Saturday I'm running an Ultra Marathon. That is further than a marathon. I'm scared. Terrified. What the hell have I gotten myself into?
Words can't really describe how scared I am. 31 miles on the toughest trail in the area. It would be hard enough to run that distance on a smooth surface. Add in about 50 billion rocks, lots of hills and some tree roots and you have FlatRock. Then consider that I haven't trained as well as I should have and you have a recipe for disaster. For some reason I can't wait! I must be crazy.
During my last long training run I noticed the battery on my garmin watch died quicker than I thought it should. Then over the next week I noticed it getting worse. Now I can only run about 10 miles before the battery dies. Uh oh. Not cool. It turns out I have to ship it back to Garmin for them to repair it. I thought I was going to have to do the race without a watch but a really wonderful person offered to loan me hers! I am so thankful. One less thing to worry about!
I'm also very happy to report that I have a crew-person for the race! My friend Jennifer has agreed to do it for me. She can meet me at Oak Ridge, the highway (turnaround) and then again at Oak Ridge. I think her main job is going to be forcing me to actually LEAVE the aid station and not try to curl up in a ball and cry. Secondary to that, she can give me any gels I need for the next portion of the race and also bring me powerade at each of the stops. I also like to have an extra pair of socks in case mine get all gritty, so she can bring those and I don't have to carry them. Wow, when I type all of that out it makes me look helpless. I kind of am, so I'm glad I have people like Jennifer to help!
My biggest fear is not getting to the turnaround in time. I know if I can get there within the time limit I can finish. I have to be at the turnaround in 4 hours 30 minutes. It will be horrible if I'm a few minutes over and don't get to finish the race. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that does not happen!
I'm hoping to spend the next few days relaxing and getting everything ready for the race. I need some new music, so hit me with your suggestions!
Hopefully next time I blog I will be an ultramarathoner!! How cool will that be?
I am SO excited for you! I am also so ridiculously excited to read about your experience. Maybe next year I can join you at flatrock...goodness did I really write that? ;)
ReplyDeleteLibby, you should join me next year! It's really a fabulous event. I think I heard a rumor that they are doing just a 25K in January. That's just a little more than a half marathon.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll do fine. Keep a positive attitude. When you walk, walk with a purpose. Walk the hills--no, MARCH UP the hills. When you feel like death, tell the course that YOU are in charge. Think of that super cool belt buckle you'll get when you cross the finish line.
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