I had my first fall, straight into a stream (yes, I loved it), followed by two more.

…it felt like the distance, something that I should have cut through with ease, had swallowed me whole.

…what IF I just ignored this pain and ran, full send and full range of motion, like it didn’t hurt?

…these miles…had me holding back tears, questioning if I ever wanted to run another hundred in my life. I didn’t know why I had even picked ultra running as my sport. I was clearly not cut out for it.

I had never cried out of sheer panic on a run before. I really thought I couldn’t do it.

…I pulled out my phone to see the advice that he would have given and after a quick little skim of the text and seeing the words “pull the plug” and “acute pain” I shot back with “We aren’t pulling the plug at all.” Which luckily he supported.

The first few loops were raining and sleet-filled ice baths. It was absolutely the most fabulous thing I had ever run through…