4.19. The Marathon des Sables Recap

What's up, everybody? Welcome to another episode of Nobody Asked Us with Des and Kara presented by Brooks Rodding. Hey, we got jokes. Good job. That was solid. What is with this 1kg? I don't know. I don't know. It just usually says kg, right? When I log in, it usually just says kg, but I don't know what happened. Maybe I hit the keyboard by accident because I logged in and Chris was like, why are you calling yourself 1kg? And I'm like, it's too big to. She's in metric these days. Just do a period over here. I go by 1kg now. Everybody adjusts accordingly. I like it. Yeah. That's good to know. Yeah, I was at the 1st. So, it's up to 1kg. How are we doing? What's new? How was your weekend? I had a good weekend. Cole had a big track meet on Saturday where he ran a 3200 and an 800. He kind of has an outside chance. It's not like a done deal or anything, but he does have kind of an outside chance to get into the state meet and the 3200. He wasn't even going to run one all year. And then he ran one while we were in London and he ran really well in really bad conditions. And then his coach was like, dude, I think you might be able to get that time. Yeah. But unfortunately, it's a descending order list and there's only last weekend and this weekend. So, he ran a 2 mile on Saturday morning. It didn't really unfold the way that we thought it was going to unfold. We thought it was going to be a fast one and he could just like hang on. And instead he ended up doing some leading and it was a really tactical effort. So, he still ran a PR, which I was really proud of him. He closed in 66. I was really proud of the way he handled everything. But we were all a little bit like, oh, that's not the race we were hoping he was going to be in. And then he came back and ran the 800 in which a kid from an Iowa quinsolve and ran the sixth fastest time in the U.S. this year. And Cole was like, yeah. So, they had all these heats and he's like, no, I got into the fast heat. I don't want to be in the fast heat. So, he was ranked 16 out of 16, but he didn't run a PR, but he was relieved because he beat two, he passed two kids heading into the final lap. Then he passed two more kids down the home stretch. So, he wasn't lost. So, he was pretty pumped about that. And I feel like you don't want to put kids in a range yet, but it just seems like it's not his range. You know? Like a freshman running that 30 or two mile, like you're not a 800 guy. I know. And especially like when you have a PR in the 3200 already in your legs, like he's run 203 earlier this year to lead off a relay on the first leg. He's run 204 fresh. He ran 205 Saturday, I think, but he was like tired, you know? He had run earlier that morning and he was just like of all the 800s to be into, it was like a legit serious 800. Like it had Rocco Colpepper in it and Judritz and Heinen and all these kids that, I mean, Rocco's run 150, it was one in 149, right? And Colts just like, oh my land, just don't let me be last. Don't let me be last. So, good for him for getting in there and it like definitely will help, you know, like 205 will make everything else feel a lot more in control, but it's probably not his signature event. No. Does he ever get thrown in a quarter, 400? He's run, he ran a four by four a couple times this year. Which he really loves. And I don't know what he has split in that. I want to say like 56 or 57. I mean, he's not, he doesn't have a ton of pure speed and I don't know if it's because he's like growing and he's never worked on it or if that's just not going to be something he has, you know? I feel like. But he does seem to, go ahead. I don't know. I just feel like it develops, you know? I think so too. A little bit. Yeah. I think he's really, really, really excited to like, to like dig and kick. And I think that's like a great skill that not everyone has. But yeah, I don't know. Adam's always like, I think I had more speed at his age and I'm like, well, maybe you guys aren't the same person. Stop comparing. Yeah, yeah. No, it's been fun. Like I'm just, it's been fun watching him. He's tried so many events this year, like at the beginning of the year, he had his heart set on just running the four by eight. And that has shifted. You know, he's run the four by eight. They're going to run that again this weekend because they were qualified for state. They got bumped out. So they're going to make one last attempt to get back in on that. They're going to have to improve quite a bit, but I think they can. So he really loves the four by eight. And then he tried this two mile and he's like, I really like the two mile, you know? So it's been kind of fun to see him dabble in all sorts of different events. But I think he's going to run this, this coming weekend and then hopefully his relay or maybe he gets into state. But if not, then we're going to take him to, I think it's in Huntsville, Alabama, where he, because he really wants to run another mile and he really, because once he realized he was good at the two mile, like the mile kind of just got taken off the table. It was like, yeah. Right. You're focusing on this now. Yeah. You have to drop 10 seconds to make it in the mile or drop 12 seconds to make it in the two mile, which one makes more sense, you know? So he really wants to run another mile. So we'll go do that. And then he's holding on to help. He'll be invited to another meet. But if not, that'll be the last race of the season. I can't believe how quick it's gone. Track was like that. Yeah. We did double snaps. Yeah. Did you ever do four by fours or four by one? I did run the four by four. I ran the four by four at the state meet more than once. I was our slowest leg. I could never break 60. I was a very solid 60 point. And I would literally finish the two mile and then just jog over and join my teammates and run it. And my teammates were really good. That's how we got to state not because of me. I was sort of a hidden. I always ran second leg so that like they could get a good start. And then if I had to recover. Yeah. And then we did do a five distance team. We did a four by one once. And it was actually like so embarrassing. Like we were still trying to pass the baton and they were already like 50 meters up, you know? So I definitely don't have raw speed. That's not a thing I had. I did have the ability to kick and I had the ability to run pretty fast over like a mile and stuff, but it had to be very, very even. You know what I mean? Like I wasn't going to drop a 50 years. Yeah. That wasn't going to happen for me. Yeah. And I had the ability to sort of kick towards like my PR, but my PR wasn't like that great compared to everybody else's quarter PR. So who knows what will happen with Colt. But I like you can be successful either way. Right? Like, yeah, you just have to know what you're good at. But what about you? Did you have speed? Did you run the four by four? I did four by fours. When I was in youth track, I got to do a four by one crazy experience. Got to hand off to Monique Henderson, who like made the Olympic team as a high schooler, which is great. Cause I didn't have to run that far because they put her like right on the edge of the passing. Like let's make this as short as possible for you. But it was fun. It was a cool like just to learn the event and, you know, to understand how it works and the baton exchanges and those things. And teamwork. Hooray. So that was cool. Yeah. And you did four by fours in high school. I did do like everything. Our team was separate again. But yeah, those were fun. I love the fronting the four by four because it was like the last race of the meet and everybody would lie in the track. And, you know, I wish I had been faster because I knew I was the weak link every year. I'd be like, oh, I'm getting going to get kicked off this year. But like somehow my 60 point was just just good enough to continue to make the deal. Dude, I hated it. It was like the most stressful because it was like the meat would maybe be on the line and then you'd be like, don't fuck it up. Go get them. And you're like, I just finished the 3200. It's brutal. Oh yeah. No, I loved it. I did. I really did like I'm not doing it. I don't want to do it. Right. You're the sprinter. Yeah. Oh, that's funny. No, it's been fun. It's been so fun. I just I wish it was a little bit longer because I feel like he's just getting confidence in himself, but it is what it is. And he'll take all of this into next year. And I'm really, really proud of him. He's like worked so hard. And, you know, this this floating of maybe he can get into state happened. And he was like, all in like, okay, I'm now I'm a two mile guy. You know, like literally like a flip of that. And so I really hope he has a big PR on Saturday. I'm confident he's going to run a PR on Saturday. It's just will it be enough? I don't know. But I'm yeah, he's had such a great year. Right. Yeah. Do the you versus you and not worry about. Yes, totally. Oh my gosh, we were talking about that so much this weekend of how like comparison is a thief of joy. You're on your own journey and you can only do your best. And wherever that falls, it falls, you know, and it was just interesting. I was talking to Shane Culpepper, her son, Rocco is so talented. And I think sometimes when you're really talented like that and you win a lot, like there's there and not sometimes there is this pressure then that develops, you know, and it's easy to have like everyone's coming for you. And it's easy to feel that. And we were just talking about how we just want the boys to just like be focused on themselves, you know, and it's like, yeah, I think that's a good thing. Yeah, you're yeah, it's just it's tough. It's hard to not compare yourself to other kids, but that just rips the joy. Just makes it awful. So yeah. Yeah. And the long I mean, if the longer you're in it and the better you get and the higher quality of the meat, it's like that does become the game, but it's still you can still revert back to like, well, I got better. I improved. Yes. This was my best season. I was just reminding. Yeah, yourself of that, because it does get easy to be like, well, this was a terrible race because I mean, like I just immediately think of Boston. We're like everybody PR and you're like, I'm a 205 guy, but where did I go? Like, I go down the list. So is everybody else? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It doesn't change. It doesn't get easier. That's for sure. No. No. I really want to focus today on your running, but I will say that I had a distance PR today for a long time. I mean, not forever. A little over 12 miles today. Nice. And I know it was awesome. It was really hard. The end was hard. I will admit. I was like, so I always do this thing where I like starts. So I last night I was like, I'm going to try to run 12 miles tomorrow. I'm like, I'm going to try to run 12 miles. And then I get out there and I'm always like so scared. So I'm like, I've run like 815 for the first mile and then like 810. And then, and then like four miles later, I'm like, what am I doing? I'm fine. I'm fine. You know, but I did this loop that I thought would be a little less than 12. And when I got out, I realized, Oh, this is going to be more like close to 14. So then I was trying to think of, like, what's the best way to do it? I'm like, I'm going to try to run 12 miles. I'm like, I'm going to try to run 12 miles. So I was like, I'm going to try to run 12 miles to 14. So then I was trying to think of like, where can I cut off? So I cut off quite a bit, but it still ended up being about 12 and a half. But anyway, it was great. I felt, I felt great. I was having so much fun. But then the last two miles were slightly uphill and I was, I was hurting that last mile. What's the longest you've gone? Like up to this 10, 11. I went 11 right before we left for London. Yeah. Was that a similar fatigue at the end? Well, this one was faster. So it was like, yeah, this one was a little bit faster. And, and I'm probably on a slightly harder, definitely on a harder, yeah, like terrain course. Anyway, it's like, it's, it's not, it's, I'm just excited. Like I survived it and I'm like, okay, well, where do we go from here? Well, the next logical steps 13. And then it's like, well, then, I mean, yeah, maybe I could go line up with everybody else and put on a number and run a half. One in a mile long runs. No, not there. That's not going to happen. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, but it is, it has been fun. And it's like really mind blowing because, you know, a year ago, I was not in a good place. It was a really bad place a year ago and even all fall was really bad. And it's just like so fun. Like to be like, I'm going to, I'm going to try to run 12 miles tomorrow and then to like actually do it. I don't know. Yeah. How are, how are the turns? Do you still find those to be challenging? Like what's gotten, what's gotten better when you're like, well, now I feel like good. Like what's gotten smoother and easier? Like what is good now mean? It's just less tension. Like I still have a limp and like today actually on the way, so I ran out to this, this trail I called David Sameson ran back and on when I was running out and back to it, it was this cement bike path and it was really slanted and it slanted the wrong way for me. I liked the right side to slant down and have my left leg be a little bit higher. So that, that stretch about a mile and a half was not very good. I really felt my dystonia like, but I would say in general it's like turns are still hard, certain slants are still hard, but I'm so much less tense. Like normally it's like, like literally my hands are kind of fisted and I'm, and I'm like thinking about every step. And I just don't think about it. It's like, I go to make a right hand turn and I'm like, oh, nope, that didn't feel good, you know, but I'm not like worrying as I'm running into the turn or it's just like my body is so much more relaxed. It's hard to describe, but it's just, it's like before I just was like a ball of tension with every run, even a good run. I'm just so tense and that tension is gone. And I think it's like, you know, I think we've talked about here, I need any replacement for my knees been feeling better because I don't think I'm like landing as hard because I'm not as rigid. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So like I was at this track meet this weekend and one of my closest friends was there and she was like, dude, you're walking normal. And so it's like people around me are noticing it too. So it's pretty exciting. Yeah. That's cool. That's great. Yeah. Were you getting like super sore after run? Like I just thinking of like all that like, oh yeah, tension like this. Super sore like, especially in like my back and my shoulders, even more than my legs, but my hip is always like chronically sore because I land so hard. Yeah. And like my hip is, it's, it's probably always going to be a little bit sore, but it's been so much better. Like my knee and my hip and like my back are always so sore when I'm done running. And like now I'm running twice as far and I don't have that. Like my knee feels better. My hip feels better. You know. So big question here is, are you just going to throw away your lever? Hell no, because that's, that's part of it. Is that like, so today I ran 12 and a half. So guess what I'm doing tomorrow? I'm going on the lever. And it's like, I think that's like a big piece of the puzzle. If I just tried to always just go outside, I think the reason I'm able to like keep making these incremental increases is because I push it and then I go back on the lever. And so that's what's cool is the way I feel on the lever is so secure. Like I just feel like there's no way I can fall right now. And I'm starting to feel more and more like that when I'm outside. So that tension is an exist in the lever. Yes. But that's how I feel on the lever all the time. So I, I often have like amazing, not amazing, but for me, pretty good runs on the lever. We're all do pickups and stuff because my body is relaxed enough to do it. So I think the lever is a big, big part of the puzzle and I will not be throwing it out. Although I am spending a little less time on it, but I'm definitely not throwing it out. No way. No one should throw out their lever. In fact, they should go get one. You could go to our show notes for a link and a code for, what is it? I don't want to say a number, a percentage off on a lever with nobody asked us. And yeah, we got a super cool message on the Instagrams from someone that was like, I've just caved, I bought this. It's been awesome. Like I didn't think I could do this type of running and like the assist has been great. So yeah. And I actually just talked to a high school kid who had had a sore foot for a while and I was like, Oh, you should try a lever. So she rented one and she was able to train through it and then her parents ended up buying one using our code. So it's like, I think that there's a lot of tools for it. Not everybody has dystonia, which I'm happy about. But it also can be used for a lot of things, right? Like a day where you're really fatigued or you're, you kind of picked up a little niggle or whatever it is. So yeah, lever will always be in my rotation for sure. Yeah. I think I'm going to throw mine on as I get back in shape. It's been a lot of miles, a lot of marathons, a lot of soreness. So as I, as I do the reentry program, I think lever will assist in that. Yeah. It was just too great of a spot to not plug lever. It was perfect for today's show. I know it's early. It feels crazy. How could we talk about this now? That was the perfect place. Okay. Well now enough about Colts running and enough about my 12 mile run because that is nothing compared to what you did at MDM. I'm good to you. Okay. I'm not. Okay. Um, everybody wants to hear about MDS. Everybody wants to hear about MDS. I want to hear more about it. I've gotten to hear behind the scenes. You talking about it and talking about it with people you ran, but let's get into it. I want people to know about like the sleeping arrangements, the sand in the face, all of the things. Let's get into it. You get there. First of all, talk to us about how long it took to get there. Yeah. The whole thing, I think the whole thing about MDS is it's just like this continual mind fuck. Like you think you're going to be like settling into a thing and it's like it's never the thing you expect. And it was kind of just challenges like from the beginning. My flights were super easy. It was Atlanta to Marrakesh, Detroit Atlanta Marrakesh, super easy. And then I met up with a bunch of the people that were going to be in our group and we stayed in Marrakesh initially in the old city, which is super crazy. It's like all these tiny winding roads and we picked like riyadhs or like little hotel places that were right next to each other. So we get there and they're like, no, you're this one. And then you look at the map and it's like three miles away. I was like, how did that happen? I was like, well, I'll just take a car. They're like, you can't take a car in here. Like it's these tiny little alleys. And then the guy's looking at it. He's like, no, it's like a quarter mile away. We can walk. And I'm like, I don't believe you. This is a robbery for sure. And so my friend Andy walked with me and it was literally like right around the corner, but like the maps just are crazy in there. So it was like figuring out stuff like that. And then there's also like the food element of like what do you eat? Do you drink or what's going to upset your belly? So like immediately there's all these little challenges. But yeah, they also they get you there really early because it's a tourism play. Right. They're like, you got to be a Marrakesh and then you have to go from Marrakesh. You get on a bus and then you get the bus. You have to stay in this other city. And then once you're in that city, you stay there two nights and then we'll take you out to the desert. So if I were doing it again, I would just skip all the bus, skip all the early stuff and get a car. Like we ended up, we hired an Uber and you like three of them like just canceled the ride. They're like it's way too, it was like a four hour drive. Oh, geez. And so they just canceled the ride. And then this guy picked us up. He's like, oh, it's my like second or third day Ubering being an Uber driver. And you looked at the map, he's like, where are you going? And it was like a four hour drive. And he was like, I need more money. Like I need more money. But we talked him into it, which was cool. Was that when you were going to where the bus was going? Yeah. So there was two buses. Like you could take a bus ride, but they would stop like every, I don't know, a couple hours and then you would go like a bathroom breaks. It was just like an extra three hour process to ride these big buses. And we're like, we'll just pay. There's five or six of us and it'll be reasonable. And then we got to the place where we were supposed to stay. And the booking.com place was a scam. Like we got there and there was no like place. Like there was no hotel. So like immediately another challenge, you're like, fuck, like we don't have a place to stay. Yeah. I messaged them. I emailed them. I haven't heard back booking.com. If you are using booking.com, reconsider a different service. Wow. Anyhow. Yeah. So we got to the last hotel suite in the city because there's like 1600 runners. It was bigger this year. So it was bigger this year than it typically is in the past. And so like everything in that area is like booked up. What we did find was like the one suite in a nice hotel. And there was again, there was like five of us, Magda, Dave, myself, Andy, Dills. Okay. And then there was like five of us and we just all like crammed into two rooms and the couch. Yeah. That had to be so stressful. That was stressful. It wasn't great. So wait, did you just lose all your money on the other hotel? Did you have to prepay? We did. I'm like, it was on my credit card, which should just get reimbursed by the credit card, but it was really irritating because I was like, that's like. Well, yeah, I am stressful because you're not at home. You can't just be like, let me go to the Marriott. Yeah, no. It was super expensive too. Because it looks sick. I was so excited. I'm just going to not even want to leave. Like we're going to be up in the sauna. No sauna, no place. They dropped us off at like this hospital and the lady, like they felt so bad. They were like, I'll find it for you. We'll walk you around. We're like, it's not real. There's no way. Booking.com. Booking.com. Yeah. You're on a crap list. That's a glare. If you're not on the YouTube, I gave them a glare. Anyhow. That was a glare. Okay. So you find this other suite and now what do you do over the next couple days as you prepare before you drive out to the start? So it was one night there and then the next morning around eight o'clock we got on another bus. That night we ate good food. We drank good wine. We spoiled ourselves. And that's when Magda gave me all my food. I hadn't had my, like any of my food yet. So I didn't know what my weight was going to be. I didn't know how it was going to fit in my pack. And I also had trouble, not trouble, but my pack arrived really late. It was like a prototype that came. I had tried one of the earlier versions, but it came like 48 hours before I left. So rookie stuff here do as I say, not as I do. So I was testing, I was testing, I was wearing a new pack for this and you know, I put my stuff in and it was pretty good on the heavier, not on the heavier side. It was fine. But I also had a shit ton of food to pack in. So it was like, that was sort of the name of the game for like the next several days was like pack all your stuff, unpack all your stuff. Do I need this? Where do I put this? Where did this go? Did I loot? Like, can I make it lighter? And that's just what you do until we got on the buses the next morning. Okay. I need to know about the food. Like I'm like scared thinking about carrying my food and then there's no like snacks. Like what if you get done and you're hungry? There's no like snacks, right? I mean, you know, so hurry up. Right. So like, tell me some Magna major food, but like what consistency is it? Were you ever hungry? Like these are the things that I'm stressed about when I'm hearing your story. Like you get done, you run across the desert, like you run a hundred freaking K and you're like ravenous, but you have just what you have. Yeah. Is that what happened? You don't like dig in. Yeah. We had a spreadsheet and it was super dialed. Like Goode did a really good job. They had done it for Magna in the past and then they like had some testing. How much are you going to burn? How much is time on feet going to be? Is sand going to impact it with about the heat? Things like that. So they did all this testing and like came up. The one, one of the few things I had no trouble with was the nutrition. Is it the best tasting stuff in the world? No, there's things that are better, but my stomach was content and I wasn't hungry until the last day and a half. Like there was enough stuff. Oats, overnight oats in the morning. Okay. Easy. So did you add water to that? Yeah. So you just do water, put them in the night before in the morning, you're up at like five or four 30 or whatever the first loud people get up and are making a shit ton of noise. You're like, okay, we're up. And so then you start eating your oats to get ready for the run. And then lunch and most midday food is on course nutrition. So, um, rock, tan, electrolyte, drink. And then in the morning, there was chews and then I had a prototype gel and that's it. And then you come back and have a recovery drink. Yummy. And then we had some snacks were strew waffles and peanut butter because peanut butter is just like, you know, light dense and protein fat, a couple of things there. So it's like good bang for the buck. And then dehydrated mashed potatoes were dinner every night and we mixed up the flavor. And it was purple potato. There was sour cream and onion and there was cheddar. So that was a treat. Like what are we getting tonight? What's in the bag? Let's read the spreadsheet. And then there might have been a little bit more peanut butter. That's see that blows my mind. Like that. I'm not tough enough to that because I'm like, I'm hungry all the time and where are my snacks? And like that alone is terrifying to me. I'm a snacker. Wow. Okay. And I had some super secret snacks that I packed for the hundred K day and after the hundred K day, but you're still like, is this worth the wait? And I'm going to go, I'm going to go. It was not yet. You have to go to the YouTube to see what the super secret snack was. Okay. Okay. Yeah. We will all check that out. Okay. And then the other things I was stressed about were, I mean, so much I was stressed about it. I want to get into the actual running part, but like, did you have to carry your own toilet paper? And then like, if you took a poo out on there, did you have to like carry it? So this was stressing me out a lot as well. Toilet paper, you did carry your own. And I'm like, fuck, I'm overpacking this. Cause I just don't want a sticky butt, you know, nobody wants that. So I found these like little, like they're little pod pill things. They're dehydrated like dinosaurs and then they grow. So that was my toilet paper. And I weighed out a regular roll and then it was like, this is equal to that. And then I was like, okay, well, double it. Cause what if I need more? That's what I carried. No, the bathroom situation, if you went on the course, you went on the course. I don't think I took a dump on the course. I peed twice, not to be throughout the whole time. But the bathroom situation is pretty epic. It's just these like tarp things. And there's this plastic chair that is like a toilet, like seat bowl. And then you take a bag and you put it on the thing and then you pass your shit in the bag, you tie it up and throw it away. Oh man. Okay. It's pretty gnarly. And like just to carry it. There's like a trash thing there. No, you don't have to carry it. Like, no. Okay. There's a trash bag. Yeah. But still. And it would be like super windy. So like the flappy things, like sometimes they just, you know, it'd be taken to shit and it would just rip right open. Like, ah, like stuff like that happened all the time. And then by the end, like that, well, not even by the end, by the beat, like the men just like, they're not going to pee in a bag. So they would just walk off and pee. But like every day they just got a little closer. And so they're like, brushing your teeth and you're like, dude, like you're pissing right next to me. And you just like, it just got really gross. Okay. Was there bathing that happened? There was a lot of like, you can use the little paper soap things or like wipes. So I carried like tiny paper soap and like use that on like a piece of like damp toilet paper and you do like a ch-ch-ch type thing. Yeah. You know, bathing though. The one day I was so excited for this, I tried to like really do, I was like, I have this one really nice wipe. It's like thick. It's like soaped, it's scented, it's beautiful. I was like, yes, this is it. Came back from the 100K. I'm like, fuck yeah, I'm going to like, I'm sorry, I'm cursing on. I was like, I'm going to like, this is it. I've been waiting for this wipe. And so I'm like, yes, like I'm the second person back to our little tent. And I take the wipe out, I'm excited. And I start like rubbing my legs down and they're so sandy. It was just like scratching, like just like marks like down though. I was like, this is the worst thing ever. This is terrible. It's so disappointing. But a lot of sand off, but it really hurt. So is everyone just kind of starting to stink more as the event goes on? Definitely. But I don't, I feel like you don't notice because you're just like, it becomes really like. Right, you're all in it. So I saw you washing your clothes. Yeah. How was that? We did that pretty much every day. Okay. That was like the routine. You'd get back from the run, have recovery, drink. You take a little bit, a lot of people use their old water containers. You could cut it open, throw your clothes, your dirty clothes, your running clothes in there, like obviously change into whatever other gear you had. Do the like washing machine or you shake it up, then you hang it out to dry, rinse it, hang it out to dry off the tents. And then by the evening, it's just warm. It was so hot that you're like, it's dry pretty quick. And then you either wear that to sleep or like change into it in the morning, different routines for different people. It's also, there's so much extra time out there. Like if you're actually like finishing at a respectable time or like not taking too much of the day, you're just like burning a lot of time. It's a lot of time with people in your tent. And how was that? Because like, yeah, you don't like get to escape or bring a book or something, right? So what did you do with your time? Did you just lay in the tent? Did you guys just chat or you quiet? What was it like in those moments? Yeah, I think it was, that's right. If people are like, would you do it again? I think it'd be super lonely if you didn't have that group you went with, like having Magda and having Dave who were on my team. And then even Dills and Andy who did the media stuff, they'd come by and chat and stuff. Like that really broke it up. But I think without that, it would have been a little rough because we would just hang out, obviously talk about how the run went, help each other with like getting whatever someone was going to do for food, had coffee once or twice, a rare treat. Or you're like doing laundry. And it was also one of the harder things. If I if I could bring a luxury item that was light, I don't know if we talked about this. Like if I didn't have to carry it, but it was like you could have one luxury item. Be like, I'm bringing a chair because just sitting on the ground and like having your legs either. Like how do you like it was really hard to be comfortable and recover and not like tighten up or yeah, it was just like awkward and you don't really have like maybe your arm, maybe half your arms with next to you until you're touching that. So you just have like a straight like like a sleeping bag length and then half an arms leg on either side. So it was kind of hard to sit around all day. And then did you was your how was your body feeling? And I want to go through each day, like how you're feeling mentally and physically. But like at night, was your body aching at all? Were you stretching or are you just trying to get some sleep? Which also, did you sleep at all? These are the hard hitting questions. No, they're very fair and things that you don't consider before you go. Everyone like kind of wound down around like eight PM, which was nuts. And the sun would sort of be going down and people would be like in our tent, at least would be trying to go to sleep. I was like, it's way too early. I'm going to sleep for like 45 minutes. But you also don't want to be the person up making noise. Right. I didn't sleep very well any of the nights. I think probably. Yeah, I can't think of a night where I slept while I was talking to like kind of a recap with the folks at goo. And she was like, send me your HRV. I want to see like what that look like. I can't. You know, there's like nights where it's like you had three hours of sleep. And then it's like you turn off the naps where you're like just resting. Heart rate's low. So it's like thinking that thing is like zero, like no sleep at all. But just a lot of noise, tight quarters. And then it's like your camp of eight people in a tent. But every, you know, like there's a ton of them. And you could hear people snoring from everywhere, like everywhere. It was so loud and I had earplugs and. Didn't really help. So that was that was poor, poor quality, poor quality sleep. That sounds terrible. I'm not going to see that's like why want this is what makes it even more impressive to me is that you kept getting up every day and you kept like running hard every day because it's like everything is working against you, especially coming from like a marathon background where it's like, oh, we get the sleep and then we have the recovery and we have, you know, it was just like all this crap that you are not used to that is literally fighting against you. And yet you kept getting up every day and just like crushing it. So what was your body feeling like at night? Was it sore? Did you have to stretch or did you just. Roll over and get up and go after it again every day. Yeah, I mean, it's funny because there is like, you're not warming up, you know, I think that a couple of days that would have felt like nice. Like I just need to do like a 10 minute warm up, but that wasn't really. Yeah. option. I don't I mean, I don't ever felt like I don't ever feel like I was achy or sore. I think there was the night before the hundred K that like my blister, like I had some blisters that day and like they were throbbing. That's not true. My hip flexor was pretty sore early on and I was like before the hundred K, I was like, I don't even like this is going to be a nightmare. I don't know if I can finish this. I was using like a little sunscreen bottle that had a good shape and it was like pretty like structured and stiff. I was like, oh, this is a perfect foam roller. So you get creative. I was like rolling out on that. But yeah, I woke up the next day for the hundred K and I was like, oh, I feel like fine. OK, well, now we need to go through the running part. OK, slight heat to me tonight. Lights up. I don't know what's happening. Now we need to go through the running part. Let's go through each day. Ignore my light here. I'll try to fix it, but I don't know what's going on with it. Let's start with the first day. Yeah. I mean, I think it's interesting and I've done hard things before where you're stacking big days or whatever in Destober, the calendar club, like you get to the last week and you can't be like, I'm almost done because it's the most you're going to be doing. So the first day is kind of it's it was kind of nice in that the pack is super heavy, but you're like, this is the worst it's going to get. Like it's not going to be any worse than this in terms of weight, which is good because like the first couple of miles you're like, I've overpacked. This is a mess. It was I thinking while there's more sand than I expected, like everything you're just like questioning like what why did I sign up for this? This is so stupid. And I remember having my my toilet paper little chips. I packed them inside my cup, but there wasn't anything else in there. So the whole time they're like clunk clunk clunk clunk clunk clunk clunk clunk the entire and I was like, OK, that's got to be fixed tomorrow for sure. Never doing that again. But it was pretty funny just to see people putting out fires that first day. Like Magda also did a one on one, bought a brand new bag because she was like, I don't like the one I have, bought it on site. Cut the straps because you want it as light as possible. And I think in like the first like, I don't know, mile and a half, the straps were too short and they like ripped off and she's like, oh, but like so she's managing that people had stuff falling out everywhere. You could see the people who packed way too much. But the first day was like not especially challenging. I think there was one Dune that you're like, oh, like this is a legit sand dune. I had to like use my hands. And then I like I do. I thought about it afterwards. I was like, I wonder if that Dune was that challenging or if we just didn't have the comprehension on how to do it well yet. But I don't know. You got better. Yeah. Yeah. So we finished before it was too hot. And I will say I felt like everything went like on that first day. I was like, that went by really fast. Like it was 20, 21 miles or something. You're like, wow, that flew by. That was that was fun. I enjoyed it. It's not too hot. And that went by super fast. So that was encouraging. And you think it's going to get lighter and you're like, it's really the packs really not that much lighter. Yeah. Well, during that first day where you like conservative, like what were where was your mind at as far as like, I don't want to go out too hard, right? Like it would be very easy for you to do that because you're like, oh, this pace is easy. But then, you know, you have the whole week ahead of you and the sand and all that stuff you're not used to. So how are you pacing yourself that first day? I mean, like Christina were tracking you and were like, oh my God, she's like in fourth on the first day and then you just kept crushing it. But like, where was your head at for that? Yeah. I mean, it didn't feel like an easy pace because there was so much in the pack. It was like, I don't know if I could do this the whole day. But none of like, as I recall, it wasn't like incredibly challenging running, like terrain wise, there was no major things. So that was good. It is funny because like in obviously in the marathon, they're like, the elites are going to go in the front and like, they're, you know, like that's separate or you don't have to navigate around a bunch of people. They give a shit here. So they have you line up half an hour before the start. And we were always kind of like dinking around. And so like the first day, I think Magda Dave and I started so far back. And we, I was like, we're passing people for a really long time. I got to the first checkpoint and I had passed two women and then the lady was like putting water in my hat or whatever. And she's like, oh, you're the first woman to go by. And I was like, sweet, like then those are the people I passed. And then my media team was like at the next checkpoint, they're like, you're like four minutes behind. Good job. And I'm like, four minutes behind who? Like what the fuck? Like what? How? Like we're like 11 K in four minutes. Are you kidding me? Um, so then I was like, run as hard as you can, but also start thinking about the weight and the week in front of you. I think the biggest thing for me the entire time was like, you've never done a hundred K, you've only done a 50 K. Um, and that's the day that is going to make or break you. So that was always like lingering out there. And like every decision I was making pace wise was like, don't blow yourself up because that's something you've never even done before. Okay. So day one is 20 some miles. You survive it. You're surprised at how quickly it goes by day two. Where's your head at? How's the body? Are you stoked? Are you like, oh, here we go again? Like where are you at mentally? And how long was that day? Yeah, I feel like I was fired up. Like just how quickly day one went by and how like enjoyable I felt it was. Um, I don't think I felt beat up from the pack. Um, and I think it was 24 miles that day. So it was like, oh, that's really not that much more. Um, I think I was disappointed that the pack wasn't significantly lighter. It was only one day of food. Um, and then I did make the adjustment of the toilet paper nuggets to not. So it wasn't making the noise. It was like, no, I'm not doing that twice. Um, yeah. But yeah, day two, they gave, they give you a course book and you kind of look at it and it shows terrain and then like it rates like each section of like how challenging it's going to be. And like there's, you know, green, blue, yellow, red. And there was no like red on the first day. I think the second day like started as like, or like yellow or whatever. So it was like third hardest. It was like, this is going to be a challenge. I'm like, oh, great. It's going to be either big dunes or rocky. And it was like, we got out and I was like, oh, this is like, oh, was that it? You know, um, oh, good. Which was good. Yeah. I was like pretty surprised. I think it didn't get the last, I want to say six miles of that one. I was like, it's hot. This is like exposed. It's hard. Um, I do think it was my best race day. And so I was probably on the edge like way more than any other day. Um, but also very fun, enjoyable. Yeah. But you moved up that day, right? You moved up in the rankings that day. Yeah. You had a great day. I was like, this is dead. She's figuring it out. And she goes, was that, did that day have any of the dunes with the ropes? No dunes with ropes. Okay. We'll hit that where we get there. Yeah. Did we talk about this? Yeah, you and I did, but I want you to tell everybody about it. So actually just go ahead and tell, tell. No, I mean, three that you finally had it. The 100 K day is when we had deans with the rope. Okay. Wait, was 100 K day four? Four or day three? Okay. Let's go, let's not go there yet. Let's go back to day three now. So now you're two days in, you're crushing it. Are you feeling a little bit more confident? Like you're handling it really well. You're placing high amongst the women. There's women there that have done this before that they know what they're doing. And you're just like, Hey, I'm just out here like figuring out how to do it. Are you, are you gaining some confidence? I think I was kind of irritated because I was like, what, how are they getting so far ahead of me? Where, where are they starting? I've never seen them. Like. Are they real? What's going on? So I was a little irritated by that because I wanted to like at least be able to run a race with people. And I just felt like off the, off the line, I was like, where the fuck are they? And it took us to the last day to figure out how to really get to the, to the start of the race. So if anyone does it and wants a tip, I'll tell you. But that was the last day. That's the last day things. So when you're starting the two women that were in front of you, you never even see them. No. Like, I don't think I actually started close to them until like day three. And then I was like, Oh, they're there. I'm like, Oh, there they go. I don't think it mattered. I think that they were just so efficient and like smooth and just prepared like in a totally different way. I feel like we talked about it a little bit while I was out there. And I was like, they're just specialists, but that might be not the case. I think they're just super talented as well. I mean, you're ultra runners that have been in this for a long time. I'm sure they're not just specializing in MDS. I think they're probably great at whatever they do. But I was like, they're something else on this. Yeah. It was wild. Okay. So how long was day three? Day three was 18 miles. So they're like, Oh, it's like a good rest before the long day. Like, you know, keep that in mind. We had a little bit of cloud coverage that day, which was great. I felt like pretty shitty most of day three and my toenails were definitely like the second one from the big toenail, the pointer toe. I don't know if you use them to point. Those are both like fully like, you know, like they're not attached anymore, but they weren't ready to be like removed. Yeah. No big deal. It was fine. I just never felt great. And then I think halfway through that one, they did a mandatory bag check for the top five. So there's mandatory gear you have to have. So at the checkpoint, you got in and they're like, OK, you have five minutes, like show us all the stuff. And then you get the whole five minutes, but they don't, they just deduct it from your time, like everyone in the top five had it. And then after that, I started to feel better. I was like catching my breath, just pathetic. But I was like, OK, I feel better. Then it was this long rocky climb. And then the stuff I'm the worst at was just like big steep downhill with all kinds of rocks. So I lost a ton. I walked a lot of it. It's like I'm not running down this. And every step I could feel like those toenails was like, this is it. God, this is where they like rip off. But they stayed attached. And I think I finished third or fourth that day. But yeah, it was like, I'm not going to eat shit on this stuff and like be screwed for tomorrow. So were you able to like was it blood blisters or something under your toenails? Just regular ones. Were you able to pop that? So they have a whole blister tent, which is like you go in and like you soak your feet and then they like give you these. It's it's a little sketch like and maybe I was doing it wrong. But they give you this like needle and then you pull out and you suck out all the juice. Whatever, fluid. But then they're like and then you syringe it in and there's like a like a medicine that goes in. But I'm like, I think that's weird. That seems gross that you would mix that with the. Am I like, I don't know if I misunderstood. Like maybe you squirt the juice out and get a fresh needle and then put the medicine in, but they were like, no. So yeah, tell me you didn't do that. No, I didn't do it, but there was some red dye that I like I just squirted it in. I didn't actually think I popped it squished it out and then squirted some stuff in. But it was really funny because Magda and I several years ago went to Japan together and we made these coasters like it was arts and crafts like tour like cultural thing. And Andy and Tim Tolofson, the men we went with were like fucking experts. They were like, look, we made a coaster. Oh, we made a t-shirt. Oh, we made a hat. And Magda and I were like on we couldn't do the coaster. They kept yelling at us like, no, like this. And then they would just take it and do it for you. You'd be like, I can't learn like that. Like you didn't teach me. So like it's this whole thing where like we finally put this coaster together. And it's like the most proud possession, but we're like, we suck at arts and crafts. Like that's just our skill set. And it's a joke between us. So we went to this medical tent to like do the blisters. We were clearly making a mess. We were doing it wrong. There was red dye everywhere. I'm like, I don't think that you do it that way. And they're like, yes, you do. And then they had bandages and stuff. And so I just took the bandage and like wrapped it and tied it in a knot and was like, I'm done. Like clearly this is the arts and crafts of the bandage. Yeah. So that was the only day I went in there. But the toenails stayed attached, but everything else was fine. But my feet were. Did you get fluid back under your toenails again? I think so. Oh, see that? That is like I have a problem with that. And it's it's just that pressure. It's like crazy how stabbing it, letting it come out. It's like it just feels so much. Yeah. That's your toenail. It's like it's hard in those situations because it comes back for a few days. And so I'm just imagining you like juicing your toenail. Have you to say that wasn't your favorite and then being like, oh, tomorrow I'm going to run my farthest run I've ever done in my life. Yeah. My feet hurt like hell that night. Like falling asleep. I was just like, oh, I'm so fucked. Like my feet hurt so bad. So did you fall asleep? No, eventually. I think like this is and we'll get to this. But like I feel like you unlocked like a bunch of really special skill sets. And one of them is like you probably would be an iconic hundred, 150, 200, 250 mal racer because you can just power on without sleep. I don't. I think sleep deprivation is my kryptonite. I think it would kill me. But you were asleep deprived. Sleep deprived. And you got the hundred K. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. I like. OK, well, let's talk about the hundred K because you absolutely crushed it. So it was. Are you scared? Are there nerves that morning? I was scared, scared. Like scared, scared. I remember I was telling I was talking to Andy and Dills and I was like, I've like I've only run 50 K. I'm like nervous, like I'm scared. And Ryan Sands, who is this amazing ultra runner, is one Western states, one Leadville, has just done these epic adventures. He runs for Red Bull and Solomon. He was in our tent and like he looked over and like just gave me the look like, oh, you poor thing. Like he didn't say anything, but I knew he was like, oh, fuck. You like, are you kidding me right now? Oh, my God. Yeah. So, yeah. And I was like, legit afraid of that day. OK, so you managed it great. So talk us through it. Like you get up there, you're nervous. You're like, all right, shit, here we go. And how is your where is your head space at? Like, is it is your confidence grow throughout the day? Does your body feel better throughout the day? Tell us about it. Because I mean, you ran a hundred K, which is so crazy. And you did it with like no sleep and in all this sand. And you're going to tell us about the ropes, too. And you had already run three days before that. Like it's like you have stacked everything against yourself before your first hundred K. I think that that maybe made it easier, because I'm like, it doesn't tell me if I'm any good at the hundred K. It's just like, how good are you at MDS? You know, there's so many variables. This doesn't have to be an ultra defining moment for you. Like, oh, she's good at this or oh, she sucks, which is probably good. But I was still just mostly just afraid of the distance and like so much can go wrong. But it was such a cool course. Like. Like we could have been on Mars. It was so just just different and foreign. And we went through so many different regions. There was a guy who was like, if we had run by water, like we would have literally seen everything you could possibly see, except like something that mimics Antarctica, right? Like just so much different terrain. If you're in the top hundred, we started an hour, two hours, I don't know, a couple hours after, it must have been one hour after the rest of the field. So Magda and I started after like the other 1500 people. So really early on, you're starting to pass people, which was cool because there's like company, but also it's just a lot harder to run around that many people. And yeah, we got to the first and most like probably most epic dune ever after the second checkpoint. And you're just like, this is not normal. This is not normal shit. Well, I have to tell the story about the rope because that's the story. So you climb the first one, you're like, OK, like I'm at the top. That was like really hard. And then it comes into this flat section and then you look up and you're like, oh, my God, like they're little like it's like little ants on a hill. I think it was a 25 to 30 percent grade at the top of this thing. I like just look that up. So you're running, you're running. And then eventually there's like a rope and you're like, I was just like, dude, I'm I am not too good for the rope. I will use it. And I'm just like yank it away on the thing, just like pulling myself up. And there's like probably 12 to 15 people on this thing, just like yanking on this rope, just like trying to go up this this dude, this terrible, terrible dude as fast as possible, because you just want to be off of it. And so pulling away on the rope. And then all of a sudden it just comes flying down the hill. Like what the fuck? Like, are you kidding me? Like too many people are the rope. Like what, you know, what just happened? Like that's how I was planning on assisting myself up this thing. Were you holding on to it when it fell? Yeah, yeah. Like I didn't fall back, but it just like slipped. It just like it just immediately lost all like tightness. Like it wasn't taught. And then all of a sudden you're like, oh, like there's nothing like you just pulled it and it like flew through your hands and like it just went like straight down the hill. I have we have a video of the end of this story because I was just like, that's fucked. Like no one else is going to use the rope all day. Right. So several hours later, or I guess it was the next day when we were talking about it with like the people in the tent, Dave was like, no, no, no. That wasn't there's nothing to stake it into. Like you can't stake a rope down into a sand hill. Like that doesn't work. He's like, it was just some crazy volunteer at the top holding on to that thing, just like fighting for his life. Like like a wrestling with, you know, like 15 runners on that rope. Just yank and he was like, I give up. Done. Apparently they got it crazy. Got it back up to imagine volunteering for this. And they're like, guess what you get to do? You can hold the rope and you're like, no, it's hilarious. He has a photo of the guy like you could see his foot and like his hand. And it's just like, oh my gosh. Terrible. That was really mad. I was like, that's how I was getting to the top. So after that, did you ever have ropes again or is that the one and only rope? I think that was the one and only. Not that it was very. You lost it. That sucks. Brutal. It's actually a really funny story, though. You're just like some dude volunteered. He's like straddling the dune at the top. Yeah. I mean, the image in your mind is like amazing. I'm just some dude just like hanging on. And like as you're describing it, like 15 people just crushing that thing, pulling you with all their body weight. He's like, I can't do it. I can't do it. I'm a volunteer. Not paid for this. Yeah, totally. That is that is crazy, though. It's just the dude holding it. OK, yeah. So when did you know you were going to make it and how how are the legs feeling? Yeah, I think everything after like 52 K was pretty tough because you're just like, OK, I mean, untreated territory. This feels hard. That dune was so early and it was such a like. Like a huge effort, like aerobically, you're just like, oh, my God. I mean, the kind of anaerobic because it was like, you know, it's like a sprint. Like it's not a sprint, but it's like feels like that with that effort of the grade. So you're already like taxed pretty early and then it was hot. It was the one day we were out running in the heat all day and that was hard. And then the course was just unrelenting. It was like, again, I go back to everything being a mind fuck. Like it was like you could look up and you could see these tiny little ants of people. And you're like, I have to get there. Like I know where I'm going. I have to get there. I ran out of water a couple of times. Every time you got to a checkpoint, you could see it like those things off in the distance. It was like a big, you know, tent structure and you're like sick, like I can get water soon. And you get to the top and you'd be like, it's right there. And then you like have a series of like hills and you'd like it's not it's not even close. So it was never. I mean, you knew I knew I was going to get there. I think there was like the second to last checkpoint or I had a really good stretch. I think we had a tail end, but I was like, do you know, I was ripping off like nine minute pace or like nine thirties. And I was like so stoked on it. And then and then like the, you know, the next, you know, 15 K were struggle. I think the last eight K of that were just. There I don't know. It didn't seem especially hard, but everyone was like, that was the longest stretch ever. You could see the camp. You could see the finish like from three to four K out almost like it wound around and, but it was just like series of these little dunes and sand. And it like there was a headwind that was coming in. So even at the end, I was like, I have I want to be done so bad. That was like the. You did it. Running the longest stretch of running I've ever had was like that. Yeah. That lasts like five to six K. OK, so you do it though. Yes. And then I didn't realize that it's a long day because there's so many people out there and they're going to take longer than you obviously and run longer than the people in the front. So the next day you had a quote unquote rest day, but it didn't really sound like it was restful at all. But wait, quick backup. What did when you cross that finish line, what was going through your mind? I do think I do think there was a lot of it was like, I'm not cut out for this. I'm not going to be an ultra runner. I cannot do it. Like I can't do 100 Ks. I can't do this. I was gasped and it was one of the few times they actually had chairs at the finish line, which was like sick. Like I sat there for a really long time. So it was like a and even in on the course that day, they had these like treats like these surprise and delights. And there was like one who was like a slice of lemon. It was like raisins. It's like, fuck you all. Like this isn't even nice. Like it's so mean. You're going to say something so much better. No, no. A slice of lemon. Or like a buff that you can put ice in that like the material totally sucked. And then I lost my actual one that I was using. I was like, God damn it. Like this is everything. Everything was like, or like the one thing I like, they had a they had soup. They had like two types of soup. And I was like, I'm taking the vegetable soup. It's got the broth. I didn't eat the vegetables because I was like, I don't trust any of this. And then like a half mile later, some guy next to me was like, oh, the soup, my stomach. And then he just ran off to like take a shit in a tree. So everything was just like. Fake. It was supposed to make you feel good, but it also was like, you give me a lemon. Is a lemon the treat? Is that it? Really? And then like there was signage the last couple of days. It was like, you're a legend now. You've run 93 K. This is the longest you're about to make history. And you're like, I'm I don't need you to tell me I'm a legend. Like, like there's so much laughter. It'd be like, remember your why it's this sign in the middle of nowhere. Like you can picture like a sand blowing by with not a single soul, like a camel, like spitting. And he's like, remember your why I said, I'm going to take this sign and fucking kick it. Like you're just so angry. Right. Anyways, that's like the sentiment as you get back. I got back at 7 p.m., which was like just before, you know, sunsetting, so you're like hustling. You're like, I got to get my shit ready to for camp. Like I got to brush my teeth. I got to eat dinner. I got to get recovered. So you're hustling through all those things and I'm like, I'm going to use a super sweet wipe that's going to feel amazing. And then it's like shredding my skin. So all of those things, nothing's really going right, because you're just trying to like hurry up and like. And then it was a new camp because they set up camp. It was point to point that day. So go to lay down. It's like a sheet of rocks underneath. You're like, OK, I got to move some of these rocks. And you're doing it all before the sun sets. And they had like a like a huge finish line set up all these lights and then a DJ is playing. And it's like they have to greet in every runner like they're a hero. They just did 100 K. So and honestly, the masses start coming in in the middle of night, like one, two, three in the morning and then it's getting louder and louder. Do, do, right. So you're not sleeping. You're not sleeping. No chance. And then all your tent mates are coming in at different times, like rolling in in the middle of the night. So that you sleep terribly. And then you get up in the morning. We had like maybe till 9 a.m. was like normal, like normal. Like, OK, this is like and have breakfast. We're going to have a cup of coffee. And then right around 9 30 10, the wind just turned up. And it was an unbelievable sandstorm where we were laying down. Magda had goggles on. I had a wrap on my head. I had my sunglasses on and we just laid there. If it was it was like accumulation of snow where but it was just sand. So it's in your mouth. It's in your ears. You're like, I can't eat. I can't like that was I think mentally harder than any like that was when you're just like, I just want to be home. Like I want to be home so bad, but you're really pretty far. Like from done. When you think about it, it's not like really close to done. No. And that's supposed to be like your quote unquote rest day. Yeah. But instead, you're like miserable, getting pelted with sand. Yeah, miserable. Oh, one of one of the worst. I mean, it's like as you tell this, it's just like. You're just set up to fail at every step, which to me makes it even more impressive. It's not like you went and ran this this race that was, you know, 27 miles, 24 miles, however many miles, 100 K on like a nice groomed trail or roads. And then you're sleeping on like a nice comfy tent or a hotel. Like it's just like everything is like, how tough are you? We're going to make it even harder. I yeah, so hard. I think it's all the in between that makes it hard. Like running is easy. You're like, OK, I can adjust my pace. I can like throw out some weight if I need to. But it's like all the all the things in between we're like our tents falling and there's rocks under my bed. Like, you know, like I didn't I'm not equipped for that. But you said to manage that stuff. But what are you going to do? Yeah. OK, so you get through the quote unquote rest day, which does not sound restful and you wake up and you still have two days of running ahead of you. Yeah. How is the body on that day after not being able to sleep laying on rocks 100 K in addition to all the other running you've done in your body? I should have done a shake out. And honestly, I think if it hadn't been terrible wind and sand, I might have done like, you know, like 15 minutes of just jogging to evaluate where I was at because I didn't until the first couple steps know what I was working with. And we talked I talked to Dills, the guy who's doing the YouTube piece before. And he's like, OK, so this is where you're at. Like, you're pretty close to second. Like, are you out there fighting or like, what's what's the plan today? And I was like, well, yeah, I'm going to run as hard as I can and whatever the body lets me do. And like the first four to five steps, like immediately I was like, oh, my God, I'm in trouble. Like I might my adductors might rip off. Oh, like, you know what I mean? It's like where you're like, this could be this. I could actually do enough. Like just like that. Right. And Magda went by me and she was just like, don't do anything stupid, like be smart today. You also have other like it must have looked so she was like, you have other things down the line, like be be really smart today. She's like, don't destroy your body forever right now. Right. Like, yeah, you might need a surgery. If you take one wrong step, you know, I was like, yeah, no, I'm right on the edge. So that was hard. That was probably the hardest day. And then it could and also like those like couple days started in dunes, like you just started running in dunes, which was like some of the hardest stuff. I got into a rhythm, I think around like mile 15. And I was like, oh, sweet, like I've loosened thing up, I figured out like my stride. And then I there was like this little edge that I like kind of caught my heel on and just like had to balance myself. It was like a couple of miles down the road. And then it was immediately like everything tightened up again. I was like, well, nope, suffer fest. But I made it. I got it. So that day was a marathon. It was a marathon. OK, so now you're done and you're like, I have one day ahead of me. Yeah, you feeling like I'm going to make this. Or were you like, why the fuck did I do this? It was both both. There was I think it was that day. This is great. I haven't told this story. We don't have too much time. I've already overdone the time. But no, we want to hear it all. This was great. They did like this. They were like, hey, grab your bibs. We have a treat for you guys. It's going to be awesome. And there's like been talks that like in years past, they would have Coca Cola, like a Coke that bring everyone like a cold Coke. Like, fuck, yeah, like this is going to be awesome. And they had these trucks back down there. This was like if you were doing like it was like a war and they had a bread line and they're like, like here's human aid. What's what's the term for it? Where they just like this is like, like, yeah, we brought in food for these people who are dying in the middle of nowhere. And you're like, that's what it looks like. And then there's the back of the truck like get in line. They wiped your bib if you had gotten line to grab it and you got to the front. It's sick. It's going to be a Coca Cola. I can't wait. And they handed you a banana and an orange. No, right out of this like ice like this ice in the back of a truck. Just humanitarian aid. They're like, here's your banana and here's your orange. I swear they're worried about scurvy. They're like their teeth, their gums are ruined. Teeth are getting loose. I was like, I just want to Coca Cola. But did you eat the banana and orange? I did. I ate it. It was like I wanted to throw it at somebody, but it was it was good. We were that's where we were like, oh, that's so sad. It's like pathetic. It was actually kind of like, honestly, I think a little bit of this stuff with like the rope and like the crawling in the sand. They're like scrounge. You're like, I will. This is the best orange I've ever had. Like the slice of lemon. Like it's brutal. That was pretty funny. It was like to just watch people line up and they're like, yeah, banana. So it was a great banana. Like, no, you weren't wrong. I needed that. And it's sad. Big morale boost, big morale boost before or after the final day. Yeah, you're lined up for the final day. The final day was it was a half marathon, the final day. Yeah, just about. And what's going through your mind? Are you like, get this fucking over with? Or are you like, I'm just going to love today. Yeah, I mean, I was curious how my legs would hold up if they'd feel any better. I think they did feel a little bit better, but still not fantastic. I felt like I had like the third place locked up in the overall. So it was like, just go and have have fun. There's a ton of dunes again, which were super hard. There was one moment where like you'd get on the side of them and like try to get to like the top, but you'd slide down so much in the sky. Just saw me like not being able to bridge the gap to the top and you just grab my arm and like pulled me up to the top of this dune. It's like this is like this. The camaraderie is amazing, but it's also so pathetic. Like it was pretty funny. But I think, yeah, I think the last day is a lot of reflection of like, this is such a cool place. You're never going to see this sort of stuff. You never get to run a place like this. There's a lot of things to complain about. I mean, we didn't even get into the fact that they played Highway to Hell before every start and they have this guy coming to karaoke. And you're like, can we just go? Like, can we not? I don't need to hear a karaoke song. I need to we need to get this shit done with. So you could complain or you could appreciate like that it was pretty epic, which I think I was able to do that a lot in the last day, even though it was a lot of dunes, a lot of dunes that last day. It was not an easy day. Like I think that was the other thing is every time you felt like you were close or like the destober thing where like I'm almost there, you really weren't. Like it was still going to get more challenging. There was going to be something that made up for the fact that it was shorter or you were almost done or you could almost see that, you know, like there's five more challenges in between. And it's by design. Like when I talk about the sandstorm, you know, the drivers that were out there were like, nobody comes here. You don't come here because this is exactly what happens. Like it's every year. Like this is it's not known surprised by this. This is what happens here. So. Right. Yeah. That was interesting. Well, you did it. We did it. And you ended up third female. Yeah. And what like it that's it's just like iconic. Like you're just like, yeah, I'm going to go do this thing. And I'm just going to be like have everything working against me. And yeah, I'm going to get third. It's like so does. But so what did you I feel like I learned a lot about you, like just your suffer fest and being able to get through. What did you learn about yourself? I I was really happy with the 100 K day. I think is while I was in it, I was like, not cut out for this. This sucks. And then I started thinking about like all the things around it. And obviously if you go do 100 K alone, you're tapering and you're going to have like aid stations with more than a lemon slice, you don't have to carry a bag of shit, like all the things. And you're like, oh, like, actually, I think I handled it pretty well. Like actually, and I enjoyed it for the most part. I mean, obviously that last part is hard and it's supposed to be hard. Like all in all, like. I had fun. Yeah, like would you ever do it again? Would you ever do it again? The sandstorm say day if you asked me that, I'd be like, no, I want to get out of here right now. I would pay for a helicopter to come and take me. But outside of that, like there wasn't a moment where I was like, oh, I don't. Why did I sign up for this? Like I really liked it. I thought it was fun. Yeah, I would totally do it again with the right people. That's I think what is so cool is like we know you as this marathoner who is really consistent with your performances, but we got to see this different side of you, which is just like you ate a shit sandwich day after day after day and just like kept coming up, you know, and like blowing our minds. And it was like so fun. Everyone was so excited following you along. And it's just like, I know you're tough. I know you're tough. I know what it takes to make an Olympic team. I know all that, but it was cool to see this other side of toughness from you. That's like, no, you're not sleeping on the perfect bed and you don't have, you know, like the perfect food right there for you and you don't have door dash accessible. And like, and you're, you can't just take a nap. You know what I mean? It was just like, you're just grinding out there and just you didn't quit. You kept showing up and it was awesome. And it does make me wonder, and I'm sure it makes you wonder because it's your life in your career, but you've got to be thinking that 100 K could be something kind of fun for you. For sure. Yeah, there's something. Something with the hundred. Yes. For sure. Yeah. No, I think that, look, we're VIP and we like all the caution and plush, but I just never know. I'm like to show that, like, I don't have to be, you know, like I could make it out there. You definitely weren't VIP out there. No VIP in the dump. In a bag. Little bag. They're in my own toilet paper. Yeah. I mean, it's crazy. Like it's those are the things that I don't think people realize. It's like, oh yeah, she ran across the desert, but it's like the things that really impressed me are, hey, your performance, of course, but then like you don't probably didn't have quite as much food as you could have needed. You don't have like solace where it's like, okay, I'm just going to escape for a half hour. You don't have like good sleep. You don't, you know what I mean? It's like, it's just like everything is so hard and it's nothing about it was easy. And not that any ultra race is ever easy, but it's like nothing about it was easy. Not even getting there was easy. Right. Yeah, I'm still fighting that battle for a credit. So there's that. There's still battles to be fought. Yeah. No, I do think it's like a reminder. Like it's a dummy like, oh, like I can do hard things. Yeah. And I do feel like it was pretty strategic to do this race that's just crazy. Everything stacked against you to get into ultra really, because I think that's a reminder that like, oh, like I'm just doing a hundred K or like I'm just doing Black Canyon, whatever. I think that that's a good place to start. So you're like, this is yeah, hell. And like, this is like a pretty nice like this. Oh, these eight states. I can't wait to get to an aid station that has like snackies. You know, I got coke like I'll get more ice on my neck as much as I want. Like, are you kidding me? Like you have to fight for you. But like a little more, please a little more. And then I'd hold my hat under me. And I was like, one day I caught like ice in there and I was like, I told Dills. I was like, I was so happy. He's like, no, I saw it and I caught it on camera. Like you got that chunk of ice in your hat and you lit up and I was like, fuck yeah. I've gamed the system. So what I'm not doing that's tiny Tim. Yeah. I'm not doing that stuff like maybe a regular ultra will be fun in a different way. Yeah. Anyway. Good times. Okay. Well now we all know that you went and ran 235 in Boston, then you went around London, but are you taking a little break right now? I am. I actually, I kind of, let's get your feedback here. So basically between MDS and Boston, I took like four days off and then did like really like light shuffles ran Boston and then took like five days off, did a light shuffle and ran London. So it's kind of like having two weeks off. Yeah. Do you think I should take more time off or do you think that that's enough? I mean, your body is different than most people's bodies. What I would like for you to do is I'm not so worried about time off as just like, I would love for you to get some body work. I should get some massages in Boston. I got one. In Boston, which was two weeks ago. What I would like is it for you to go in like every other day for like two weeks and you can jog lightly. I'm fine with you jogging likely. I just want you to like reset your body because think of what you think of what you just described, how hard that was on your body. Then you flew to the United States and ran 235. Then you flew to the UK and ran another marathon. So it's like, you know, I just want to make sure everything's good before you start like really thinking about running again. Yeah. My hit my right hip. I was like, I don't know if I can run London. I think I might break my leg. So I should use that in the elevator and I was like, great, great. Yeah. It's like I'm going to try to I could break my leg. It's fine. It actually, it warmed up by the end, but yeah, London was brutal. I did not feel good. I was like, I don't want to root against you CB, but I really hope she's slow. How could you possibly feel good? Think about you just described like you were just nonstop. Like at least, okay, finally one story that makes you human. And even then you're not human. You still ran 304. It's too fast. Too fast. So yeah. So a break is in order. Actually, we got this really weird last minute like, Hey, do you want to go to Barbados? And I'm like, I don't want to fly there, but I do want to be on a beach. So maybe. Yeah. All right. Let's hit a top five. Okay. Well, you should go to Barbados, by the way, you've earned it. We'll see. Okay. I keep you posted. Okay. Top five. Do you have any that you want to roll out that like associate with MDS? Um, no, I had something totally. I was really excited. Okay. Go through your other one. Okay. Um, I don't know if you've been watching the story about the rescued Beagles. Yes. Yeah. So definitely in my top five, I am very excited about it, but also I have this. And I just want to express this. I have this hidden fear that this is like either been tested on, right? Like that's so sad. But like, I just have this hidden fear that this is going to be gremlins. Like they're all going to be adopted and go to their homes and then they're going to get wet at night and like that shit's going to just say keep an eye out for that. That's not going to happen. I'm really happy for the Beagles. I think that's such a cool story. It's such a cool story. It's so sad they've never been outside. They've never been like cuddled. That's what I'm saying. Like what the hell? We just don't even know. We don't know. Okay. So you're not on the list to adopt one. Got it. I would still do it. And then you have to learn the gremlins like tick like, oh, like we can't feed them. Is it the you can't feed them after midnight and then they can't get wet. Yeah. So if you adopt a beagle, test that slowly. Okay. That's hilarious. And my mind would never go there. I was just like, do we need a third dog? Okay. You should get one. We don't. We definitely don't. Okay. You know what? On that theme, I'm going to shout out our vet at Boulder Natural Hospital, Veteran Hospital, because we brought our dogs in for vaccinations and stuff and Luna had a reaction and we had to bring her back. And then she had, she was kind of struggling and the vet was so awesome. She gave me her cell number and she was just like, so amazing. So shout out to all the vets out there that truly care and are going to make sure those beagles don't turn into gremlins. Yeah. That's what that's a good point. Vets are going to save it. Okay. Uh, I feel like I had so many just like scrolling and I was like, I got to write this down, but I'm going to go with the MiWok 100K out in California. Magda puts that race on. She's insane. She is president at goo. She runs MDS. She was like catching up on emails afterwards. She's like, oh no, MiWok is in a week and a half or two weeks. And I'm like, Jesus Christ, like how can you be doing that? It's like, well, I got to put out all these fires. Uh, but it looks awesome and it looks like a gorgeous race. It sells out pretty quickly, but if you don't know about it, check it out and maybe run it next year. Yeah, that's cool. Okay. I'm going with something totally random, which is just that Noah Kahn put down a new album and it's, it's very long. So it's been very hard for me to learn words to it, but I'm so excited about it. And I, I did something last night. I bought tickets to go to Noah Kahn this summer and I'm super excited. Got him. Yeah. So I got three tickets to Adam and Cole can go with me. Cole was like, yeah, I'll go with you. And Adam was like, I don't know. And I'm like, oh my God, that's not the energy that's like, yeah, I'll go with you. So hard to get. So yes, I love that. No, it's at the Coors. I don't like where the baseball team plays. So I'm super excited. I love Noah Kahn. I do. I love Taylor Swift. I love all sorts of music. I really love 80s, as I've said numerous times, but I do love a good. Sad album that makes you feel and no conscious nails that genre. So there you go. I'm loving it. I just have a lot of feels. All right. Well, I'll bring a full circle back to MDS. I probably should have started with this, but what I'm going to do. So I'm going to give it to the team that was out there with me. I think Dills on video, we're going to have a YouTube piece coming out. He's working on that right now, which is awesome. He's super guy Andy, who did a lot of the photos, which are incredible. People are like, Oh my God, these like this looks crazy. And like, yes, it was incredible. Awesome job capturing that. And then Dave, who signed up without even thinking about it. I was like, Hey, you want to do MDS? He was like, Yes. I'm like, you know what it is. And he was like, Yes, sign me up and like just jumped into it. He was on my right in the tent and it was fun to hang out with him and just watch him work and share his knowledge. And then Magda, obviously, icon helped me get ready for this. There's so many mistakes I would have made without her prior knowledge, which was really cool. And then we had a tent of eight folks. There was Ivor, who was like, just super, he was just like a bargainer. Like he would go and like get new shit for you. He'd be like, you want electrolytes? I'll get you electrolytes. Then he would trade something. He'd be like, Oh, do you want the Wi-Fi code? There's a Wi-Fi code here. Like if you give me some of that, like your gels, I'll give you the Wi-Fi. And like he would just barter. It was super funny. Shen was in her tent. Just a super upbeat guy from New York. Chatty obviously loves running Ryan Sands, who ultra runner from South Africa. Finnish fifth. He just had a little doc come out about his coconut run last year. And it's worth watching. And if you're not following coconut now, go do that. And then Brittany and Kevin were two folks in our tent who were like just making the cut every day. And it was like so cool to watch them fight and like figure out, you know, how they were going to get through each day. And that was actually such a bummer because she was a last minute add to the race. And then she just wasn't quite prepared. So she was getting blisters and Kevin was like helping her through every day, like, okay, we're going to do this. We're going to take care of that. I'm going to carry your more of your stuff. And like they were figuring out they're managing it. And then the hundred K day Kevin like overheated and like got a super high temperature and then got hypothermia. And like, I don't know, it was like, he ended up, they ended up having to DNF, which was such a bummer. Like you didn't realize how much you were rooting for the people in your tent. Like every day is like, she came back and we're like, fuck, yeah, like that's so sick. You made it. And she's like, no, like we got pulled. And it was so crushing. But just to watch them like rally and fight in like the folks who were doing that, like imagine finishing that hundred K in 39 and a half hours. Right. And all of the problems I had, I had a whole day to figure out. They were like, you're starting tomorrow at six 30. You know, like that. And then they just just made it every day. Those stories are really cool. I was bummed for those two, but I think they'll go do something else epic because I think they learned a lot and they taught us a lot about just like fighting through it. So shout out to them. That's so cool. Well, thank you for talking us through everything. We've really been wanting to talk to you about it. And we're really proud of you and shout out to your team who were amazing. But shout out to you because it was so fun to follow you and the content was great. I can't wait for the two piece and your stud basically. So it was pretty awesome. Thanks for indulging this conversation. I appreciate it. No, we could have talked a lot longer, but thank you for letting us have it. All right.