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.
No comments:
Post a Comment