Early this morning (as in 12:45 a.m.), I landed back in St. Louis, after a weekend of crewing one of my best friends, Ryan Montgomery, and bonding tightly with the other crew members. While Ryan didn't get the podium finish at the Western States 100 that he had hoped for, I felt even more proud of him for the fact that he did make it to the end, almost four hours slower than he had anticipated.

He struggled with 45 miles worth of stomach issues, and we found out last night that he also had Covid at the race...which yes, likely means I do too, but so far, I feel good.

While it hurts our hearts to see people we love struggling, and all of us on his crew care deeply for the human who was putting himself out there in the most brave, resilient way, there was something truly beautiful in holding both the pain we felt and the joy we experienced in those moments together, waiting for him to come through.

So often in life, we are told that something is good or bad. That it is one emotion or the other. I took the girls to see the movie Inside Out 2, which did a good job of showing that emotions work best together, and can all be present in a single moment, but the rest of the time, when we are asked the question (which I can't stand) of "How are you?", we are expected by society to give a one word answer...and that answer is usually not even the truth; it's a habitual response we have all been trained to give. Some version of "good" or "fine" or "okay."

Ryan was really struggling, and yet I felt the gratitude, the joy, the ability to be feeling many emotions at the same time, every time I saw him. I was able to hold all the different emotions in my own heart too.

As he entered the iconic track, the Placer High School track that many of my podcast guests (and former Western States 100 winners) have shared about how special it feels, even within the minute or so it took him to reach me at the final turn, 50 meters from the finish line, I felt so many emotions all coming together.

I felt (immense) pride in what he had achieved, making it to the finish against all odds.

I felt sadness that I wasn't in that moment, running alongside him.

I felt joy, watching the rest of the crew smiling, holding the Pride flag for everyone to see.

I felt fear for the short jog I was about to do; would my foot be okay?

I felt so much love and many other emotions too, all bundled up into one moment.

I jogged across the finish line, so much love in my heart, and we celebrated together. Sometimes life doesn't give you what you expect, and that could be even more painful when you are fitter than you have ever been in your life, but Ryan chose gratitude; he chose to embrace the disappointment, and trust that his time will come.

I hope we all have more of that perspective, and I, for one, was reminded that every moment has the potential to be anything, it's all about how we look at it. Sometimes it's okay for it to be "negative," and sometimes we fully embrace what the moment brings us, even if it's not what we wanted.

This week on the Running For Real podcast...

Here's the official description:

Hard as it may be for young women today to comprehend, this summer will mark only the 11th time that a women’s marathon has been held at the Olympic Games. Had women been allowed to participate just two Olympics sooner, they would have had to do so without the benefit of a sports bra, which wasn’t invented until 1977.

In her new book, Better Faster Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know About Women, Maggie Mertens tells the stories of the groundbreaking runners who redefined society’s understanding of what women can accomplish.

Here's the real deal:

I loved Maggie's take on women in sport; it is very different, and refreshing to learn from, and I really enjoyed our conversation.

I wrote an article for this week's sponsor, Precision Fuel and Hydration, about four things I have learned in my recovery period from surgery. They said it has been a very popular read, if you know someone who might benefit:

This morning I did my first outdoor bike ride, and it felt amazing, I was smiling the whole way and felt so good. Amazing how appreciative of your body you can be when you know what it means to take one small step forward.

NYRR Team for Climate spots were a HUGE success, they maxed out on spots AND the waitlist maxed out on spots! It was so exciting to see how momentum is building. You can read more about it here, and see they have raised $43k already!​

“Even when bad things happen you have to try to use those bad things in a positive manner and really just take the positive out of it.”- Natalie du Toit

Thanks to our partner, Precision Fuel & Hydration

I can't even begin to tell you how inspired I was seeing the Precision athletes out there this weekend. FIVE of the top ten in the mens field were taking Precision (and as Precision LOVES numbers and data, they have lots of info about how many electrolytes and grams of carbs they consumed in the race; you can take a look here). I also enjoyed filling Ryan's pockets with Precision at every aid station; it made me smile big time!

It truly showed me that their products are superior, but also the love and passion the Precision team has for people trying to achieve their best. Yes, those athletes are at the top of their game, and that is amazing, but we all have goals, and if you are someone trying to reach your best, regardless of your ability, they are taking the stress out of finding the right gel/chews, as well as assisting in helping you figure out how much works for you and your body (use the FREE fuel and hydration planner here if that speaks to you).

I know Precision works for me, and as I return to running, now that I can bike outside, I can get back to long rides and training my stomach so it is ready to go once I am ready to race ultras in the next year. I am excited to have that part covered.

Get 15% off in the link below:

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Be kind to one another, yourself, and this beautiful planet of ours.

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