In your upcoming race, you’re determined to avoid mistakes that would jeopardize your finish, especially ‘stupid’ ones.

Going out too fast is at the top of that list.

It’s the most basic, common piece of ultra advice given. Everybody knows not to do it…and yet you do.

“I’m doing a 100 this weekend with no pacers and have been excited about the challenge but am now getting nervous, specifically about the nighttime hours when my mood will shift - any tips?”

Pacers do a lot, starting with the obvious - setting pace. They monitor your pace compared to your goal or cutoff and let you know if you need to speed up.

And if they’re magic, they keep you going…fast enough.

This weekend, I plan to run Superior 100 for the 22nd time, but this one has a unique twist.

I’ve had two unexpected week-long, didn’t-run-a-step breaks in the month leading up to the race.

The first week-long break was for COVID and the second was for another unexpected event.

The breaks are so close to the race I don’t have time to make up the training, even if I wanted to.

A year ago, you would have said, “Age is just a number.”

Today, you can’t deny that your body is aging.

You’re not ready. You want to keep running ultras but it seems like you have to come to terms with the fact that you’re slowing down. It’s inevitable.

When you DNF, people offer a lot of opinions, advice and motivational sayings to help.

“You should/shouldn’t have X.”

“You need to Y.”

Pre-race anxiety can ruin your sleep, keep you from thinking clearly, and make you snap at those trying to help you.

We’re talking more than simple pre-race butterflies.

Pre-race anxiety can get unbearably uncomfortable and since you want to feel confident going into your race, it’s natual to want to reduce it or make it disappear.

You want to do everything you can to finish the race.

You have to do it all right but there’s so much of ‘it.’

Pace, climbs, aid stations, eating, hydration, crew, pacers, drop bags. The training alone is a bottomless rabbit hole.

You can go into a race hoping to endure suffering or you can go in planning to eliminate it and hit your goal.

But you can’t do both.

It’s easy to assume running ultras is all about enduring suffering. So much is made inside and outside the sport about it.

“I never took miracles off the table.”

One of my fabulous clients recently said this in a session and it took my breath away.

Because it means miracles are always on the table, unless you take them off.

Tough runners are stubborn.

Capable of enduring hardship.

Willing to take on impossible tasks.

“It’s just not fun any more - I’m dropping.”

I talk with runners all the time who walk away from a race disappointed because it wasn’t what they expected it to be.

Finish or not - it let them down.

Freedom.

One difference that’s created success for me over the years is that I see ultrarunning as freedom.

It’s been the one place in my life I get to decide how I want to do it, how I want to define success, and what’s possible for me.

Knowing the difference between a reason and an excuse means you never have to worry you’re using the wrong one.

When you can’t tell the difference, you worry you’ll regret a decision.

Is it ok to skip an important long run for another priority?

This year, for the first time in 19 years, I wasn’t sure I could finish Massanutten 100.

I’d just DNF’d easier Zumbro 100, in part because I underestimated things, so I wanted to take the much harder Massanutten seriously.

I wasn’t going to underestimate this race.

You have people willing to crew - now what??

Assuming they know what to do or that it’s obvious is a recipe for disaster.

Here are five basic steps to make your ‘now what’ a smooth success.

“Should I have a crew?”

When I get this question the runner is looking for my yes/no answer.

You might be there now - confused and wanting to know the right choice.

But no one else can answer for you. You’re going to have to decide.

I came into Massanutten 100 this year wanting to run well.

After getting pulled at Zumbro 100 the month before, I wanted to get back to finishing 100s.

But I wasn’t close to being trained like normal for Massanutten, so I decided to run the highest pace that felt sustainable for 100 miles at my current fitness - slower than usual.

A few sections into the race, I checked my cushion on cutoff.

I DNF’d my last 100 - Zumbro - and now, a month later, I’m facing Massanutten 100.

Massanutten is a infinitely more technical course. It’s motto is “Massanutten rocks” for a reason and it has 5000 ft. more climb.

In other words, it’s much harder.

And I haven’t done anything extra since Zumbro to prepare.

So it’s easy to believe I’m going to do worse.

I DNF’d my last 100 - Zumbro - and now, a month later, I’m facing Massanutten 100.

Massanutten is a infinitely more technical course. It’s motto is “Massanutten rocks” for a reason and it has 5000 ft. more climb.

In other words, it’s much harder.

And I haven’t done anything extra since Zumbro to prepare.

So it’s easy to believe I’m going to do worse.

You’re a badass.

You’re the person that can do that impossible race and you know it.

You feel strong, confident, and willing to dare that epic race course.

At least that’s who you want to be.