People sometimes ask how I manage to train for ultramarathons while working as a nurse — long shifts, emotional fatigue, unpredictable schedules, and the physical toll of being on your feet all day.
The truth is, nursing hasn’t made running harder.
It’s made me stronger.
Not just physically — but mentally, emotionally, and strategically. In a lot of ways, nursing is the ultimate cross-training for ultrarunning. Both demand endurance, adaptability, and the ability to function when you’re already exhausted.
And as The Fed Diabetic Runner, that overlap runs even deeper.
Endurance Isn’t Just Physical
A 12-hour shift teaches you that endurance isn’t about fresh legs — it’s about showing up when you’re already tired.
You don’t get to quit halfway through a shift because your feet hurt or your energy is low. Patients still need care. Decisions still matter. Focus still has to be there.
Ultras feel familiar in that way.
At mile 30 or hour 8, you’re not relying on peak performance. You’re relying on your ability to continue doing meaningful work while depleted. Nursing builds that muscle daily.
You learn that fatigue isn’t an emergency. It’s a condition to manage.
Crisis Management on the Move
In healthcare, situations can change instantly. A stable patient can deteriorate. A routine day can become chaos in minutes. You learn to stay calm, assess quickly, and act without panic.
Out on the trail, things go sideways too.
Blisters appear. Stomachs revolt. Weather shifts. Blood sugar drops or spikes. Plans fall apart. The runners who succeed aren’t the ones with perfect races — they’re the ones who adapt best.
Nursing trains you to solve problems while still moving forward.
Pain Tolerance Gets Recalibrated
When you regularly witness real suffering, your personal discomfort finds perspective.
Sore legs. Chafing. Heat. Cold. Sleepiness. These things are uncomfortable, but they aren’t emergencies. Nursing teaches you to distinguish between discomfort and danger — a crucial skill in ultrarunning.
It’s not about minimizing pain. It’s about contextualizing it.
You learn you can tolerate more than you thought.
Nutrition and Hydration Awareness
As a nurse — and especially as a diabetic athlete — I’m hyperaware of how fuel, fluids, and electrolytes affect performance and safety.
Skipping meals isn’t an option on the trail. Neither is ignoring early warning signs of dehydration or blood sugar swings. Nursing reinforces the importance of proactive care rather than reactive fixes.
You don’t wait until something is wrong.
You prevent it from becoming wrong.
Functioning on Little Sleep
Night shifts. Early shifts. Rotating schedules. Interrupted sleep. Sound familiar?
Ultrarunning often demands performance under sleep deprivation, especially in longer races. Nursing builds the ability to think clearly, make decisions, and stay steady even when your body wants nothing more than a pillow.
It’s not ideal — but it’s survivable.
Emotional Resilience
Nursing exposes you to humanity at its most vulnerable — fear, grief, hope, relief, uncertainty. Carrying those experiences builds a kind of quiet resilience that doesn’t show up on training plans but matters deeply on race day.
When things get hard in an ultra, perspective helps.
You remember that suffering can have purpose. That hard moments pass. That you’ve handled heavier things before.
The miles stop feeling overwhelming and start feeling manageable.
Logistics, Planning, and Preparedness
Nurses are planners by necessity.
We anticipate needs before they arise. We prepare supplies. We double-check details because mistakes matter. That mindset translates perfectly to race preparation — packing gear, calculating fuel, planning contingencies, especially as a diabetic athlete.
On the trail, preparation buys freedom.
Compassion — For Others and Yourself
Working in healthcare teaches you patience and compassion. Not everyone heals on the same timeline. Not every outcome is within your control.
That lesson applies to training too.
Some days your body cooperates. Some days it doesn’t. Illness, stress, blood sugar fluctuations, and life responsibilities all influence performance. Learning to respond with flexibility instead of frustration keeps burnout at bay.
Progress isn’t linear — in medicine or in running.
Showing Up Matters More Than Feeling Ready
Very few shifts begin with you feeling perfectly prepared for everything that might happen. You show up anyway.
Ultras are the same.
You will never control every variable — weather, terrain, body chemistry, nerves, fatigue. But you can control your willingness to start.
And starting is often the hardest part.
The Overlap Feels Like Purpose
Being a nurse and being an ultrarunner both revolve around service — one to others, one to your own growth and health. Both require humility, persistence, and the willingness to keep going when things are messy.
For me, they don’t compete. They reinforce each other.
Every long shift reminds me I can endure.
Every long run reminds me I’m alive and capable beyond the hospital walls.
And as a diabetic athlete, both roles reinforce the same truth:
This body may require extra management, but it is still capable of extraordinary things.
Chasing Miles, Mountains, and Meaning
Ultrarunning isn’t just about distance. Nursing isn’t just a job. Both are pathways to understanding limits, resilience, and what it means to care — for others and for yourself.
So when I toe a start line after a long stretch of shifts, I don’t feel behind.
I feel prepared.
Because endurance isn’t built only on trails. Sometimes it’s built in hospital hallways at 3 a.m., under fluorescent lights, one step at a time — just like an ultra.
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