Half Baked

Well, I completed the 50 mile event Saturday! Great experience and wild success! It took me 13 hours and 20 minutes, which I was greatly pleased with. I was able to enjoy most of the run. Surprisingly, the most difficult portion was from about miles 13-21. It’s been my experience in doing these longer events that there is a “barrier” that one has to push through. I haven’t quite been able to define what it is but it seems to have something to do with giving up the illusion of having control of the outcome of the event. At some point, a mental and emotional surrender takes place and what appears to be obvious is finally accepted — that I am going to be out there for a long, long time. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that pain and discomfort is going to increase. There will be times of feeling better and worse, but overall, once that barrier is pushed through, the majority of the event turns out to be an extremely pleasant experience. I’m actually thinking about upping the ante and attempting a 100 miler later this year! I’ll keep you posted.