I had intended for Saturday’s Greenbrier Midnight Madness 50-miler to be a low-key long training run. It ended up being an adventure in willpower, pain tolerance, and cold brew coffee.

I came into this race after a week in China where we covered over 2000 miles in planes, trains, and automobiles. Not great for my carbon footprint but the relationships we built and the research we’re supporting will help China reduce its reliance on industrial animal agriculture. But I digress … All this travel plus my 23.5-hour door-to-door return journey didn’t do my hips, glutes, and Achilles any favors.

Fortunately, the awesome Tom at Elevation Running was in town last week. He worked his magic, released much of the tension, and identified some of the issues that are probably contributing to my Achilles discomfort (hello hips and big toe!).

I was feeling good before the race. A short evening nap and some fantastic pre-race food from Lindsey had my energy levels high. I had no discomfort in my Achilles while walking around the park before the race. I got to catch up with the always smiling @letsdiscodown and a few other friends before the race. Everything pointed towards a nice night run in the woods.

The first loop felt pretty good. My stomach felt a little off but nothing out of the ordinary for a midnight start. My Achilles was a little stiff on the climbs but not painful. Somewhere in the second half of loop 2 things started to go south. The orange tailwind available at the aid station tasted awful and I couldn’t stomach the gels I had with me. My Achilles was frustratingly painful. Until loop 6, my nutrition strategy would be water and watermelon slices …

Perhaps all that travel was having more of an effect than I had wanted to admit …

Towards the end of loop 3, I attempted to convince myself that stopping after loop 4 and calling it a decent training run was a good idea. My one DNF is the 2016 Hellgate 100K, a race I shouldn’t have started due to an injury. After being reduced to a slow walk in freezing temperatures, I called it quits at mile 25. Shortly after, I listened to a podcast with David Goggins during which he spoke about his 40% rule (“When your mind is telling you that you’re done, that you’re exhausted, that you cannot possibly go any further, you’re only actually 40% done). That message has stuck with me since then and it played on repeat in my head while I felt sorry for myself. I was in a bit of pain, but I was able to walk and had plenty of time to finish. Stopping was not an option this time.

Fast forward to the end of loop 5. The watermelon was keeping me going but energy levels were super low. My friend Craig had given me a case of High Brew Coffee Black & Bold and I had thrown two cans in my drop bag. Coffee on a nauseous stomach is not a great idea but after having tried a can during a long run a few weeks back, I thought it was worth a try. I downed a can, grabbed a ginger candy, and set off on loop 6. About fifteen minutes later, my energy levels were up, there was a little more spring in my legs, and the climbs felt a little less steep. I still didn’t feel like eating but my stomach didn’t get any worse. After loop 6, I grabbed another can and a few pieces of watermelon and finished the last loop. In the end, the race turned into an excellent training run.

Thank you Goggins quote, two cans of High Brew, my trusty Altra Timp 1.5s, and a little bit of perseverance. Thank you, Hellgate for teaching me about DNFs. Thanks to the Plant Powered Running athletes I coach who teach me so much about perseverance. And, as always, thanks to Lindsey for supporting me on these silly adventures. On to the next one!