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 life.

At that point, I did not understand why people took gels. I have weird texture issues. I wasn't about to take a gel. And I was still in the world that thought you should quote, run fasted.

Okay, I'm not a nutritionist. I am not a registered dietitian, but if you are running fasted, this is not the podcast for you. We have nothing in common. Do your research.

Eyeball roll. Anyway, I didn't know. I had no idea. I did not know you were supposed to fuel a run.

I don't know if anybody really knew you were supposed to be fielding long runs at that point, but my method of preparing for that race was I did 16 mile long run. And evidently in my notes. And again, I have no memory of any this, but I have excellent notes.

Apparently I did this one six mile long run, which was a double path on a local rail trail, and that was it. That's all I did to prepare for this half marathon. I don't think I knew how long a half marathon was until I was in the middle of the race. So.

Because I had no idea. And not only did I have no idea what I was doing. I didn't know that. I had no idea.

I thought you would just go out there and do that and it would all be fine and everything would go well. So I had one small bottle of zero calorie electrolytes before the race, and that was it. Nothing during the race. No carb loading, no gels, nothing.

And according to my pace notes, I went out at my 5k pace for the time and then I walked the rest of the way, which totally valid, but I genuinely didn't know any better. Somehow I finished the race. And the reason there's so many pictures of me is because the police escort was right behind me. Yes.

I was the absolute last person to finish. I wasn't even mad about it. I was so lost, literally lost.

I didn't know where I was that I had no idea how far I'd gone, how much I had left when I was gonna get there. Nothing. No clue. So I wasn't even mad. It was kind of hilarious.

And so when I crossed the finish line and then unexpectedly burst into tears, I was mad because I wasn't sad. I wasn't angry. But then I'm, like, crying and can't make myself stop, and I don't even know why.

Well, in the years since then, I have learned that bursting into tears at a finish line is actually very, very. Has nothing to do with how well prepared you are. Although it can sometimes have to do with how much you have depleted yourself through the effort.

Happens to all runners and athletes of endurance events and other rigorous exercise. It can happen even in practice. I had no idea.

I thought I was, like, the only person that had ever experienced this of, like, tears of a clown, Just ridiculousness. Nope. Evidently, it happens.

So if you have never experienced bursting into tears for no reason, when you're not even mad or sad, it can happen to you, too. At a finish line. It is hard to be this cool, y'. All. So at this point in preparing for this upcoming ultra, I'm kind of. Of the.

Let's train for what we can and just roll with it for the things we can't train for. I've got a couple weeks left until my half marathon. That was part of the training plan before I ever decided to do this ultra.

So that's all rolling really well, feeling good about it, and then we got a little transition week, and then it is full on, and you can probably hear it. I'm a little nervous and a lot excited at this point, so I hope y' all enjoy my little music playlist. Obviously this one is Tears of a Clown.

I like a lot of different versions of that song, but I am partial to the one from the English beat or the beat depending on where you're from. And that's the one that's on my playlist. I link all that stuff in the show notes to these episodes for y'. All.

But I guess I'm wondering what are those things that I had no idea I should have expected that can happen, especially in regards to an ultra? Like, are there physical responses good or bad that you just you didn't expect and that you kind of couldn't control?

Like the bursting into tears for no reason. At this point I'm like, if I'm just running and crying, it's totally fine.

And I'm fully aware of like bathroom issues for whatever reason that just rolls with it doesn't bother me. I mean, I don't want it, but that's not something that mentally is going to disrupt me. Possibly physically, but not mentally.

What are crazy things that have happened to you on your ultras?

It's definitely looking like the easiest place to leave comments is there on YouTube or even just in the regular podcast rating and review section on Apple. That works really easily as well. You can be specific about it. I'll know what you're talking about.

I sure appreciate all those five star ratings and reviews and the follows in your podcast app. They make us play this game and your support really makes a difference. I sure appreciate it as I figure out why Momma runs an ultra.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sleep with Rock Stars

Sleep with Rock Stars, the Gen X sleep podcast. You deserve a good night's sleep...or whatever.

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.

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.

I had never had a gel ever in my life.

At that point, I did not understand why people took gels.

I have weird texture issues.

I wasn't about to take a gel.

And I was still in the world that thought you should quote, run fasted.

Okay, I'm not a nutritionist.

I am not a registered dietitian, but if you are running fasted, this is not the podcast for you.

We have nothing in common.

Do your research.

Eyeball roll.

Anyway, I didn't know.

I had no idea.

I did not know you were supposed to fuel a run.

I don't know if anybody really knew you were supposed to be fielding long runs at that point, but my method of preparing for that race was I did 16 mile long run.

And evidently in my notes.

And again, I have no memory of any this, but I have excellent notes.

Apparently I did this one six mile long run, which was a double path on a local rail trail, and that was it.

That's all I did to prepare for this half marathon.

I don't think I knew how long a half marathon was until I was in the middle of the race.

So.

Because I had no idea.

And not only did I have no idea what I was doing.

I didn't know that.

I had no idea.

I thought you would just go out there and do that and it would all be fine and everything would go well.

So I had one small bottle of zero calorie electrolytes before the race, and that was it.

Nothing during the race.

No carb loading, no gels, nothing.

And according to my pace notes, I went out at my 5k pace for the time and then I walked the rest of the way, which totally valid, but I genuinely didn't know any better.

Somehow I finished the race.

And the reason there's so many pictures of me is because the police escort was right behind me.

Yes.

I was the absolute last person to finish.

I wasn't even mad about it.

I was so lost, literally lost.

I didn't know where I was that I had no idea how far I'd gone, how much I had left when I was gonna get there.

Nothing.

No clue.

So I wasn't even mad.

It was kind of hilarious.

And so when I crossed the finish line and then unexpectedly burst into tears, I was mad because I wasn't sad.

I wasn't angry.

But then I'm, like, crying and can't make myself stop, and I don't even know why.

Well, in the years since then, I have learned that bursting into tears at a finish line is actually very, very.

Has nothing to do with how well prepared you are.

Although it can sometimes have to do with how much you have depleted yourself through the effort.

Happens to all runners and athletes of endurance events and other rigorous exercise.

It can happen even in practice.

I had no idea.

I thought I was, like, the only person that had ever experienced this of, like, tears of a clown, Just ridiculousness.

Nope.

Evidently, it happens.

So if you have never experienced bursting into tears for no reason, when you're not even mad or sad, it can happen to you, too.

At a finish line.

It is hard to be this cool, y'.

All.

So at this point in preparing for this upcoming ultra, I'm kind of.

Of the.

Let's train for what we can and just roll with it for the things we can't train for.

I've got a couple weeks left until my half marathon.

That was part of the training plan before I ever decided to do this ultra.

So that's all rolling really well, feeling good about it, and then we got a little transition week, and then it is full on, and you can probably hear it.

I'm a little nervous and a lot excited at this point, so I hope y' all enjoy my little music playlist.

Obviously this one is Tears of a Clown.

I like a lot of different versions of that song, but I am partial to the one from the English beat or the beat depending on where you're from.

And that's the one that's on my playlist.

I link all that stuff in the show notes to these episodes for y'.

All.

But I guess I'm wondering what are those things that I had no idea I should have expected that can happen, especially in regards to an ultra?

Like, are there physical responses good or bad that you just you didn't expect and that you kind of couldn't control?

Like the bursting into tears for no reason.

At this point I'm like, if I'm just running and crying, it's totally fine.

And I'm fully aware of like bathroom issues for whatever reason that just rolls with it doesn't bother me.

I mean, I don't want it, but that's not something that mentally is going to disrupt me.

Possibly physically, but not mentally.

What are crazy things that have happened to you on your ultras?

It's definitely looking like the easiest place to leave comments is there on YouTube or even just in the regular podcast rating and review section on Apple.

That works really easily as well.

You can be specific about it.

I'll know what you're talking about.

I sure appreciate all those five star ratings and reviews and the follows in your podcast app.

They make us play this game and your support really makes a difference.

I sure appreciate it as I figure out why Mama runs an ultra.