Making crazy goals and doing stupid things means I had to be accountable to myself. Sulfur Springs 100 miler in May was a Christmas gift from Andy. Training for a 100-mile race means you really never stop training. And never stop trusting God to direct you and keep you, especially when you have not been able to dodge the Michigan cold season. That is why, despite feeling like garbage, I still laced up my shoes and headed out the door to do Mondays version of dumb stuff.
Of course, making the decisions when you feel awful is easy-you just DON'T make them. Thats how I ended up at Indian Springs. It was one of 4 choices:
- Indian Springs
- Kensington
- GAC
- Richfield Park
It came down to a digital coin toss that sealed my fate!
INDIAN SPRINGS
I've been running at Indian Springs for over 20 years. It's straightforward 8-mile lollipop-shaped paved trail: 3 miles straight out, a 2-mile loop, and then back. There are only so many ways to run it. And yet, today, we somehow squeezed out 18 miles while barely touching the pavement.
The Trails less Traveled
"There is magic in misery. Just ask any runner." Dean Karnazes
After about 3 miles of slipping and skating on slick, icy pavement, we made the executive decision (not mine, obviously) to hit the trails. Since I felt awful, my main priority was not making decisions. So, I followed along blindly, hoping for the best. 
As the miles and trails tangled together, we just trusted the process or at least trusting whoever looked the most confident, NOT ME. The fog made everything eerily creepy. Or maybe it was the last 2 nights of horror films I had watched that had me a little paranoid! I was too tired to care. My head was swimming, my nose was running, and my energy was somewhere back at the car wishing I had just stayed in bed.
I had made the 18-mile goal the night before when I still felt decent. One minute we were cruising along, and the next we were ankle deep in crusty, icy snow, questioning Monday's choices. Several times I was informed that we had already run the same trail two or three times. It looked familiar but at that point, everything was a blur.
Was I lost? NO. Did I know where I was? Also NO. But I didn't have to know.
Here are a few things I DO know with Sulfur Springs:
"You don't stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running." Jack Kirk
- 16 weeks away
- A 20K loop course
- Nestled in the Niagra Escarpment
- 16 weeks out: average weekly miles, 63.
RUNDOWN:
"If you start to feel good during an ultra, don't worry- you'll get over it." Gene Thibeault
The TRAIL less traveled didn't prove to be any easier. And many miles I questioned when we would get back to some steady footing. But I tried to not focus on the END. Rather the original GOAL. If I fast forwarded too much, I would miss the lessons in the in between.
Isn't that what we do? We forget to soak the training portion up. Embrace the hard climbs, we get discouraged with the obstacles and getting lost along the way. These are all part of the training.
Today, I was trying in my miserable state to not be negative.
It's GOOD TRAINING.
There are parts of trail running, or any running that teaches you the grit, that offer lessons every mile on resilience and patience.
When we are just trying to achieve the GOAL, we miss the beauty in between.
In Peace, not Pieces
Anita
