When It All Hits At Once

In an ultra, being uncomfortable is guaranteed.

But sometimes, it all hits at once—your legs tighten up, your stomach turns, your emotions flare—and suddenly it feels like a massive boulder has landed right in your path.

You can’t go over it.

You can’t go around it.

You feel stuck.

But here’s the thing: that boulder isn’t just one thing. It’s three things combined together.

And you don’t have to power through it.

You can break it apart into solvable pieces.

What Needs Fixing?

Start with pain.

Real pain is like a dashboard warning light. It means something’s wrong and needs attention.

A sharp twinge. A rolled ankle. Cramping that’s getting worse. That kind of signal shouldn’t be ignored.

Fix what you can. Ask for help if needed. See if you can keep going.

That’s the first rock, and it matters. But there are two more.

What Needs Feeling?

Once pain is separated out, discomfort is what remains—and that’s where many runners get stuck.

Most discomfort isn’t just physical. It’s physical sensation tangled up with emotional sensation. You feel both.

Your quads tighten—and your chest tightens as you immediately think, What if this takes me out?

Your stomach turns—and frustration explodes. Why is this happening again?

Instead of one clean signal, you get a confusing mix: “this hurts,” “this means something bad,” “I might be falling apart.”

That’s why it helps to break discomfort into two parts:

• The physical: what’s happening in your body

• The emotional: what you’re feeling about what’s happening

It might sound simple, but when you name both, the whole thing becomes more manageable.

For example: your legs hurt.

Physically, your quads are tight.

Emotionally, you’re frustrated and afraid they’ll get worse.

That’s not one big heavy threat anymore—it’s two smaller challenges. And you know what to do with both.

You can power hike with tight quads. You can breathe through frustration. You can keep moving.

Keep Moving

None of this makes discomfort disappear, but it makes it clearer and lighter to bear—and that makes it easier to keep going.

Instead of spiraling into “This is hard. I’m falling apart,” you’ve got something steadier to stand on:

“I’m tired. I’m frustrated. But I know what this is. And I know what to do next.”

That’s forward motion. And in an ultra, forward is everything.

Take This With You

When it all starts to pile up, don’t try to bulldoze through it.

Break the boulder.

• Pain = Fix

• Physical discomfort = Feel

• Emotional discomfort = Name

Big boulders block. Small rocks move.

And so can you.