The North Face Endurance Challenge – a series of races ranging in length from a 10K to a 50-miler – is this weekend. There are about 8-9 people in our running group that are running the 50K (31 miles) as a training run for the JFK 50-miler in November. Everyone I’ve talked to who has done one of these ultras (races longer than the 26.2 miles of a marathon) has said that they’re actually easier than a marathon. The first person who ever told me this was Doug, the owner of our gym. This guy had never run a race of any length before he did his first 50-miler last year. He’s also OCD and is constantly straightening up or cleaning the glass at the gym; you’d think he was part of the cleaning crew and not the owner if you saw him. Anyway, hearing this from him didn’t convince me since, as I told him, he’s not normal.
Last weekend I ran part of my training run with Jeanna, a lady from our group who is 32 and has a 3 year old daughter. She’s running both the 50K and the JFK 50-miler for the first time this year. According to her, the training for the 50-miler isn’t that much different than training for a marathon. In her words, “the long runs are just longer.” Jeanna also mentioned that it’s perfectly acceptable and normal and recommended that you walk part of the course; most people walk up the hills to conserve energy.
Jeanna’s last point about walking the hills was confirmed by Tracy, a random stranger who happened to be running at the same speed I was on the latter part of my run last weekend. She had done both the 50K and 50-miler last year and had plans to do them again this year. Tracy, mom of 3 and a nurse, said that unlike the marathons that she had done, the ultras were done just for the joy of running. She said that last year she actually stopped at a couple of points on the course to enjoy the view. That’s not to say that she was out for a leisurely stroll since she finished the 50 miles in 9 hours and 4 minutes, but that she thought it was a much more relaxed event.
A majority of the course for these races are done on the trail which is easier on your body that running on pavement. Whatever. I decided to watch this clip of some ultra-runner’s recommendation for tackling the downhills of a course. Holy moly guacamole. Anyone who knows me well knows that downhills are not my friend whether I’m in skis or shoes. I’m actually more concerned about busting my a$$ and getting lost than I am the distance. Not that I’m seriously considering doing an ultra – not this year anyway. Next year? We’ll see. I’m not sure if this curiosity is because of the event this weekend, or if I really do have some desire to tackle something new.
No comments:
Post a Comment