MT Madness: Beating Burnout

By Randi Kreamer

When I had finished the Frisco Railroad 50k in April 2015, my second 50k, I felt up for a new challenge. Why not make that new challenge a new distance? So... I decided to take it to the next level and do a 50-miler. After researching a few, I settled on the Mark Twain 50 miler because the course looked so beautiful! Later, I found out that other DRCers were running the same race. I registered and instantly had mixed emotions: Was I prepared? Should I lose weight?  How will I find time to run enough?

As time went on, I found myself busier and busier and panic set in about the run. I was focusing only on long runs, anything else seemed pointless because short runs seemed insignificant with what I was aiming to do.  This led to a burnout.  I woke up one day and I didn't want to run; the next day, I didn't want to go either. This pattern became routine. 

Every run, I would cry. I wondered why a once-loved activity had turned into something that was physically and mentally exhausting.  I dealt with this alone, but decided to share my feelings with my running group. Frank, Meghan, and Stacey were great about providing nutritional advice and support; I was the only one who didn’t believe in me.

The feedback I received was overwhelming. I felt hopeful. I felt understood. I felt like I had to do it, and I wanted to do it. On September 19th, 2015, I arrived at Berryman trail ready to run.

Can't resist the DRC AS!

Reflecting back,  I think anxiety was my biggest obstacle. I was doing the comparison game instead of focusing on my own race. Rather than running my own race, I spent time comparing my speed, distances run, and physical fitness with others. In the end, I ran 41 of the 50 miles. I reached my limit, and that’s okay because I’m after longevity!