What my mom said when I told her I was running 50 miles

I decided to bite the bullet and do one of those once-in-a-lifetime things.  I haven’t considered doing anything like this since Ironman over 6 years ago.  I get a lot of different reactions when I tell people I’m going to run a 50-mile trail race.

I’m truly an overthinker.  I can overthink A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G.  But, this time I didn’t.

Where this tall tale began was in my mind.  I learned I would be running Boston marathon in 2013 right before I ran Steamtown marathon last October.  I typically don’t run marathons in the beginning of the year.  I train through the summer and run them in the winter.  There was going to be 6 months in between the 2 marathons and I simply thought, what can I do in between so I don’t get bored with running?  J  I had already been mountain biking and REALLY enjoying being on the trails.  Why not try out trail running?  It’s got to be just as fun but I was hoping for less scars and bruises.  Once I went on my first trail run, I was sold.  That was it.  However, that wasn’t exactly the point I decided on 50 miles.

I started looking at races between November 2012 and March 2013 before it got too warm.  The crazy thing is I didn’t talk to anyone, ask for opinions, nada.  I just started signing up.  Rockledge Rumble 30K first, Isle Du Bois 18K next.  Then, I saw there were A LOT of 50 miles races in the U.S.  And 100 mile races.  Are these people crazy?!  Oh, and in case you didn’t know, these races sell out fast!  So that was it…I threw myself right into that crazy person category and decided on Nueces 50 miler.  I might have had a Blue Moon before that decision.  J  But, I was actually sort of proud of myself and it was liberating to NOT overthink something for the first time ever!

I just had to tell my coach about the crazy plan, do whatever he told me to do, and take care of my body…get rest, eat right and don’t get injured…right?  Ha!  This was a pretty big goal to set out of nowhere!  And I’m learning A LOT as I go.  Like people’s reactions when you tell them what you’re doing.  For most runners, they’re not really surprised.  But they ask a lot of questions especially if they haven’t done trails or run a marathon before.  Then, there are the non-runners.  “You’re doing what?” Some are smart enough to say, “that’s like…a double marathon?”  I don’t think many even realize what I said when I say I’m running 50 miles.  But my mother, my poor mother, knew exactly what I said when I told her.  You would have thought the world was coming to an end. “Noooooo,” is all that she could get out of her mouth.

This is where is begins….stay tuned for more!