Once again I’m signed up for an ultra, the Ray Miller 50k. And once again my training hasn’t been what I’ve wanted it to be. I thought about dropping down to the 30k race but you know, sometimes one needs a good ass kicking.
That may sound strange and self-abusive but finishing a 50k this year is one of my main goals and I’m not going to make it by running the 30k. If I am unable to complete it then that will happen only after giving it my all, physically and mentally, and if that means I get my ass handed to me then so be it.
I’m not completely unprepared for this challenge. I’ve been doing some training and have run all but 2 miles of the course including a nice 13 mile run this past Sunday.
There was a guy on a trail running group on Facebook who was asking why people who are undertrained try to run tough ultra races instead of properly preparing for them. It seemed like an innocent enough question but after reading the thread with hundreds of replies from others it started to get into my head and I deleted a comment that I had posted to the thread and mentally put it aside.
Other people don’t have to understand this, let alone judge it. At this evolution of my health journey I am a back-of-the-pack trail runner. I get in over my head. I’m the DFL dude. And there are lots of cool people back there as well. I run with other people on their fitness journeys and with people who are over 60 and 70 and people who work too much and haven’t stitched together a career and family life that allows them to run more. But they don’t make excuses and they also work to get it done.
Ray Miller 50k on Nov. 7th will be my third ultra attempt. Third time’s a charm, right?