A friend of mine suggested I write about my experiences ultrarunning, and how I have been recovering.
To begin: on Saturday, October 10th, I ran my second (technically third, I suppose) ultra-marathon, and the longest one yet of 50 miles. This was my top goal of 2020, and despite races being cancelled left and right, I continued my training. A handful (four) of us who had a race cancelled decided to go ahead with our distance anyway, and our running coaches at Team Sparkle held a small group run with aid for us.
There were two loops of approximately five miles (5.66 and 4.75) that came to a single location where we had access to aid. The three of us who ran 50 miles did both of these loops five times, each. Mark, who ran a 100 miler, did these ten times. A few friends in the community, our coaches, and a person or two from our families came out to watch us, help us get water, and make sure we were making it through the woods unharmed.
50 Mile Finisher
one happy camper.
People often ask me, “What do you think about when you run for that long?” A lot of things. I planned a yoga class and spoke it out loud to a voice recorder. I thought about my career, and ways to grow my business. I thought about my newest venture in coaching, my family, my relationships, my legs. At mile 40 I finally allowed myself the gift of listening to music, and that was a blessing.
Al the while in training for this, I wondered what the gem was that I was searching for in this process. It was unclear to me until I was out there, on the trails. Here are the top things I learned that day, and in this process, in no particular order.
Stay Adaptable. Things will not go as planned, so train like you’re planning for anything. You’ll forget your special snacks. The people you thought would be there for support will not be able to come. You will hit a deer en route and have to start forty minutes late after arriving with a totaled car that was somehow still drivable. (True story.) Your stomach will not digest foods properly, you’ll take a (few) wrong turns and wind up in fields, you’ll choke on a muffin in your last three miles and wonder if it’s the end. Keep going, anyway. It won’t look like what you expected, but you’ll still go on and you will be happy that you did.
The Body Is Cool. And - it wants to work for you. Around mile fifteen, your hip flexors will start to ache and you’ll think, “I have another 35 miles to run on these tired legs.” But, trust in your training. If you did the work to get there, your legs have more in them than your mind thinks that they do. They are going to keep going long after their first twinge, so your real goal is to keep your mind right. Don’t dwell on the tiredness, or the pain. Stay positive. Don’t ignore if something is screaming, but don’t give in to every twinge. It will probably go away in a mile or two, so in the mean time talk to yourself out loud and thank your legs. They’re working for you.
Keep Choosing It. It can be quite easy to feel tired and want to drop out. But that’s not what you came here to do. Distance running is about choosing, over and over, to keep going - even when it is no longer fun. Even when you’ve gone to the bathroom in the woods four times and you’re struggling to keep down food. You made the choice to get in it, so make the choice to finish it - and as long as you’re making choices, choose to be grateful for your feet that carry you. Your legs that are working for you. Your heart, your lungs, this gift of this body that offers you the opportunity of adventure.
Coca-Cola and Ginger Ale Are God’s Gift to Ultrarunners. Self explanatory.
That said, I am happy to have my main goal of the year complete. Doing something that sounds impossible is daunting. After having committed to this goal, my levels of anxiety were sky high with imposter syndrome, wondering if I really did have it in me. It feels good to know that goals that are seemingly out of reach are, in fact, possible, and even more so if you surround yourself with people and coaches who believe in you, see your strengths, and give you a roadmap to get there.
So what’s next? Time will tell. I went on my first run post race today - six days post race - and it felt great. I’ve also practiced yoga twice, gone on a few walks, and done a strength training session. My body was tight for a few days, but surprisingly, my traps hurt most of all from the anxiety of the race and from carrying my pack. Is it something I would do again? Absolutely, just not so soon. I’m looking forward to some extra sleep, weekends to work in my yard, and to explore some other interests before I get so heavily invested in another training program.
That’s it! Hats off to all of us who completed big race goals, to our coaches who supplied the training, to our friends who aided us in the station, to our families who came out for support and ribbon dancer finishes, and to Todd who made this fabulous video of the weekend, where I make a cameo appearance at the end singing songs about Coca-Cola and dancing with ribbon dancers.
Happy fall!