Running, Finding the Edge, & Being Reported Missing
Previously, on Lost
A large, brown SUV pulled up next to me while I was running on a cold, rainy night in the mountains of Alabama.
“We’re with the Mt. Cheaha Forest Rangers, and you fit the description of someone who’s been reported missing.”
2 parts pain for every 1 part fear & 1 part delusional. 50 miles & 12+ hours of running lost & injured through river crossings, thorny thickets, and wet, bald rock turned me into a cocktail of aching nonsense. I tried to lighten the mood. “Couldn’t have been that hard to find a Black guy running through the woods.”
I hopped into the truck. We laughed and joked around for the next minute and a half as we drove a quarter mile back to the mountain gift store. “Glad we found you when we did. We were preparing a 20 mile expedition into the woods.”
The cramps and cold contorted my walk into a hideous hobble. I stumbled to the waiting area to watch Matlock and drink actual water (opposed to the nasty runner’s formula I’d sucked down all day) while waiting for my running buddy to pick me up. The whole ride home, all I could think about was how I’d do the run next time. My addiction to the edge is the stuff of abusive relationships.
If You Want To Go There
If you think there’s some sort of catharsis in putting your body against its physical limits, consult a therapist. If the therapist couldn’t talk you out of it, read on.
Ultra running has existed for hundreds of thousands of years under a different name, “Grabbing lunch.” Humans, with our cool, hairless bodies, and yes, powerful butts, are more suited to running long distances than almost any creature on earth. We used this ability to run prey into exhaustion, moving in for an easy kill when the prey could no longer endure.
It’s not a stretch to awaken this ancient hunter sleeping inside you. The farthest I’ve run so far is 50 miles, but in 79 days, 2 hours, and 20 minutes, I intend to double it for the Lake Martin 100.
I’ll be posting my strategies, tips, wins, and losses, which should be helpful to folks looking into their first marathons and ultras with less than 3 months to prepare.
Not counting weekend long runs, I’ve promised myself 6 to 10 trail miles per day, and midnight is approaching fast. That leads to my first tip —
Running late at night on trails is bizarre, but so is success in general. If you’ve committed to running a 50k or beyond, people will already think you’re weird. Don’t be shy about what you’re doing, and fly that freak flag high… because honestly, you’re not fooling anyone anyway.
