02.18.2020 Tuesday Kick Start

Thanks...for your thoughts.  My wife has got a ton of support form people which has been great.   

I learned Ultra Runners mean by "Technical Running".  It means that you can't run with your eye closed without tripping and that you have to plan where you place each step.  We had rain most of the week so there were lots of mud, puddles, etc.  This was on a backwoods hiking trail that went over lots of rocks too.  Some people said there were sections with drop-offs and sections where they were sliding backward on the slick rocks. One lady said the trial run she did in Alabama was tougher, but everyone else said this was the most difficult course they had ever been on.  Several people dropped out after 50 miles. My brother was one of them.  There was a 50-mile buckle though so even if they signed up for the 100 mile or 135-mile options they got the buckle for the highest milage they completed.  I was planning on doing 20-30 miles with my brother but just ended up doing 7 miles with another friend that I had in the race.  He ended up winning the 135 miles. I didn't see what was so crazy about the course but I was 100% fresh running with a guy running from miles 70-77 at 3AM in the dark and cold.  What I was doing should have been a cakewalk compared to what the runner was going through on those miles. I learned a lot in the short 7 miles. I will be a better Pacer the next time around and may ever have to do the 70-mile warm-up to see what the big deal is with this "Technical Running". 

I only got 15 miles of running in last week and all of it was 50-100% slower than my marathon training pace.  I didn't get any cycling or swimming in for almost two weeks, so I missed as many days in the last two weeks as I normally do all year.  It felt like I was away for eons.