Dirt Nap Diaries
A trail running podcast for everyday trail runners juggling training with real life. Hosted by women’s trail running coach Brittany Olson, it’s where the messy, funny, and real parts of running meet strength, joy, and the reminder that you’re more than “just” a runner.
Dirt Nap Diaries
Episode 35: Stop Asking the Internet: Trust Yourself Before Race Day
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This week I’m talking about something I see all the time in online running spaces: people asking the internet last-minute race questions that should’ve been figured out way earlier in training.
I get it—especially if it’s your first race or a new distance. You’re nervous, you want to do it right, and you’re looking for reassurance. But social media will give you a flood of answers from people who don’t know you, your body, or your training. And that can do more harm than good.
In this episode, I talk about:
- Why asking the internet for race advice often leads to more confusion
- The problem with last-minute questions about shoes, fueling, and gear
- Why race day is not the time to experiment
- The risks of crowdsourcing medical advice instead of trusting professionals
- What it means if you’re asking strangers instead of your coach
- Why first-timer nerves are real—but shouldn’t lead to panic decisions
- How to use your training block to actually prepare (not scramble later)
- Reducing noise before race day so you can stay focused
- Trusting your training, your body, and your own experience
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Hey y'all, welcome back to Dirt Nap Diaries. I'm your host, Brittany Olsen, Trailrunner, Women's Trailrunning Coach, Hype Woman, and Professional Overpacker of the Midrun Snacks. This show is for the everyday trailrunner, the ones training on real-life legs and real life time. You've got work, relationships, laundry, pets, a group text that never shuts up, and maybe a big old 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. Uh before we get into the spiciness, because this is a little bit of a spicy episode. Um still running a lot. Uh had a nice steady state run this morning. Everything's feeling good. Uh got another big weekend coming up of running. I mean, I've got a few big weekends coming up, uh, but the race, I think, is like five and a half or six weeks away. I don't I don't know. It feels like it's coming up fast. Starts May 4th, so uh for those of you who maybe it's the first time listening, um, Coca-Dona 250 is my next one. Multi-day race, so just lots of running. Um outside of that, it looks like we are getting a foster dog. Yay. Um bets are right now going 100 to zero that I foster fail. I tend to fall in love with dogs very much, and it's been a year and a half since I've had one. I fall in love with pets, I should just say. It's not just dogs, but my last dog passed away about a year and a half ago, and I've been looking. Um, and there was a couple of dogs on the euthanas, um, they're gonna be euthanized. Um, and they pulled my app to help out, so we're uh starting to, you know, figure out what that looks like to foster and all that good stuff, but it's very exciting. It's also a little bit of a busy time. But what's great is I work at home, so I'm at home a lot when I'm normally on my long runs. Greg is here, so um, that's my personal update. I am excited. Um, and I thought I was gonna get two, but it looks like it will be um just one of them, which is fine. Uh, but yeah, so that's the life update. Uh getting a foster dog and just um still running and eating all the things. Reese's puffs has been my go-to snack the past few days. Um when I get deep into a block, it seems like Reese's Puffs are what I crave. So I had some of those last night. They were delicious. So if you have a craving, go for it, guys. Don't don't just be like, no, I'm never gonna eat that. Okay, that's it for that. Seriously now let's get into it. This one might be a little spicy, but it is coming from a good place, um, just so you know. But it's really about um the things I see on social media, the things that people ask to people on social media or on Reddit or wherever it is that you are looking, you may have seen these. There's a Facebook page called Ultra Running where I see people who love to ask questions. Um, some of them are like not as serious, but like, you know, what shoes should I wear? And the race is in like two weeks. And I'm like, what? But in general, asking the internet what shoe you should wear. I mean, you can get suggestions, but seriously, like you gotta go to a shoe store. I've I've talked about this in podcast episodes before. I've not gotten, I don't even think I will ever do a shoe episode except to lecture you all on you can't just get what's pretty, you can't just get what somebody says to get, you've gotta go get fitted, and then you also gotta try it out on the trail, so find someplace that has really great exchange policy, so you might have to try a different pair of shoes. Once you find a pair of shoes that work, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, stick with it. Don't be trying on a whole bunch of different shoes. Okay, so that's that. But that's not the only question that gets asked. Like, some I get in and they're like, oh man, I have my first ultra or I have my first hundred or I have my fur, which is crazy when I hear this too. But they're like, you know, like what should I eat? And I'm like, and it's it's two to three weeks for their race. And my brain almost explodes because like you during your long runs, especially, but even during your short ones, you can practice, you should be practicing fueling, hydration, everything. Um, and like you see people start like dropping in suggestions of all these things, and like there is no other context out there about what this person needs, exactly what they're running, anything else. Like, it's just like, hey, they're just asking a question, and it's something that should already be known by now, but also people love to answer questions online, so some of the advice isn't always good either. Um, one of the the main concerning ones that I always see is, well, my doctor said I have this going on, or my PT says I have this going on, and they said I should take this long off. But has anybody else had this issue and they were able to like still run on it with, you know, and with even their doctor saying that? And that's where things start to get dangerous. Um, where you have uh been told advice, maybe you've even got a second opinion, and I know all of us want to keep running, but you've been told, hey, like you need to take a break from it, or hey, we need to lessen your miles oil, work on whatever going on with your knee or your hip or your back or your ankle, whatever it is. So like that's when I start seeing things like this is dangerous. And you have people come in and being like, oh, well, I've had this and I've been running through it, and yeah, it hurts a little bit, but like I probably won't do any more damage. So, you know, I see that quite often, and that is just kind of like mind-blowing to me that people are asking social media what the heck they should do after they've already gone to a doctor, probably paid a doctor to help them out, and this is what what they're what they're they're looking for the internet for their actual answer. Uh, but then asking Facebook instead of a coach, they pay. I've seen also people like who are like, well, my coach is saying this, but and let me tell you, I do not mind being questioned at all. I love questions ask any of my athletes. I'm a talker gal, so of course I like questions, but you literally pay your coach and you're like, well, like let me go to this person, this person, this person. And again, it's not bad to ask questions when you're asking it to like the whole entire internet, you are gonna get a flood of information from people who are not experts in you or in running. They are just people who have been running, and it's not that they don't have any advice to give. I know a lot of like coaches or not not I know a lot of runners who are not coaches who have a lot of experience and I love asking them questions about things um that they've done. But going online and getting a bunch of online, we'll call them online uh running people is not always a good idea because you're gonna get so much information and it's very hard to separate like what's actually real and what's something that maybe somebody just likes to do. So you also get a lot of people on there who don't like to nuance things. Like there's a guy who like doesn't eat carbs at all on his runs, and he's like, Yes, everybody can do this, and that's not true. There's many things, most things in life, not everybody can do. So there's just things like that that I also see. So when I think about it, it's like, okay, like what are we doing out here? Like, what's going on? Why are people always asking these questions? And really, like, I think we all know this, most people are just looking for the answer we want. Like, I didn't like that answer from this person, or I don't like what I'm finding, so let me go to the internet and somebody out of all the people out there are gonna give me the answer I want to hear. And that's not always good. Normally it's probably not good. So, again, this is mainly I see it on social media, I've seen it on Reddit a little bit. Um, and sometimes I just hear it in passing conversations, and I'm like, oh man, like you just said your doctor told you this and you're looking to get out of it. Come on, guys, come on. Like, why pay a doctor to do something? Why pay a coach to help you out if you're just gonna go to the internet and ask what they would do. Now we will be empathetic for just a minute here. So what I do get is, especially if it's a first like race that you've done, or if it's a first of that distance, um, whether it's an ultra distance or not, you're starting to feel overwhelmed and your brain's starting to go a little bit nuts. Like, so you're like, oh my gosh, like I did all this training and oh man, this is coming up. And you start to be like, well, let me just like ask the internet and see what they have to say, like to try to calm it down. And again, you're gonna get blasted with information because people love to talk about that kind of stuff. Um, even if they aren't experts in it. So, like, I do get it's like all of a sudden you're like, oh man, I want to ask this question, this question. If you want to ask a food-related question, like, hey, what do you guys eat for your ultra? I'd like to practice it. Don't do it two weeks before. That's just a suggestion. Like, I have no problem with people asking, like, hey, what do you eat? What do you eat? What do you eat? Because people eat different things out there, and sometimes you might not think of anything of those things, but like doing it just a couple weeks before and expecting not to shit your pants, like that's not a good thing. I mean, whoever won who wants to shit their pants? Nobody, I would think not. So, um, you don't know what you don't know too. Sometimes you're like, wait, like, I haven't thought about this. Oh man, like, what do I do here? Wait, ah, I didn't even think about like maybe I should try a different sports bra. Maybe, maybe I should maybe my pack needs to like have this. Like, maybe I should try polls, and it's three weeks before the race, right? So, but the thing is you just don't know what you don't know, and you start like your brain just starts spinning. It's still, you're still feeling that overwhelm. A lot of people they just want to do it right. So they think if they can talk to the experts, I did quotes, you can't see that, but like the experts on social media, maybe they'll get it right. Um, I'm gonna let you know there's no exact right way to train or run an ultra or run any kind of race. It's your race. So, and sometimes you're just nervous and you're looking for some reassurance. Maybe like you're just out there and you're like, this is what I'm doing for my this is what I did for my training, my first ultras in a week, and you just want to see other people have done the same thing that you've done. Um, I've had I've seen on there where people like, hey, like, you know what? Next week I'm gonna run a marathon, the weekend after I'm gonna run a 50k, and the weekend after that, um, I'm gonna take a recovery week, and then after that, I'm actually gonna run my first hundred miler. Like, how does that sound? And it's like, well, I have that for as a coach, I have lots of things. I don't put my advice out there typically, guys, with that, because there's so much information. But that's what it is. People are looking to hear hear from somebody who has done that, who has taken that path of racing a few times before their first hundred, we'll say, or first any kind of race, and they're looking for that reassurance, um, which is completely human and completely valid, but a lot of times you're gonna get so much advice out there that again, you get that overwhelm. So if you're a first-timer doing something, or even if you're just like out there and you're just really anxious and you start asking those questions, it doesn't make you dumb. So I'm not trying to make you feel that way. It does make you human. Um, so as humans, how do we work all through? What do we do? So, what is the actual problem? Well, one thing I've said many times, you ask the internet, you get 50 different answers, maybe a hundred. Depending on what you're asking, you can get tons and tons of responses because again, like I said, people like to talk about certain things. They like to show their expertise. Sometimes that's based on ego, sometimes people really do care. However, I do tend to lean on because when I read these things, I shouldn't be reading so many of them. Um, it's definitely more of like an ego, like, here's what I've done. Look at me, look at me, look at me. You know, but some people do want to help too, so I don't want to take that away from those people either. But guess what those people don't know? They don't know your training, they don't know your gut, they don't know your injury history or lack thereof, they don't know your life stress, they don't know your experience level, they don't know your background, they don't know so many things about you. So even if you ask something well in advance of a race, there are so many nuances. Like when it comes to me and coaching, um, you can ask any of my athletes. I know them pretty much no inside and out. I know about their lives, their work, what's stressing them out, what's what's making them feel fatigued outside of running. You know, is running making them feel fatigued? Is it too much? Like, what's going on? Like, what temperatures do you have where you live? What is gonna be the race temperature? So many freaking things. So whenever you're see a question out there, most people aren't even explaining all the things about themselves. It's just one question. So you get all these answers, and none of them may be applicable based on your training, your gut, your injuries, your life stress, your experience level, all those things. So they're answering those questions based on them and not really on you. So keep that in mind. Again, questions aren't bad. Like a general question, at one point, say you're about to run your first 50k, or you're training for it, and you're thinking, hey man, you know what? I'm eating these gels and these chews, but I would, and I've eaten some peanut butter and jellies, but what the heck are other people eating in terms of real food? That's not a terrible question to ask, by the way. But it's more when you're starting to get more and more specific about things, or you're very close to race day again, where it's gonna you're not gonna get the answers you probably need for yourself because they're answering it based on them and not on you. So when we think about that, like let's think about why those last minute questions are definitely like red flags. And I'm not trying to shame anybody, like this is just truth. So not trying to attack anybody. Some people might feel attacked by this message. Um, so if you're feeling some kind of way, that's okay, but keep listening because there's probably a reason you might feel like you're being attacked, because maybe you are asking the internet these questions. Um, so especially as it's close to your race. So let's think about the shoe part. Those shoes should have been figured out during training. Uh and and well, like at the beginning part of training, especially if you're new to this. Again, I say, hey, if you've got a shoe that works, um don't change it. Like that just makes sense. But I do know that shoes change, they change their styles, they change different things. I know sometimes you have to figure that out. But shoes should be figured out in the front end of training. Shoes and socks. Um, all of that. So again, I alluded to this earlier, but fueling should be practiced on long runs throughout the training block. It shouldn't be two or three weeks before all of a sudden you're like, oh, wait, let me ask this question, and then like you're just getting all kinds of answers that don't make sense for you. So on top of that, I will like caveat, fueling can also be practiced on short runs, y'all. Um, I was talking to one of my athletes, Kathy, the other day, and she's like, I'm gonna try this on a short run. That way, if it doesn't settle well, it's not gonna mess up like my entire long run, right? And that does make sense. So if you practice something on a short run, though, you still have to practice it on a long run. Because you want to make sure when you're later in your run that say you're trying something new to eat, it works. So if you're doing an hour run and you want to see how some food settles, have it. But then you're thinking about trying it during a longer race, you also want to try it during that longer run to make sure it still settles. So just throwing that little tip in there because I can't help myself because I was thinking about it. But fueling should be practiced before two or three weeks before the race. Gear should never be brand new, and I don't care if it's shoes, a pack, sports bra, socks, um, a hat, even like sh anything, all of it should be trusted and worn uh and feel good for you. So I get it. At the beginning of training blocks, or maybe you're new to training, you might try a whole bunch of different things, and that makes sense as you're as you're learning things. But those last minute changes are not a good idea. Um, not only can they not fit right, you might get blisters, you might get chafing in weird spots, something just might not feel right. Um it just doesn't make any sense. Like, again, if you've been training with stuff and it's working just fine, there's no reason to change it. If you have been working on if you've been working on everything in long runs and nothing's going right, um, that should have already been adjusted even before the last minute before the race. So just keep it in mind a lot of what I'm talking about is like, hey, we're prepping the entire block. We're not waiting until two or three weeks before and then asking the internet, well, what should I do now? And again, even if it's a few weeks before or a m a few months before, a lot of times asking the question is gonna get you that answer that's based on them and not on you. And also remember, depend if unless it's a training race, but if it's a race that you are racing for yourself, it's not where we experiment, it's where we execute. Alright, guys, sorry, I've got a cough going on. I don't know if it's allergies or Greg has been sick, but I feel okay. But either way, I got a little cough and I had to pause there and I kind of totally lost what the hell I was totally monologuing about. So, and I just said totally way too many times, but I believe I was about talking about like just race day, it's not really where we experiment, it's where we're gonna execute. Again, that's outside of training races. You know, some people will do training races and prep for the race that they're actually racing, so that is a time to experiment. But when it comes to your A race or like just a race that you're not like there to, it's not based on it's not for training, like it's where you have everything already locked in before you before race day. So to be ready to execute on that, you can't just do something, you can't start asking questions last minute and start changing things up. Like you need to be working on that execution throughout that entire training block. Um, so again, I am very big on practicing a lot of things in in long runs, but the big thing I see is when people start asking about food a couple weeks before a race and they're like, Yeah, I haven't really been practicing too much with fueling. That's when you're gonna deliver yourself a nice gut bomb, or you might struggle during that. I mean, some people have stomachs like rocks and they can handle anything, by the way. So again, this is all nuanced, as I say, but it is something that um for a lot of people when you're out there working hard, even if you have they say you have a stomach that's like a rock, it can not be it can be non-rock-like after you've uh done a lot in those races after you've been moving for so long. So just a piece of advice, practice fueling the entire time you're training. Um, so now this is where I do want to make sure I'm very clear on here, um, especially with the doctor piece. So if a doctor gives you advice and you don't like it, or you're not sure if you agree with it, or maybe you're not a hundred percent trusting that doctor, which is completely fine because I've had a self- self-advocate advocate with doctors before with different injuries, um get a second opinion from a professional, not Facebook, not Instagram, not threads, not Reddit, not your best friend's dog. Like, I don't know, dogs are pretty smart, they might know something, but you don't go out there because you are gonna be able to find somebody who is like, oh yeah, I had this, and then my doctor said this, but I decided to run anyway, and now it only hurts, you know, on a long run after five hours. Or, you know, like or hey, like, yeah, it hurts a little bit, but like, nah, I don't think I can hurt any worse, so I just kept going because I didn't want to stop, or I don't want to have the surgery, or I don't want to do this PT, or whatever it is. So this is where it gets very important though, because you could be doing damage not only for running, but for things in life. And you don't want to have so much damage that first of all, you get running gets taken away forever. You also don't want to have so much damage where it impacts your day-to-day living. Um, whether it's with pain, whether you end up with limited range of motion, whether you do something completely that you just can't ever fix, and you just live in pain, in chronic pain. So it is important. It's not just important for running, it's important for everything. So the other parts too, and granted, I'm a coach, so I do feel strongly about this, and I do not consider myself a doctor, you will hear all of my athletes, if they ask me something that's kind of in the doctory area, I'm like, I'm not a doctor, but here's my thoughts. Um, so uh, if you have a coach, use them. I know, I know, novel thought, but you use them. You pay them, so you use them. You ask them questions, you talk to them. If you don't trust your coach or you don't feel comfortable with your coach, take a step back and think, do I not trust them? Or I mean I'm not comfortable because of me and myself and just some experience I've had and experiences I've had, or um, do I not trust my coach because of the coach? Like I don't trust them, I'm not comfortable going to them with some stuff. I know some women who prefer working with a woman coach over over a man coach just because like they feel more comfortable talking about their cycle and sports bras and different things like that with the woman. Some could give a shit less. I'm one of those people who could give a shit less. However, I enjoy having a woman coach. I feel like we have a better bond. Like, Liz is an amazing coach uh for me. Um, so I do like like having those conversations, I do like having a woman coach. Um, but if you are not using them, if you are afraid to ask them a question, like think about what is it? Is it because you're not gonna like the answer you get, even though it's the right one, or is it because you don't trust your coach? And that's just something you have to decide for yourself. I can't decide that for you. But you should be able to be open with your coach. I'm not saying you have to tell them everything about your life. Um, I consider myself a coach who coaches the whole ass human, so I like to know all the ins and outs of things. Um, and I feel like most of my athletes do trust me with that, and it does help me be a better coach. But if you do not have a coach that you're comfortable with, take a step back, think about it, figure out what it is that you either need from the coach, you might need a different coach, or that there's something about you that's holding you back. So um, I should do a whole thing about who to hire for a coach outside of me. No, I'm just kidding, but who to how to pick a coach that fits you. I feel like I am a very good coach, but that doesn't mean I fit for everybody. So that's I'm writing that down actually. I'm gonna do podcasts on that one. Okay. Wow, I can talk about anything, can't I, guys? Um, but remember, like if you're asking strangers instead of your coach, or instead of getting a second opinion, or instead of diving deeper with your doctor and asking more questions, because you're probably scared of their answer too, um, we've got to disconnect somewhere. And we've got to fix that disconnect. Um, I'm not trying to be harsh, just trying to be honest here. Like, you do have to be able to um get to the bottom of things with a trusted professional. Going to the internet to strangers is not the way to do it. So this is gonna be some simple things, y'all, like, what to do instead. Um, and a lot of this I've kind of weaved in and out because as you know, I just kind of start talking whenever I'm thinking about something. But before before like we get to race week, be practice fueling. I mentioned I mentioned every long run. That is the goal of every long run, besides moving. It's fueling, hydration, maybe practicing an aid station after car, all those things, but like practicing what you're gonna do in a race does not happen just the week or two before the race. It happens the entire training block. That's the whole point of a training block, besides getting physically fit, is to work on all the different things that we have. You should see how much I move my hands, guys. This is weird. Um, but test your gear early. Sports bras, shirts, hats, shorts, um, leggings if you wear them. Uh if you're it's gonna be colder and you're gonna wear a beanie, you gotta test out the beanie when you can. Gloves, um, socks, shoes, uh, squirrels, nut butter, whatever anti chafe you use. So I'm just going through deodorant. Deodorant can make a difference. I don't mean the smell of you. I mean some people have said they've actually started chafing in their underarms and uh they had the wrong deodorant with them. Like they forgot their deodorant, so they just use like some a friends or their husbands or whoever and actually cause them to to chafe. Um So just making sure like you're practicing, like you know what deodorant you're gonna use, and then it works, and that you have that with you every stay. But and also ask questions early. Um, whether it be of your uh coach, like you know, you're working with a coach. If you're not working with a coach, I think I mentioned this earlier. You can ask the internet a general question of like, hey, what do you all like? What real food do you eat, you know, when you're running a 50 miler or when you're running an ultra? Like, that's a fine question to ask in the beginning of your training, because then you can experiment with food. Um trying to think of another one. You know, I've seen women ask about sports bras online. Um, ask that early in the training block, because what sports bra works for one may not work for another, but you can learn a lot of, I will say there are so many different sports bras out there, um, and some do not work, and some are fantastic. So I don't see that as a problem as asking, as long as you're asking all of these things kind of early. Um, sports bras are very important, ladies. I think you know that. And men, you might not know that importance. But again, it's about asking those questions early, whether it's from your coach, um, whether it's just asking some people some more general questions that really won't have a bad or negative impact on you. Um, and then also like if you are uh as fortunate and privileged as I am, whenever I have something weird that's maybe doesn't feel right, I go to my PT, Dr. Megan Slavin, and go see her. Um, yes, I'm dropping her name because she's amazing. If you need help, she does online and in person. So she's fantastic. I refer everybody to her who needs something. But again, like anytime I start to feel some kind of way, or not, I don't want to say anything like I know sometimes I'm gonna be sore, but certain things uh I know are not right. I have the privilege and the fortune to be able to um ask her questions early. That way we can nip things so I can continue training for things. So ask questions early, period. Um during race week, this is I feel like super, super simple. Stick with what you know. Don't be getting on the internet and starting asking these questions, and don't be asking people too like, hey, like, what was your longest long run? What did you what did you do for like your workouts? All of these things, because what it does is it gets you start getting your head because nobody's training block looks alike. Unless they're like parting up and doing their thing together. But if you're working with a coach, you could be ha I could have five athletes doing the same race, and their training block doesn't look exactly the same, right? People are unique, background, experience, all that bullshit that I always talk about. That is why. So stick with what you know and don't worry about what other people have done to get to this point, because it will get in your head. So that goes along with reducing noise. Not asking questions on the internet, not getting on there and going to, I mean, like Havelena Hundred and Coca-Dona have pages, and I'm not saying you can't get online at all, but if you have prepped for all of the stuff that you need to do for the race, if you've prepped for the logistics, if you've prepped for when you're supposed to get there, if you've prepped your gut, all of these things, you don't need to go online and have all that noise. Because that is really, really gonna get in your head. And maybe you won't feel like you're physically tired from that, but it can do give you a mental drain, which then leads to physical tiredness. So reduce noise. Whatever that looks like for you, reduce that noise. Typically for me, it is less time online. Um, and trust your training. You trained for the race that you're in. Well, I hope you trained for the race that you're in. Um, but you've got to trust it. Trust what you're either you've worked on with your coach, trust on what you did for yourself, um, trust with just where you're at and what you did. Like, that is so big. And I know sometimes it is normal before a race to have some doubts. Um, that's cool. Like, I know uh before I've I mean I've DNF'd races too, but I know like before Coca Dona, like right now I feel very confident. I am aware this is gonna be very hard, but it's also um I I have a feeling there's gonna be some doubts that creep in as it gets closer, you know, um, because there's gonna be some hard training coming up. And then when I'm in tape or you're not moving as much and your brain does go a little bit crazy. But what we have to do is trust the training that we have. So again, those little doubts in your head are gonna happen because you're doing something hard, but also like be able to calm yourself down, knowing that you've trusted your training and you've reduced the noise around you. So just remember you don't need more information. You need to trust what you've already done. Period. That's it. That one's it. So remember though that these braces aren't about perfection either. They're about showing up with what you've got, with what you've practiced, and figuring it out out there. So, what do I mean by figuring it out there? Don't I already have it all figured out? Of course you do! Yeah, you've practiced, you've done all the things, but guess what? Sometimes challenges come up, sometimes you don't your stomach doesn't want to eat what it practiced with because you're gonna be out there longer than your longest run. So you're gonna figure out stuff along the way. And that's what you have to remember too is hey, still trust your training, it's not about perfection. Show up with what you got and figure it out when things aren't perfect. That's it. That's it. Confidence really doesn't come from the perfect answer online, it really, really doesn't. It comes from reps, it comes from the practice you've done, um, and it comes from not having all that noise from the internet. So alright. So think about this. Like, I want to close with this. Yes, this is one of my shorter ones, guys. I know. Um, if you're two weeks out from your race and scrambling for answers, pause. Take a breath, look at what you've already done, because the internet is gonna not gonna run that race for you. You are. Trust your body, trust your training, and go figure some of it out on the trail. Like we all need to. Alright, if you love this episode, make sure you download it, follow the show, leave a review, leave a rating, share it with a trail friend, share it with a friend who doesn't run the trails. Maybe they'll join the trail group. Who knows? Um, it really does help uh this podcast reach more peeps like you. So now go move your body, drink some water, stretch your calves, and if you're listening while running, loosen your shoulders. You're welcome. Good effort, positive attitude.