Episode 34: Cocodona Training Camp: Trail Running over 3 days

In this episode of Dirt Nap Diaries, I’m breaking down my big Cocodona 250 training weekend where I did 3 back to back to back long runs on course, including the first section out of Black Canyon City, Hangover Trail in Sedona, and the climb up Elden near the end of the race.

Some things went really well. Some things got weird. And all of it gave me exactly what I needed.

I talk about what happens when fatigue stacks, how heat changes everything, what I learned about carrying way more water than usual, why fueling gets harder when you need it most, and how fear of heights very much showed up for me on Hangover Trail. I also get into the stuff people don’t always talk about, like staying in the van by myself, figuring things out on the fly, and how those “little” uncomfortable moments build confidence too.

If you’re training for an ultra, a trail race, or just trying to do hard things while still being a whole-ass human in real life, this one’s for you.

In this episode, I talk about:
 • What 3 back to back to back long runs taught me
 • Why seeing the course matters more than just reading about it
 • Heat, hydration, electrolytes, and carrying enough water
 • Fueling when you do not feel like eating
 • Fear, Hangover Trail, and moving through it anyway
 • Why short breaks can completely change how you feel
 • How fatigue stacking helps expose problems before race day
 • The mental side of solo time, van life, and figuring shit out
 • Why recovery means eating, drinking, and not trying to shrink yourself after a big effort

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey y'all, welcome back to Dirt Nap Diaries. I'm your host, Brittany Olson, Trailrunner, Women's Trailrunning 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 sure you're totally 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, I'm coming in pretty fresh now off of a big training weekend, so that's what we're gonna talk about, because it's top of mind, it's got me uh feeling some energy, so that will be my personal update too. Uh this weekend I did three back to back to back long runs. Uh the first day was the hardest section of um Coca-Cona 250. It was the first, I think it was actually at first 32-ish miles um of the course. We didn't go all the way to Crown King, but we started in Black Canyon City and went to Lane Mountain, which is the first uh full aid station that you get, which is around mile 32, 33 of the course. So uh big day, that was the biggest day. Um out there a little longer than I had planned, uh, but we'll get into that. Uh nothing bad by the way, just was out there a little longer than planned. Uh the next day there was a 30-mile option and a 17-mile option. Um, I did talk to my coach about it and did the 17 uh mile option and got to get on the trail, the hangover trail. We're talking about that one too. Scary. Um, but got on that trail, which was really a big part of the goal. And the reason for the cutback was mainly like there was a I mean, it's hot here, guys. It's really hot. We are having very abnormal temperatures right now, which has some concern for Coca-Dona, but you know, like sometimes you gotta cut those runs a little shorter, and I feel really good about that. So did that, and then um Sunday thankfully was Flagstaff, which was cooler. Still warm because it's warmer everywhere here, but in in Arizona, it seems like, but got to go up Eldon and down Eldon, and that was a big uh part of what I wanted to do uh when I was out there. So got a lot, got to see what I wanted to see in this training run, got to practice things, got to learn some things, some things went well. Um, there wasn't really too much that didn't go well well, but there were things that came up that made me think, like, yeah, definitely want to think about this for the race, definitely want to have be in the right mindset or definitely want to have this out there, or how am I gonna stay cool if it's gonna be even hotter in May? So a lot of good stuff, but the whole point is like, you know, like I'm still thinking about this, like I'm still a little bit tired. I'm recovering a little bit ran this morning, by the way, and I felt great physically. Uh mentally, I actually felt okay too. It was just more like I could definitely tell, like my heart rate was definitely up, like I could just, I don't have heart rate on my watch, but I could feel it. Um, it was a little bit elevated, but like everything felt good. But this is just on just on my brain, so I wanted to talk about it. But one thing I do want to express a little uh gratitude to Everyday Ultra. My coach Liz Myers uh works uh or is my coach in when she works in that company. Um Joe Corcion is the owner of Everyday Ultra, and they were able to get us uh point-to-point transportation, so that means like I could park at the start and somebody had to get me back to my car. Um they did some water drops, um, and we're just there, like just there to help with logistics and all that. If any of you have done point-to-point with friends or with, you know, just a group of people, um, getting that whole like car at the end, cart at the beginning, all the shuttling done that needs to be done is kind of difficult. So huge amount of gratitude. Um, it really shows me, I mean, running is a privilege in a way, but it really like it makes you feel a little more privileged to be able to be in that group and have people who were there to do that for us. So I just want to give a shout out to Everyday Ultra, Joe Corzion, um, and that out there. So for just arranging it and getting things together for us and just being like overall awesome that whole weekend. So, alright, so we are really, really gonna get into it. And like I said, some things went really well, some things didn't go perfectly, and guess what? I needed all of it. Needed every single bit of it. So, um, and just so you know, like when we think about a long run, yes, it is important for our fitness, like our aerobic fitness, especially, uh, to get time on feet, to feel how our legs are gonna feel. Do our feet hurt? Are our feet strong enough? Do we have the right shoes on? Like, there's things like that that are about definitely the physical fitness of it. But like this part, this specific training weekend for me, this Kokonoma training camp, was for seeing more of the course, really like stress testing some of the, we'll call them systems that I have and thoughts that I have about what I want to do during this race. Um, and figuring out like when I need to take a break and like when fatigue is stacking, uh, figure out like when I need to keep pushing forward, those types of things too. So it was like definitely there's physical training. I don't want to say that's the most obvious, but for me, that's the most obvious in long running. What's the physical component of that? Yes, this is it. But the other part is the seeing the course, uh, working on your eating, um, seeing how you feel in certain spots, how are you in the heat? Are you using your cooling strategies when you need to? All those other things are a big part of why I wanted to get on this course. Um, so you can read about Coca-Dona. A lot of people have. You can watch the YouTube coverage on it. It's out there now. I mean, it's live whenever we're doing it too, but you can look at that elevation profile, you can listen to podcasts like this one about it, but until you're actually out there exposed on that exposed trail, climbing forever, because that's what the first section feels like in many areas, like running out of water faster than you expect, or trying to ration water because you know where your water drops at, you just don't really know. So, like being able to get out there, it helps you stop guessing so much. Yes, there's things that you're gonna be flexible with because of the length of this race, like you're gonna have it. When we run shorter distances, even like there's still some things that come up, but being out there really helps you feel and see what the heck's like it's like out there. Um, and especially here in the Phoenix area, if you guys don't know this, like it is a very exposed um place. So, what I mean by exposed, is we don't have shade trees. Uh, I feel like I've mentioned it in a couple of podcasts, but it's just it is like 70 degrees here can feel much hotter than other places just because there isn't shade to get under. There isn't water to just like get into. Um, and and that well, the first section of course is a little bit of water, but like there's just not the same, it's not the same. Like an exposed low desert is very different than a you know shady Midwest race. So so gonna get out there. Fortunate for me to live here because I'm gonna be in this heat until race day, so I get to acclimate a little bit more. Runners coming from out of town, that could be a concern. So let's talk about the heat though for just a little bit more, and I'll come up throughout because that was a big component in the first couple of days for sure. I mean, we hit triple digits last week. I think they said it was like the hot the earliest we'd ever hit triple digits ever here since they've been recording this, uh, or recording like weather or temperature or whatever it is they record about this year, but this time, like it was like 20 degrees warmer, 15 to 20 degrees warmer than it was like last year. Last year I did this the training run for Aero Vipa in April, and we had to put coats on at one point. Like, that's how different it was. Like this, like, we weren't thinking about anything except like where is water and where can we get into it, and can how much can I drink so I don't run out until the end. So why why does that so important? I mean, there's gonna be a lot of things like how you sweat changes. If you're a salty sweater, um, that also matters too. Uh, you're gonna be drinking more, you're gonna be burning through electrolytes, not like electrolytes, but burning through like fuel faster too, because your body temperature's up, so you're going through food faster, or you're at least like your calories are burning off, so hopefully you're eating a little bit more. Uh, effort creeps up a lot more even when pace doesn't. So like you may be like, oh my gosh, I feel like I'm going at the effort I need to, but I feel so slow. It's probably what's happening because of how hot it gets. And then on top of that, out there, what what really got me for a little bit was we didn't have the same like water drops and aid stations that the actual race will have, which was fine, by the way. This is not a complaint. This is what we knew going into it. We ended up getting a water drop at mile 24, which was great, but that means I started out my run, uh my first run of that week with five and a half liters of water on me, which is fairly heavy. Luckily, my shoulders actually held up really, really well, which was a good thing that happened. But that is still a lot of weight for anybody to carry on them. I think some might have started with six or seven liters, some started with four, which I I don't think was enough. But like, so we started out with a bunch of water, and at the same time, knowing we had till mile 24, it was still rationed somewhat even, um, because like we needed to make sure we had enough water for the entire uh 24 miles, knowing we still had another 10 to 12 miles after that, right? So we had all the food on us for that we needed for the day, um, and then all the water. So, like, that's gonna be a little bit different, but it also made me like have to manage things a little better and think a little bit harder, which is a good thing when it comes to these training runs. But not having those aid stations a couple times got into my head because when I go to an aid station, I don't sit at every single aid station. This 250 is gonna be a little bit different, I'm sure, as I get deeper into a race, but typically I'm just gonna fill up and you know go again, fill up and go in the beginning, especially. But being out there, there wasn't that. So I didn't have those pauses. I was just pushing. And a couple times I was like, man, like I'm getting tired or ugh, I don't really feel like eating, it's hot. And when I got to that mile 24 and we actually stopped, I was with the with a few guys, um, and stopped and like filled up water because they had dropped that water. I we started a little bit later and I felt so much better. Like just from sitting for a brief period of time, refilling bottles, eating a little bit, and then going again, like that last bit, I felt amazing. Like I felt so good to get moving again. So just something like to keep in mind when you're out there training. Like sometimes it feels like we're just out there forever and ever, and there's no aid stations. But at a race, there are aid stations. Yay! So it really does help to know, like, as I was feeling miserable, I was like, wait, by this time I would have hit a couple aid stations and I would have had those little breaks, those little pauses that would have helped do those resets. So just so you know, something to keep in mind when you're out there. But we weren't just managing like the running, we're managing like the water that we carry when the next when the next refill was, how heavy this pack is. So, like, I've been running my long runs with the required gear we have to have on certain segments and my poles. Um, this was way heavier than that because water does weigh quite a bit. So you're you're managing the heaviness of your pack. And then what happens if you miscalculate? There were people out there who did not have enough food, who did not have enough water. This is not me making fun of them. That's why we needed to be in pairs or in groups because it was that hot and it can get very dangerous out there. So, like, we're there to help each other out. And y'all, if you ever run with me, just so you know, I always have extra food. I'm not saying don't bring enough food for you, but I do have extra food because that is one thing I do not want to run out of because I know how important it is. Water is also important, but you only have so much capacity in your pack too. So, um, but this is some of the stuff that people don't think about when when they're out there, even like how heavy is my pack gonna be when I'm racing? Um, how far is it is it between aid stations? Like, how much do I need to drink? How many electrolytes do I need on on me? All of these things like are important, and then the weather added that extra element for us of like this is super, super important. How much of this do we need? Like, are we gonna have enough? So a lot of people will think about the miles and the vert, but not all those other factors. Um, so just just keep it in mind because like for me, this coca donut is gonna get crazy, like 200 plus milers are crazy, but 50k is crazy too. So this can apply to all the things, but um, yeah, so the for me the biggest challenge was making sure I had enough water and then also not drinking so much that I didn't have enough to last me to 24 miles. Um, and then also throughout the the weekend, especially as I was running Saturday, I had a little scare on Saturday, but uh I uh learned that you know what, like I need to eat, and sometimes to eat that means finding a shady spot, which like I just mentioned is very hard to do here. Find a shady spot, drink water, and eat. And that's what I started doing a couple of times just because I knew I needed that food in. So what went well? Uh lots, lots and lots and lots. Uh showing up for those three days straight, being able to run those three days. Um, I I wish I had looked at my time before this podcast, and I didn't because it's Tuesday. I want to get it out to you guys because I know you guys just wait. I can't wait for this to come out. But I was out there about 13 hour 13-ish hours on Friday, five or six hours on Saturday, and I believe around four hours on Sunday. So really lots and lots of time on feet, which is great. Um, so just being there for those three days. Uh privilege, but also like that went really well. Not everybody got to be able to do all three days. So um some were a little burnt out from that Friday time because that Friday is the longest time on feet. Um, some just decided, like, hey, like this heat is too much because we didn't start until 11 o'clock on day two, by the way. Uh 11, it was right around 11 o'clock, and it was in Sedona and it was like 90 degrees. Um, so um, but yeah, so I'm happy for that. Um, there was some technical terrain. Uh, I knew there would be. I've done that first section. I did it last year at the training run, so I knew how technical it was. But I feel like I handled it a lot better um than I did before. Um, not because like I was scared, but more like I hadn't been training for two to the 250. I was just there like for fun. Um, so like I handled a lot better than I thought I would. Last year I was having some ankle and foot issues that I've been working on, I feel like now for over a year. Um, and they're so much better. But like my foot and ankle on my left side did not swell up like it did before. Normally when I was on technical terrain like that, um it would really start to hurt, and by the time I would stop, my ankle would be ballooned up. So this time, like that went super, super well. Uh, and then uh I moved through like even the hard spots, the the hard sections where I did feel kind of like meh, or like, this is hard. Like, there was no spiraling. I didn't like just spiral out of control ever. And I don't get super out of control, but sometimes you can get into a dark space and sometimes you go into that darkness and just accept it and keep moving, and sometimes you try to fight it. But sometimes you just start spiraling in that place and you start having doubts of like, can I do this? Like, why am I signed up for this? I could be at home in the air conditioning watching March Madness. Like, why, why, why? Um, I only had that happen like once or twice, and it was never for long. It was just more like there was a couple times I got scared of heights, which is in Sedona, but like my brain spiraled a bit out of like that fear of heights, not for how hard things had been, like get getting to that point. So, um, but it was nice because like I was able to talk myself through some things and like as again, I kept eating, I kept drinking, and I kept moving. Like that's it. And I did not spiral out there. Um, and then like adapting to different environments. Um, so I mentioned we start at in Black Canyon City, uh, which is a little bit north of Phoenix, and we got all the way up to Flagstaff, up Mount Eldon, which is right over 9,000 feet. Um, so like very different environments to be in. And the heat was the hardest part. I will say the altitude, which the same thing happened when I paced that section last year, I didn't feel the altitude at Eldon. And a lot of people do not actually feel it. Like physiologically, they do not feel until about 8 to 9,000 feet, just so you guys know. Not saying you can't feel it a little bit before then, but normally like nausea, headaches, things like that. It's normally when you're up there around 8,000 feet is when you're just gonna start having um those feelings. If you're feeling it at a lower thing, you could just have a different um capacity for that, but it also could be something that's more in your mind about it, um, because like it's just a little bit higher. Um, or it's just like some nerves going through when you're about to be, you know, in a race. But just keep in mind too, like just a little pro tip. It's around eight or nine thousand feet where you really start feeling those elevation things. But all that said, I was able to um react to each environment. Like Black Canyon or um the Black Canyon section that we did as we were going up, it was getting cooler because we got up, I think, there to like 7,000 feet. Um, so like there were it was hot, don't get me wrong for a lot of days, but as we started getting closer and closer to the end to that eight station of Lane Mountain, like it did get cooler and it did help a lot because it was like, holy cow, like it's not gonna be hot the entire time. I think that was kind of a point for me, like it's gonna be hot sometimes, but it's also not gonna be hot at other times. Um, also on that section when I'm talking about like adapting to different things, like the the um that first section actually had some water spots, like some creeks and stuff. Nothing was flowing a lot, but there were just enough spots where like I could dip my hat in and I could get my arms wet and I could get my buff wet, I could get my face and neck and that, I could get my legs wet. So there were some spots where we could do that, and none of the other places had that water like that. So that was just a really, really big thing there. Um, and I have heard this many times, like if it's gonna be warm, it doesn't even matter if it's not warm yet, get yourself wet when you can. And I do think that helped a ton. So that was super, super fantastic on that that section there. Um, and there's just it any of you, I need to post some pictures more pictures of this, but this section is very rocky up and down, like and it's not just little rocks, it's like big bouldery things. There's a lot that happens, you know, you got little things that are sticking out on the on the trail that can poke you. Oh, we did see a desert tortoise. That was really cool, so that was out there. But like just that, so that's the first environment, right? It's it's hot and exposed, and as you go up, it starts to get a little bit cooler, especially when you get into the shade in the last part, but it's still a hot and exposed area. And Sedona, what's different about that? And yes, it is up a little bit higher um than it is in Phoenix, but it still gets warm there. Like, I think the high that they were there was like 91 or 92 and we were running into the afternoon. So when I first started, I actually didn't feel too like my legs and everything didn't feel bad the entire time, which is great news. But like I did feel uh quite a bit of heat out there um when I was in the Sedona environment. And like as like I went up, I could tell as a couple times I was climbing, I was like, oh, like this is my heart rate's elevated because it's the second day of a long run. Like I'm feeling everything. I'm definitely thirstier today because I pretty much opassed out the night before without eating much. I probably didn't need enough, I definitely didn't need enough if I start or drink enough. So like there was all that. And then like we get to um the hangover trail, which I'm putting this in the what went well, but it's also gonna go in the what didn't go well category too. Um I am terrified of heights. Um, it is something I know. This is not news to me. Uh, but the hangover trail I'd read about, I'd seen comments about, and some people are like super like under-dramatic about things because they're not scared of heights or they don't want to like frighten somebody. Then other people are like over-dramatic about what it is. So it's it's one of those things like I did want to see this part of the course because I am scared of heights, and I wanted to see what it was. I didn't just want to show up on race day and be there a hundred something miles into this race, and then like I'm hitting this spot. So I cried twice out there, I think, twice. Uh once I was like, there was like a so we get on the hangover trail, we'll just say this, and it goes from like actual, just like trail that you would normally see, you know, that's dirt and rock, to just like rock. Like just just like, you know, I I don't want to call it slick rock because I don't want to give you guys the wrong impression. It wasn't slippery, it wasn't slick, it wasn't anything like that, but it was just rock. Um, and you're on the edge, and like for me, I don't mind heights if I'm in the middle, but when you're on the edge and you can just see if you fall, you would die. Um, that's where I get panicky. So we're on this. I'm I'm out there actually uh with a dude named Jesse who was fantastic during this, and I just froze. Like I was right by a bush and I had just held onto it with one hand and had my poles in another, and I froze. I mean, I just stopped completely. Um Jesse actually did like turn around, he's like, oh, okay. And like he came back to me and he I had him hold my poles, and then like he helped me like get through that section, but I was crying like before he even got to me. So that was just like one of those things, it's like, okay, I'm scared of heights. I've seen this section. I'm gonna be scared the next time I'm here. Who's ever pacing me is gonna have to know about this, and they're not gonna be able to be scared of heights because I need them to support me in that moment. So made it through there, and there's a secondary section um that we got to in the still a hangover trail that was very close to the edge, and like Jesse took my poles again and I had him hold my hand, and I just made it across that section without even looking anywhere else, and just kept moving. So um the good part was is when I say, Hey, well, well, you know what? I was I was terrified, completely 100% terrified. Having Jesse there was awesome, which made me know, like, yes, I need a pacer in this section for sure. Um, but also that I did it. Like, that's that's a big win um for there because I was thinking about going backwards. I was like, nope, I'm just gonna go back. My van's a few miles away, I will get there, and I will just leave. And did not, kept going. Um, and then also what it happened too is when you have a fear like that, like your adrenaline goes up, and then all of a sudden it crashes. But while the adrenaline's up for me, at least like my legs are shaking, like I'm pretty shaky, and we had to do a little bit of um, I don't know, it's not really bouldering, but like scrambling, like because it wasn't really a trail. We're following these white dots, by the way, and we're going up rock. But like when I got to those parts, we weren't on the edge, so I was fine, but my body was shaking so much from that adrenaline that I really did struggle a little bit just to get up over those rocks because of that. Um, and I also realized like my my buzzer, my my alarm on my watch went off um for me to eat and I didn't want to eat, and that made me stop in shade when I could find it, sit, drink, and eat. Like that's what I started doing right at, especially when I still had that adrenaline rush, but even once it went away because I got tired, you get tired when that adrenaline goes away. I think a lot of you know that. Um and so I realized like you definitely have to keep eating because if you are tired from this, like you need this food because you need that fuel physically for yourself. Um, so that is what I did. I just would stop occasionally and I would eat um when my buzzer went off, and then I would go again. And then after about an hour and a half of like just doing that cycle, I actually did have one caffeinated gel up at that end of that hour and a half. I was back to normal. So, like, that's when I say, like, hey, I adapted to new environments, and this is a positive. Yeah, you know what? It sucked being on that hangover trail, but worked through it and had some good outcomes. Uh, so that's a that was the day, I guess that's day two, uh, good stuff. And then day three, that whole day went well. Like, the weather was better. Um, so much better than anything else, like, that we had had. I actually started going up Eldon solo because that part of the race, that's part of the last 20 miles um of Coca-Dona. And we don't get a pacer in that section now due to some kind of owl preservation thing. It's the Forest Service rules. So I did want to go up a lot of that on my own, um, just to be out there alone because that's what's gonna happen. I'm gonna be at mile 230 and alone, guys, by the way. I'm gonna be nuts. But like, so it was nice, and I had done that section before too, but it felt so good to climb. I mean, I just climbed and climbed and climbed, and it just felt good. I was able to eat, uh, no issues with that. And then going down, which was really what I wanted to practice because that's the steeper side and the rockier side and the more technical side. And granted, I know I will be 200 by that time, 240 miles into the race, 240 plus miles. Um, so my feet are probably gonna be a little more swollen. I'm gonna feel a little more tired. But I was able to move really well um down that section, even though it was pretty technical. Bigger rocks, steeper. Like I still moved really well, and I was still able to eat on the way down too. So overall, like day three, it was the shortest too, but I definitely felt pretty fucking amazing out there. So really, really pleased with that. Um, and then personally, like I stayed in the van and I drove it by myself for longer than I ever have. Typically, um, Greg is the uh driver of the van, and like uh he's not like nervous about finding camp spots and those those things. And for me, um being a solo woman traveler like that, it is kind of like, am I safe here? Like, yes, I can keep the doors locked. But you know, it's just one of those things where like I think being alone can be in solo like that can be nerve-wracking, by the way, for men or women, that's not what I'm saying. But I think like being a woman alone like that, there's a definitely another component that I had in my head doing that, especially when I was in Flagstaff. I actually stayed fairly close to the trailhead by a railroad track off Route 66. It was, I was so tired of Sedona, like I just parked somewhere. And if I had thought about it and wasn't so tired, I would have moved away from the railroad track. But honestly, I was so tired the the train going by all night didn't even like bother me. I think it woke me up once or twice, but I was right back out. So, like for me, what went well is actually doing that all by myself, finding camping spots that we weren't sure, like we weren't really sure where things were. Um, I say we because Greg and I just talked about it when I left. It was kind of like, well, like I want to be close to the trail because I don't want to drive far. That's the whole point of having the van. But did it all by myself. So that's like independence, that's mental strength. Like, that's that's race prep right there. When you when you do something alone that you were scared of or weren't sure if you could do alone, that helps with everything. Um, that's why I encourage people to at least solo run from time to time on the trails to get a confidence build, and it's just good for you. So, and we all know this confidence isn't built in one perfect run. Like, you know, there were times and it was like, yeah, I don't love this, but I'm handling it. And that's sometimes what, well, that's a lot of times that ultra running can be. But, you know, I do have to tell myself, you know what? I'm not 100% in love with this right now, but I'm handling it and I'm doing it, and that's okay. So, um again, some like other things I've just mentioned throughout like the went went pretty well, where just like I was able to fuel um pretty well, like throughout the running. Like I did a I did not do any real food during a run except for the beginning of Sedona, I did a burger. So um part of that became intentional because when I realized how hot it was, I was like, I'm gonna have to make sure that I tell my crew that I have to eat with them. Like, like whenever they see me, they're gonna have to make sure I sit down and eat because when it is that hot, I am not gonna want to chew food. Like, I when I it's when I sit down that I'm gonna be able to eat. So for me, it was like, okay, like fueled well with the gels and a little bit with blocks, and I drank really well, but like I need to, I need my crew to know, okay, you're gonna have to make sure I'm eating real food, and it's probably gonna be when I'm with you guys so you can make sure I get it down. So just another another good thing. Uh, and typically I do struggle a little bit with hydration. And I say struggle, it's just more like I just kind of am running, and all of a sudden I'm like, wait, I haven't drank in a little while. It went way better um over this um training weekend uh than I thought it would. So that also helped me uh be able to keep the gels down and get them down. Um, because if you are dehydrated, everything is harder, especially eating. Um, the one thing that I found that I that I felt didn't go well, um, and I I think will go better with me telling my crew what I need is um I really didn't eat that much after I was done on day one. Part of it was because we got back so late. Like that was such a long day. Oh my gosh, guys, I wish you could be there. We had so many funny times coming down from Crown King in a car um and just phone calls and Joe's car bottomed out and just things. Um, so funny. But we got back, it felt like so late. It was a little bit after nine, maybe it was almost 10, I don't even remember, and I parked less than a mile from the um trailhead, so it wasn't a big deal. So, but like I did not eat that much that night. And it's kind of normal after hard effort not to. That said, I knew I had two more hard efforts to come and I needed to figure out a way to eat and drink more, and I just didn't. Um, I was like, I'm just tired, I'll just blah, but all I had to do was sit there and eat more, and I did not do that. So just something that I was like, that didn't go so well. I need to make sure, and again, that's going where where I'm gonna communicate with my crew, like I'm gonna need help with this, period. That's all there is to it. I'm gonna have to eat and drink, especially when I see you guys. Like that's gonna be vital for me to finish this race. So yeah, eating, big deal, big deal. I think we know that. Um, but then I will say after uh Sedona, um day two, afterwards, I did eat more. Um I had plenty of food. Greg's love language is food, so I was able, so I had food there. And then um after day three, I stopped at Wendy's and had a spicy chicken sandwich, and I haven't had one of those in years, by the way. And that used to be my go-to. Not after Ron, but like I loved I love spicy chicken sandwich, apparently from Wendy. So like I stuffed that thing in my mouth, and it was probably super disgusting to people who had who would have been watching if they could see me, but it was so good to me. And I had a big Coke, and I also had some spicy chicken nuggies. So it was that. So that may be my go-to when I'm like, hey crew, like I'm not sure if I'm gonna feel like eating. Make sure you have a spicy chicken sandwich for me because apparently I can eat that like crazy. But like, for real, like our bodies do get weird when they're fatigued. Um, and I'm gonna use the word weird because I don't want to get onto the sciencey stuff, but there's like, it's gonna be like, nah, like I'm not hungry. We're just gonna shut that down. Then all of a sudden it's like, wait, holy shit, I'm hungry. I'm really, really, really hungry. Like we've done a lot. So it is being able to like sometimes force food down, which doesn't sound great, but sometimes you do have to when you're doing those longer distance. Um, and sometimes just being like, you know what? Like, I really can't eat that much right now, but let's take some little bites of things. Let's drink some water, let's get some electrolytes in me. Let's see if we've got a little bit of, I'm gonna have like some protein shakes with my crew. And what's weird is you normally can't drink a lot of that when you're out there. Not because you shouldn't, but because it's very hard to get down. So when I say your body's weird, that's kind of it. Like it's very weird to get protein shakes down. I've had several people tell me that same thing. I've never heard somebody say, I can just totally chug down a protein shake and be good when I'm out there running. Um, I'm not saying there's nobody like that, but it's not something we hear very often. Uh, so anyway, that was something though I will have with my crew. Just even to get half of one of those downs is super, super important because when we're out there, we're not really recovering, but we do need our muscles to recover in some aspect, uh, just to keep moving. Uh, so it's definitely like a crazy balance out there to make sure, hey, like I don't want to puke, hey, I need to eat enough. Hey, I do need to sleep and manage my heat and hydration. Holy cow, there's a lot going on. So um one thing that like I really felt that's gonna go even better is like my pack was like super heavy and my shoulders held up really well, my back held up really well, my core held up really well. But the pack weight will be different. Um, so like hopefully that is a good thing because like I'm not gonna be as fatigued. The effort to carry the pack is gonna be less, like, my posture is not gonna go through so much. So, but it still can add another layer of stress depending on how much like we have to carry on us. So for me, being able to get out there and having a heavier pack was great because I handled like a layer of stress that hopefully is not gonna be there as much or as prevalent as it will be during race day. So, and then I'm gonna now I'm gonna go back to that fear of the hangover chill just a little bit, because it's like, hey, like what did because I don't want to be like everything went great. Like, I'm not that kind of person that I'm positive poly, but I felt like so many things happened out there that nothing didn't go super well, just some things like, yeah, like okay, this is happening. I need to learn from this and take it along with me. But fear of heights totally showed up. Um, I didn't like completely melt down and just be done, but like, I mean, I cried, I froze for a little bit, I had Jesse there, but like it still mattered and still took away energy from me. So, what am I gonna do? Am I gonna give her that fear of heights in that time? Probably not, probably not. I've always been scared of heights, I don't know why. It's like a family thing. So, like, just just scared of it. It is what it is. But being able to see it and advance was so helpful. I would prefer hitting it during the daytime. Um, but as we know, with longer races, you have no idea how long you could be out there and what could change. But like the big thing for me is like, okay, like it's gonna be this way. It might not go the the prettiest, but I'm gonna have somebody there with me to help me through that. And like knowing that it's okay to ask for help and just be proactive about that help is vital. And that's not just important running, y'all. Like, that's important in life. Like, not being afraid to ask for help. Um, I'm not gonna eliminate the fear of height. We're not all gonna eliminate the fears we have, but like being able to do still what you want to do and what you love doing through that fear is very important. So, in running and in life. There's your life lesson, y'all. So, um, but really the whole thing was is like I just kept moving out there. I just can't like that's what it was. Like, even the pauses, once I was done paused, just took off again. Like, so also I ended my day two really strong after that whole like crying and just having that adrenaline rush. Man, the last bit of that, I mean, I was moving. I was moving extremely well. So that was also just like one of those big confidence boosters out there. So, um, so let's just think about too, like the fatigue. We'll call it fatigue stacking. I don't know if that's really a thing or that's the phrase, but that's what I'm gonna call it. So day one, like I was pretty fresh. I mean, it was a big week, so like I had done like a steady, a pretty long steady state run. And that, but that's the whole point. Like, I'm never gonna run 250 miles in one week before I do the race. Like, I'm not. So the point of doing the work through the week is to um have those like cumulative miles like cumulative, cumulative, geez, miles like stack up into the weekend. So you do feel a little bit tired, but still, day one, I'm still freshish. Like, wasn't feeling bad. I took the van out, I slept close to the trailhead so I didn't have to get up super, super early and drive there. Um, and that was good because that was the hardest day, right? Um, and then day two, like you do kind of feel like I think I mentioned earlier, like there's still gonna be some hell elevated heart rate. I felt like my body got uh warmer faster. I should have eaten more before I started because I got hungrier faster. I was thirsty within like two minutes of just starting, and I was like, I did not drink enough water. So, but you do feel things more and more as you progress. So day over day. So that's how training works, though. You build up the mileage, so your long runs, you are feeling some of that fatigue, but then you have to know what to do uh when you're out there and when things maybe don't feel so great. Maybe you're hotter, maybe your heart rate's up, maybe you're hungry or whatever that is. So that was day two for me. And then day three, I still felt it, but since I didn't have like a big like 12 or 13 hour day on day two, like it wasn't, it wasn't terrible. What I noticed though is too like, okay, I need to make sure I can eat enough in the mornings. Um, and I think that's a big part of my thing. It's like I slept, got up, drank some coffee, and then I was like, God, I really don't want to eat anymore. Because that's all I was doing the whole time. I was running and eating, y'all. Running, eating, drinking, that's it. So it just felt a little bit different, like, because I was like, I do, and I made myself eat more. So I already learned a lesson in that weekend of like, let's eat more this morning. But even like going up that trail, it was like, all right, I guess I'm gonna have another gel. How many have I had this weekend? So it is, it does stack. The fatigue does stack day over day, hour over hour, all of that. But it is being like, what do I do to work through this? How do I keep eating? And the thing is, that is the biggest part of I feel like the ultra running period, whether it's a 50k or up to you know 250 plus miles. You gotta eat, you gotta drink, and you gotta keep moving forward. Yes, you have to manage your sleep and your heat. That is something the heat at the management is where we gotta work on that because it's gonna be hot. But it's having all of those things figured out, especially the eating and drinking, because a lot of people do not practice that. I'm amazed at the amount of people who don't practice that. And you need that during a race. You need that so bad because if you don't have the fuel and hydration you need, it is so much harder to not only finish that race, but to recover from that race. Um, so remember in your runs, pause and eat. If you can't keep moving and eat, pause. Um, if you're not drinking enough, pause. It is always better to pause, maybe even sit than get underfueled, uh dehydrated. Um even sometimes like your legs might just need five minutes. You'd be surprised what a little five-minute break can do for you. I learned that this weekend. I was like, I sat for five minutes and ate and drank once, and I got up and I was like, holy shit, I'm like a new person. This is great. So something I will keep in mind for Coca-Donut. Sometimes you just gotta sit, even if it's not at an aid station. So but it does. Your legs feel different, your brain feels different, and your decision making feels different. So it is these long training weekends like this, it's meant to work on that. It's meant to like, okay, my legs feel different. What do I do about it? Do they hurt? Are they just tired? Do I need to do some mobility? Like, what needs to happen? You know, what's my brain doing? What's my decision making doing? Like being able to be fatigued in training and make the right decisions and figure out what to do is going to help you on race day. Like, that is huge. So that's why fatigue stacking is important, especially as these distances get longer and longer. Like things are gonna feel different. We need to have those feelings before we get to race day, so we are ready to work through things and complete that race on race day. So because that's the whole point, right? Kogadona isn't about how I feel at mile 10, unfortunately, because I'm gonna feel way better at mile 10 than I am at 250. Um, but it's how you function when everything is layered into that. Like that is really what this is about. So um, and I am gonna hit back on this because I've had a few people actually reach out to me. They were like, You you stayed in the van by yourself, like you did that by yourself. Like, how did you do that by yourself? Um yeah, I mean, I was alone in that van longer than I've ever been. Like, you know, I'm kind of sitting with my thoughts. That's the, you know, that's just what it is. Um, and it seems silly, but like it was parking somewhere new. It was going to new places, it was doing all of that, and it's you're just kind of there alone. It's like, and you can think about everything that could go wrong, right? There was when I parked by those close enough to those train tracks, I was like, I don't feel super safe, but I also didn't feel super endangered, but I also felt like I was really tired. So um, van doors were locked, by the way. But like it sounds super small, maybe to some people out there, but it's not like it is problem solving, it is confidence building, it's reducing panic in unfamiliar situations, which, if you recall, I mentioned that earlier in this episode. That's what I was doing out there when I was running. All of those things, yeah, this is about a van. So it's how we what I said earlier, we think race prep is just the miles and the vert, but it's also being uncomfortable, figuring that shit out and not freaking out when things don't feel familiar. So I brought up the van again because I think you know, I I like to like build in like, okay, running and then life with that and work and real life just shit that comes on and how like it helps each other. And me, it's like, does anybody really like being uncomfortable? No, but we're uncomfortable anytime something's new or hard, um, or we just aren't sure what's happening. So, like being able to push through that discomfort, being able to figure shit out that I didn't know if I could not freaking out when things don't feel familiar, but talking yourself through it, like yeah, that that helped me with like being in the van by myself, but also helped me with the run that I just did. It helps me in work whenever I need to speak up about something, it helps me in my relationships whenever I need to talk and be a self-advocate for myself. Um, so it's just something, something to keep in mind. Um, whenever you're doing new stuff, don't don't make it small, make it big. And I don't mean make it big and like freak out. Ah, I mean don't sell yourself short in what you're doing. When something is new and uncomfortable and you work through it, that's a big deal. So celebrate the shit out of that. Okay, I promise I have 50 more things to talk about, but it's not gonna be that many. But I also want to talk about just the reality of like coming back to we'll call it normal life, because well, running for three days straight isn't isn't normal life, unfortunately. I would love to do that all the time, but um it is weird coming back to like just reality. Monday, like it was yesterday. I had I worked, um, you know, and I was still kind of tired. Like my body was still, my brain, everything was there's was still tired, even though I slept. And I yesterday, by the way, I got a rest day yesterday. Yay, I did run today, like I said, and it felt great. But it is weird mentally to come back from a space where you were just like running, and you know, you don't you're not looking at your phone all the time, like you don't have access to the normal day-to-day things. And for me, I'm very happy out there. Like, I love being out in nature. Um, and I you have to focus a lot too. So you're focused on like where your feet are hitting, you're focused on eating, you're focused on drinking, you're focused on the people around you day one. I was with some people um who struggled with the heat um and puked, and like that's one of the reasons like I was out there longer. I'm not gonna hit that hard because I don't want anybody to think that I'm making them feel bad for puking. I I'm a puker, so I get it. Um, but like there were just challenges that came out of that, and you're focused on yourself and you're focused on the others that are out there. Um and all you do, all you're doing, and again, this is why running, this is a big reason why running like this is such a privilege, is I didn't I didn't have to think about other things. Of course I thought, you know me, I can't help but think about the bullshit that's going on out there, and then I think about like, oh my gosh, I have this athlete who's doing this, I got an idea for them. Like those things come in our head, but like really you get to focus just on yourself and the people who are around you out there doing this hard thing too. So it's very different coming back to like, oh, well, I gotta, I guess got to do these normal things, and my body is not back to normal, and I kind of want another spicy chicken sandwich, dang it. But I'm at home now, so not that I can't have one on my home, by the way. There's a Wendy's close by, I'm thinking about it. But um, it is, it's very different. But now I also get the time to recover. Like, my body's gonna catch up, you know. We are never 100% recovered until we hit that start line, just so you know. So yeah, there's always gonna be a little bit of something. But like getting back here on Sunday, being able to relax, being able to drink and eat, and did yesterday I was actually starving. I ate a lot of food yesterday. Oh my gosh, it was so good. And I think that's brothers and I feel so good. A lot of times when we get done, the SS little lecture, when we get done with something hard and women I'm talking to you to, like, we will be like, okay, like I don't want to gain weight. I don't want this, like, oh, and just so you know, like sometimes after we do these hard efforts, our bellies are kind of soft and weird and like different than normal. I'm not saying our bellies aren't normally soft, always have a little bit of soft, but like they're different, like they've gone through a lot. So, like, our bodies are might be a little bit swollen um and it doesn't feel good. So, what I have seen people do, what they have told me is they won't, they'll they'll be like, well, like I'm just gonna get back to my normal eating and make sure I eat this much and like drink this much and do all this stuff. And what they're not focused on is the actual what they just did and what their body needs to recover from that performance, and that is eating and sleeping and drinking, period. So, like I mention this because I don't want people to think that you cannot eat the day after you've just done a big run um because you want to shrink yourself. Like, you can do that, but it's not good for you at all, at all. So for me, I ate more on I guess it's Saturday after I finished, Sunday I actually ate quite a bit more, like I wouldn't say quite a bit, but it was I ate more than what I had before, which was good. And then because my body was settling down by Monday, yes, which was yesterday, I mean I was like, I am finally actually hungry, and I honored my body and was like, I'm gonna fucking eat everything that's there. And I didn't eat everything, by the way, but I ate way more than I normally do, and today I feel so good. Like, I feel pretty fucking normal after having a hard effort weekend. So just keep that in mind if you like get done with a run and you're like, well, like I really want to make sure I don't gain weight, I really want to do that. Like, it's not wrong to have those feelings and thoughts. Our society is based on skinny culture, but like remember that you are doing a badass thing that many people can't do, won't do, are scared to do. Um, and by the way, that that fear is valid too. But feed yourself. Feed fuel for performance, fuel for recovery, do all the things um because you want to feel good. You want to be able to recover and get back out there. So that was my that's kind of my TED talk. I just don't want you to feel like you have to shrink yourself after you've done something big. Like focus on the fueling, focus on the hydrating, focus on the recovery, and that doesn't mean starving yourself. Okay. So big takeaways, just so you because I just talked a whole bunch, at least I feel like I did. Um a lot of times you don't know what's gonna happen until you stack those those those do those fatigue stacks, like I talked about earlier, where you do a couple of back-to-back things. And let me tell you, running a 50k is hard, but you don't need to do back-to-back long run days. But what I do will do is give you, you know, like an hour, hour and a half run like the day before, and then give you your long run the next day. You can still get fatigue stacking with the whole week. But as you get into longer distances, that fatigue stacking is gonna look a little bit different because you do need to do back to back long runs. But that said, all of the stacking that I'm talking about will help you work through problems. You will see problems that you didn't know were going to come up, and that's a big part of stacking days is to know, is to be able to feel those problems, have those problems and work through them. Or all of a sudden you're like, you don't even have a problem yet, but you realize like. Oh my gosh, I'm going to be out here, you know, 10 hours longer. Ah, I'm going to be feeling hotter. Or oh, my heart rate's going to go up. Or oh, I'm actually going to be running into the night where it's going to be colder. You're going to start having those thoughts and you're going to realize some of the problems before they're even there, which is great. And that way you're prepped for them. Heat changes everything. This is not a new thing, but it is still a takeaway. Ignore the heat and you're screwed. Like it's going to be hot this coming year in cut Cocodona. I think it's going to be one of the hottest years if we stay on track for what's happening. So, like, be real about it. No matter where you're at, heat changes everything, Pure, whether you're running Cocodona, whether whether you're just running, you know, one of your own races you've signed up for. Heat changes everything. Work on heat management. Have a nice bandana. Get wet where you can. Drink water, drink electrolytes, be prepped for the heat. Wear a fucking sun shirt, y'all. I cannot control people and their tank tops and all of that. I had melanoma, so it's one of the reasons I wear a sun shirt. But sun shirts do actually help reflect heat. I've had some people like, oh, I got hot in my sweat sun shirt. You're not any hotter in that than you are in a t-shirt. Or a tank top. So that is my TED talk again on that. So like, but make sure you're just don't just ignore the heat. Be ready for it. Be ready with sunscreen. Be ready with hat. Be ready with all the things. Okay. So sunglasses too if you wear them. Uh carrying water. Make sure you carry enough if you have the capacity. Um and I don't want to say that sounds bad if you have the capacity. When we were out there, I can't imagine if I had carried any more than five and a half liters. I probably could have carried six if I could have found another bottle. But um make sure that you do have enough water on you based upon race segments and based upon the training race. Um, especially that goes along with heat. But in general, you need water to function, and you need water definitely to help you digest food. Uh fueling when you don't want it, want to is a skill. Um, so you have to practice it. Like anything, man. It's like shooting layups, right? You do them over and over, shooting free throws, uh, throwing a softball. All of those things, it's repetition. So fueling is something that you need to do repetitively on your long runs. Even practicing things on your short runs is a great idea. I was talking to an athlete today and she said it just right. And I'm gonna misquote Catherine. I'm sorry here. But it's basically just like, hey, like, it's better to fuck up a short run than a long run. So maybe it's trying something different before you start your run. Or maybe it's starting something in the middle of your of your run. Um, and you might want to do some of those things in a short run because you don't know how your stomach's gonna act. That way you just didn't fuck up that long run, right? Um, but here's the deal, you still gotta practice during your long runs too, because as you get more and more fatigued, right? As we stack that fatigue, your body can react differently to something that worked well in your short run, too. So it's great to test in a short run to see like if your stomach automatically revolts, it's gonna be like, okay, that's probably something I don't need for my long run. But then if something works during your short run, you still need to test it in a long run to make sure it does work in that capacity too. Um, so another takeaway is fear doesn't just go away. You get better at moving through it, I think. I don't know. I hope I get better at moving through it. But the fear's there of heights. The fear for the, I'm still scared of snakes, y'all. That's never gonna go away either. But my goal is to get better at moving through it. Um, in this instance, I'm gonna have a pacer with me, and they're gonna be holding my hand probably and having listened to me cry for a little bit because at that point I'm gonna be so many miles in, there's gonna be more emotions going through me too. But my goal is to move through it better. Um, is to move through it and that way and keep eating, like I did over the training weekend. That kind of stuff. But fear is okay. And I think some people try to like just smush that fear under and be like, I'm not scared, or act like it's not a big deal. It is a big deal. Fear is valid, but don't let it stop you from doing things. Like life running, whatever. Acknowledge the fear, figure out how you need to keep moving through it in your way, and you're gonna have some success. So and like I mentioned earlier, little things are actually big things. Celebrate that shit, work through that shit, do it all. The little things that we call little things are normally pretty big things. Um, or they l lead to even bigger things. So don't don't let like don't take that away from yourself when you've worked through something that maybe you're like, well, nobody else is scared of this, or nobody else like thinks about this, or a lot of people can get through this without this. It's still a big thing to you, and that does matter. Alright, so here's the thing. I'm gonna hopefully have as little surprises at Cocodon as possible, right? I've I've went through this the stuff on course that I really, really wanted to, by the way. I paced a whole bunch last year, so I've seen a lot of the course. Um, so what I see Cocodon as, it's not gonna be a surprise. It's really, it's gonna going to expose me. Everything I felt this week and the confidence, the hesitations, the moments I handled it well, the moments that need work, that's coming with me to the start line. All of it. Every single bit of it's coming to that start line. And it's gonna come come uh it's gonna be with me actually in the next several training runs, too, because I still got a I think six weeks left. Ah, but yeah, so it's but it's gonna come with me. Um, and that is the whole point of the training like this. I don't think it's to feel ready. Do I want to feel ready by the time I hit the start line? Yes. But really, for me, it's to get honest. Because when you've already seen what shows up when you're tired, underfueled, carrying too much, and a little scared, you stop wondering if you can handle it, and you start trusting that you will. Alright, y'all. That's all I got for you today. I had so much more I feel like to say about that run. Uh, so if you have questions or if you would like an episode for me to break down any of those sections, a lot of people have asked me about that first section. I've done it twice now. I'm gonna do it a third time in a couple of weeks, actually, because Air Vipe was putting on their run. But um, let me know. I'll do an episode on it, but I honestly don't want to, you know, beat it like a dead horse. I don't know who does that, by the way. Why is that a saying? Um, is it kick it like a dead horse? I don't know. Bonus points for anybody who can tell me what that means. Bonus points for you also who can get my chair to stop fucking squeaking because I could hear it squeaking a few times when I was there and I've sprayed the shit out of it. So bonus points for that too, or just send me a new chair. Um, but okay, for real. That's all I've got for you. So if this episode helped you, made you laugh, uh, made you get more excited about what you're training for, what what you want to sign up for, um, or maybe you're thinking about eating some little snacky snacks, you know. Hey, maybe I want a Wendy's uh spicy chicken. Um, but either way, like take a second, share it with a friend, drop it in your group chat, uh, rate it, review it, uh, leave a comment, share it on your Instagram story, whatever it is. It does help this podcast grow, and it helps everyday athletes find this space. So um I would love for more and more people to listen. So also, if you're new here, hit follow, download the episode so you never miss one. Uh 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.