I Might Have Made a Big Mistake

You know my husband, the ultra-runner?

Well, apparently, I’ve decided that I want to join the club and begin running longer distances too. I’ve actually aspired to this for a long time but there wasn’t ever a good day to start training between Fly Guy’s races, our moves, homeschooling, little league baseball and building up Emily’s Homestead.  Running, hiking and training have been on the back burner as each day keeps flying by with too much else to do. What’s a girl to do????

Sign up for a race. Once you’ve committed, there’s a whole lot more incentive to work up for it. There’s nothing like a little fearful anticipation to keep you motivated.  I got inspired by my husband’s try at the Barkley this spring and signed up for the brand new “Barkley Fall Classic” coming up in the fall.  It’s 30 miles (just the distance I was hoping for), open to anyone (no phenomenal expertise here!), and I got to see some of the course and trails when we headed to the Barkley this past weekend.

So, what’s the problem? Those 30 miles might be some of the hardest 30 miles out there. There’s not much in the way of flat running ground – you’re usually either scrambling up steep climbs or sliding down a mountain in a controlled stumble. And oh yeah, the saw briars. According to everyone who’s been on the course, the saw briars reach out to grab you and proceed to cut you to ribbons. In fact, as I write this, I’m intentionally NOT looking at Fly Guy’s legs so I’m not reminded that they’re a very real threat.

What I’ve got in my favor is incredible stubbornness. (I’d like to think of it as determination.) And about 5-1/2 months to train and get myself into “world-class athlete” shape.

I’ve been told that I can’t possibly finish this race within the time constraints. (13 hours 20 minutes.) I’d like to think that I’ll make the entire distance even if it kills me. We’ll see, won’t we?  I like to rise to a good challenge. 🙂

I decided to go ahead and tell you all about it as another layer of pressure to not fail. You don’t mind being my online accountability partner, do you?  Also, you’ll probably hear me complaining about some of the training as the summer and heat begin moving in.

And I promise to share all the humbling details of the race after it’s done. I’m hoping to stand tall afterwards and shout to the world that I actually DID IT!  Unfortunately, I’m afraid that there’s an equal chance that I could trip at the top of a mountain and “Jack & Jill” my way down in the most painful and awkward way possible. I’ll keep you posted.

Either way . . . it should make for an entertaining read.