Some people will ask why I signed up for another race after MCM before even running it. That's easy enough to understand. I don't want the post-marathon blues to get me down. And I don't see that race as a one-time bucket list thing, but rather a gateway to a lifestyle of distance running.
Some people will ask why an ultramarathon? Isn't 26.2 miles enough? Apparently, I am a glutton for punishment! And I am inspired the stories of those who run 50 and 100 miles...and even more! Western States, a 100-mile race through the mountains, was just a couple of weeks ago. Legend has it that it started out as a horse race, which a guy finished on foot after his ride pulled up lame. Now it's an annual event, one that Timothy Olson has won back-to-back, covering the distance in about 15 hours!
To put things in perspective, here's a comparison of Western States and the Boston Marathon:
Yeah. And if that wasn't crazy enough, this week, an elite group of runners (both in terms of physical endurance and sheer madness) tackled Badwater, a 135-mile race through Death Valley in the heat of the summer, concluding with the ascent of Mount Whitney. Several famous guys like Dean Karnazes and Marshall Ulrich (the guy with no toenails) do this one every year, but my favorite is probably Chris Moon. He was an EOD guy who lost an arm and a leg in an explosion...and is now a charity runner. If a guy with one arm and one leg can run 135 miles at Badwater, then I can run 50K at Texas Trails.
I guess that brings us to the next part. Some people will ask why trail running? The short answer is because I've lost my mind. The long answer is that a dear friend and ultramarathoner (largely to be credited/blamed for my present level of insanity) took me on my first trail run at Sansom Park last year. We set out to do 3-4 miles, and at 3.5, he asked if I wanted to go for 5. I was feeling good and said, "Sure," not knowing that the trail had changed since he was last there. We got lost. We got hungry. It was starting to get dark. Did I mention that I hate snakes? Five miles turned out to be seven! But I swear Sonic has never made better tater tots than the ones I ate after that run...and I have never been so sore. Muscles I didn't even know I had were sore, along with all the usual suspects. But it was the most exhilarating sort of pain...one that I became hungry to taste again. And so, at 5:30 this morning, I signed up for a 50K trail run 6 weeks after my first marathon. This should be interesting. :)
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