4. Overtrained and Underfueled on My First Open Course Half Marathon
My experience at the Beaverhead Marathon in Dillon, Montana - May 2026
2026 Challenge Reflection 4#:
Beaverhead Marathon in Dillon, Montana - May 2026
In May I completed my third half marathon and it was not great. Beaverhead Marathon was the first race that I signed up for out of sheer convenience and to “check the box” for my half marathon challenge. I signed up for this race because it was close enough to travel to the morning of and because it was held in May.
I will preface everything I’m about to say with this: the majority of the reason I did not have a great time at this race was entirely avoidable and largely my fault.
I was not excited for this race and it did not get better as the day went on.
There were three main challenges that faced me:
I had extremely overtrained.
Running on an open course.
I underfueled both before and during the race.
Overtrained…
In the weeks leading up to this event, I did everything except for taper. I logged over 80 hours in the 13 days prior to race day. Dumb is a generous way to characterize this choice. Understandably, I was fatigued before I ever even laced up my shoes that morning. I am typically out and moving about 45 minutes to an hour before the start of a race; that day I was in my car until 23 minutes before the gun went off.
I was not in the best headspace and I was not even remotely warmed up. All of these factors together meant that I started off painfully slow. This gave me plenty of time to contemplate on the fact that in the hustle and bustle of getting kids out the door and drive the 1 hour to the race, I had also forgotten to eat and breakfast was going to have to be some energy chews.
This was not off to a strong start.
Open Course…
By Mile 4, I knew I would never sign up for this race again. Designed as an out and back course, the majority of the route was on a windy back road, a completely open course. This meant the slope of the asphalt was at a 30 degree angle on turns, an abundance of semi’s, farm equipment that uses the majority of both lanes, and teenagers driving too fast.
Underfueled…
Knowing it was an out and back helped give me a focal point but I thought about quitting no less than 7 times between mile 2 and 6. I had to give myself a pep talk in the portapotty at mile 3.5 or so. I felt weak. I was nauseous and had lead legs for the majority of the run and in my focus on not quitting, I didn’t fuel like I should. 4 gels and 2 packets of chews on an empty stomach was a wild decision and I paid for it.
But I Finished!
By the time I crossed the finish line I was fully depleted. I staggered to my vehicle and ripped out the post-race food I had packed. I shoveled 2 pickles and a cheese stick into my mouth and inhaled half an uncrustable, downed with a hearty few gulps of Powerade.
I felt myself slowly come back into my body but it took about an hour minutes until I felt comfortable enough to consider driving home. I checked out my “medal”. Instead of a traditional medal, these were embossed leather. Truthfully, when I was no longer in fear of passing out, I was a little bummed. We don’t do it for the swag but I was truthfully hoping for something shinier that day.
The Event Vibe vs My Vibe
This event was a great lesson in the power my mental state has on my experience. This sounds silly and obvious; your attitude is obviously important. But in this case, the energy I brought to the race kept me from being able to access the positive vibes I have come to love about race day, even though I could objectively see them.
The organizers were encouraging and the other participants were friendly. The spectators brought a nice little buzz to the start and finish line. I got my first set of race photos, not “professional” but still - cool. It was a warm day - not overly hot or cold. The road wasn’t great but it was a mostly flat course, offering only around 450 ft of elevation gain.
Takeaways and Areas for Improvement
My biggest lessons from this race were:
Overtraining is a fatal flaw and tapering isn’t just a suggestion.
This route sucked. Open course on country roads, entirely asphalt course, and minimal views is not the recipe for my dream route.
Fueling before, during and after needs to be an intentional area of focus for me.
My mindset is the biggest determining factor of my experience.
Pickles and Powerade are the ultimate post race combo for me.
This race was, without a doubt, my least favorite but it was filled with valuable lessons for me. I also truly had to dig deep to cross that finish line and the feeling of accomplishment is unrivaled. I wouldn’t do this race again but I don’t regret having done it this year.
My last race: The Montana Women’s Run
Next race: Missoula Marathon Weekend