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Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Testament to Fitness

So I ran 31.06 miles Sunday or if you like better, 50 kilometers. I did it in Forrest Park, Queens where the Broadway Ultra Society was holding their annual Kurt Steiner 50K and Metropolitan 50 Miler. I guess it is a testament to my existing fitness that I could just go out and run 50K. I certainly didn’t train for it, as my longest run for the year was 13 miles back on February 4.

I don’t know what possessed me to follow through on doing this race. I guess it really boiled down to the fact that I signed up for it a several weeks previously and my friend Larry was waiting to pick me up in his car at 7am. The fact that I got up in time for it is a miracle since I didn’t get home until after midnight the night before, having gone to my uncle’s 80th birthday party. But Larry was waiting for me brightly at 7am outside my front door and I couldn’t just back down and decide not to go. I at least had to try. The night before while I was at my uncle’s party my wife told me that I should go out and do it. I should at least try or otherwise I would likely be sitting around at home cursing myself for not going. I knew her prediction would be true so I figured I should go and the worst case would be that I’d have a long subway ride home.

I had no plans for how I would do during the race. I was going to be impressed with myself if I got past 3 miles. My biggest concern going into the race was how I would get home if I had to bail out. I couldn’t really focus on the race as my mind was too filled with anxiety over other issues in my life. While running I could at times feel anxiety was over me like a wave in a storm surge battering up the beach. I tried to focus on the running and just let my cares and worries disappear. At times I would feel nothing other than the pounding of my steps at other times I would be filled with worry and just want to quit. I had my friends Larry and Willie with me so every time the worry took hold I just concentrated on keeping pace with them.

The 50K consisted of 10 loops of a slightly longer than 3 mile course. I know runners who hate loop courses, but I don’t mind them. I like their predictability and the metronome type precision that comes with running a steady pace. All I had to do was count off 10 laps on my Polar heart rate monitor and I would be done. The laps ticked off one by one, each the same as the last. The only differences I noticed were in two places where someone didn’t bother to clean up after their dog. Other than that the course appeared unchanged throughout the day. It was heavily overcast all day and rain threatened at any moment, so not even the sun was available to cast different shadows. Occasionally you would see someone new sitting on a park bench.

It was impossible to know who was in front of you and behind you. The course consisted of two loops interconnected by an out and back stretch. You got to see the same runners over and over again. You also had runners doing the 50 miler as well as the 50K. The most interesting part of the race was watching the two front runners for the 50 miler battling it out between each other. They were within 100 yards of each other throughout the entire time I was out there.

Having finished this race in good form, with nothing but the most minor of soreness in my legs, I have confidence in my ability to do the Boston Marathon in just two weeks times. I should also be ok for the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, provided I at least continue to get in a couple of swims per week. It just feels like such a struggle lately.

4 Comments:

Blogger Janice said...

Excellent work on your run. Congratuations for finishing!

8:14 PM  
Blogger Todd Colby said...

Unbelievable! Charles: you da man.

9:02 AM  
Blogger Cris said...

Well...words fail me. I'm suspecting you're built out of ultra-tanium or something. Nice job, mi amigo.

8:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Charles, it was a fine time had by all at the Kurt Steiner 50k. Although you had apprehension, you did well youngman. Over the years you have increased your endurance capacity and only a few months ago you ran the NYC Marathon and the JFK 50 miler, why not run a 50k. You were in the company of some veteran ultra runners that have completed some of the toughest ultras on the globe. Sing a song, clap your hands and you will always finish. Great job--

4:20 PM  

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