Believe
This is it! Tomorrow at this time I'll be running Canyons 50K, by far the hardest race I've attempted. I've gone through all of the emotions this week from scared to excited, but now I've settled at anxious to get going and to see those trails. It's time to believe in myself and in my training - the training cycle was awesome and I'm as ready as I'll ever be!
I had a great talk with Coach Jenny this week where I said one of my big fears is that I've never been out on a course for 9 to 10 hours before. What happens to my body after 7 hours? Her response made total sense: you're never out there that long until you are. For a marathon, we train to 20 miles or so and don't generally run 26 miles until race day. For a 50K, we train to about the marathon distance and don't do 31 miles until race day. This isn't any different, the training will extrapolate.
Trust. Believe.
I also read a very timely blog post from my friend, Erin, that really spoke to me. It's as if she knew I needed to hear her words today. The biggest takeaway from the post was this quote:
"Simply stated: in running — as in basically every other area of life — you don’t know what you can or can’t do unless you (give yourself the permission to) try."
Am I capable of the difficult Canyons 50K course? I believe I am. But I definitely won't know if I don't give myself the permission to go after it.
I'm starting with yes.
Last, I was inspired by an UltraRunner podcast episode I listened to on my commute yesterday called Mojo, Motivation, and Burnout. The guest and therapist, Drew, mentioned having the 'it factor' - something that drives you in a different way than run times or age places. My 'it factor' is how much I love being out on the trails. I'm like a kid in a candy store when I get to explore new trails, which is exactly what I get to do all day tomorrow! My 'it factor' is what I need to come back to when the race gets tough and I feel like I can't keep going.
I trail run because I love it, and I'm lucky that I'm able to do it.
Whatever happens tomorrow, the training journey has been fun and I have no regrets. I'm going after Canyons 50K and looking for a finish. I'm choosing to believe.
I had a great talk with Coach Jenny this week where I said one of my big fears is that I've never been out on a course for 9 to 10 hours before. What happens to my body after 7 hours? Her response made total sense: you're never out there that long until you are. For a marathon, we train to 20 miles or so and don't generally run 26 miles until race day. For a 50K, we train to about the marathon distance and don't do 31 miles until race day. This isn't any different, the training will extrapolate.
Trust. Believe.
 |
| Reflecting on favorite routes during taper. |
I also read a very timely blog post from my friend, Erin, that really spoke to me. It's as if she knew I needed to hear her words today. The biggest takeaway from the post was this quote:
"Simply stated: in running — as in basically every other area of life — you don’t know what you can or can’t do unless you (give yourself the permission to) try."
Am I capable of the difficult Canyons 50K course? I believe I am. But I definitely won't know if I don't give myself the permission to go after it.
I'm starting with yes.
 |
| Paved part of the Bay trail through Shoreline Park. |
Last, I was inspired by an UltraRunner podcast episode I listened to on my commute yesterday called Mojo, Motivation, and Burnout. The guest and therapist, Drew, mentioned having the 'it factor' - something that drives you in a different way than run times or age places. My 'it factor' is how much I love being out on the trails. I'm like a kid in a candy store when I get to explore new trails, which is exactly what I get to do all day tomorrow! My 'it factor' is what I need to come back to when the race gets tough and I feel like I can't keep going.
I trail run because I love it, and I'm lucky that I'm able to do it.
Whatever happens tomorrow, the training journey has been fun and I have no regrets. I'm going after Canyons 50K and looking for a finish. I'm choosing to believe.
GOOD LUCK!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I didn't get to reply before the race, but want you to know how much I appreciate the support!
DeleteYou got this, girl! You're strong enough and you've done the training! I agree with Jenny, believe in the process....
ReplyDeleteI didn't get to reply before the race, but thank you so much! I really appreciated reading these before the race!
DeleteBest way to spend the day!
ReplyDeleteYes it really was! Such a beautiful location.
DeleteWell, looks like I"m late to the party! I hope it went well and I look forward to your recap!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It went really well - trying to get the recap up soon! :)
DeleteBest of luck! Sending you so much good juju!
ReplyDelete