Summary

Dive into the surprisingly emotional side of endurance events, including those finish-line tears you swear you didn’t see coming. I share my own journey as a runner, from picking up the sport late in life during the pandemic to reflecting on my very first half marathon back in 2013, when I had absolutely no clue what proper nutrition or hydration meant for long-distance running. Spoiler: I still finished with a police escort…and then promptly burst into tears.

As it turns out, that post-race emotional roller coaster is more common than you’d think. Throughout the episode, I talk about what those big feelings can teach us, especially as I train for an ultra marathon and face all the physical and emotional challenges that come with pushing past your limits. Join me as we explore why endurance running can hit us right in the heart, and maybe think about your own “Wait, why am I crying?” moments along the way.

Links

• Music Playlists
• Sleep with Rock Stars, the Gen X Sleep Podcast
• Dive Bar Music Club, the Low Key, High Taste Happy Hour for Music Nerds
• Country Fried Rock, Podcast Archives from 2009-2020
• Support this Podcast

Chapters

• 00:05 - The Journey to Running an Ultra Marathon
• 01:15 - Reflection on Past Races and Nutrition Insights
• 02:17 - Preparing for the Half Marathon
• 03:28 - The Emotional Finish: Understanding Runner's Highs and Lows
• 03:59 - Navigating Emotions in Training
• 05:13 - Understanding the Unexpected in Ultras

Recommended If You Like

ultra marathon training, running after 50, beginner running tips, hydration for runners, nutrition for endurance athletes, emotional reactions in running, running races experiences, running logs and progress, preparing for a half marathon, runner's mental health, running and tears, running fasted, fueling for long runs, unexpected race moments, running advice for seniors, overcoming running challenges, running playlists, running community support, sharing running stories, ultra marathon preparation

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.720 - 00:05:37.190

And then I completely burst into tears. Hey, y', all, thanks for finding Mama Runs an ultra. I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s, training for my very first ultra marathon.

So I was telling y' all that I didn't really start running until the pandemic. And that's true, but not true, because I didn't start running regularly until then.

But I ran off and on for the decade before that, starting back with that three miles, three days a week that I used to do that I mentioned in an episode a while back. Well, I was trying to see what my progression has been over the half marathons that I've done over the years.

And apparently I did a race back in 2013 that I completely forgot about. I have no memory whatsoever of running this race, but there's photos, so clearly I did it. It's absolutely, definitely me.

And I still have the outfit, so it didn't even go that badly. I went back through my running logs and there it was, all my notes, everything that happened, that.

And to this day, I have no memory whatsoever of running this particular race. But after reading my notes to myself, I remembered the one thing that happened that day.

The second I crossed the finish line, I absolutely burst into tears. So we'll come back to that. Because back in 2013, I had no idea about either hydration or nutrition on a run. I had never had a gel ever in my...