Coming Back Stronger

You can learn from failure – if you’re willing to change

For months, I had prepared my body to run the Oil Creek 100.

I had crushed my long runs and stayed committed to my interval, speed work, and strength training. I made sure to get enough sleep – and stepped up my nutrition/fueling game.

Nothing was going to stop me from achieving this milestone goal. But then, at mile 70, something did. I realized I couldn’t run another step. I dropped out.

So, what happened?

After I got over the disappointment, I took a hard look in the mirror and realized that while I was in great physical shape, there were key preparation details that I had overlooked that, taken together, had stood in the way of reaching my goal.

Here are three of my lessons learned.

1.        Seek expert advice. Not long after the race, I reached out to the most experienced ultramarathoner I knew in Erie County. He welcomed the opportunity, sharing essential advice, including the importance of taking a little extra time at aid stations to rest and refuel, packing drop bags with a wide variety of clothing to prepare for any weather conditions, and wisely choosing support team members and assigning each specific roles to best help you achieve your goals.

The experience taught me that even the most experienced runners don’t have all the answers -- and was a key motivator in me ultimately becoming a certified coach to help others reach their full potential.

2.        Prepare for the worst: Assessing what could go wrong on race day during my training cycle increased my mental toughness, better preparing me to handle anything 100 miles could throw at me. Part of that process was running in all kinds of weather conditions, increasing overnight runs, and training more often on the Oil Creek course so I had a better understanding of the trail without the race day pressure.

3.        Know what you can stomach: The time to experiment with foods and fuels is not on race day – or even the few days leading up to it. You need to have a good idea of what your stomach can handle under a range of conditions. By experimenting earlier in the training cycle, I was able to minimize the risk of issues on race day.

One year after I had stumbled off the course at mile 70, I successfully crossed the finish line at the Oil Creek 100. To this day, I’m not sure if I would have been able to achieve that goal if I hadn’t been willing to seek help and change some long-standing practices that ultimately were standing in the way of success.

While most runners focus on distances considerably less than 100 miles, I think everyone can apply some of the lessons from my experience to improve performance in everything from a 5K to a marathon.

And you don’t have to go it alone. As a certified running coach with dozens of lessons learned from 40 years of competitive running, I can guide you in preparing to achieve your most challenging running goals.