Top 10 Things I Have Learned From the Beast

10.    If you talk about quitting.  You will find a way to quit.  Banish those negative thoughts immediately.  They are toxic.  If you let them fester, they will get bigger than they need to be.

9.  Things can and do change.  Mother Nature will assure that is true.   She likes to mix things up and get creative.  You can handle it.

8.  Its good  to slow down and talk to a friend.  It can lift your mood, help you laugh, get out of your head, and generally feel loved.  I highly recommend it.

7.  The Erie Canal is beautiful.   I've seen it under blizzard conditions, in rain, wind, hail, oppressive heat.  It is still gorgeous.  No matter what is happening to your outside, it's good to look around...it will help you focus your inside.

6.  The Beast has the worst two-miles of ultra running:   you can see your friends...they are having fun, and you get to trudge through a wind tunnel, past three bridges (one of which seems to never get any closer) and roll the dice that you won't  have to wait for the lock bridge to raise and lower.  It's ok.  You will get where you are going.  It will be worth it.

5.  You must learn to deal with the dark.  It gets dark in every way possible.  It is the time when most people drop.   If something is hidden in the back of your mind, it will come forward.   Put your head down and push through.   If you work it right, you'll discover an insight you might've missed otherwise.

4.  The mile markers will mess with your head.  Some run long.  Some run short.  The total mileage works out, and you still have to cover every step.   Don't sweat it...that's the small stuff.

3.  You might have to rally several times.  Each time gets harder.  It can be done.  Be kind to you.

2.  It never gets easier.  If you want a sport you'll always get better at, this is not it.   You're going to get knocked on your butt.  Get up.  You can do it.

1.  There is nothing like a Beast finish.  Thank you my friends, for always being there for me.

Thanks Dan for the picture!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mendon Ponds 50k Race Report

My day started early.  5:30 am to be exact.  My husband's extreme dislike of Saturday morning alarm clocks resulted in a literal  kick in the butt that got me moving.  It's time to race.  I know this drill:  re-think what I'm going to wear, put the things in my pockets that I ALWAYS forget,  grab my running backpack, ultra tackle box, breakfast and head out the door.  I'll use the drive time to fine tune my race strategy and supply needs. I arrive 20 minutes before the start.  I see hills and frost, better get the gloves and the light coat.  I grab my timing chip and race number and huddle at the start.  I scan the field.  No newbie's here.  People know each other, they are in mis-matched clothing, and they are lean.   Many wear shirts from the Sehgahunda trail marathon.  One lady said it was tougher than Ironman.  I make a mental note, I'm running Sehgahunda. Without fanfare, the race director tells us the trail is being run in reverse direction, reminds
Read more

Phunt 50k 2021

 It is amazing to me that my last blog entry was Phunt 50k from last year.   Although, I have run multiple ultras this past year, allowing me to surpass my 100th all time ultra-distance, I have not been moved to blog.   But, then, there is Phunt.   This is a race like no other, even in the virtual world.  You see, I was driving to Phunt on the day my brother passed away.  I've always felt a kindred connection between this race and Rick, and the prevalence of PBR on the swag, only deepens that connection. Phunt was my litmus.   I came back last year and ran with all my heart.   I ran for me.  I ran for time.  I ran for the adventure.   What I didn't know, was that I was running in-person for the last time.   For the race this year, which was virtual, I toed the line of my one mile cemetery loop.  This loop and I have become quite close this year.  On Saturday, I ran around that dang thing 31 times.  It took me nearly 7 hours and I used my car as my personal aid station.     I
Read more

My Life as a Dirty Girl

            100 miles.  The first time I attempted the distance, I left the course with kidney stones after 55 miles.  The first time I wanted to quit running all together was on the Dirty Girl course last year.  I completed an ultra there, but got lost and defeated.  “This is stupid.” I told my friends.  I was going to put away my running shoes and move on to other things. Three wonderful people gently coaxed me back.  (Thank you Roger, Kris and Denise)  I decided to take my two biggest running defeats and make the Dirty Girl my first 100-mile race.          The race got in my head.  I trained rigorously.  I was consumed by it during the weeks leading up to it.  I’d gone 75 on a nice flat course, but this would be different.  Roger describes it perfectly “ I hate the Dirty Girl course. It just goes up, down, left, right constant switchbacks and single track. It's was tough for me to get in the groove last year. No long stretches to put it in cruise.”          Before the race
Read more