Maybe I Haven't Lost My Mind

I've used this image before, but it just seems too appropriate to pass up.  As the clock nears 1pm, I realize that I've been up for more than 9 hours; for 3 and a half hours of that time, I was running.  Not too shabby, huh?!  My long runs are now more about time than distance.  In case you're wondering, though, I got 25.14 miles done.  The weather was great, the run went well, and my pace was impressive.  If I could hang on to that pace for another 1.06 miles, I'd have a BQ (Boston qualifying) time on my hands.  That's well & good...for a marathon.  However, that kind of pace is not doable for January's 6-hour ultra.  Let me explain what I mean...

This was part of Hans' last email to me: "Funny thing about running 6 hours, it seems like so much more than a marathon, but for many people it takes nearly 6 hours to run a marathon anyway! For people like you and me, we just need to slow down enough to keep moving for 6 hrs and we'll end up with distances far beyond 26 miles."  Did you catch that part?  The one about "for people like you and me?"  I seriously do not belong in the same category as Hans!  Comments like that make me chuckle and think to myself, "Gosh, I've got them all fooled!  They think I'm much better at this than I really am!"  Hans is right, though; I've got to slow myself down.  Easier said than done.  That's the crazy part!

However, today was one of those days where even 45 minutes into the run, I was saying to myself, "Yup, I could keep this up for a loooooooong time."  Given reasonable weather and enough forms of nutrition, I think if I slowed myself down to maybe a 9 minute per mile pace, I could run for most of the 6 hours.  Perhaps that's what I'll try next weekend.  My goal today was 3 and a half hours, so I didn't pack enough energy gels to reasonably (and safely) aim for much beyond that.  Could I have stretched it another 10 or 15 minutes?  Probably, but what's the point?

As the days go by, I am getting more excited about this new adventure.  Grandma's on board with this, guest blogger extraordinaire, Judy, is set to make a return appearance, and word on the street is that Christmas will bring some cool running-related gadgets.  If those three things aren't enough to get you saying, "You got this," check out what's below.