Run more walk less!

"Don't you dare give up!  Keep going!  You need to finish this!  Push!  Don't you quit!".  I'm certain the volunteers at the mile 45.6 aid station thought I was nuts as I was talking to myself out loud as I left the aid station drinking a cup of coke.  These were just a few of the words I said as I made my way down the trail.  I wasn't hurting as much as I was just overall fatigued and slowing down.

The only thing I knew about the course that day was the route and that is was 16.67 miles each loop.  Aid station distances were something I didn't memorize because that wasn't something I didn't want to occupy my mind during the race.  Coming into the Dam aid station during my second loop and second time through for the loop (you pass through it twice on each loop), I saw Robert King, who was working the aid station, and asked him, "when in the hell am I supposed to walk on this course?".   He just laughed.  I couldn't let myself walk because by all comparisons of a trail, it was flat.  I headed on down the trail and would, eventually, walk for the first time at around mile 35.  That would be the farthest I had ever run without walking.  I took a few more walk breaks, but just kept moving as much as possible. In all, I walked less than 10 minutes of the 50 miles.  And, I feel it today since my quads are pretty sore and have to hold onto things to pull/push myself up to my feet.  Olga is having a fun time calling me "grandpa" today.

In the end, I would cross the finish line in 8:02, a 43 minute 50 mile PR.  Obviously, nothing special for this 187 pound runner, in regard to finishing time, but it had me smiling the last few miles.  Sneaking in under 8 hours would have been nice, but I gave it an honest effort and crossed the line with a big smile on my face.  I have a tendency to quit in the latter parts of a race when it gets uncomfortable, but this time I didn't.  This run was about getting it done and not quitting--I have two of those from last Fall which, as much as I tried to deny they didn't have any affect on my running, they did in a big way.  DNF's sometimes have a way of lingering for a lot longer than we'd like.

I have no idea what run I will do next.  Today, I didn't make it through the Hardrock lottery, which is actually a relief since Olga and I have been thinking about some Summer vacation plans for the past few weeks.  I have no idea what I will do in regard to racing.  I'll soon begin training for a early June backpacking trip to the mountains with my son which will also carry over into the plans Olga and I have for later in the Summer.

It'll be a great year for certain. It's not all about running, but about living.  Possibly an observation about recognizing one's own mortality and trying to squeeze as many diverse experiences as possible.  Life is definitely good!

Mile 33