* What Does It Take ? *
* Where Does A Runner Begin? *
Fathoming the completion of an ultra-distance run.....
*
It's approaching 2 weeks since observing the AC 100's
26th running in the Angeles National Forest
and the questions of wonderment continue to beckon...
"How do they do it?"...."How do they prepare
for a race of that distance?"
~
The only way I can compare what it must be like
would be to combine a few of my own experiences into
a continuous 24+ hour window of time.
~
I imagine it would be something like running
two consecutive marathons interspersed between
three non-stop ascents/descents of a challenging
16 mile, 8,000+ ft. summit elevation,
mountain trail training run I've done.....
~
From my experience, the completion of just one
of these takes a tole, let alone the idea of
pushing beyond and adding the remaining four distances
is unimaginable...or is it??
~
Looking back, I do remember how daunting that
very first marathon seemed. The number "26.2"
loomed within my subconscious and wharped my
perception of the distance.
~
I had run several half marathons and couldn't
visualize what doubling the distance would be like.
I was stepping into unknown territory and training
now became "stressful"....
~
"Is it far enough?....am I running fast enough?"
Like an adrenaline fueled game of catch-up with
unattainable goals, I constantly questioned myself
because I had no experience and nothing to
gauge off of. Kind of like cooking Thanksgiving
Dinner for the very first time. An overwhelming
task, but with the correct ingredients, good directions
and proper preparation, the end result will always
be a positive one. And that's exactly how
that first marathon turned out.
~
So many valuable lessons were learned with it's
completion. It was no longer
mysterious but a building block towards the
next few to come....
~
Is that how ultra distance runners arrive at
taking on the 100 mile distance? Were they once
just marathon runners like myself? What made them
shift into running this far and to push their bodies
beyond normal limits?
~
I observed many of the lead AC 100 runners as they
came through the half-way 50 mile checkpoint. These
were the elite top group who would break 24 hours
at the finish line.
~
Each runner had their own unique reaction to our
cheers as they came in to refuel. Some smiled and
joked, others barely uttered a few words and some had
no verbal interaction at all. Though all very different
in that respect, one thing they all shared in common
was the blank and focused stare of being in
"survival mode". I've heard some runners have
experienced hallucinations as they run through
the night...the result of pushing to a level where
the mind separates from the body and goes into a
trance-like state.
~
Traveling 100 miles on foot, non-stop,
through treacherous mountain terrain, battling cliffs,
rock slides, possible wild animal encounters,
unpredictable weather, and in the Angeles National Forest,
*
*
the infamous and super-toxic Poodle Dog plant...
It all sounds so scary...but what fun it would
be to do just once!! After all, the marathon ended up
not being half as difficult as I imagined it would be....
* Happy Running!!*
