Hello everyone, I'm new to this blogger thing, and I've been told that this is a great place to talk to other "crazies", like me.
I've been running for 4 1/2 years, but started trail running in January 2007. I've been stuck there ever since. I also just started ultra running last year as well. Trails and ultras seem to go together.
It all started at the Black Mountain Marathon/Mount Mitchell Challenge in February 2007. Two Friends and I trained for the marathon for a few months, and at the prerace meeting, we were told (by another runner -innocently enough) that we were doing the short race. The challenge was on.
So we found a 50K in June , and completed it, with the first 5 hours in the rain. In South Carolina, in June, rain wasn't so bad. Until the rain stopped, and the sun came out, in the afternoon. It was miserable. But I survived.
Wouldn't you know it? I went for an easy run a couple weeks later on the road, and twisted my ankle on a rock. I didn't go to the doctor, when I should have. I'm so bad about that. It turned out I broke it.
I decided to do a 50 miler, and the closest one to home was Mountain Masochist in Lynchburg, VA. The training was on. It was miserable training at the end of summer. We had a massive heat wave that put temps up to 105-107, with heat index up to 118. It was just so hot!! It's not like I was training for Badwater.
I did well at the race, except for one thing. I didn't finish. I had a good strategy, which was to just make it the next aid station. And then the next one. I did that great. Until AS 15, when I was 2 minutes behind the cut off time, and was pulled from the race, with only 8 miles to go. I haven't felt such disappointment in a very long time. I made it 46 miles, but was not allowed to finish. My first DNF, and I struggled with it. I will be back next year.
Now, I'm battling another injury. On Feb 9th, I was on my last long training run in the mountains, when I tripped on a rock, and pulled my proximal hamstring. I tried to do the race the next week in a lot of pain. The whole time on the course, I thought to myself, "Why am I doing this? I can only imagine what the doctor will find when I see him this week." So I decided to pull myself at the half way point. That was very difficult for me. I was OK with it on the trail, but when I actually told them, I broke. My second DNF.
The doctor sent me to physical therapy. I've been very good about that, and went for about 5 weeks. I tried running in the meantime, but struggled with pain each time. So I quit running, and cross trained instead. I just started running last week. I'm up to 5 miles at a time, now. I'm keeping in mind my goal for this year: MMTR. I own that mountain!!!