Ultramarathon: More Miles
There is a burning inside, to run longer and go further than I did last weekend. I am still soul searching in hopes for a reason why I ran my first 50K or ultramarathon. My reasoning on race day was to prove how far I had come in my health since October, 2011 when I made the decision to change my lifestyle and get healthy. All the proof I needed was looking back at me in the mirror, I dropped 44 pounds, was fitting into clothes I never thought I would wear again. Results from my blood work confirmed I had reduced my total cholesterol and the last two physicals I had my doctor said I was “in perfect health!”
My first physical challenge was the Summer Breeze Half Marathon last August, which I finished in 1:58 just months after taking up running. Weeks earlier I had completed my first Tough Mudder event. Both of these challenges left me feeling positive about the lifestyle changes I had made to improve my life. But I was still looking for more, maybe I was catching up for lost time during the past 10 years, spending more time behind a video screen than improving my health. It was a choice, one that unchecked, put me in the condition I was before taking control of my health and making changes.
Last weekend the Diablo Trails Challenge was my first attempt at a 50K (31.7 miles), finishing was winning. Thankfully 8:53:33 later I crossed the finishing line, arms raised in celebration, exhausted but with a smile on my face. I had accomplished something big! I knew it, and felt it inside me. That burning continues. The desire to run further still intrigues me. The next goal, 50 miles? 100K? 100 miles? Lace up a pair of sandals and start running with no goal at all in mind.
It’s a feeling that remained with me for nearly 9 hours last Saturday while running the trails on Mt. Diablo. The exhaustion was there, but the endorphins that drove me to complete the race. Now as I sit here with in a euphoria that started while I was running, I’m looking to take on a new challenge and go further than I did last week.
I have spent the last 4 days scrolling through websites looking for another challenge in Northern California. There are a few possibilities, if I were more prepared than I was for Diablo I would register for the Gold Rush 50K in May, the Skyline to the Sea 50K in October or possibly wait until next year for the American River 50. For now I will work at increasing my mileage and training on more hills with the hopes of improving my strength and endurance in order to run further, faster.
