Yeah so, I am officially signed up for the Wild West Relay team I was considering joining. My crazy, endurance-mad coworker (who I will not name, but if you know me and happen to know who he is, you know he is an awesome but crazy-ultra-man who does things like 24-hour ski-race UP mountains and such) talked me and a couple of others into it...and $133 later, I am officially running slot 12 of the 200-mile race from Ft. Collins to Steamboat Springs on August 7-8. WTF I am thinking, I don't know.
Ultra running has always sounded so ridiculously ridiculous to me, yet by the time I got to the end of reading Born to Run, it had begun to sound completely and utterly natural. A measly 26.2 miles is chump change compared to 125 miles through Death Valley in the summer. Or running down a deer, you know, for dinner or a midday snack. So obviously, it was in the wake of finishing this book that I fell prey to my convincing coworker and decided that the Wild West race was small fries and that I was totally(!) up(!) for(!) it(!!).
Now after a week of 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 12th guessing my decision, I'm not so sure (too late, sister, you already paid and the team is counting on you)...I don't do well without out enough sleep...this is 24 hours in a van with 4 strangers...minimal sleep...no showers...sweaty feet...random food choices...limited bathroom facilities, and what if I don't like my van-mates? That's a lot of hours in a small metal box, with sweaty bodies, if they are annoying...
I'm sure they will be fine and it will turn out to be great fun; my slot is actually only about 13 miles total (3-5-5), it's rated a level "3" on a scale of 1-12, so it is well within my abilities. I bet I'll enjoy it in the end. And if not, hey at least I tried and I have a good excuse to get out of it next year.
I bet the relay will be really fun - except for the smelly van part. But it's all part of the experience!
ReplyDeleteHey cool! This will be fun.
ReplyDeleteLots of running with great scenery... fun.
ReplyDeleteLack of sleep with sweaty strangers... not so much fun.
But the coworker is not a stranger. So, if this race really bites will it carry over and create a hostile work environment? Are you in a supervisory position where you can really make his life hell?
WTF were you thinking? Your race calendar looks full to me already! I guess I should pick up a copy of Born to Run and get inspired.
I hope you cross the finish line with a big smile because of all the fun you had!
OMG, that's SO COOL! I've been kicking aruond the idea of Market to Market this fall, but I don't know if I can sit in a van for 12 hours. 200 miles around Colorado sounds amazing. Can't wait to hear all about it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the biggest turn off to ultra racing for me is the lack of sleep. Lots of running sounds nice. Being sweaty, whatever, that's fine too. No sleep? Blah! This girl needs her sleep!
ReplyDeleteI bet it will be lots of fun though, and you'll have war stories to share!