Susan Donnelly Ultramarathon Trail Runner. Motivational Speaker. http://www.susanruns100s.com
3 Ultras in 3 Weekends - How Was It? Date : March 23, 2009
That can only be answered with three (of course!) more questions. What Was The Toughest Part? Without a doubt, all the mileage accumulated on dirt road. Had I been on trails the whole way, it would have been tons easier on my legs. The second most difficult part was the packing, unpacking, and staying organized throughout. I’m still doing that laundry! What Was The Best Part? Seeing my parents, running with old and new friends, exploring a Whitman’s sampler of yummy trails, and testing my imagined limits in a new way. Pacing and running multiples like this is the graduate-level exam in ultras. Why Do It??? The first reason (and easiest answer) is that I wanted to do all three races and couldn’t decide which one to miss. Old Pueblo 50 Mile is beautiful and best of all, I get to see my parents. 3 Days of Syllamo is so unique and crazy and fun, it’s irreplaceable. Oak Mountain 50k is nearby, has real spring weather, and is a sentimental fave since I won it on my birthday way back in the Stone Age. The more honest, though less conventional answer is that turned out to be a sorely needed chance to re-ground after a long, cold, and highly stressful winter. When things creep up on you gradually like that, you don’t always appreciate how badly you need to look at life from a different perspective so you can remember what’s really important and why. One weekend of new perspective in my case would not have lasted. A three-weekend dose seems about right. And once I was on the trail, it also became an opportunity to race totally free, for once, of any nagging little expectations and allow the running to unfold in it’s own way. After all, the only reasonable goal was to finish it all uninjured. Time and place would have been ridiculously stupid things to stress over. So I was truly, absolutely free to relax, flow with the course, and let the outcome be whatever it was going to be. Now that’s the way to race! Bonus Question – What’s Next? A weekend off! Then two 100s back-to-back…
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