Ran my first 50mi event, first event ever. Only able to finish 41/52mi due to poorly planning for the elevation gain and properly train. Neglected the course details, assumed 1500’ elevation, but was actually 5,000’ total. So my strength and downhill durability was highly lacking. Almost surprised I was able to finish the 41 so intact. Lesson learned, study your event and train properly! Fueling went great, just need to adjust from the plan when certain GI sensations arise. Lesson learned, should have held off on more carb intake for a period and just take in more electrolytes & water. Let the digestion catch-up. But I kept taking carbs and hit that pressure/bloating. Didn’t stop me but def slowed me down. Final lesson learned, should have had a better “after the race” training plan setup to not have just a blank “let’s see how I feel after” strategy and go from there. Ended up doing zero running for 9 days after, just walks. Want to do another race for sure, absolutely do the same 50 mile next year and get my revenge! Looking for some hundred K options in 2027. Thanks for reading, hope you found something helpful.

Another great Friday chat with @Jesse Garn. We talked about why injuries come back: - Pain relief isn’t full recovery: Getting out of pain is only the Restore phase; runners need to Reload and Optimize capacity to avoid recurring symptoms. - Build an “injury buffer”: Maintain injury-specific strength, progressive loading, and running exposure beyond symptom resolution so the body can handle training spikes, terrain changes, and racing demands. - Address the full context: Recurrent injuries can reflect training errors, insufficient capacity, proprioception gaps, and behavioral factors such as underfueling, exercise compulsion, or social pressure - not just a weak muscle or painful tissue.

Listen to @Jesse Garn and I both complain about running in the heat (lol) but a few things to remember when it is hot! Built this Heat Adjusted Pace calculator after our call, using the prior work of coach Mark Hadley. A brief topic overview from the call: - Adjust intensity and volume - Slow down or shorten runs in hot conditions so you can finish and recover well. - Use effort, not pace - Judge workouts by RPE/heart rate since heat makes normal Zone 2 pace feel harder. - Hydration and salt matter - Pre-hydrate, hydrate during/after, and personalize based on sweat rate/salt loss. - Sleep and recovery - Heat was affecting sleep quality, so recovery needs extra attention. - Be flexible with coaching - Keep communicating and make practical tweaks like shorter runs, AC, and reduced load.

I love thinking in the 3 zone model, not the 5. Zone 2 (of 3) has so many different definitions out there. Let me know what you think!

Happy Monday! Here's the recording of @Jesse Garn and I's chat Friday. It was a follow up of the prior convo - and was a good one!! We covered a lot including: - Training intensity as an injury driver - Easy volume vs. added intensity - Training age as a factor in load tolerance - Three-zone / RPE framework for effort - How to interpret pain vs. normal soreness - Modifying training in response to pain instead of overreacting - Too much rest as its own risk - Return-to-run after injury - Planning for flare-ups during rehab