“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T.S. Eliot
Over a year ago I was listening to the Yogi Triathlete Podcast, Episode 51. Head yogi, Jess, was talking about how she had just finished her first ultra, the Mendocino 50k. I was mesmerized listening to her talk about it and the trails and how beautiful it was. I also remember telling my husband I would never run farther then a marathon.
You know the saying, “never say never”?
Two things happened after saying that word.
- I couldn’t get the Mendocino 50k out of my mind, and
- I started watching Ginger Runner Live and became obsessed with everything ultra running.
However, at the time I was coming back from being picked up and spit out by the Boston Marathon and doing a lot of pool running so I wan’t thinking at the time I would run an ultra. Or even that I could.
One thing I did know for sure was the trails and mountains were calling and I was really thinking about picking up the phone. Why wouldn’t I? I was happy when I ran on trails. It felt like being a kid again. Jumping over stuff, moving side to side, running through or around puddles and mud, jumping rocks, laughing. I would be laughing.
As the days went by in my training for the Marine Corps Marathon, the more I thought about running the Mendocino 50K. Then I ran the Marine Corps Marathon (read recap here). My fitness and endurance were finally getting stronger. I was mentally stronger (thank you meditation). And I was getting excited about training on trails, with both running and power hiking. I started thinking: What else can this body do? How else can I push myself and see how far I can go?”
So on November 1, 2017 as soon as registration opened I signed up. Best part was Jess was doing it again and one of my besties Jill (did you ever have one of those friends that you can call and say, “Want to do a 50k?” she’s that friend). I wasn’t going to think about how I would train for this during winter in the Northeast. Here’s to not getting too comfortable and living the same day over and over again. Here’s to risking going too far!
Coming next, Part Two: Epic Training Weekend.