Felt like blogging for the first time in over two years. I am halfway through training for the Eastern States 100 and about 9 weeks from the Tahoe Rim 50M. And it occurred to me over the weekend that part of why I like ultrarunning is because of the journey it takes us on. ES100. TRT50M. These are journeys in and of themselves, but regardless of how I do, it doesn’t take away from all the experiences I have had.
And each experience is a moment in and of itself to savor and enjoy, for better or for worse. Sort of like life. No real destination. You don’t just stop and say, “OK, I did it. I’m done now.” You keep going. I had not really thought about this until the other day. Now I feel all zen-master like.
Over the past three months our training has taken us 578 miles and we’ve climbed over 72,600 feet. Bloody Hell. 72,600 feet of climbs!
We ran the 20 mile out an back to Sykes Hot Springs in Big Sur. It’s uphill both ways with some minor bouldering to get to the Springs. You sit and soak for a while. Relax. Chat with the camping peeps and then wind your way back up and out.
We ran Big Basin in Santa Cruz with our friend Kevin. A beautiful run through some amazing waterfalls.
We ran the QuickSilver 50K, significantly beating our target goal times, making us feel like badasses, and giving us the chance to run with our friends Carrie and Kim.
We paced our friend Kevin at the Born to Run 100-miler. What we learned is pacing is harder than you’d think. Note to self, when you are at mile 80-100 in a 100 mile race you are going really slowly. Like 18 minute miles. You think you are cruising along. You aren’t. You think you are eating. You aren’t. You think you won’t finish. But you will. Also, your pacer really hopes you all hurry up.
We discovered new trails at our standby, Harvey Bear, and got lost (and found) every time we’ve run Mt Madonna.
We have been amazed at the miles we are logging, the food we are consuming, and the sleep we require.
And we are at the point in training where all we do is eat, sleep and think about running. It’s a wonder we can hold it together at work and that my kids don’t just roll their eyes at me 24/7. They actually told me just the other day that they are no longer impressed with anything under 50 miles. Ha ha.
I know we will do well at Tahoe Rim, but who knows at Eastern States. It’s going to be hot and humid, and very technical. But the not knowing is part of the journey.
