The First

my first ultra was a low key 40 miler in Virginia 7 years ago.
we ran up a mountain, and then down it. It was a 13.33 mile loop that we did 3 times.

it was at a small state park. quiet and beautiful.
i slept in the trunk of my car the night before.

i remember feeling too good the first 35 miles, and even better at the top of the mountain on my last lap when the aid station told me i was in 3rd place...but i did not know what was coming in those final miles:
epic and fantastic meltdown.

i was able to hold onto the podium, but those final miles forced me to learn that it wasn't about place anymore. it was about surviving.

what i wouldn't give to have that ignorance and bliss back. to run unencumbered by the knowledge of limits. simpler times.

ultra running, the supreme metaphor for life.

Infinitus 888k

PEAK is in shambles.

There will probably never be another PEAK 500. Am I sad to see it go? No, because in its stead has risen some other monster.
It's mysterious...scary even.

The distance and cutoff is extreme. 551 miles in 10 days. It's like they took our mileage and finishing pace from this year and tacked another day on top just to see if it's going to work. The course is supposedly more brutal.

Facebook is abuzz with the new event. Many stating that they will be at the start line. Since the first mention of Infinitus, I've been obsessing, as I did that summer, sitting in my tent drinking coffee.

I am asked daily, "What's next?".

There will be no fall goal. There will only be winter training for Infinitus, in May. I snuck through Peak with no specialized training. I have a feeling that no one can sneak through Infinitus. Watch the video. Visit the link.

If that doesn't have serial slaughter all over it, I don't know what does.
This is where people might say "Bring It!".

I know it's going to be brought....not by me. By the course. By the weather. The ticks. The wet and soggy feet and blisters and shitty moods and every single small decision that adds up into possible DNF. There are things that people cannot prepare for: unknowns. And those will surely be brought in force. To the drawing board.

kp