Episode 30: Pacers in Ultra Running: Support System or Safety Blanket?

Pacers…they can be the best thing that happens to you at mile 80…or the reason you’re suddenly redlining, annoyed, and questioning every friendship you’ve ever had.

In this episode, I’m breaking down what pacers are actually for (hint: not to turn you into an elite robot), when they help the most, and when they can quietly mess with your race in ways you don’t see coming until it’s too late.

We’re talking:

• What a pacer’s job really is (and how it can change hour to hour)
• Why “high energy” isn’t always helpful energy
• The biggest ways pacers accidentally hurt a race (pushing pace, nonstop talking, anxiety spirals, making it about them…yikes)
• How to choose the right pacer for your personality (quiet, chatty, hype, neutral, tough love…all valid)
• Why communication is the whole damn thing (pacers aren’t mind readers)
• When I’d prioritize pacers (overnights, late stages, harder sections…aka when your brain starts acting feral)
• Logistics that matter more than you think (especially when cell service is trash)
• A quick nod to tools like UltraPacer if you want to get nerdy with planning without losing your mind

Bottom line: pacers aren’t required, they aren’t always allowed, and they aren’t a magic ticket to finishing. They’re a tool. And like any tool…if it doesn’t match the job, it’s gonna be a problem.

Enjoying the show?

If this episode resonated, share it with a friend who’s excited about a goal this year.
Make sure you’re following or subscribed so you don’t miss future episodes. Ratings and reviews help more than you know.

• ultraPacer: race & adventure pacing strategy
• Follow me on Instagram
• Visit my website: www.sunrisetrailscoaching.com
• Want to work together? Learn about 1:1 Coaching
• Free guide: What’s In My Pack? Download here

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey y'all, welcome back to Dirt Nap Diaries. I'm your host, Brittany Olson, Trailrunner, Women's Trail Running Coach, Hypewoman, 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 text 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, y'all. Uh nothing big to report here. Still training for Coca-Dona. Had a nice little D load week. Um, did some two mid-distance uh back-to-back long runs, uh, two hours, 15 minutes, three hours and 15 minutes. Uh everything felt good. So volume is increasing as of next week and will continue to increase for a while. There's gonna be some back to back to back long runs that are long days. So, what does that mean for coaching? It means that I gotta get my shit together even more so and start recording a couple podcasts on Sundays, maybe three. So you guys can hear every Tuesday, because I know every Tuesday that's what you wake up to listen to. So um, outside of that though, things are going great. Weather is getting warmer. Um, we had a beautiful weekend, but you can see our forecast, it's gonna get warm earlier than normal. So, what does that mean for training? Well, it means drinking more water uh and all of that and trying to stay cool. But for me, I am terrified of rattlesnakes. So it's about to be tis the season for that. So I'm gonna have to, I'm gonna be out there longer than I've ever been before. So uh I am definitely gonna be facing that fear uh for a longer season than normal. So unless there's some crazy weather that comes through and we get a cool-off. So fingers crossed for that. But I would also like our temperature to go back to normal. So all right, so what is today's topic? So I've kind of done, we'll call this, it's kind of been a series, but y'all don't even have to listen to it in that order. But I've done eight stations and crew the last couple episodes. So I decided pacers is going to be a fantastic topic for this. I am also thinking about pacers for Coca-Dona. So it'll get me thinking aloud and processing things and figuring out like who it should be and how where I want them and all that, because it is important. Uh paces are important, period. If you want to use them, you want to use them in the right place at the right time. Um, how many do you need? It depends on how long you're out there. Uh, can they handle you at your worst? Can they push you? Do you need a minute to be babied? Like, you this is actually a very important thing if you choose to use pacers and if the race allows for it, of course. So um just so you know, pacers, they're not required, they're not allowed for every race, they aren't available to everyone, and they aren't automatically helpful. Um, so just so you know, um you can't you that doesn't mean like if you have somebody you normally run with, um, you you ask them to pace, it might not be helpful. Like there are just things that you need to know, which we're gonna get into, so you can figure out who really should pace you during your races, if you want a pacer and if they're allowed. So I feel like in the US we are pretty lucky when it comes to pacers. Uh lots of other countries do not allow uh as many pacers as we do. I don't know why that is, and it doesn't really matter whenever you sign up for a race, it will let you know if you can have paces or not. So you get to make that decision for yourself. Um, so but uh so having a pacer really like doesn't make you any more legit either. Like you can have him, you cannot have him. They're talking about not allowing pacers for elite runners in some races. So uh I think it's the race organization decision, but uh a lot of people voted for like, hey, like, you know, let's let's have elites like not use pacers. So I don't know where that's going. That was just a headline, a little article I read just a couple days ago. Um, but it doesn't, if you have them, if you don't, it's not a big deal. Why do I keep repeating that? Because some people think they have to have pacers, um, and you just don't. And then I have other people who think like, you know, if I have a pacer, uh, that automatically means I'm gonna finish. And I know people who have like undertrained, like, well, I've got somebody out there with me, and that's not good either. So basically, the whole point of this is making sure you have the right pacer or pacers in place, making sure you actually want a pacer, and making sure you're still training, like you're gonna be doing the whole distance alone. So just remember though, a pacer is a tool and it needs to match whatever job they have to do. So, but really, a pacer is there for whatever you need them for. Same as crew. They are there. It might be pulling you along when you're just moving slow and you're stuck in your own head, could get you doing some run-walk intervals. Um, but they could be in front of you, they could be behind you, it depends on your needs and what you like. Um, it could be for keeping you awake and engaged when fatigue sets in. If fatigue sets in too much, especially on these longer races, it could be letting you nap on the trail for 20 to 30 minutes, then waking you up again. So they have to make sure they get up. Um, they probably are not falling asleep while you're sleeping. Probably. I'm not saying 100%, but they do have to make sure you get up and get moving. Um, hyping you up if you need to be hyped up when that either when confidence drops, or again, if you get super tired, um, if you just need it. Also calming you down when you feel anxious and things are overwhelming out there, you know, because I've been out there with people and all they they I've been out there with the people who've been out there for so long that they will forget what day they're in. Like, uh, and all of a sudden they're like, I'm not gonna make it to the finish. And the these things, these things start to like go through their head. So being able to calm people down for that. Uh reminding you to eat and drink when your brain forgets the basic task. Um, just saying, hey, take a sip of water, hey, eat. And I'm gonna let you know the longer somebody's in a race, and depending on the time of day, it gets harder and harder for a person to eat. So that is super, super important. Also asking the last time they went to the bathroom. Have you peed? Have you pooped? Like, what's going on? How's your stomach feeling? Those things, the GI things, the peeing, like that is all important too. Most people remember that they have to pee, all right, but it is good to like, if they if you have been out there with them for hours, because that can happen, and they haven't peed, like, that's just something that you want to keep in mind. So, I mean, if they start puking outside of holding their hair back, if they have long hair, like making sure they're eating and drinking after that, like you are there for their safety, for their confidence, um, to just be there with them in whatever way that they you are needed for, they are needed for. So, and sometimes it's walking quietly just next to you or behind or in front of you, too. Um, I've had a pacer before, and I I didn't have them for very long. I think it was gonna be like 11 miles. Um, and at one point it was just deeper into a race, and I was like, I'm gonna need you stop talking, stop singing, stop everything. Like, just stop right now. I need quiet, and that's it. Like, that's all you gotta tell them that too. But you have to have a pacer who is willing to listen to you and not talk, and gets that that's what you need in the moment. So um that's very important, by the way, because when I need quiet out there, I need quiet out there. So you might be the same way, but just something to keep in mind. And really an important part of this is the role can change throughout the race. You could be singing and laughing and gossiping with your pacer, and then all of a sudden you need that quiet, or all of a sudden you start crying, or all of a sudden you start puking. All of a sudden you realize I haven't ate anything in two hours, right? So it's like whatever you need could fluctuate, but they need to be there for you, and they need to be the person who can handle you at your best and at your very, very worst. So conversation, silence, different cues like sip, eat, let's hike this, you know, let's jog for 20 seconds and walk for 20 seconds. That is what they're there for. So there isn't just one drive discussion for a pacer, that's why you're gonna get quite a bit of information around how this can look. But uh the rate, right pat pacer will adapt to you. Like it's not the other way around. You are not there to be thinking about your pacer. You can be grateful for your pacer and all of that, but the pacer is there for you, so they need to adapt to your needs. Um, it is good, obviously, to prep them beforehand. They should have gone through the uh runner and the crew guide um guides so they know what the race is about. They should be able to know race uh the um aid station distances. Uh, they should know the course. And I don't mean like they should have been on course, but they should be aware of like, okay, this section that I'm pacing, there's gonna be a lot of climbing or there's gonna be a lot of descending, or it's gonna be technical, or we have a long distance between aid stations. They need to know these things too, but it is also on you as a runner to prep them. Um my first time pacing was fortunately at Havelena 100. Uh, if any of you know that race, it is about 20 mile loops. Uh, and this is one of the easiest ones I feel like to pace in crew because you can only pick up a pacer or a crew in one spot, right? And it's at the start-finish line, javelina headquarters. Uh, but I didn't know much about pacing. Uh, I just kind of showed up and it ended up being okay because of how like easy it is to know where you're supposed to be. The course at the time was going um washing machine style, which is you'd go start in one direction and then you'd go back out in the other direction. That's not the case anymore. Uh, but it still would have been helpful for me to know like more about the course, how the aid stations worked, but I was a baby trail runner and had no idea. So not making an excuse, that's just what it is. But as these races get either longer or harder, or you you don't have much phone signal, especially, you have got to make plans to where your pacer needs to be if they are not also with your crew the entire time, um, so they could be picked up. So that's just that's just logistics, but they do need to know my pacer for Moog. Uh, she did not crew the whole time, and that is perfectly fine, perfectly normal, but my crew had to know what time they were gonna pick her up, and then grab her and then have be back at the cruise spot that I was gonna pick up my pacer. So there are logistics that matter, and that is your uh job as a runner to make sure everybody knows what their job is. If you have a crew chief who will do it all, that is great. Um, some crew chiefs really like they do it all more during the race. Like everything they have the race totally tight, which is great, but then the actual logistics beforehand are on the athlete or the runner to have everything like in place. So just know that, yeah, your crew chief could do all the things, but you might have a crew chief that's like, hey, this is it's race only, and that's okay too, because these races can get very complicated when you're talking about multiple people pacing you, when you have a couple of crew members, when it's longer, when there's loss of cell service, all of those things. So why am I over-explaining this right now? I just want you to know that it can be harder to like do all these things, get your pacer support out there. But if you really want a pacer, you want to have things really fleshed out before you even start that race. Probably a few weeks before, just so you feel comfortable and you can focus primarily on your training. So, when do pacers tend to help most? As you know, most things in Ultras, most things in life are very, very nuanced. So it depends, but sometimes you can't get a pacer when you can first get a pacer. Like maybe you don't have a friend who can come out at that time. Um, maybe it's just like Coca-Dona, it goes through the week and it's very hard to find pacers. Uh so for me, if it's like a one-day race, say it's 24 hours, you do go overnight. I will always opt for someone who can be there overnight with me. So if they can't, if I can have a pacer and it's still daylight, but the the people I know, they're like, man, like I really can't pace for that long, or I can't be out there for that long. Like, I want them to be there at nighttime. That's and I think a lot of people are like that. I'm not saying all, but it can get you can get in your head quite a bit. Um, you could get lost. Uh, even though if courses are well marked, you can be very tired at that time, because now by that time you maybe move in 12 to 14 hours. So, in my opinion, they are very useful if it's like that 24-hour, you know, piece or even more, right? But if you're going into the night, I always feel like it's fantastic to have a pacer um overnight. So, um, but maybe you can have a pacer for a 50 miler. Uh, there are some that do this and some that don't. I have seen mixed on this. And just so you know, I have no judgment on use of pacers or not. Um, some people feel like, oh my gosh, I'm only doing 50 miles. I don't need a pacer. If you want a fucking pacer, get one. Like, don't worry about other people are doing or what other people are saying. Trust me, I see the social media, I hear what people say at races. People can be just dickheads. I mean, that's all I've got. So if you want a pacer, have a pacer. Um, but for me, like, again, like back have a 50 miler. If you are at 30 miles and you can have a pacer and you want one, then try to get one. If you have somebody that you trust, you want them there, um, ask them to do it. Again, late stages of 100K. I do know several 100Ks that allow for pacers too. Um, it's just where you want them. I always feel like it's great for those to have them on uh the back half too. So, and I I keep saying back half because I've had races where you could have a pacer for like, say, the last, we'll say 25 miles. I can't remember exactly the the where it was at. And then you could also like drop that pacer off and with 11 miles left in the race, you grab another pacer or use the same one. So if I could only find one person to pace me, I would pick the late the lat the later stage of that. Um, just because I know like later in the race, we are more tired. Now, if somebody wants a pacer and they want it the whole time and they can find somebody for the whole time, great too. But like I just say, I say this is all very nuanced because you need to know like who's available, when they're available, can they get there, how are they gonna get there. There's so much work to put into it. So you just want to make sure you know where you want pacers specifically so you can set that up. But most of my suggestions here are just when fatigue is cumulative, like effort regulation gets messy, emotions start driving decisions. So it's better to know where you want your pacers based on all of those things. When we're talking multi-day racist, this is when it gets crazy and this is what I'm trying to navigate. Part of it is my overall guilt of asking people to either like miss work um or like come out through the week, which can be hard uh if you have family or whatever. And it's hard for people, even if it's like an overnight one too, but through the week it can be very, very hard. Um, I will suggest the same thing, though. If you have limited pacers or cannot get them with all the entire time, I would want them for the overnight section sections more than anything. Um, just because you will be more and more tired as those days go by, as those hours tick by. You will want to eat less, you will be drinking less, you know, you will be even more confused at times. You want to make sure you're going in the right direction. And at nighttime, it is much easier to get off course. It is much easier to just lay down and sleep, and then you get up very disoriented and you don't know which way to look or which way to go. Um, so if you cannot have one the entire time in a multi-day race, you know, I I do tend to go towards the overnights. You may want them though where the section is harder, um, where you know you're gonna be deeper in a race. It doesn't have to be deeper, it can just be harder, I guess we'll say. So it can just be a harder section and you know that you want somebody there with you. That has nothing to do with it's nighttime or daytime. It's just gonna be a section that you want somebody there with you. Um, again, if you can get them the entire time, uh, great. But if you can't, you want to be very specific about when you think you're gonna need a pacer. And I'll warn you, you might be wrong about when you need one every once in a while. Um, or especially for the multi-day races, you can be like, I want to pick up this person at aid station, such and such, and you don't hit it at night, and it's in the daytime. So that is whenever your crew chief and then your pacers can also, that's when they need to flex with you, right? When I said the right pacer adapts to you, the right pacer and crew will adapt to you, and hopefully they can figure something out. Either that pacer shows up earlier because you actually are behind schedule, or if you're ahead of schedule, maybe they pick you up at a different aid station. It just depends. And you can plan and plan and plan, but as you know, we do hard things as ultra runners, and sometimes things just don't perfectly, so hopefully they can adapt to that. And then if somebody's like, you know what, like if if like you don't hit this at this certain time of day, I do have work, I do have this, and I can't do it, that's just good to know up front because sometimes that happens. So earlier in races too, like pacers don't always add up as much. Like Coca-Dona, you can start having paces at Whiskey Row, and that's about mile 78. Might be actually a little bit sooner now just because of some course adjustments. But um, if somebody said, hey, like, if I if I talk to me and they're like, well, we can't really get there till like mile 100, uh, or like I can be there at mile 77 or mile 150, I'm gonna choose 150 because that is later in the race. That's when my brain's gonna be tired. That's when I'm gonna be feeling some bigger emotions. Um, that's when things are gonna start to feel impossible. So I'm gonna want a pacer who's gonna be out there to be steady with me during the latter stages of the race. So, um, but so that's when like pacers tend, in my opinion, tend to help the most. Again, it can be nuanced. So depending on how long the race is, what your needs are, if you were going into the night, if you won't even be in the night 100k, you're done in the morning. It really depends on your needs, but I do think if you have a pacer and a longer race, it is better to have them later whenever things everything is harder. So, when can a pacer hurt your race? What a great question, Brittany. I'm so glad I asked. This part does matter. Um, sometimes pacers can come in or normally come in with a lot of energy, which isn't bad. Like, we need that energy when out there runners doing hard things. But what they do is they start pushing your pace when you do not need that. Yes, I know there are people who have pacers to do that with. Typically, us as everyday athletes are looking for that mental help. That, like, yes, maybe we'll do some walk jogs, but most of them are not there to be like pushing you and making you red lines. So they are there to match your pace and your needs. They are not necessarily there to push your pace. Now, you may say, hey, like, I feel like I'm walking a lot. I need some walk jog intervals. Yes, that is a time where they were pushing you, but they are not making you just like run and run and run whenever that's not what you need. And again, they come in with high energy. I have been a pacer, I get it. It's very exciting. Like, it is very exciting to be a pacer, but you gotta keep that tone where it needs to be kept. Uh, they talk nonstop when you need quiet. Guys, I'm gonna let you know I'm actually pretty quiet when I'm uh out there pacing. Yeah, I know, I know, you don't believe it, but sometimes that chatter is just too much. Sometimes you need that chatter, but you need to make sure that when you say be quiet, or like if they are not, they need to be able to pick up on cues too, because sometimes you are so tired you can't even think to say, hey, stop talking, please. Um, so they need to be situationally aware, I guess you could say. Um, if they project too much anxiety or urgency, um, that can be very, very bad for a runner, especially if a runner can really feel like what other people feel. So, like if they, if you're close to cutoff and this pacer's kind of spastic about it, like that can be rough. And now they can have a way to push you a little bit quicker, they can be encouraging, but having that anxiety and urgency coming off of them is normally not helpful for a runner. Also, they treat the race like it's their experience. Um, I have fortunately not had this happen before. I have had people tell me they have had it happen before where it's like it's about them. The race is about them. You don't need a pacer like that. That's not the point. That pacer is there for you, period. It is not, yes, they're experiencing something. Like when I did went out there for Coca-Dona, I talked about it later about how it was an experience. Like, holy cow, all of these people out there just like helping each other and just moving and like just appreciating being out there, but like the actual experience while in it, it was not about me, it's about the runner. So even well-meaning pacers, even your besties, even your running besties can cause problems if expectations aren't clear too. So you need to make sure the how the expectations are set, what is set in those expectations, everything so they know. And I make this very clear to everybody. I am not the same person I am at mile one that I'm gonna be at mile 50, 100, 150. Like all of those things do matter, and they need to be able to be able to adjust to those moods. So if you're feeling rushed or guilty or like you're letting somebody down, that's not helpful support from a pacer. They should not make you feel that way. That added stress will make you even more fatigued and tired. Um, and honestly, this is like life, really. Like if you have friends or family and like you're always feeling rushed or guilty, or like you're you're just never enough. Yes, I know I went to a life thing, didn't mean to let it happen. Like, it doesn't help. It just adds pressure and makes you feel more stressed. Those are those energy vampires I talked about. Shoot. Man, episode four, episode two, this is episode 30, y'all. Holy shit. Um, but yeah, so it is like you don't need that extra pressure. Even when it's coming from a place of care, you don't need it. So they need to take the pressure off of you so what you can focus on is eating, drinking, and moving forward. That's it. That's it. Maybe taking a nap and then they quake you up. But different runners also need different pacers. Really? Huh? Who knew? There's no universal good pacer. At least I don't think there are. Maybe there's somebody who can pace everybody and they can match everybody's moods. I just don't think that. But um, some runners need more reassurance and encouraging encouragement and conversation. And again, I mentioned how that can ebb and flow too. But I know some people, like, they just freaking talk the entire time. They are giggling and laughing, and I love it. I'm the one who needs a mix of things, but like that's okay too. But again, the pacer needs to adapt to what you need. But so if you know you're a runner who needs that reassurance, that encouragement and conversation, you're not gonna want a friend out there who's a little more negative than others. And I'm not saying that's a bad friend to happen. We all have different kinds of friends, but sometimes you notice a friend can get down on the dumps maybe a little bit quicker than others, and that won't be your person. Um, other runners need quiet, minimal cues, like that neutral presence. And that's perfectly fine too. I already have a couple people in my brain that like I could I could picture doing that, and they would be amazing because they just know they have a quieter voice. They've done a lot of times when I have been around people who are quiet and more neutral and can be minimal. They are more seasoned ultra runners. I'm not saying that's always the case, but I have met people and they they are reading the situation. They are more situation aware of what's going on. I like having those people because it takes things off my mind. Um, but again, it's up to what you need. I mean, you might not want a neutral person, you might want somebody who's a little louder, who can engage the entire time. I love people I can laugh with too. But again, there are times late in the race where I'm just like, I need a quiet or I need a voice that is calmer. Not everybody has a calm voice if you didn't know that. So um make sure you have what you need. So if they need to know, like some runners fall apart if they if they sit too long. So if you're a person who, you know, knows like I can only sit for so long and like then I just fucking lose it, or like my legs are gonna seize up. You need to tell your pacer that beforehand, but also like if you're thinking of it when you're in an aid station, you might repeat it to them just so you make sure they remember, like, I can't sit too long here, like I need to keep moving. Um, you may be somebody who forgets stuff um with your crew or in a drawbag and you have a pacer with you, they need to be able to remind you, Renee. I'm I'm thinking about you as I say this, but Renee tells you she gets to an aid station, and sometimes there's brain fog. Um, and so it is good to have if you have something in your drawbag, such as polls that you want to get out, um, your pacer needs to know, like, hey, here I've got something in my bag I need. They should know beforehand, so that way they've got it, but they need to be basically your brain for a lot of this. Um, sometimes you may need to sit longer, and they need to, and you need to just either make them aware of that, or like they can read something like there are times whenever you start kicking rocks, you've been out there, you're you're you maybe you've even fallen, come close to falling like 10 times. That pacer needs to be like, dude, like we need to sit. Like, we need to reset. Whether it's a five-minute nap, whether it's sitting for 10 minutes, whatever that is, that pacer needs to be able to speak up in those moments. So that is very important for a pacer to have, you know, they have to be able to like stand up to you in a gentle way. Um, but again, you the pacer is there to help you, and hopefully you have somebody out there you can trust. But they need to be able to like not just like coddle you and all of that. Sometimes they have to stand be like, hey, you gotta take a break. You must eat. What I you must drink, you must sit. You need somebody who can do that too. That can make a difference in a DNF or finishing that race. So um none of none of what you want is wrong as long as you have the right person at place. And you're still what you want isn't wrong, but if you have the wrong pacer in place, everything feels wrong. And then again, that adds that mental stress and you're not getting the help you need. The key is knowing your tendencies and choosing a pacer who supports them, not fights them. So you have to know yourself enough. You have to be bold enough to tell somebody maybe shut the hell up. Um, I have never had to say shut shut the hell up to any pacer of mine. I've had to tell them to be quiet. Um, but like you have to know your tendencies and be able to choose those pacers and choose those pacers who won't get offended. Like I've had people who tell me, like, they're like, oh my gosh, I picked the wrong pacer. I just told them to be quiet, I wasn't even mean, and they got like all butthurt about it. So making sure you have the right people in place, again, is so important. That goes for pacers, that go, and that goes for crew too. I will say this for pacers. Um, they want to focus on effort, not pace, just like we do whenever we're training for a race, or just training in general, right? Um, you want to be able to have somebody who is not chasing pace. So they're gonna help you hike when hiking makes sense. They're gonna help you slow down before you blow up. Um, they're gonna keep things boring and controlled, is how I like to say it. They'll keep you doing run-walk intervals if that's what you need. Um, they'll help you make the next mile manageable. So, again, like we don't want somebody who's pushing you too hard, and we want somebody who realizes like this person's going too fast, or this person has a little bit more in them. They just need to mentally get engaged. So you want those, you want to keep them steady. So, like that pacer needs to be there just to hold you steady. And that can be slowing down or speeding up, by the way, but it's not out there chasing something, it's not chasing a pace. Um, it's never a good idea to do that. Yes, elites are different, they probably have different goals in mind. They have something that's like, and I'm saying we don't have goals, but they have certain time, like they are going for a podium spot. So, yes, their pacers out there to make them run faster um and make sure they stay on pace. We have running goals, and that pacer is there to help with that, but they're also there to make sure you're mentally and physically able to cross that finish line, whether it's after your goal or not. So um, they're there to help you uh make decisions, which is a one probably one of the biggest benefits of a pacer. Um, decision fatigue is real. Uh, we have it in life because everything um can be harder. I mean, I'm pretty sure I've had some athletes who keep me around just because like I take away a decision from their everyday life, which is when to run, when to lift. That like I just tell them what to do and they go do it. So, pacers, same thing. They simplify choices, remind you to eat and drink, like I've mentioned, and keeping focus on the next segment, not the finish line. I've mentioned this with the aid stations, like and and with crew. Like we run aid station to aid station typically. If we look at that finish, if we think about that finish, it seems so far away, it seems not manageable. But if you can think aid station to aid station, whether it's five to sixteen in between, um, and focused on being in that moment, it is so much uh more helpful to have that in mind. So, but the fewer decisions you have to make as a runner, um the it helps you be less fatigued. I'm not saying you're not gonna be tired. We do hard things, but it does help overall. So also communication matters. I've already mentioned like prepping them beforehand a little bit, like knowing they should already go through the runners manual, the crew manual. You guys should already know like where where like you're picking up the pace or if they're gonna need the crew to come pick them up and then take them to the actual pace spot. All of that stuff should happen well before. Um, I'm not saying five months before because that can be difficult, but like a month or two before they should know. I'm a spreadsheeter, by the way, guys. So most of the time people get emails of spreadsheets where they're gonna be, and then like I communicate very like effectively on where like if a pacer needs picked up, I let the crew know, I let the pacer know, I let them know there's not gonna be much phone signal until they get close. But that way everybody can be in the place they need to be at. So communication matters, but before race day, um before like the day, I would say like a couple days before, they already have all the logistics, they know where they're gonna meet, they know where they're gonna meet everybody and all that good stuff. But just having a reset of expectations of okay, here's what helps me when I'm tired. Um, here's what absolutely never, ever, ever, ever helps me. Um, this is whenever like there's talking versus quiet times. Like if I ask you to be quiet, I really need that in the moment, you know. Um, how I want my effort managed, like how to support me leaving aid stations. Most of these conversations you should have already had, but the day before, even like maybe two days before, it's nice to have that reset. Like, hey, just remember here's what we talked about. Pacers are not mind readers, they also have lives outside of yours before the race. So just reiterating what you've already talked about about those topics about when you're tired, when you absolutely what absolutely doesn't help, when you need some quiet, all of that. Okay. So clear communication helps helps prevent chaos, it helps take away a decision for you, from me, for you or from you, and then the pacers can take on more and be able to be more effective for you. Um so keep that in mind. I'm all about communication. I over-communicate, I over-explain. Obviously, if you guys have been listening for a while, you get that. Um, but it really does help. Uh will help you in the race if you've clear clearly communicated with your pacers. Um, here's a few uh distance, like just nuances or um, so for 50 milers, I've mentioned like, hey, they might allow pacers, they might not, especially like US, we tend to get more pacers. Um, they can normally help late. A lot of times it's shorter pacing um opportunities. So just so you're aware of that. Uh the 100kers, like I said, like it's about 10.2, if you guys know 10.2 miles farther than a 50 miler. It can be a very similar feel, or you could get pacers for a little bit longer. But either way, like as you run further, things get harder for you. So keep that in mind as you are picking pacers, or if you decide you want a pacer or not. Um, 100 milers again, like pacers, like they can be critical for you, especially in those overnight sections. You need to know what you need though. If you can get a pacer for every single section, it doesn't matter what kind of time at what time of day it is, and you want pacers for every section and you can do it and have friends who want to do it, that's great. But some of us don't have that, so just you really need to keep in mind when do you want it. And then again, those hundred plus miles or like over a hundred milers where it could go on for multiple days, knowing where you need somebody. The logistics of that can get a little more headache. So again, I mentioned Ultra Pacer last week, but ultra pacer is a great thing. You can upload the GPX file with eight stations and cruise spots and everything into that. If you do the paid version, which is really cheap, guy, you can you can which cheap the guy like does an amazing job. So, like, you can export that into a spreadsheet and you can see where you need people. Why do I mention Ultra Pacer again? Because it is a great tool, it is super helpful. Instead of you trying to put everything to a spreadsheet or copying and pasting it from a website, you can pull everything in and you can decide, like, okay, here's where I want a pacer, here's where I can even pick up a pacer, and how that looks, and then you just share that spreadsheet with your crew and with your pacers too. So, just so you know, some runners do prefer to run solo late. Um, it is just a thing. I have had people be like, I love running into the night. It's just something I like. That's their thing. Others are gonna rely heavily on pacers, that's fine too. There is no wrong way to do this. If the race rules allow for pacers, you get them, period, and you get to decide how you use them. They cannot mule for you, just so you know, I didn't mention that. Muleing means they can't carry your shit. Um, so you are responsible for carrying your stuff. They can help you. If you need help getting your pack on, if you need help getting your poles like out of your, like if they're not already like out of the quiver that you have for it, if you can't reach something in your pack because you're just messed up at the time, like they can help you, but they cannot carry your stuff for you. That is on you to carry. So keep that in mind when you think about the weight of your pack, too. So all right, do you practice with a pacer? You know, I don't really know if you have to absolutely like practice practice with that, but I think it's good to run together before race day. I feel like some people are like, well, that's probably pretty logical, but not always. I know people who will bring pacers from out of state who they don't live around each other, but then friends forever and they just haven't got to run together. And that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. But if you can run together before race day. Um, chit when you're out there too, like just chat about it. Chat about the race, chat about like, hey, normally when I get to these spots, like I do tend to hike. Um, or normally when I get to these spots, like especially late in the race and they're a little bit flat slightly downhill, I want to make sure at least run. And if it's just so if I'm so fatigued, like I can't run a lot, let's try some run-walk intervals. Um, you can even practice running in silence. For some people that might be awkward, but like see how that feels. And also like practice that late run effort. Um, especially for like a longer race, if you are doing back-to-back long runs or back-to-back-to-back long runs, having that pacer come out on that third day or that second day of those runs can be a really good practice time because you are already a little bit more fatigued. Um, so but pacers shouldn't feel like this new thing to you when you're exhausted out there. Again, it's not that they have to run with you beforehand, but it's just so nice to have. And that way, whenever you are out there running together, you already have some kind of feel for how it's gonna go. So, will you pick the wrong pacer after this podcast episode? I have no idea. Maybe uh it can be very difficult. You just don't know how people are in those situations, and you may not know how you are in those situations, too. So I will encourage you to like think about it, and there is no wrong answer. If you decide you want a pacer for a pay for a race that it's allowed, go for it. But just think intentionally about who you want out there because you paid for that race, you emotionally invested in that race, you time invested in that race. All of those things are what you did for you. So you want to think intentionally about who you want out there with you to make that race better. Uh, whether it's better and faster, better and more fun, just being out there uh with them should make that race feel better. If you pick somebody and it doesn't go quite so well, it could happen. Hopefully, like you can just work through it and just know, like for the next race, hey, this is not the pacer for me. But if that happens, remember this is still your race and you can still keep pushing. So, but what do I want you to take away from this? Well, everything that I just said. Um, but really remember, like, pacers aren't about pushing you harder, they're about supporting you when things get hard. The right pacer adapts to your needs, they help you regulate effort, they reduce decision fatigue, and they keep you grounded when your brain is just so tired. You don't need a perfect pacer, you don't need a loud pacer, you just need someone who understands how you operate when you're exhausted and what you need. And part of that is on you, by the way, with your communication. So that's all what makes pacers helpful instead of harmful. All right. If you love this episode, make sure you download it, follow the show, leave a rating or review, share it with a friend, do all the things I always say to do because it helps this podcast reach more people. I don't know how logarithms work, but that's part of it. 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, a positive attitude.