Race Magic
On my last long run, I asked myself the question. I ask it on most long runs.
How will I ever run that far?
I used to ask myself how I’d ever run that fast, when I was aiming to run 20 minutes in a 5K or hit 1:35 in a half marathon. But that was years ago, and since I moved into ultrarunning in 2016, I’ve asked another question during my long training runs: How will I run 50 miles? How will I run 100K? How will I run 100 miles? I’m still looking for an answer to that last question.
I have a mere 40 miles or ish awaiting me on a Friday night, on July 19, over a 12-hour run. And I began asking myself how I was going to do it during my last long run, when I was on mile 11 and roasting under a Sunday sun. I’d still have a 50K to go! There’s no way I could do that today, I thought.
The thing is, we can, and we will. We nearly always accomplish our goal, whether that’s a marathon, a half, our first 14er, a 5K or, ahem, another stupid ultra that will take me 17 hours to finish. If we don’t reach our goal — because sometimes that does happen, especially in, ahem, ultras — we give it a hell of a shot.
How does this happen? Well, there are many reasons, but the best explanation for it is what I call Race Magic.
You can also call this Event Magic, or the Magic of the Montrosity. Maybe I need to work on the exact title. The point, though, is that come race day, we find ourselves willing to rise up to the huge challenges we’ve given ourselves, and sometimes we not only meet them, we crush them.
This is meant to be more of a pep talk than an analysis of a training block, especially because it’s 14er season right now and I hope you’re challenging yourself to get up a big mountain this summer. I’m hoping you save this newsletter for the fall racing season, when many of our best ultras and marathons take place.
But let’s talk for a bit about what helps us tackle our big goals, even when they seem daunting during our training schedules.
• On Wednesdays, We Taper — We taper the rest of the week, too, before our races. We take it easy and let our body heal. A 14er, after all, doesn’t care if you’re sore or tired, so you’d better be fresh. By the time it’s time to race or climb or saunter (as I do for an ultra), your body is ready to go.
• We try to do everything right — The night before a big event, we go to bed early, forgo alcohol, carb and hydrate up and stay fueled. We try to ensure we are at peak performance. Training runs….aren’t exactly that way. I didn’t bring any water or calories on my four-hour long run, and I had half a bowl of cereal for breakfast. I did have coffee, but that, even with cream and sugar, can only take you so far.
• Adrenaline — The slow drip of excitement, encouragement, scenery and hair metal can take you a long way, even all the way to the end.
If you find yourself discouraged during a recent training run, pull yourself out of the slump with the knowledge that if you follow my advice and run sometimes, you will be ready on race day. I promise.
