Taking on the mental
Coming off a 50 mile run in Leadville, I’m feeling pretty good. Granted, at points during the race, I was making mental plans to not even show up at the Leadville 100 starting line. Well, maybe I’d run the first 13, stop at the aid station and then turn in my chip so I could cheer on friends. Alas, the ultrarunning amnesia has kicked in and I don’t remember feeling much pain. I laugh even as I type that, but in perspective of the world, there really wasn’t much pain.
The morning after running Silver Rush 50, I wasn’t feeling very confident in being able to complete the 100. As the day went on though, I wasn’t having all that difficulty of moving around. My thought was just wait until tomorrow and it’s really going to hurt.
Tomorrow came and felt even a little better.
3 days out from a race I went on a little 5 mile run with the dog. To much of my surprise, I was staying ahead of him. There was some tenderness on top of where my foot meets my shin, but I’ve been getting used to that feeling for months. Achilles a bit tender as well. Makes sense.
Next day, put in a 7 mile run and felt myself starting to loosen up. I did notice that I was back to visualizing running the Leadville 100 course. Fortunately, I have seen the entire course one way. In the 2012 Leadville 100 I made it to Winfield, but after the cutoff time. With it being an out and back course, I have a good idea of what I’m in for.
Less than a week after the 50, I’m feeling really good about my chances of finishing the Leadville 100. At the same time, I’m somewhat of a realist. I know that every day can potentially be a bad day, but it also has the opportunity to be a great day. Multiple times throughout an ultramarathon life sucks. To win that battle, one has to accept that and know that it will get better. It could take 5 minutes or 2 hours for it to get better. It will get better.
Such is the metaphor for life.
We all have those moments when life sucks. Things do get better and we have to train our brain to be ready for the better. Perspective can play a big role in this. If you want to feel better about your life, turn on the news. Their coverage is 90% doom and gloom about a plane crash, someone’s bus being blown up, or another one being done wrong. Makes your concern about not finding your car keys less devastating.
Going into Leadville I do have a motivational secret weapon … my 11 year old son will be crewing for me. He doesn’t realize it, but I want to show him anything is possible with work. More and more I see a society of I want to accomplish this that jumps right to give it to me. If you want it, put in the work. You may fail, but if you learn something, you are better than when you started.
Having him at each aid station will push me. It will be the mental piece of the puzzle I have been looking for. The first time I ran this race, I was running for the American Cancer Society. The second time, I was just running. Now, I am running for all of those that have looked to me for advice to improve their life, for those that say can’t, and to show how a regular person can do extraordinary things.
