Earlier this year, Nick and I scoured Ultrasignup, looking for a competitive 50K that we could work towards. Molly’s Whoo’s in El Moro 25/50K (WIEM) fit the bill: it was relatively close to San Diego (Newport Coast), looked beautiful and, best of all, was competitive–which meant that we would by default have to work on our speed, something that both of us needed to do; Nick, to improve upon his 50-mile and 100-mile races, and…
First thoughts pre-race: Jade: This is awful! I don’t want to start the race stressed about getting there on time! Why didn’t we look up the starting directions last night? I’m cold. It’s cold. It better warm up in the desert. I’m excited! Nick: Damn, this is a way longer drive than I thought. Shit, we’re going to be late to the start. I’ve got no time to stretch. Oh no, my GPS battery is…
Compared to most ultra runners and adventure fiends, I haven’t been running long. In fact, outside of a few 5Ks and 10Ks I ran with my friends during my teens, I’ve been running weird amounts for about as long as I’ve been dating Nick. Yes, I’ve noticed the correlation. Two years ago, I picked Nick up from the Rabbit Peak race he’d just finished. He had promised we would spend the rest of the afternoon hiking,…
*Please note, I originally wrote this post as an assignment for my MFA in Creative Writing. See the original blog post here: http://osucascadesmfa.com This past fall, I ran my first 50-mile race. I may or may not have been influenced by the promise of “You’ll love it!” and “You’ll feel great,” both of which were a draw and an improbable, unimaginable scenario. Can you truly enjoy running 50-miles? Can you learn to enjoy squeezing plastic pockets…