Pain Unfiltered · American Society of Pain & Neuroscience

Running Through the Other Side of Pain: From Marathon to Ultramarathon

January 26, 2026·46 min·10 clips

Pain Unfiltered moves into a health-and-wellness conversation about long-distance running. Patrick Buchanan opens by asking Timothy Deer to give a brief description of how he got into running and to share a bit of his background. Deer answers with some light banter before the discussion gets more serious. At the center of the conversation is an ultrarunning plan laid out in careful detail. Deer’s itinerary included packets for every lap, each one packed with electrolytes, shoes, hats, socks, and other gear. He also mapped out what he would wear, how long he would stay at each aid station, and when he would hydrate. Buchanan uses that level of preparation to raise the bigger question of what happens when a race does not go according to plan. That becomes the core of the episode. One packet goes missing. Hydration falls behind. Deer also describes falling, dislocating his shoulder, and bruising his ribs. Those setbacks are not treated like side notes; they are the point. The episode keeps returning to the idea that finishing depends on adaptation as much as intention. The lesson is simple: careful preparation matters, but the real test is whether focus holds when the route changes.

As heard by us

When the plan breaks, the finish still matters.

Pain Unfiltered frames endurance running as a test of preparation against whatever race day decides to do. It moves through the careful planning with lap-by-lap packets, electrolytes, shoes, hats, socks, aid-station timing, and hydration, then shifts into the less tidy reality…

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Why you'd press play

When you want a long-distance running episode that keeps its eye on the finish when the plan gets messy.

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