Inspired by Refinery29’s Money Diaries and The Cut’s Sex Diaries, welcome to The Runner Diaries, where we’re sharing a behind-the-scenes look into a week of training with runners of varying ages, paces and GPS coordinates.

This week, we have 31-year-old Chris Mocko, an accomplished marathoner and ultra runner who quit his tech job at Square earlier this year to pursue running full time. Below, he documents his personal Hell Week, the most grueling week of training (including 150 miles and more than 20k feet of vertical elevation gain!!) in his build-up to Western States, a 100-mile ultra marathon.

The Run Down

Name: Chris Mocko
Location: Mill Valley, California
Age: 31
Training For: Western States Endurance Run (100 miles), Ultra-Trail Mont Blanc
Occupation: Professional Runner
Following a training plan? Self-coached
Part of any running communities, clubs or training programs? Running Commissioner at The Olympic Club
How long you’ve been ‘a runner:’ Ultrarunner for just over a year, running since a toddler
Goal weekly mileage: 150 miles (this was not a typical week–generally 120-130mi/wk)

Runner’s Statement

In mid-February, I quit my tech job in Silicon Valley to pursue a career as a professional ultrarunner (you can read more about the decision here). I’ve been an avid runner for as long as I can remember, but began taking it more seriously in high school, was lucky enough to compete for the Stanford Cross Country and Track & Field teams, and then transitioned to road racing and marathons after graduation. Looking for a change of pace, last year I decided to focus on qualifying for Western States, the original 100 mile trail race. After competing last June, I was hooked and have spent the last 10 months preparing myself for massive improvements in my second running on June 24.

I’ve nicknamed this week of training as “Hell Week” as I expect it to be one of the most grueling weeks of training in my build-up to Western States. I plan to run 150 miles and climb more than 20k ft of vertical elevation gain, including 2 hard workouts and a 30+ mile long run followed by a 20+ mile secondary long run (you can read more about Hell Week here). Wish me luck! Continue reading “The Runner Diaries — Chris Mocko” →