Thursday 21 Mile Run

May 06, 2010

Well all, today was awesome. I only got in 21 of my 40 goal. That really sucked but the AZ sun and heat exhaustion / dehydration set in and nothing I could do about it. That is the downfall of running ultra marathons not in a race setting. No aid station every mile really makes in challenging. I really started out too late. If I would have gotten out at 5am, I would have been done by 1 which is when the sun really starts to hit. My last 11 miles I had 126 oz of water, 2 tangerines, 1 orange, 2 spoons of salt, 5 sports legs tabs and still bonked. So there is nothing I could do about it. But here is the awesome part............


I was thinking about my running the past three weeks and how I had averaged 53 miles a week for those weeks and how I still looked at myself as a fat dude trying to run ultra marathons, Ironman, etc. I finally realized that I run about as much as anyone I know. When I'm swimming seriously, there is ony one dude that I personally know that swims more than me, my brother Dan. and when I cycled, I could pull centuries, long rides and maintain 20 + mph for hours on end and at 290lbs. Now I'm at 260 and dropping like crazy and probably 4 months away from hitting my goal weight. I finally realized that I am an ultra endurance athlete. I think today's run, I mentally set out for 40 but at 18 (before I became dehydrated) I had set out to do 50 because I felt awesome and I knew I could handle it. I think that speaks to my base and abilities.

So I finally put away the fat dude running races and I am considering myself as an endurance athlete. It feels good to get rid of that past and put my fitness into perspective today. If I can do all of these things at 260, I cannot imagine how strong I will be at 175. The future looks so bright and today's run was more than about getting in miles. It was the run that I needed to learn something about me. What a breakthrough day.

Jeff

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