Oh my gosh, I thought glumly to myself. Are you kidding me?
The back of my left heel throbbed.
I knew right away the cause of my pain.
A blister. And a big one at that.
The cause? New running socks I ordered last week.
I was running my second round of the Yeti Ultra 24 Hour Challenge this past weekend, a virtual race, one of many that have cropped up following the cancellation of trail and road races across the country.
Since I didn’t receive any calls from Brittney Spears last week to join her tour (if she had one) following my back-up dancing videos I recorded the previous weekend (which you can read about here), I figured I needed a new challenge for the weekend.
So last Wednesday I registered for this crazy virtual race I read about online.
Run five miles every four hours for 24 hours for a total of 30 miles in 24 hours.
Doing some quick math, I realized it was only an extra two miles to turn the race into a 50K.
This was what I considered an “easy” way to get another 50K ultra race under my belt. Although this “race” would be on the road rather than the trails and I would be running it by myself on my honor, it seemed doable since it was spread out into five mile legs, plus an extra two miles to make it a 50K.
How hard could that be right?
Plus, I’d have “long” three hour aid station breaks back at my house giving me time to shower, change, eat, take a nap, etc.
Easy peasy, right?
Well, in some ways it WAS easier than running that far all at one time.
On the other hand, staying up for 24 hours is a LONG time for me to stay awake. Frankly, I was fatigued on most of my rounds.
But at 1am on Sunday morning, I finished to much “fanfare”—a quiet house with everyone asleep (even my teenagers and the cats). Cracking the obligatory post-ultra race beer, I collapsed on the couch, tired and sweaty, high fiving myself on completing my fourth ultra distance (any distance longer than a marathon).
In case you’re wondering, Crazy Amy was running a different race this weekend, the Covid-19 miler. So proud of her!
So, why would I put myself through the self-imposed rigor of another ultra race, running alone, half of the time in the dark?
Several reasons actually:
- I wanted to do something “productive” to keep my mind off of the news. I didn’t listen to the news for an entire 24 hours and it was a much-needed mental break.
- My waistline needed to take a break from eating. I’ve discovered that my refrigerator has this unexplainable magnetic force over me when I’m lounging around the house.
- I had to find something to combat my boredom. I can only watch so much Netflix and I just couldn’t get into the tiger show that’s so popular right now.
- I like to prove to myself that I can do hard things. I like testing my limits which I think will prove to be a helpful skill in the upcoming months.
- I also like proving to myself that I have the discipline to follow through on a tough self-imposed goal even if no one is watching.
- The challenge was a fun way to connect with others who also committed to the same race this weekend. We followed each other’s progress on Facebook after each round, cheering each other on.
- It was a great excuse to NOT clean or do laundry or even cook. The obligatory household chores could wait until Sunday.
- Each daytime round of running was an excellent opportunity to catch up on phone calls with family to see how everyone was doing using my Bluetooth earbuds.
You too may find yourself with extra time on your hands.
If you do and are looking for something productive to do, I encourage you to start getting your finances and important papers in order now.
Also, don’t forget to reach out to your friends and family to see how they are doing. We need to stay connected as we self-isolate.
I have a sinking suspicion that we are in for a long road ahead of us as we collectively deal with, and then recover from, the global health pandemic we are experiencing.
I’ve put together some free resources on our website for you, including a workbook to document important information for your loved ones and also a free advanced health care directive for you to download.
Our office is working remotely to make it simple to keep you and your family protected and well-prepared for an uncertain future.
Remember, we’re all in this together.
Please let us know if you or your family need anything.
Kristen “Ain’t No Stinking Blister Gonna Stop This Chick Once She Puts her Mind to Something” Marks
