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...

Summary

Join me on my journey prepping for my very first ultra marathon! It’s been a mix of excitement and nerves as I dive into the challenge, which originally started as a wild idea to do a unique looping run from my home. Turns out, my idea was not novel at all, and there’s a whole community around this kind of thing, like the Backyard Ultra! I talk about why I’m really doing this. It’s all about pushing myself, not seeking validation from others. I also share the behind-the-scenes planning, from preparing for the terrain to figuring out nutrition and building the mental toughness needed for the race. Join me as I walk through this prep, share insights, and connect with other runners along the way.

Chapters

• 00:10 - Embarking on a New Challenge
• 01:44 - Personal Insights on Running Events
• 02:22 - Preparing for the 50k Ultra Marathon
• 04:19 - Preparing for a New Challenge
• 05:47 - Preparing for the Ultra: Footwear and Comfort Tips

How I Procrastinate

• Sleep with Rock Stars
• Making Playlists
• Dive Bar Music Club
• Country Fried Rock, Podcast Archives from 2009-2020
• Support this Podcast

Recommended If You Like

ultra marathon training, backyard ultra events, first ultra marathon experience, running tips for beginners, how to train for an ultra, ultra marathon diet, pacing strategies for ultra marathons, elevation gain in running, mental training for long races, comfortable running shoes for ultras, ultra marathon nutrition, solo running motivation, running loops training, trail running tips, running events for older adults, managing race day pressure, planning for ultra marathons, ultra marathon race profiles, running community support, personal goals in running

Transcript

00:00:01.680 - 00:06:59.380

To be honest, it kind of ticked me off that somebody already came up with the idea. Hey y', all, thanks for stumbling into Mama runs an Ultra. I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s who decided I'm gonna run my first Ultra.

What the hell am I thinking? As I shared, I've been spinning around this idea of doing an Ultra in some capacity for the last two or three years. And.

And my first plan was that I would have everybody out to my house to tailgate in my yard for my birthday while I went and ran this about three and a half mile loop from my house every hour on the hour.

And I talked about this for quite a while, thinking that I had come up with the greatest idea ever, only to discover that apparently this is a thing not only every hour on the hour races or time races of time, typically 6, 12, even more hours. But also there's something called a backyard Ultra. Okay, this is an official thing. And I had no idea. I had never heard of this. No clue.

And That's a almost 4.1-ish-mile loop every hour on the hour. And you're out when you can no longer complete the loop in the hour. They could go on for days.

But I was super disappointed to discover that apparently there's thousands of people out there who do this all the time. All right, so call me Scoop.

But the main reason that I decided not to do this every hour on the hour 3 ish mile loop near my house was I mentioned it at the gym one day and one of my friends who is an attorney said, hey, maybe not, because if your friends decide to run with you, you could potentially have liability if something happened to...

Summary

In this episode, we get real about the messy mix of running, life stress, and whatever’s going on in our heads, especially when training for something as daunting as an ultra. After a rough half marathon that felt like one long mental battle, our host talks about how emotional overload can totally derail a race. There’s also an unexpected cameo from Boz Scaggs’ “Lido Shuffle,” which ended up looping through the run and becoming this weird little window into their mood and mindset. We chat about what our go-to running songs say about us, how playlists evolve with our training, and why music can be such a lifeline on the hard days. And of course, we want to hear from you: what tracks keep you moving on those long runs?

Chapters

• 00:09 - Introduction to My Running Journey
• 00:45 - Navigating Life's Challenges: The Sandwich Generation
• 03:28 - The Challenge of the Process
• 06:15 - The Intersection of Music and Running
• 07:56 - Exploring Music and Podcasts

Links

• My Apple Music running mix
• countryfriedrock.com podcast from 2009-2020 with archives slowly returning
• divebarmusicclub.com new podcast launching 2026 where I chat with some of my music friends about what we're listening to right now
• Sleep with Rock Stars, the Gen X Sleep Podcast
• Support this Podcast

Recommended If You Like

running playlist, ultra running, half marathon experience, running challenges, training for ultra marathons, running motivation, music for running, running headspace, overcoming race challenges, running in your 50s, running gear, running podcasts, coping with running stress, race day preparation, running tips for older athletes, music and running performance, mental aspect of running, running community, running reflections, personal running journey

Transcript

So now I'm kind of wondering if my running playlist is my subconscious. Why else would I have Boz Skaggs Lido Shuffle on there? Hey, y', all, thanks for finding Mama Runs an Ultra.

I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s who decided to run my very first ultra. And this podcast is helping me think out loud. How did I get here?

So I just got some horrendous official photos back from a late fall half marathon that I did. I'm not going to name it. It was a fantastic half marathon. I just had one horrific days every so often. Well, let me take that back.

I'm not sure I've ever actually had a race that went as badly as this did for no identifiable reason other than my training block was full of a lot of life stress. I don't know if any of y' all are in this whole sandwich generation situation of you still have kids and you're taking care of parents and it sucks.

Nobody told nobody. Nobody prepared me for this. My parents did not deal with this with their parents.

And I don't want to get into the drama of it all, but just to say I was not emotionally prepared for this. Never mind all the other details. I hate it. And that's me being nice about all of this.

Anyway, I think that's really what impacted this particular training cycle on this half marathon that I did. Because the race itself was fantastic. Drivable distance, well located race hotel, good logistics for the event itself, perfect weather for running.

It just didn't go well. I felt terrible and I couldn't salvage the day. I finished, nothing was broken,...