Chirine Njeim couldn’t fight back a yawn as she positioned herself on the start line at the Chevron Houston Marathon in January.

She arrived from Chicago the night before, but that wasn’t why she was so tired. The main source of her weariness was a three-month running obsession that included two races, more than 13,000 miles of travel, and a lifetime’s worth of skepticism.

“I was just exhausted,” she said.

Crouched on the starting line, she asked herself questions to stay mentally sharp.

What pace do I need to run well?

Am I maintaining between 6:00 and 6:15 pace?

What is my red zone?

But when the gun went off, her bleariness instantly gave way to laser-focus.

She knew she had a Plan B tucked away in case she needed it. There was no way she would allow herself to crash and burn today.

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