Episode 29: Aid Stations for Everyday Trail Runners: Efficient, Prepared, and Not Distracted

Aid stations can be a lifesaver… or a total time-suck spiral where you stand there eating random stuff, forget your poles, and walk away somehow less prepared than when you arrived.

In this episode, we’re talking aid stations. Not in a “here’s what to eat” generic way… but how to use them intentionally based on your distance, your stomach, your sweat rate, and your actual goals. Because aid stations aren’t about copying what the person next to you is doing. They’re about supporting your race, your body, and your brain.

What we cover:

• Why aid stations are a mental and physical stabilizer (aid station to aid station, baby)
 • What’s usually at aid stations (from “minimal aid” basics to the full-on grilled cheese situation)
 • The electrolyte caution nobody wants to talk about (bring your powder, use their water)
 • How to assess mid-race without overthinking it: hydration, fuel, feet, and the “oh crap I haven’t eaten” moment
 • The real deal on drop bags (what they are, what to pack, and why “don’t put a bunch of bullshit in there” is solid advice)
 • Common aid station mistakes: waiting to eat, forgetting to refill, and losing 20 minutes without realizing it
 • How the strategy changes from 25K to 50K/100K to 100+ mile chaos logistics
 • How to practice aid stations in training using your car (including cooling strategies like ice bandanas and bra ice… yes, we’re going there)

And because I can’t help myself… we also talk about how aid stations are a lot like life. Pauses are necessary. But pauses without intention can drain you. So whether you’re taking a break in a race or a break in your day, the question is the same: what do you actually need right now so you can keep moving forward?

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey y'all, welcome back to DirtNap Diaries. I'm your host, Brittany Olson, Trailrunner, Women's Trailrunning Coach, Hype Woman, and Professional Overpacker of the Midrun Snacks. This show is for the everyday trailrunner, the ones training on real life legs and real life time. You've got work, relationships, laundry, pets, a group task that never shuts up, and maybe a big goal sitting quietly in the back of your head that you're not totally sure you're allowed to want. You're not out here chasing podium spots. You're chasing finish lines, sunrises, and maybe a little sanity. This podcast is about trail running, but it's also about navigating life. The hard seasons, the joyful ones, and the ones where everything feels like too much. So let's get into it. Alright, personal update. I got to spend a little bit of time at the Black Canyon 50K finish line yesterday. It was a whole lot of fun. I got to see a couple of friends finish, Courtney and James, who I've known for quite a while. James was my Mr. Miyagi of trail running. He introduced me to the trails and took me out for a lot of adventures. In fact, my first adventure in the Grand Canyon. And I met Courtney a couple years ago, and we used to meet every Friday to run, and life has got lifey. So it was nice to see her after several months of not getting to see her. And then the cherry on top was seeing one of my athletes and friends, Suzanne, finish her first ultra. So first 50K, first ultra distance, all of that. Had the biggest smile as she came across. One of the best finisher photos I like to think that I've taken. But it's really fun, I think. Even like a couple weeks ago when I got to take uh some photos of my athletes finishing at Coldwater, like the the smile and the joy you actually see and feel coming off of them is probably one of the highlights of being a coach. Like there's lots of highlights I have throughout, but like those finish line feels um are something different. And sometimes it's not even a finish line. Sometimes it's even a DNF where like shit happens out there, but like they come across and they're like, you know what, I put it out there. I did my best and things didn't go well, and still showing that resiliency too. So there's different kinds of things out there when you're out on that race course, and now I'm going on a tangent. But I did have one DNF out there. Um Heidi uh went 50 plus miles during the 100k. Things weren't going well, some knee stuff, um, all of that, but she still had a great time when she was out there. Uh Renee, one of my other athletes, paced her out there and did an amazing job too. Uh, so it's fun when teammates get together like that. They do some training runs together too. So uh just love seeing them out there. And then, man, we had some racers this weekend. We had Mel uh out there and he did the uh Mesa Marathon, finishing four hours and 15 minutes. He is 70 years old and doing Boston for the first time this year. He qualified last year. So he's looking strong, looking tough, doing his thing. He's already text me today saying, hey, when can I run again? I feel good. So get him back out there again. He's also training for Crown King, uh, which is a lot of uphill. And then we have Joanna, um, who totally went out to um lost Dutchman. I said she was gonna do the Mason Marathon earlier this week, even though I have Lost Dutchman in in her calendar. So like my brain was not functioning correctly, but she went out there, tested some different fuel out there because that was really that's really the goal of a lot of the long runs if you're training. Like if you're not, if it's not your A race, like our long races that people sign up for are really to have that supportive aid stations and practice new things. She got to practice like caffeinated gel, found out a banana isn't her best friend at the at all moments. Um so uh but she did awesome out there working on that. It's it's very hard to be in a racing environment for a lot of people and to remember you're there not to like race race your fastest, you were there to practice things. So she did amazing at that too. So it was a good week for the Sunrise Trails athletes. Um, it's really fun to hear about how things went, you know, what they learned, what they loved about it, all the things. So, you know, we learn if when things go perfect, we learn things. When things don't go perfect, we learn things. Like it's just really, really cool. It's probably why I like coaching so much. I'm a learner by nature. So great weekend, though. We had some really nice weather too. So um, I got a long run in. Everything's feeling really strong. I got a deload week this week, and then we're gonna see some volume spikes coming up. My coach Liz has already been like, they're coming, don't you worry. So uh again, training for Kokadona 250, uh, which is my big race this year, maybe my big, my biggest race ever. Um uh like even in the future, who knows? But uh that volume is about to go up, so I might not sound as energetic. I'm kidding, I'm always this energetic. I can't help it. But um, all that said, let's get into what we're talking about today. And this is kind of, we'll call it part of a series, even though you could not have to listen to the one before this. But um last week I talked about crew, what what they do, how you pick them, all that stuff. This week we're gonna talk about aid stations, um, how to use them uh for your race, for your body. Um, and even like because sometimes crews do meet at aid stations. A lot of time there's an aid station there where a crew is. So even how that looks too. So um listen up, because there's some good stuff here. Um, because when you think about like the right way to use an aid station, it depends on your distance, your body, your needs, what you've practiced. I mean, practicing the long run, I've talked about it for is super, super important, and you need to be able to use that in the race. So, um, and some people can't eat very much at aid stations because of just dietary restrictions and things don't sit well with them. So, like, they have to have drop bags too. So I will do a little bit of information on drop bags here. Uh, not a whole lot because it is about aid stations, but aid stations, there are some that allow for drop bags. And if you're wondering what a drop bag is, it's a thing, it's a bag. Don't make it too big, y'all, but it's a bag. I get one that sticks out, I go to goodwill. I got a Mario Kart one that's amazing. I have a pink one from my friend James who I mentioned earlier, um, because it sticks out. And you put things in there that you don't want to carry on you for the entire race, um, and then you grab stuff out. So whether it's a change of socks, whether it's more fuel, whether it's your poles, whether it's a headlamp, whether it's batteries for the headlamp, whatever, that's what a drop bag is for. It is not allowed at all aid stations, it is not allowed at all races, um, just like crew and pacers, not allowed at all, all things. So, why are aid stations important and why do we need to be intentional about using them? Well, first of all, if you are out there running any kind of business, even if you've road ran, I think they normally call those water stations, not typically aid stations. I can't remember now, it's been a while since I've raced on the road, but like they are important and they are put out there for you to use to hydrate and fuel. So they help like stabilize that race. If you know you have an aid station, this is mentally and physically, by the way, y'all. So if you know you have an aid station, you know, in five miles, six miles, seven miles, ten miles, whatever that is, when you are running an ultra, it's always for me running aid station to aid station. You know, when you are taking on a new distance for yourself or you're coming back from running, um, or it's just a long distance. Like, you don't have to think about the whole thing at once. You can think about that next aid station. Yes, of course you train for the full distance, all of that. But in your mind, it's like, okay, I'm at this aid station, 10 miles to the next one, or five miles, whatever that looks, instead of thinking, oh my gosh, like, hey man, I'm 10 miles in and I got 50 miles left, right? So you're thinking aid station, aid station, that's a great mental like stabilizer there. And then physically, what's great is like you can like refill your stuff there. Like if the race does have the electrolytes you use, like that's great. I will caution you, um, some races you don't know exactly for sure how they're mixing their electrolytes. So if you are, especially a super salty sweater or like need to be on top of your, we all need to be on top of our hydration, but like if you have certain like needs and you are not sure if the uh race aid stations can meet those, you should carry electrolyte powder with you or whatever you're drinking, and that way you can put the powder in your bottles and just use the aid station water to refill those bottles. Okay, so you got water there, you do have electrolytes. Um, again, it depends on what they have, first of all, because it might be something you don't like. Um, I have found some things I do not like at a race. Um, and also because you're not sure how they dilute them. Um, I've been told Air Vipe, and I've seen the instructions too, they've they are supposed to follow exactly what it says on the instructions of the uh electrolytes they're using, right? So if that's what you do, like that will work for you. But I'm just going, I do put that caution out there because you don't always know what you're getting because somebody else is mixing it that's not you. So if you have those needs, you need to have that powder in your pack and not rely on the aid station, but you can use their water to top it off. Powder definitely weighs a lot less than carrying a whole bunch of like electrolyte liquids on you. So keep it in mind. Um, also, there is food there. Yay! Um, and it depends on the race too. A lot of times they'll put a little bit of a list out there. If it's a race company, you've raced this a few times, you know what they have. I mean, typically it's like PBJ's, watermelon, oranges. Um, what else? I mean, pretzels, I can't, I love pretzels, can't do them during a race. I probably don't drink enough sometimes. But it can be it's just a whole bunch of stuff. Like uh bean wraps are a big thing. So, and then some aid stations are like are smaller where it's like, okay, it's really the basics, pickles, chips, that kind of stuff. And then you see gonna have some bigger aid stations that have like have half food hot food, uh, quesadillas, grilled cheese, hamburgers, hot dogs, egg, egg wraps. So it really depends on the race. So, why am I telling you all this about stabilizing? Because first of all, there's real food there, and it's helpful to eat real food when you're out there. You are gonna get in a caloric deficit at some point. You just are. Um, when you are pushing those distances, it happens. It is very hard to continue to move and eat enough. That's why we have a certain amount of carbs we should hit every hour that we should be practicing on, by the way. Um, but you want to be able to know at least something of what's there. And if you have a very sensitive stomach, if there are things you haven't practiced with, um, if this is your A race, you shouldn't just be grabbing random stuff. Um, you need to you need to either carry what you need on you for the food sensitivities, or if you are just like have have like a certain thing you'd like to eat, carry that on you, knowing that perhaps at the aid station doesn't have everything you need. That said, you can also use these these races if it's not your A race, you can use races practice races. I've mentioned this a few times. I do not do well at that because I like to race hard when I'm out there. Um, but if you can use a race as a training race, you can test food at the aid stations. You can like that's that's what it's for. It's for you to practice everything, practice how to use the aid station, uh, practice everything about like your long run, you're just doing it supported in a race. So, in that instance, you can try different foods, you can see what you like. I tried pretzels at my very first trail race to try it. It didn't upset my stomach, it would just taste like sawdust. So, like, luckily I didn't have any adverse effects to it, but it was like, ooh, nope, I love pretzels, but I cannot do that while I'm running. So keep that in mind for aid stations. During a race, you definitely want to be pretty aware of what they have there. If you aren't sure, they normally have a little bit of a list. Um, if they say it's minimal aid, be prepared for minimal aid. If they say, like, here's a list, like for what for me doing Coca-Dona, there's actually some list of the hot foods they'll have out there. It's a different kind of race because it's a multi-day race, but there are some race companies that will put all that information out there. If you're not sure, do not hesitate to reach out to the race. Uh typically the race director or just a general email is available for a lot of the race companies, so you can just ask, you know. Um, there's nothing wrong with that. You've paid to be on that race, or maybe you're thinking about paying to be in the race, but it depends on aid stations, maybe. Just ask. Ask the question. Don't be shy. I'm not shy. Imagine that. Um, it's also just a good spot whenever, you know, there's people there, there's volunteers there. They are there to help you. They will help you fill your water bottles, they will help you fill your bladder. They will remind you maybe take the trash out of your um pockets that you have. That way you don't just don't have a bunch of like gel wrappers and food wrappers on you. You can just get the rid of those and you're done with them. Um, they can dump water on you. They can, you know, make sure I've seen so many people walk off without their poles because they leaned them up against something. They will remind you to grab your poles. That's like number one training there is make sure runners aren't leaving stuff. Um, if you're struggling to tie a shoe, they can help you tie your shoe. I mean, they are there for you uh to help you, like physically in that instance, but also mentally. They are fantastic to have out there. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned uh volunteers in the past too. Like always thank them, but uh they do give a good mental boost. And a lot of times when I go to aid stations, if I'm running race in Arizona, I see people I know, which is even better. Um, but it just makes you feel better. The one thing I do caution about seeing people you know or just people who are making you happy, the goal of an aid station is not to hang out there forever. Um, the goal is to get in, get what you need, and get out. So just keep that in mind too. Um, now that said, it's not like you have to always run in and out. Sometimes you might need a minute, especially the further distance. And I'm I'm not saying a further distance compared to anybody else, but for you, if it's a distance that's further than everyone, you might just need to take a minute. Sometimes it's a physical break, sometimes it's a mental break, but the goal is to keep moving as much as possible. So just remember, aid stations are there for the mental and the physical stability there, even emotional too. So, um, so what are they? So that's kind of the I will call that's like the intention of it. Um, this is okay, what are all the things that are there at aid stations I've mentioned? So it's to refill. Refill your fluids. Um, I'm not going back into the electrolytes, but like be prepped. If you have your electrolyte powder and you need help getting it out, ask it, ask a aid station volunteer. Hey, can you help me get this in my bottle? That is what they're there because sometimes your hands aren't working the same. And sometimes it's just like in the bag zipper and you don't want to take your pack off and you'd be like, hey, it's in the back. Can you grab this for me? They can grab a jacket out for you too. Whatever you need, they're there. Okay. So they'll refill fluids. Um, this is a chance just to eat, right? Um, it's also a chance, you know, there's times where like I see a peanut butter and jelly or a vegan quesadilla, and I will just take it and I will walk away from the aid station once I'm done and eat it as I'm like walking out, just because I want to have that real food with me. Um, it's also a great spot. Yes, you guys may not know this if you haven't run an ultra or a trail run, but it is a great place to get a Coca-Cola, man. That is my thing. Um, some races do, Mountain Dew too, and most have like uh ginger ale, which makes sense because your stomach can get a little bit upset. But I do not drink um coke in my everyday life. Uh I'm not saying if you do, you are a bad person, by the way. I'm just giving you an example of like I just don't drink it in my daily life. And at an ultra race, it is like the best tasting thing in the world. It's the sugar, the carbonation, whatever it is, it's coke. If I ever went to a trail race and they had Pepsi, I'd be like, fuck you guys, I'm out. Okay, I wouldn't say that, but I'd be like, what is this Pepsi business? Because the races I've ran, they've all had Coke. Some have had some Mountain Dew, and they always have some kind of ginger ale. So you might be like, what the heck? But it is a great boost. Um, sometimes I will be out there like just tricking my mind into okay, next aid station, I can have a Coke. And that really does help keep me moving forward. So just remember, there will be soda there. Um, it's also a good time to assess what's going on. Like, how's your stomach doing? How much are you hydrating? Like, I've had times where I was like, okay, you know, I don't always run with the bladder, but for longer distances between aid stations, I will have one. And I'm like, okay, let's make sure I refill like all the things that need refilled. And then like I went to refill my bladder and there was way too much water in my bladder still for how long I just ran. So that assessment was like, oh, I need to drink more water. But like it's noticing those things. If you're emptying out the um trash from your vest and you're like, I have way too many full gels or full fuel on me, you might not be eating enough. So maybe take a couple extra minutes to eat a little bit more. You should not try to like catch up, like eat exactly what you meant to eat at one time because that's where you get that stomach issues. You don't know, you could puke, you know, you could have a code brown, whatever. So don't try to make it up, but try to eat just a little bit more. Um, because that'll help. I have heard so many times where it's like, oh my gosh, like in a marathon or a half marathon, if if you're already behind, there's no, you're not gonna catch up. You might not catch up, but that doesn't mean you don't eat. I have seen people stop eating in ultras even because they got behind and they just stay behind. Sometimes, like, it mentally happens. It's happening where I'm like, oh, and I'm like, oh crap, I haven't eaten in a while. But like, it's the people who like, well, I'm already behind, I'm just gonna stop eating. You can't do that. You will probably not catch up, especially in these trail running distances. You're just not going to. That is normal, but you eat what you can and you keep going. Okay, so even if you miss a we'll call it a feeding, even if you miss a feeding, my watch goes off every 30 minutes, hit the next one. Okay. Don't ever give up on that eating because you are out there for a long time. And eating is just not about the race you're doing, it's about um the recovery too. So keep eating when you're out there. Grab what you can at the aid stations, assess at the aid stations how much you've eaten, how much you've drinken, how you're feeling. How do your feet feel? Like, do you feel like you might be getting a hot spot? That is a time if you feel like you're getting a hot spot to actually take off your shoe, even if you don't have anything else there, like even if you don't have another shoe, shoe to change into there or socks, take them off, see what's going on. Are you getting a hot spot? Put some Vaseline, put some squirrels, nut butter, whatever you use for anti-chafe, if you need to, put it on your feet, see what's up, make sure there's no rocks in your shoe. Make sure when you put your sock back on, I mean, try to clean off your sock as much as possible. There could have been dirt in your shoe too, but make sure that foot's as clean as possible, too, right? Aid station volunteers will help with that. That might feel weird, but they will help you with your feet. Um, if you're noticing that you already have a blister and there are medics at that aid station, good time to get your foot checked out. Maybe they can just like treat it a little bit, tape it up, and you can go. Um, I know sometimes that feels like it's taking extra time, especially if you're getting in and out, but I'm gonna let you know you're gonna take so much more time with your feet hurting way worse than what they need to be, if you would just take a time at the aid station to take care of the feet. So that's what that's there for too. Uh yes, I know. If for you, if you're listening who don't get your feet looked at at aid stations, uh, don't worry about those EMTs or in paramedics are used to seeing a lot of feet. Um, so don't be embarrassed. We all have gross feet at times. Um it's also nice to, again, I mentioned this earlier because this is a big one for me mentally, is it's it helps you segment the whole race. So you can just be okay, five miles to the next station, ex aid station, seven, ten, sixteen, whatever that mileage is, like it's instead of looking at oh my gosh, a hundred miles, okay, I have eighty miles left. It's like, okay, there's five miles to the next one, and you get there, it's those little carrots along the way that really make up the entire race. So you can focus on what's coming next. You don't have to focus on this huge goal that you've set for yourself, right? So again, that's more of a mental thing than a physical thing, but it is it is good to have that in mind, you know. Like, I don't know if you've ever done this when you're on the road or when you're on the trail running, but sometimes it's seeing something in the distance and it's like, okay, like I'm gonna jog to that or I'm gonna walk jog to that, or whatever it is. It's having a little carrot that keeps you moving forward. So what it should is aid station should help you leave prepared, right? That's how you should feel when you're okay, I'm prepped for this next segment. That's how you should leave at aid station, feeling prepared for that next piece. So thing about two, like aid stations, it can change by race length and also by how spaced out they are, too. So it really depends on your goal. So I'm just gonna say this, I'm not gonna call it every single nuance here, but a lot of things, well, in life, are nuanced, right? Because we're all unique individuals, but also with racing, it's nuance. Some people may be racing a 25k, like racing their heart out. They have this time goal. Other people may be like, yeah, like I want to get in under this goal, but what I really want to do is like I've never been here before. I want to take a couple pictures while I run, still want to hit this like time goal, but man, that's not the most important part. The most important part is this. I've had people who will be jumping into like somebody's 50k, they've already run a few 50k's, they have a friend doing it, the friend asked them to join. So their goal is to be there with their friend and to not push the friend like outside of like whatever it is they're trying to do, but just be there with them, right? So again, you have the race racers, you have people, you know, there's just all these different goals. So when you think about it though, like if you are racing, you want to be quick and efficient at these aid stations. Like if you are pushing, pushing, you want to be changing things out, um, making sure like your fluids are ready to refill as needed, making sure you have the food you need, grabbing and going, knowing that if you have a drop bag at an aid station where it's allowed, like you just want to grab the stuff you need and go. And that's where drawbacks should not have too much stuff in them because that's when things can get a little bit messy. So this is where I'll pause for the drawbacks for just a moment. So I mentioned what a drop bag was earlier, and at longer races, especially, you get them. Um, or like looped races where you're going back to the same spot you normally you could call it a drawbag, but a lot of times you just have a little spot where stuff is. Um, I always caution people in not overpacking. You don't want to underpack, obviously, because you want to have what you need, but you do not want to overpack because then you're getting frustrated, especially when if your crew is not there with your drop bag and you're just like, what the heck do I need? And you start pulling stuff out. So it could be you're doing a hundred-mile race and you have a drop bag at mile 60 and you know you're gonna change your shoes there. So you have shoes and socks there. If you are changing your shoes, please change your socks. It's a good idea. Um, you might have like food, uh, one of my athletes, Kristen, hey KJ, um, she put pizza in a couple of her drop bags because she it makes it makes her feel good. She knows she can eat it, and she has pizza in there because not all aid stations have pizza, right? So it's things you know you're gonna need and eat. Um, if you know at a certain point you're gonna need your headlamp, I always have one in my pack, but like if I'm gonna need a handlamp and go into the dark, I would keep an extra headlamp in my drop bag and be able to grab that out too. That way it's on me, and if I need it, it's there. So the drop bags are for things that the aid station does not have. Um, your crew is probably not gonna be there, so it's things that you're gonna need about the time of day that you're hitting that aid station. So sometimes it takes some trail math to figure out what you need, but again, it's you don't want to overpack, you do not want to have too much stuff. I have some, I would have some refills in there too, for example. Um, if you need if you do gels and blocks and whatever it is, have if you want to refill your pack there instead of carrying all the nutrition on you, it's a great spot to have your gels. I will recommend within your drop bag have your food in a separate Ziploc bag so it's easier to grab instead of just like being everywhere in the drop bag. I have seen that. My type A brain explodes a little bit. Hey, it's their race, that's not my thing, but it is easier when it's all together and you can just grab it and put it in your pack. So it's a little bit about drop bags. Um, just really make sure it has what you need and not just a bunch of bullshit. Okay, so back at the shorter distances, we'll say anything up, we'll just say anything up to like marathon 50k for this because those are not short distances. Let me be clear here. These are not short distances, these are shorter distances than some of the longer ones. Okay. So it really is the efficiency of getting in and out. Remember with these distances, um, you are probably not eating let me see, let me let me make sure I actually put this in the right way. You're probably not worried about eating meals as much as when you get into longer distances, but it depends how long you're out there. So for example, if you start, we're just gonna say you start at 50k at 6, 6 a.m. and you end at, say, like 4 p.m., you you ran through lunch. You probably had breakfast before you started. I hope you did, because that's a good idea. You probably ran through lunch, and it's a good idea at one of those aid stations, or in your drop bag, or if you have a, if they allow for a crew, to have something to actually eat that's a meal. And when I mean a meal, I'm not saying you're sitting there having steak, potatoes, veggies, but like having actual food because you did run through a full meal. Um, the reason I bring this up here is because if you are running something that brings you overnight, brings you into the next day, you're missing a few meals. And you do want to be able to have that. But that's for the next talking point. So I'll try not to get ahead of myself. So just think about that when you're in there. Like, how far how long am I gonna be out here? Am I going to be like missing a meal? Or by the time I'm done, I ate breakfast in the morning, I ran through lunch, and I'm done, and it's already dinner time. Like, there's probably a sense at that aid stage that you want to eat a little bit more. Whether they have more food there, whether it's in your drop bag, whatever it is, just think about that when you're out there because you do want to keep that energy up. Um, a lot of people for a 25K and under, and I'm talking to everybody here, whether you're front, mid, back of Packer, some of those 25k distances, especially if you're starting at six or seven in the morning, um, you may end like right around lunchtime. So you didn't need you didn't feel the need for a meal. Your stomach didn't need it, the gels and some of the real food you had that was not a full meal, you were totally fine that way. So again, but there is no wrong way to do this. It what were it's what works best for your body. So if you need a full meal and you're gonna be out there for three hours, eat. Eat at the aid station, do what you need to do. But remember, like, get in, get out, that's the goal. And you should have practiced this stuff already, so you already know if you're gonna be eating eat how much you're gonna be eating anyway. Okay. So, um, momentum does matter in almost all races, but especially these sh these dis shorter distances, because like if you keep moving and keep going, you normally feel a little bit better. Um, because if any of you have sat during any length of a race, you notice like the muscles get tight. Um, sometimes when you stand up for you, you actually feel your feet a little bit more. So momentum does matter, in my opinion, over comfort. So you might want to sit down. You might be 15 miles into a race, you're like, man, it would be nice to sit down because it's really rocky out here. But in my opinion, a lot of times it is better to keep moving than take a seat. So um I have not sat down during a 50k and or under, and I'm not saying you do you should do what I do, but I feel like a lot of times sitting is rarely a necessity if you are trained for those distances. Um, of course, things can happen where maybe you tripped and fell and you need to like, hey, check out what happened. Maybe you twisted your ankle, something. Maybe you're just having a shit day. Maybe you slept really bad and you're getting to that aid station. So I'm not saying never ever sit. I will never do that. Remember, I said this is all going to be nuanced. Um, but sitting for these distances isn't normally as necessary as whenever you get to the higher distances because of everything your body's physiologically going through. So if you're having a little bit of a mental time and you need a minute, take that minute to sit. Um, but then get up and get moving. So, and just remember, some runners do need more fuel or less full fuel, even at shorter distances, right? And that's okay. Um, when I said you may not need to eat a fuel uh a full meal, that's dependent upon you, right? Um, I am a person who I have been told actually needs a little bit more fuel. Um, because like I'll be eating, I'll be running with friends and I'm eating a lot more. And if I don't, I feel hungry. So like I'm a person who eats more at shorter distances, not normally meals 50k or under, but I am eating more. So, you know, if you gotta eat more, eat more. Um, but your job is, like I just mentioned earlier, it's to know your own needs, not to follow someone else's plan. So remember, take take what I have here. Like, take, I hope you guys always do this. You take the information I'm giving and you apply it to yourself. And it makes you ask questions. And then if it makes you ask questions, you don't have an answer too. Reach out to me because I know a lot about the nuances. I coach unique athletes. Like, I can help with that. So never hesitate if I say something or if you're like, hey man, that made me feel some kind of way. Reach out. Let me know. Okay. Now we're gonna get into like the mid-distance and longer distances. And remember, these, me calling them mid does not mean they're not hard and long. It's just, I don't know. It's just it's just how I think about them in my brain, but it doesn't mean they're not hard, it doesn't mean they're not long, long distances. It's just how to separate because there's so many distances when it comes to trail running. But we'll say like 50 to 100k, like this becomes obviously you're out there longer, you're eating more, your brain starts to take on more, you're gonna get more tired, you're probably gonna get more decision fatigue, you're gonna get some mouth fatigue out there too. Mouth fatigue, you're tired of chewing. That's when you might switch to gels or have a lot more gels because you just are so friggin' tired of chewing. But, you know, same thing though, you still want to fuel deliberately, you want to hydrate consistently, but you're gonna start feeling probably more cumulative fatigue out there. Not that you weren't fatiguing a shorter distance, but you're gonna feel it more and more. So, you know where the aid stations are before you start the race. Um, and you want to be, I should have mentioned that actually earlier, before you should study where aid stations are before you even start the race. But when you sign up for that race, you should look at where aid stations are so you know and you can start planning. Um, Ultra Pacer is a great uh website to use, by the way, to do that. You can upload a GPX file, you can use the race's GPX file, it could already be in there, and it shows where the aid stations are and you can plan all of your stuff around that. Like use put it into a spreadsheet and you can plan. So I should have mentioned that earlier, but plan for the aid stations no matter what the distance. Um make sure you're checking your feet. Uh, make sure you're making small adjustments early. So if you've like, I've had people who are like, I didn't want to take out my shoe or I'm off my shoe because there's only five miles in. I'm like, you felt like you had a bubble in your shoe, you didn't take it out and you got 100k to run, like take those shoes off, get it out, because again, later in the race, that's gonna well you're probably already have a blister, it's gonna bother you more and more. So make sure when you're getting to these aid stations you're feeling some kind of way, fix it. Like right away. It's better. And if it bothers you before the aid station, do it before that too. So um also note you may sit it a little bit more as these distances get higher. Um, maybe it's to change your shoes. Uh, I don't I don't change my shoes too often, but like people do, and it is like the best feeling in the world for them. Sometimes it's more about changing their socks and their shoes, uh, which totally makes sense too. Maybe you want something with a little more cushion. Uh, maybe there's a different, like the the race is just a little bit different, or you're your or um the train's a little bit different from like aid station to aid station. Maybe you've gone through water at one point or you're about to go through water. You know, there's different reasons to change, but no going into it if you want to change your shoes, right? That way it's like okay, like I want these shoes changed, I want these socks changed. Again, if you change your shoes, change your socks. If you don't change your shoes and want to change your socks, that's okay. Um, so but you could change shoes, and why would you want to change shoes? Well, again, maybe the terrain changes, and shoes do break down as you're running in them. And I don't mean the breakdown over months of like use. I mean like the breakdown of just actually uh using the shoe. Um, and like as you're running five, I six, seven, eight hours, you are you are hitting that padding, you're grinding it down. So you might want to change shoes so you have a little bit more padding. I know some athletes will change and say uh stay in the same exact shoe but change it. Some people will switch to a little bit uh cushier shoe. Um, some people will actually switch from a cushier shoe to a more sturdy shoe because it's too much cushion um in the beginning and they need less. Some adjust based on terrain. It just depends on you. So I hope what you're getting from this is hey, it's okay to change your shoes at these aid stations if you have a drop bag. But um if the st the overall goal is still, hey, let's get in and out as quickly as we can and as efficiently as we can. So brief sitting here can be very useful, so but make it intentional. Um, if you are chasing cutoffs, especially, you want to think about that. If you are if you're chasing whatever goal it is you have, think about how long you have at the aid station. Again, Ultra Pacer is great for this. You can actually put in how long you want to sit at an aid station, not sit, but be at an aid station. You know, you can put it up, you can put it whatever minutes you want. You can do this for crews too. I'm gonna be with my crew for 15 minutes at this time. I'm gonna be somewhere else, like I'm gonna be at this other aid station for five minutes. This aid station I'm gonna spend eight minutes at. And that can go into your that will go into how much time overall time you have. So I'll try to remember to link Ultra Pacer at the bottom because it's a good one. I actually pay for it now so I can export the spreadsheet. It's wonderful. Um, it's also a spot, especially like if you're a heavy sweater, if you eat more like I do, making sure you're getting the right electrolytes in when you're assessing like how much you've eaten, eaten and drinking, drinking, drink, drink. That's a word. Um, see how much you have, make sure you're drinking and eating enough. It's super, super important. Okay. So it's valid no matter what your needs are there. And then we get up to those just higher distances. 100 milers, 150, 200, all of that. These are a little bit more logistical due to especially them being multi-day. Um, so like typically you are moving a little bit slower. Um, even the elites, because this is a very, these are very, very different distances. Um, again, more logistical for you to figure out. Uh, you're probably gonna, you are probably gonna change your socks. Foot care becomes even more important. Um, you might have drop bags out there again. You want to be able to uh regulate yourself mentally. There could be um sleep stations, right? Am I gonna sleep with these sleep stations? If so, which ones? Some of these long races even have shower stations so you can feel like a human. Um, one thing I will mention here, these 100 plus milers, especially as you get into the 125, 150, have a toothbrush, toothpaste that it will make you feel so much more human. Have face wipes, have body wipes. Those things, um, whether they're in a drop bag at the aid station, whether they're with your crew at an aid station, those are great things to help you feel more human and give you a mental refresh that you need. Um, especially for me that's a toothbrush, man. Having that toothbrush is super, super important. Um, but again, a lot of times you can just have that in a drop bag or with your crew so you can brush your teeth. It really, really makes a huge difference. Um, you might even want to have, it might be a spot where you think about um if you're gonna change into glasses if you wear contacts. Uh, I can't wear contacts for an entire like 24-hour race. I can't do it for even for a longer distance than that. I have to take out my contacts and put in my glass, I'll put on my glasses for overnights normally. So that's just a thing to keep in mind of like, okay, um if I'm not gonna wear my glasses, you know, what aid station am I gonna wanna, or if I don't wear my contacts, what aid station am I gonna want my glasses at? And just having that in mind. And you could keep your glasses in your pack if you want to, but I'm just saying, like, when you get to an aid station, that's where you might want to take out your contacts, put on your glasses, switch that out. So there's a lot of different things going on as these races get longer, as you have more aid stations to work with, and just you have more things that come up. Um, you may have an outfit change, let's talk about outfit change, but like it could have rained a whole bunch and you need to change your clothes, or it could be that you have some required gear that you have to have on you for these races. So you either want to have them like at the aid station, your drop back or at the aid station with your crew. Like, and if you are trying to get in and out in some kind of way, like make sure they're ready for it. Have those bags labeled. I talked about crew last year last year, last week, feels like a year ago, um, with how you need to be organized for them. Like you need to have things labeled because if you want them to be efficient for you, you have to make things that will be efficient. So having things like, okay, I'm gonna need this at this aid station. Yes, as those distances get longer, the plan doesn't always go according to plan, unfortunately. But like make sure they know what you need. Make sure they have the crew manual and the runner's manual so they know where there's required gear, because at some point you are probably gonna lose your mind at a longer distance. You might even lose it in a shorter distance. These are hard things, all these distances are hard. So knowing like what's the required gear is very important for you, but it's also very important to let you know your crew at these aid stations, like what you're gonna need, so they make sure you have what you need. So that was a lot of words right there. Um, and then also like for all the distances, like having a plan does matter. I'm not saying you have to be type A like me and some of my athletes are we got spreadsheets, we got markings, we are telling our crew all the things. Like, I do think we should tell our crew all the things because I think it's very important. They are doing a hard job and they deserve to a little bit of help before all this madness starts. But it does having a plan matters. And whether like you know the race company, you know what nutrition, you know what hydration they have there, whether it's you emailing to ask what the heck they have, like that's part of the plan. And then also know like what you're refilling. For me, like if I'm at a race and I'm five miles into a race and then the next aid station is like five miles away, I typically have enough fluids on me for those 10 miles, depending on obviously how long it takes to get from aid station to aid station. So I'm not worried about that first aid station grabbing something, but I know at that second aid station I'm gonna be there a little bit longer because I'm gonna refill everything. So it's having those kinds of plans in mind of like, okay, first station's only like four miles out. Shh, I'm not gonna need that. Or first station's four miles out, but then the next one's another 16 miles. So, right, so that changes the plan. So it shifts. So I'm not gonna get super specific here because there are so many distances between aid stations and there's so many different race distances, but it's looking at the actual like race information, figuring out the or seeing the distance between aid stations and figuring out what your needs are. Whether you do that on your own, whether you do that with a running coach, whether you do that with a friend who's run before, um, or just ask questions of people who who have run. Um, but it is knowing what you need for you, what you need to stop and refill, what you need to stop and eat, how you want to use drop bags at the aid stations, how you want to use the volunteers at the aid stations. I don't mean use them in a bad way, but more like, all right, I'm gonna need to help get into my bag, or okay, I'm gonna, it's gonna get into the night. I'm gonna need to make sure I can find my headlamp. All of that stuff. Make sure you're, you know, you just ask a volunteer for help when you need it there. So also remember what you're leaving with. So it's not just about refilling and grabbing things, but what are you leaving with? Um, hi Renee, I'm gonna mention her. She said, like, she's like, I have forgotten my pulls. Like I they were in my drop bag and I meant to grab them at this aid station and I didn't. So it's remember like the you're you want to what you want to leave with. If you find yourself forgetting, and let me let you know, brain fog is a real thing. There is no judgment with that. I don't know how well the best way for you to remember, but it could be if it's gonna last, you know, writing it on permanent marker on your arm, having it pinned to your vest on the outside, just being like, remember pulse, drop bag, like even that, but whatever you need, it doesn't matter what it is, whatever it is to help you remember to have what you wanted to leave with. Because it is important you plan for that, so make sure you actually execute on that plan too. And also remember that things are gonna need to be adjusted sometimes. Um, we do really hard things out there, and sometimes things don't go as planned. So, one thing that I just I mentioned earlier too is how I always have a headlamp on me. It's really important to have that because you know, you could think, okay, I have my headlamp or waistlamp, whatever you use for light. At the next day, I'll grab out a drop bag. And then shit goes bad. And sometimes it does. It doesn't go perfect and it's starting to get dark and you are out there without a headlamp. Can you use your phone for a light? Yes, it is not as good as a headlamp, just so you know. So be thinking about those plans and like that, even if something isn't going right, you had a plan to grab a headlamp from like the next aid station, have one on you, right? That's that's just the adjustment. Um also know if you realize you're getting ahead at the eight stations, great. Like, think about that and look at how much you're eating and drinking to make sure it makes sense, like where you're at. If you're getting behind, do the same exact assessment. All of that is so important to be able to do. So have the plan. And if you have the plan and things go wrong, adjust the plan. And I will give a couple examples here. Um, so say, man, you had this plan to eat, you know, a certain amount of gels, and all of a sudden your stomach's not loving the gels. You gotta switch to a different texture, switch to something else, whatever that is. I don't know what that could be. But when you're on an aid station, if you're like, uh, look around, see what's there, like eat something, figure it out, because sometimes you just get tired of stuff for a while after you've been out there for a while. Maybe you're like, oh my gosh, like I'm really struggling to eat anything. I'm nauseous. Look at how much you're drinking. A lot of our nausea, and we're working hard, but a lot of our nausea comes from lack of hydration. So you need to get some water in, you need to get some electrolytes. You also don't want to get so much in you that you have sloshy stomach, right? So keep it in mind, but that's just something you can switch to, man. These gels aren't working. What can I have? Um, when you're in aid station, you're like, man, like it is hotter than they said it would be, or it feels hotter than what I thought it would feel. Um, I'm sweating more. You might have to increase the electrolytes. Or maybe you stand there, and again, we don't want sloshy belly, but maybe you fill up one of your flasks with electrolytes and you drink all of that, and then you fill it up again before you go, right? To make sure you have a little bit of extra because you weren't expecting to sweat so much or you weren't expecting so much heat. Um, I will say people, especially who come from out of state and run in Arizona, this happens a lot because those temperatures can look really beautiful and they are, but the exposure here is crazy. Like there is not a lot of shade for us. Like it is like, hey, the sun's up. We're in the sun all day long, which sounds great, but when you're racing, it can have a huge impact. So making sure, like, okay, I had a plan for this many electrolytes, but holy cow, it's hotter, adjust, increase your electrolytes, increase your hydration. Um, you could have a low appetite, you realize, which again happens. Fueling is one of the hardest things about ultras, y'all, by the way. I mean, moving your feet, you get tired, you get sore, but fueling is just, it's hard. It's why I always emphasize practice, practicing it. But you may have an idea of like, okay, like I'm gonna eat this much throughout the course, and at the aid station, I'm gonna eat this, grab this, do this. And you realize like this is not possible, and you're realizing that you need to eat a little bit smaller quantities more frequently instead. So you still want to try to get the same amount of fuel in you, but more, but eat smaller and more frequently. What can that mean for an aid station for you then? It could mean you grab a peanut butter and jelly, a bean wrap, and a quesadilla. Yeah, I know, we eat like crazy out there, and you nibble on those as you go. You're not like eating it all at the aid station because your stomach can't take it, but the important part is to keep eating so you eat smaller and more frequently, right? And that's okay. Just keep eating as much as you can when you can, whether that's little bitty small amounts, whether you're still on schedule, whatever that is, it is important. So just remember that efficiency doesn't mean that rigidity. It does mean intentional flexibility. So being able, when you have a plan, that's fantastic, right? And then that way, if something happens in that plan, one thing, one part of the plan goes wrong, it's not as huge of a deal because you have a plan and then you just have to make an adjustment here. If you kind of go in, and I know people can do, I do know plenty of people have done this and have had a successful race, I am not like that. But like, if you go in without a plan, or you're just like, I'm gonna finish in this many hours, and there's really no other plan with that, it is very hard when it is, or it's even harder when something goes wrong. It's it's more of a challenge, and then you've got to think, and then you've got to make multiple decisions at one time because there wasn't a plan in place in the first place. So just keep in mind. And then here's I I said that these are all nuanced. Here's just some like overarching nuances that I want you to keep in mind. Um, I feel like I should have actually said this in the beginning so you could have cut these in mind as I was talking, but that's not where we're at. So um just this some people eat more, and that's okay. Some people eat less, that's okay. So that's why you need your own plan. Some people drink more, some people drink less, some people sweat more, some people sweat less. All of these things mean your intake um needs to match what your output is, what your stomach needs are, what your body needs are, all of that. You know, some people have allergies or GI sensitivity, so that means you might not be able to use an A-Station food as much. Hopefully, like the water's good, you have your electrolytes on, you're you can use the electrolytes there, but the food is sometimes the big pressing thing. Um, so just something to keep in mind there. Um, A-Station tables, like, they are generic, and I don't mean that in a bad way, but like you get what you get. You're not there being like, hey, I want to order this, this, and this. I will say, I know um Air Viper here in Arizona, they do uh the owner is vegan, so it helps. So there's vegan options for people, just so you know, if you're thinking about racing in Arizona here, um, but not all uh race companies have that capability or do that. So it's just something like you want to make sure whatever your dietary needs are, whether it's due to um a choice that you've made on how you eat, whether it has to do with allergies or GI sensitivities, just be prepped with what you need. A lot of people I've met who have these kinds of sensitivities or have a certain um diet that they follow, they are well aware of this because when they go to restaurants, like they have these things. So just think about, I don't think they think about the aid station as a restaurant, but think about it how before you go to a restaurant, you've probably looked at the menu to figure things out. Do that with aid stations, same thing. Like see what they have. And it could just be you don't even have any of those sensitivities or any or dietary needs or anything like that. You just see and you're like, I'm not fucking eating that. So, like that means you have to pack your own food. So that's okay though. So, all right, so don't feel pressured to eat what other. Are eating. I've had people like be like, well, I saw this person eating it, so I decided to. And I was like, okay. Like, but don't feel it. Like, again, as these races get longer, you may find yourself grabbing something you haven't practiced with. Um, I have eaten my first, I was pacing, but like I had ran like, I don't know, 30 miles and I ate a hamburger for the first time after, which is how I found out I like hamburgers over long distances. I have had a hot dog. Like I have had things that like I did not have in training, but those are at much longer distances when my stomach is like, hey, uh, you've been awake for 36 hours. You still need to eat, but you don't want that. You want to try this. So I've said like experiment as much as possible. And sometimes in these longer races, you're like, I need real food, I need a meal, and you eat something that's a little bit different. Just keep it in mind that that could happen and don't stop yourself, especially if you know you need to eat and nothing is like sounding good to you. So I know that might sound completely opposite of what I said earlier. Plan, practice, do what you can. Know at one point when you're out there so long, your body might be like, no more gels, no more quesadillas, but I really want to eat that slice of pizza at this aid station. And that's okay to try it. I would say eat it slowly, don't just slam it. Um, and then I I have met people out there, and you could be one of these people listening who literally never have a gut issue. I am known for my gut issues. Well, I'm known to myself for my gut issues. So if you are one of those people, fantastic that's awesome for you. That is great as an ultra owner to not have a sensitive tummy because you can eat normally a lot more. Um, and just so you know, if it you do eat something and it hits wrong, we call those code browns, by the way, but like you just might have to step out. So make sure you got toilet paper on you. Some aid stations have porter potties too, and some don't. Some have actual bathrooms that they're at, if they're at trails, at trailheads that have running bathrooms. So just so you know. Um, and again, I just mentioned this too. Sorry, my bullet points are in order. My thoughts are not in order, but don't avoid food just because it's not in your plan if your body needs it. That's what I was saying earlier that I should have said in one sentence and I said in 20. But when you're out there, sometimes your body's like, nope, nope, nope, yep. And you go for it. Again, eat it slowly, try not to just stuff it in your face just for the the stomach issues, but don't just like deny yourself either. And then again, practice knowing what works before a race day. So knowing what's at aid stations, if you see like, man, aid station, you know, five has burgers, you know what? I'm gonna put a burger like in a in my in a cooler in my car, put it in my pack, and I'm gonna try to eat it, you know, four hours into this long run. And then you see what happens, you know, and that's that's a way to practice it. So you can always look at like what the aid station list is and take some real food with you. Um, one thing that I have found out, like, I love a quesadilla, I have to do vegan, but um I I ch I had a one that was like I took it out of the fridge here and it was a little bit cold. I put it in my pack, it warmed up a little bit, and it tasted so good. That might sound disgusting to some people, but it was so freaking good. And that's how I practice it. And so, man, when I got a fresh one at a race, um it was like the most amazing thing I'd ever eaten in my life. So there are ways to practice some of those real foods too, whether you use your car as an aid station, whether you put it in your pack, whatever it is. But practice what you can and still keep in mind, man, I've been out here a while. I might eat something that I that I don't normally eat. Uh, we already talked about drop bags, which I already had a whole section on that, but just know it is there to like it's to make things it's to make things easier. Don't overwhelm yourself by overpacking. Make sure you know which what's you know what you need, if you're gonna switch socks, if you're not, have like headlamp backups, batteries, all the things. If you know, like I know some people like they have tested their shoes, they have done all the things, but man, around mile 70, they always start to get a blister. It's like change, clean off your feet, change your socks and shoes. Like that is always a thing. If you if you because some people it's very specific and it makes sense because you're out there on your feet for a long time, wash those feet off. I'm gonna say that again, wash those feet off because if you forget to wash your feet when you take off your socks, you probably still have dirt on your feet. So get those feet clean before you put on a fresh pair of socks. Also, if you can put your socks in a Ziploc bag before you put, yeah, I'm all about plastic apparently for this stuff, which is not good, but put or put a little container, whatever it is, but put them so when they're in a sealed container. Because if your drop bag gets a little bit of dirt in it, which it can, there's they're bringing a bunch of drop bags out to those places. Um, you don't want your socks to have dirt on them because then you're putting on you get your feet clean and then you're putting on socks that have some dirt on them, and then that's where you can get more hot spots or blisters. So just a pro tip right there. Um, and really like again, like you might, again, it's extra socks, no matter what the reason is for, if you want them, have them have some safe foods in there. If you have sensitive stomachs, stomach allergies, you have certain dietary needs. Um, and also like it's a great place to have layers. So um, if it's like gonna, if you're running to the night and you know it's gonna get colder, you can have layers. If it's an aid station, like you're actually running into the morning um and it's getting warm, you can take off your layer and put it in the drop bag, as long as you don't need it later. We're not getting in there are some places that will um, oh my gosh, what's the word I'm looking for? Leapfrog, where they will take your drop bag to a secondary aid station. Um, those are normally for a lot longer races. That's a different thing, but like, hey, like if you have a jacket and you're not gonna need it until that next aid station where they're dropping your next drop bag, you can do that too. But it is a place like you can just drop stuff if you're not gonna need it again, you just have to have your drop bag there. So some people use it like that because they don't want to um keep that on them. So um one thing that are common just aid station mistakes is sometimes people will be like, oh my gosh, the aid station is only a couple miles away. I'll just wait to eat till I'm there. Don't wait if it's time to eat. Go ahead and eat what you plan on eating that's on your pack, and when you get to the aid station, still eat. I mentioned this earlier. You're gonna be in a deficit. That's just how it is. So there's no point in skipping what you were already planning to eat in the like in between aid stations, and then still eat at the aid station. Um, don't forget to refill things. Um it sounds very basic, but like sometimes like if if it depends on what you're running to, you could have your two flask up front and your bladder in the back, and you forget to fill your bladder. Um, many times volunteers at the aid station, if if they're watching you, if they see you and they're gonna be like, oh, do you need water in your bladder? It's fantastic, but they can't always look at everybody. They are helping a lot of people. So just make sure like you have everything that you need. You've refilled everything. Um sometimes you feel like you're just sitting for a second too long and you're sitting there for a long period of time. I have had many rathlets come back to me and they're like, I know we practice this. They're like, but I looked at how long I stopped at aid stations and it was a long time. Like it didn't feel like that long. Time moves differently when you're racing. So make sure just to. I'm not saying you have to turn a timer on, but make sure you're watching, you know, like how long you've been there and if you had a plan to get out, follow that plan as closely as possible. Um, so those are really the big mistakes. I mean, you could say like grabbing unfamiliar food. Uh, I it's it can be it can be a mistake, but you won't know, will ya? Um, but again, you don't want to deprive yourself of something you may be craving, especially over a long distance, but you also want to watch just what you're putting in. For example, like I am sensitive to cheese, my body becomes inflamed. It's not fun. Um, I will actually sometimes vomit if it's too much uh lactose. So I can't just like so what I mean, so don't, I'm not just gonna grab something like they're like, oh, here's a cheeseburger, it's it's normal cheese. I'm not gonna do that because it might sound really good in the moment, which it really does right now, even, but my body is not gonna respond well. I know it's gonna make me sick. I know it's gonna make me slower. I know my knees and my hands are gonna feel that I ate that. So I would definitely like avoid grabbing things that you are sensitive to. That doesn't mean you won't grab something that you've never had before while running. So I would say for the most part, when I'm grabbing something while running that I haven't practiced with, it's normally something I've eaten in real life and no, I like it because my body's like, I want that. So um, and then leaving without actually thinking about the next segment. I'm not saying sitting there and being like, here's what I'm gonna do, here's the elevation. More just like sometimes I'm like, wait, how far is it to the next aid station? And I need that, I need that mental piece in my brain just because like it helps me get to the next spot. So a lot of times the aid stations will have signs on it that say 5.2 miles to next aid station. Sometimes they don't, and I will ask a volunteer, or sometimes they do, and I just don't see the sign. Um, so but you can always ask, and it's not it's not that you shouldn't, like I've already said, you look at the runners manual, make sure you know where the aid stations are. You can be out there a long time and your brain just can't remember, and that's okay. So just make sure to think about okay, how far is it to the next one? Do I have everything I have on me? Um, am I good to go? Okay, let's go. So, okay, last but not least, how to practice them in training. You can use your car as an aid station and you make sure like you have all the things you want to try in your in your car aid station. Um, if you need to have stuff in a cooler, have a cooler with ice, you know, simulate how you're gonna refill your bottles. Um, so if you are at an aid station and you are going to have to like the bottles are gonna have to be filled. I mean, you can definitely fill the bottles on your own if you'd like to. You can also have extra bottles and pull them out and put them in your in your vest. Like, or even if you're gonna have an extra bladder there, or if you have an extra bottle, you can do that and you can put it in your vest. You don't necessarily just have to have like a gallon of water there and fill them up while you're standing there because when you are using an aid station, typically volunteers are there to help you fill all of those things. So you can also practice it yourself though. Like if you want to fill things up on your own and use the same bottles you already have on you, you can totally practice that. So, like, simulate the whole like having electrolytes in your bottle, filling it and all of that. But it is like a place just to have things that you want to try in your car. You know, have it in a cooler, have it, you know, it doesn't always all have to be in a cooler, it depends what it is, but have it ready. You unlock your car, whether it's in the back of your car, wherever it fits, whether it's in the passenger side, I feel like the back of the car, whether it's a SUV or a car, um, you can do this. Open it, grab what you need, and go. If you are practicing, oh man, I didn't mention this, dang it. If you are practicing for heat, especially, uh, we do that a lot in Arizona, uh, and you want to work with your ice bandana or work on having ice in your sleeves, ice in your bra, ice in your hats, ice wherever. Um, it's good to have ice there and practice your cooling. So, like put ice in your ice bandana, put ice down your bra, put ice wherever it is you want to have it. That way you can practice that. So, with that in mind, aid stations. That's what you should do at aid stations too, especially when it's hot. Make sure if you have an ice bandana, make sure you're getting that filled at aid stations. Don't just try to get in and out so fast that you're not doing those cooling strategies. So practice your cooling strategies at your car aid station. Also, because since I can't go backwards, remember um at the aid stations to get cool. I mentioned like them throwing water on you, the volunteers can do that, but they can also fill your ice bandana. Uh, they can put ice in your bladder even to have colder water for a bit. But practice those cooling strategies too, because it is important for the for the race itself, but it's also important for your recovery while you're training for this race. So, man, I thought it was gonna be a shorter episode. And once I started talking, I had all these things to say. So you're welcome. Um, but and also just like know these aid station skills you have, they're they don't magically appear on race day. It's things that you have practiced. So I do strongly encourage you to use your car for an aid station. Or again, like I said, some people will use races as training races, and you can practice with real aid stations. So that's awesome. That's an awesome opportunity if you're a person who is really good at like practicing things and not like race racing hard every single race. It is a fantastic option. So do it. So, um, and also like when you think about all of this, like these these aid stations are there for you to get a break from running. It's for you to take a minute, assess where you're at, refill, and go again. So I'm gonna use this. It's like life, right? Like, we need breaks whenever throughout our day, throughout our weeks, we need to take them. So when you know, so when you take these breaks, you need to know what you need from them. Whether it's in the at these aid stations or whether it's in life, you need to know, like, hey, I need a break now, what do I need from this? Um, pauses without like intention do drain your, can drain your energy. Like, I'm not saying you have to you need a pause in your day and you like have these deep, deep thoughts, but it's more like think about like, okay, I need a I need a pause here. Like, I need I need this, I need a minute, I need five minutes, I need 10 minutes, whatever it is. And sometimes you might need 30 minutes and you've got five minutes. So be intentional about those pauses, those breaks in your day, because we all need them, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm not saying you can practice these pauses, but it's something I think about with how busy my days get. Okay, I need five minutes right now. What am I gonna do? Am I gonna write down something I'm thinking about? Um, am I just gonna take a minute and lay on my yoga mat? Am I just gonna go walk for five minutes? Like, just have an intention behind so you can get that energy back. Um, and hate stations are the same. That's that's the whole point of it all. Like, I know life parallel, this is me being my hippie self. But just know, like, these pauses are important. They're important for your race, they're important for your life, they're important for your work, they're important for your family, they're they're just important. So keep that in mind. So even if you're not a runner, listen to this. I hope I've got a few of you out there. Um, this is important for you too. So here's what I want you to take with you, though. Aid stations aren't about doing what everybody else is doing, they're about supporting your race, your body, and your distance. The right aid station strategy changes with race length, um, and that's okay. Uh, it changes with conditions, it changes with your needs, right? So have a plan, but be flexible. If you know what you tend to need, you'll make better choices. If you stay flexible instead of rigid, you're gonna adapt faster. And if you lead, leave aid station supported instead of depleted, your race is gonna go steadier later on. So you don't need to copy anybody. You just need a plan that works for you. And a flexible plan at that. So, if you love this episode, make sure you share it with a friend. Make sure you download it, follow the show, leave a rating or review, um, share it with a trail friend, send somebody a text message about it, send it to a group text message. Um, but it helps more people uh get to hear this podcast. So now go move your body, drink some water, stretch your calves, and if you're listening while running, loosen your shoulders. You're welcome. Good effort, positive attitude.