On Saturday, I participated in a looped race. The "Wonderfully Wicked Woolastook Whopping," and yes I did have to go look up the full name on the event page. We ran the same 6k route, every hour... and the "finish" was 12 loops. (12 hours) That last loop was then a race. If you finished all 12 loops, you could get a 72k day in on the trails. Rewind 2 months... I had just finished my first 50k ultra distance. So, my "realistic goal" going into this race was to get over the 50k mark, to hit my longest distance. But, my "goal I wasn't saying out-loud" was to finishing all 12 loops.
I say "the goal I wasn't saying out-loud" because sometimes I don't set an actual goal/voice my goal because I don't want to fail, and not hit that amount. I freak myself out with the pressure of "what if I can't do that," so I keep those goals to myself so no one will see me fail. But, I think we need to have those times of not hitting the mark to be able to see the winning in what we DID accomplish. I ended up finishing 10 loops, of the 12, for a total distance of 60k. Why in the world would I see that as a failure? Yes, I did not finish the full 12 loops, but I also crushed my longest distance, and learned so much about fuelling for a full day in the trails. (WIN: I felt extremely strong nutrition wise!)
Because we all start together on the start line every hour... along the way, you end up running with different people every loop. This was my happy place. I had the chance to talk with runners from all over the area. One conversation, on loop 8, was with a man who was also crushing his longest distance. He was feeling the leg pains that I was feeling at that point. He was saying how hard it is in the sport of running to not piggy-back on someone else's goals, but actually focus on yourself. Because running is such an individual sport, every single person is at a different place in their journey/training. Comparison can really take the joy out of the sport, and cause feeling of failure when we really should be celebrating. That was just the conversation I needed on that loop to focus in on what my body was saying.
Yes, sometimes I just need to be told that I can keep going. Because I have more in me. On loop 7 I was starting to feel it in my legs, and Mark pushed me to get to the start line again. Because he knew there was more in me, which obviously he was right ;) But, I caught myself saying that I "just" ran the 10 loops, and not the 12. That is not "just" 10 loops. That is a number to celebrate. I ran 60k, and enjoyed it! Some of my trail ladies will know that I immediately correct them now when they say they ran "just" *insert running distance*. As a runner, it is important to focus in on what your goals are, and work at your speed. I loved hearing that reminder from my friend on the trail that day. My hips were giving me major issues on loop 8 & 9, so I knew that loop 10 was going to be it for me. But, I finished feeling accomplished, because that was a huge push for me. I gave all that I had left in my legs on the trail, and I know what I need to do for training to keep building up my distances for my 100k next summer.
Major learning moment for Ultra-Marathon number 2: Allow people to push you... and challenge you... but at the end of the day, don't let that turn into comparison of other people's goals. Your goals are yours, and that's where the true celebration can be experienced.
Comments