Too early?!

Last night, I sent a friend a text message asking if she wanted to run the next morning. She responded, with a sigh, that she couldnt because she had a meeting at 8:30 in the morning. I stared at the text message in disbelief. I had even volunteered to meet her at her house, as opposed to our normal meeting spot by the lake which requires her to bike two miles each way. As far as I was concerned, needing to be somewhere at 8:30 am did not preclude her from running. There were dozens of times where I needed to be somewhere at 8 am, but just got up earlier to run. Needless to say, I was flabbergasted!*

Then I had an epiphany. Its me not her. I realized that my friend is no lazy or unmotivated, but that I am crazy. I am addicted to running. Its hard for me to grasp starting my day without (at least) a 5 mile run. While I do enjoy sleep and love my bed, I generally function better with an hour less of sleep and a five mile run. It has finally sunk in - this is not normal.

* It was supposed to be 30 degrees the next morning. If she had said it was too cold to run, I would have acquiesced. While I have a hard time wrapping my head around "too early," I understand that sometimes its just too cold to run outside.

Pappa don't preach...

I called my Dad last night to tell him that I was planning to run a 50k in March. For the first time in my thirty years, he didn't offer gushing support for my new challenge. The conversation went like this:

Dad: So, do you have a spring marathon picked out?
Me: Actually, I have decided to do a 50k.
awkward silence
Dad: 50K... that is longer than a marathon.
Me: Yes - 31 glorious miles! Technically, its an Ultra!
Dad: Are you sure this a good idea? You always say that the last four miles of the marathon are the hardest.   Also, you didn't look so good after New York and you ended up in the medical tent after Boston. Do you really think you can run 31 miles?
 awkward silence
Me: Um...  Well, its a trail race. This is very different. You go slowly...
Dad: (interrupting me) Well has Shelly done this? What does he think of this idea?
Me: He has done lots of trail running, but never a 50k. But, he thinks its a great idea and volunteered to be my support crew!*
Silence with sound of cocktail being gulped 
Dad: OK. Well good luck with training and let me know how it goes. Make sure you eat - ALOT.
Me: Right! Speaking of which, I need to have dinner.

I am absolutely flabbergasted that my dad questions my ability to complete  a 50k.Good thing he raised me well and taught me to never listen to naysayers!


* Technically, I informed Shelly that he would be my support crew and that his responsibilities would include opening the bottle of champagne for me when I finished and carrying my back to the car.

I declare...

I am training for a 50k trail race. That's right: 31.0686 miles of dirt, rocks, trees, bugs, sweat, and blood. Its going to be awesome. A rational person would ask why I want to run 31 miles, when I've always said that the last four miles of any marathon are hellish. I have five reasons why (one for each additional mile):

1. I need a new experience and a BIGGER challenge. I know I can run 26 miles. I miss the nervous excitement about doing spectacular for the first time.
2. Trail runs usually start after sunrise. By training for a trail race, I get to sleep in on the weekends!
3. I heard they handout m&ms at the aid stations. Real m&ms are better than chocolate Gu. (If they have oatmeal raisin cookies, 50k may turn into a 100k as I do more loops past the aid station!)
4. After running for 31 miles, 26 should be a piece of cake. I will never b*itch about the last four miles of a marathon again...
5."Crazy explains so much"

Over the next three months, I will chronicle my training experience on this blog. My suffering shall be your amusement.