Are You Done…Or in a Low?

In the deep of night, I finally make it to the light, noise and bustle of the Crosby Manitou aid station 62 miles into Superior 100.

I retrieve my drop bag and grab an empty chair by the fire to get out a heavier pair of gloves, fresh headlamp, and more gels. Maybe a hat. 

Even with the fire, I have to be quick. Only a few minutes and I’ll get too cold to go back out.

A fellow runner sits bundled up motionless in the next chair, quietly listening to the others around the circle talk. 

As I dig through my bag, I ask him how it’s going and he quietly replies, “I’m done.”

I glance over at his face as he stares into the fire. He half smiles.

“Are you sure?”

He summons his energy and begins describing everything going wrong.

In his mind, it’s bad and would only get worse. So that’s that.

You’ve likely been there. Exhausted with too many things going wrong.

You might have also decided it’s the end of your race. You tried but it’s not your day. The only thing to do is drop like my guy in the chair.

So you do…but regret it an hour or two later when you’re showered, having a burger and beer with friends, and feeling stiff and tired but otherwise normal.

You know you could have finished.

Because you were really in a low, and lows don’t last unless you let them.

You didn’t see it at the time because you jumped ahead in your mind and assumed: “It’s just going to get worse - my race is over.”

It’s an easy assumption to make because you’re not thinking at your best and lows are sneaky. They happen gradually and don’t announce themselves. 

And you can’t imagine your aches and pains improving. It seems foolhardy to believe you’re feeling this dead with 70 miles on your feet and will feel wonderful 30 minutes down the trail with even more miles on your feet. 

The ‘bad’ seems permanent and too overpowering to push through. Thankfully, you don’t have to do that to avoid the chair by the fire.

You have to focus your tired mind.

First, you’ve got to resist the temptation to assume your race is over and instead assume the more likely scenario - you’re simply in a low.

“This is a low. They come and go and I can get through this.”

Then problem-solve it as a low. Stop dwelling on how bad you feel and get to work pulling out of it as quickly as you can. Try everything you know and keep trying.

Eventually, with faith, patience, and determination, you’ll pull out of it. I promise.

You have nothing to lose. If it’s truly the end of your race, you can drop any time. But if it’s a low, working at it will save your race.

Lows happen. They’re a normal part of ultrarunning so expecting them helps you keep going.

Working through them in a race builds your confidence like nothing else.

And your finish will be all the sweeter for having pulled out of all the lows to reach the finish line.

And one more reason to focus your mind and keep going…

If lows come and go, highs do too.