My First Ultra: 50k Dream to Reality

Two years ago I sat at my son’s baseball practice with a magazine in hand. It was the newest edition of Runners World magazine; a special trail edition at that. I had recently started reading this magazine and was totally enthralled at all it had to offer. I simply couldn’t get enough of reading into other people’s running adventures, mis-haps, and accomplishments that were very much like mine. As I got into my reading, I came across articles written about ultra-running, and it seemed like something that was so foreign to me, because it was. Here I was, just a running girl who ran 3 – 4 miles at a time.I had never even run a race. I was no ultra runner, but I wanted to be. I wanted something that seemed so unacheivable. I hardly knew anyone that loved to run, much less anyone crazy enough to run hours upon hours in the mountains. I could not relate. So there I sat that day dreaming of what it would be like to be an ultra runner. To me, these people were like rock stars, running the ultimate race.

Since that day, I dreamt of running an ultra.

It’s funny how in such a short period of time, so many things can change. Things that you didn’t think were at all possible suddenly seem within reach.

Deep in me I knew that running an ultra-marathon was something I was going to do, but it was going to take work. I put that thought on the back burner and ran like I always did. Little by little. Then I started running farther and farther. I became a different runner. I no longer was the runner who ran fast, (well kind of fast) all the time. I was the runner who slowed down to appreciate the run. I was the runner who wanted to spend the entire day running. I wanted to see how far across town I could run. I wanted to explore new ways to find my way home. I wanted to get lost running. I wanted to get lost in my running. So I did.

Still on the back burner sat my dream. It was time to make it real. I made a goal for myself that I was going to run my first ultra by the time I turned thirty. Why wait?

In two days, let me repeat that. In two days, I will be running my first ultra. I have trained explored countless hours. I have discovered new places to go. I have run this race in my sleep. I have cried over this race. I have made amazing friends because of this race. I have changed my eating habits because of this race. I have become overwhelmed with joy because of this race. This is my race.

Is it really all about the race? No. It’s the fact that I had a goal, a dream, and I made it a reality. Hard work pays off. I worked my ass off for this and found myself along the way. In two days I will be able to say I worked for something and did it. It’s going to be a crazy emotional day for me with good reason.

50k-dom, here I come!