Persevering When Your Run Turns to Crap
Plan all you want, but you better be prepared to adapt.
Three hours into a thirteen-hour night race, everything was going to plan. I was staying on pace, taking in the right amount of nutrition and hydration, and thought I would have one hell of a race.
And then I found myself in the woods by the side of the trail, emptying my stomach of everything I’d put in it and more.
Laying there in the dirt, I kept heaving out more and more until it felt like I had heaved out even the lining of my stomach.
As I rose to my feet, I started thinking about what I needed to do to adapt to a different race strategy. Knowing my “A” goal was most likely off the table, I settled into Plan B.
I continued to “run” through the cold, dark, windy night, watching runner after runner drop as they either hit a goal or stopped running. Many, faced with adversity, decided not to continue running.
Either I’m broken, crazy, or the mental aspect of running is different in me. I knew my race goal wouldn’t be reached, but it didn’t mean my race was over.
