.

And up until this weekend, I pretty much attributed all of those things to training and decisions over which I had full control.

And what I did not consider was the fact that a sofa could possibly kill me.

So let me back up if you're new to Mama Runs An Ultra.

I live about 15 minutes away from a small town and because I live out in the county, I live in a place where we have to take our own garbage to the dump.

And it's a really flat place.

So trying to get enough elevation for my training without having to drive an hour and a half means I can basically run one bridge over the interstate or this one neighborhood with a man made dam.

Either way, I'm getting like 25 to 35ft of elevation max in any one incline.

So it takes a lot to get the kind of elevation that I need to be properly prepared for my race.

So I didn't feel like driving out of town for my second of my back to back long runs this weekend and I thought I'll just go run the bridge, it'll be fine.

And it's one of the few places in this area that has sidewalks.

It's actually like a double wide sidewalk right there.

Fantastic.

We don't have this sort of infrastructure around here, so it's a huge deal.

I love running there, A, because it's convenient and B, sidewalks.

Did I mention sidewalks?

So when I run, our South Carolina laws are that feet face traffic, wheels go with traffic, feet face traffic.

Former teacher here.

Like those little sort of mnemonics.

So I am fanatical about feet face traffic to the point where the people I run with are like, really all we're doing is crossing the street.

So I am super, super particular about it.

And the only place in town where I do not follow that rule is on the bridge because it's a double wide sidewalk.

Surely that's a place where you can go with or opposed to traffic as long as you're up on the Sidewalk.

And I have never given this a second thought until this weekend when I was at mile nine and a half of a ten mile run and I hear like a weird wooden sound and then honking and I could not figure out what it was.

And all of this happened in a split second.

And I turned around and a ginormous black sofa was bouncing towards me on the sidewalk, on the road, back onto the sidewalk, back onto the road.

Because sofas don't bounce in a predictable manner.

It had flown out of the back of a white pickup truck on the way to the dump who had chosen not to secure their load.

Now this is an absolute pet peeve of mine.

I live on the road that goes to the dump, so there is debris in our roads constantly.

And I don't just mean like a little 2x4 or, or a piece of sheetrock.

I mean entire loads of garbage, cans full of yard waste, entire chopped up trees.

There is stuff in the road constantly.

It absolutely is my pet peeve.

Between that and the burning, those are probably the two things.

Why, if I could move away from here, I would in a minute.

People just have zero concern for other people around here.

It's all about whatever works for them at any given time.

Just no thought for the greater good whatsoever.

So, yeah, I was almost killed by a sofa yesterday on my run.

And had it bounced so it went like left, right, left, right, left.

I guess had it bounced one more time to the right, it would have gone over the bridge of the interstate and killed someone down below.

So thankfully I was uninjured.

I just found what my max heart rate is.

No need to pay for an expensive test that didn't take much.

And then this idiot backs up down the hill into the lane of traffic to pick up his sofa.

And when I mentioned this to a few friends, one of them is like, why didn't you say something to him?

I was like, what am I going to say?

I probably would have ended up in jail because I would have been fist fighting some idiot in the middle of the road on the way to the dump.

So no, I kept going and I got in my car and I went home.

But I never considered the fact that a sofa bouncing down the road might be the thing that takes me out and running.

And can I tell you how mad I would be if I had actually been injured?

Anyway, I'd probably be on the news because of also getting arrested for going after the person.

I don't know, I'm like, I'm like a hothead in the aftermath.

But at the time, like, first my heart rate spiked, truly probably the highest number I've ever seen.

And then I was like, bizarrely calm to the point where I was, like, kind of concerned about myself because I was so calm.

So anyway, there's no point to this other than, yeah, watch out for flying sofas.

They might take you out on your training for your first ultramarathon.

I don't know.

And the weirdest part is right before that, I was a little bit shaken already because I went by, you know, the biggest concern where I run is loose dogs.

And it's a huge problem where I live.

My husband has been bitten multiple times.

I've only been bitten once.

But we have a friend who was killed by a dog that the person's going, hey, sweet as it murdered her.

So, like, I have zero patience for dogs who are not under the proper control of their owners at any given time around us.

And I went by this one house that had two dogs who were jumping higher than the fence.

And having had dogs who were fence jumpers in the past, it was clear that had those dogs decided to clear the fence and come after me, they very much could have.

And they were not happy with me going by.

So I was kind of on alert about the dogs right before this whole sofa thing happened.

I don't know.

That was my main adventure from training for my first ultramarathon this past week.

I don't really want to go down the rabbit hole of, like, terrible things that have happened to y' all while you're running because that's not really helpful.

But I'm certainly going to reconsider my false sense of safety of running with the traffic on the double wide sidewalk, because, yeah, no, I guess I'm going to have to face them at all times now.

Which means crossing a six lane road that doesn't have crosswalks.

So this is why I run on the San.

The same side.

I don't know, it'd probably just be easier to drive out of town to get these hills at least a lot less likely to get squashed by a flying sofa.

I mean, it's funny, but it's not at all.

Anyway, here's to safe travels and safe running for all of us.

I hope that this is the biggest blip on my radar as I continue training for my very first ultramarathon.

No real questions this week, other than maybe things that y' all have taken for granted.

Running that you're glad you suddenly have to pay attention to, that would actually be quite helpful.

To know because I really gave that double wide sidewalk a lot more credit for safety than it offered.

Best place to leave those comments is in the comment sect on whatever your favorite podcast app is.

Thanks again to everybody who has left.

A five star rating and a kind review in your podcast app takes less than 10 seconds.

It really helps other people, especially newbies to the ultra running space.

Find this podcast.

Cheers from Mama Runs an Ultra.