On the last day in July I ran the San Francisco Marathon. It was my sixth marathon, and my least favorite course. Somewhere along the route, probably during one of the endless loops they sent us on to gain incremental mileage, I found myself thinking of what else I might do to appease the gods of endurance, who beckon to me regularly for reasons that are either inspiring or crazy: I have a soft spot for endurance. I have nothing but perfect respect for people who push themselves beyond the expected. Not in ways that are irresponsible and bizarre and fueled by adrenaline; I'm no yahoo. More like in ways that push the limits of what you can expect your body to do in one day, efforts that are fueled by training and practice and a desire to just keep going.
At the race expo the day before, I'd picked up my race packet, which included the usual assortment of coupons for sports drinks and Jelly Belly samplers and brochures for upcoming marathons, triathlons, and such. One brochure caught my eye: an advertisement for something called the Tahoe Triple. Three days. Three marathons. A circumnavigation of Lake Tahoe, all on foot.
Well, that's nuts. Technically, that's "ultra," which is how running events that are longer than a marathon, even if the distance is gained over days, are categorized. Given the timing - the event takes place on October 6-8, which is awfully soon after my SF marathon run - it's probably not the best idea. The fact that I've never run an event anything like this makes it an even shakier idea. And yet...the gods of endurance poked down at me, knowingly, when I read about the race. Somewhere during the boring miles of the SF marathon, the idea lodged, and stuck. Two weeks later, I signed up. I'm now "in training" for the event, even though I have a knee-bucklingly minimal sense of what I'm doing.
And so begins the countdown to the Big Day(s), and my training journal. Three marathons. Three days. Holy crap. I can't help but think I'm sunk. But I can't help but be curious how I'm going to manage this one. Stay tuned.
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