Have you ever had a crazy idea? Like I am talking about you telling people the idea out loud and they can’t tell if you are joking or not. Well this past September, I had this moment or idea that I brought to life in November.
Returning back to school in September, my friends were all asking about what’s next for me after running my first marathon. I knew I was doing another half however, that is something I have already done before. Also, a huge reason I was doing it was because it was my friend Devon’s first time. So, I didn’t have anything new or exciting planned. However, that all changed once my friend showed me a trail that went over a marathon distance into New York City.
I was planning on doing my first ultra sometime in October however, that didn’t pan out due to my schedule. So, that’s when I came up with this idea to run this trail until I hit the city and 31.1 miles which is considered a 50k. In short, a 50k is considered an ultra marathon. I waited for fall ball to be over so I could start running again. I was telling a bunch of my friends about the idea, they looked at me like “Yeah okay so you are going to do that without any training practically?”
That’s when I answered “Yeah.” Running has taught me many things however, the biggest lesson that I have learned thus far is how it is all mental. If I believed I could do it, then I could. It’s that simple.
I had three weeks to get ready for this insane task. I only did two long runs beforehand. A 15-mile run and a twenty mile run. During those three weeks I had a teammate of mine that chose to join me during this run. That’s also when I had another teammate Chris, who decided to join me as well. However, the only thing is Chris hasn’t ran past three miles. With that said if you ever had the pleasure of meeting my friend Chris. You would know that he is a naturally gifted athlete.
Spoiler Alert, out of the three of us, he was completely fine.
Fast forward to the day.
We were all carb loaded and hydrated. We got to the trail at 7 a.m. and started to run. The first twelve miles was a breeze. To be fair we were not going for time, just completion. So we were going slow around a 10 minute per mile pace. That is when something happened that we did not expect. After twelve miles the trail ended in the Bronx. Realizing we had to navigate our way through the Bronx was definitely a shock to say the least. The Bronx destroyed us as if it was just rolling hills. The constant change in elevation destroyed our legs and hips.
We finally got to a bridge to run across that put us back on track to the city. After a mile out of the Bronx this trail that we were running stopped. So, we had to power hike on rocks under a bridge to get to the next trail. After the power hike of a mile, we made it back on a trail to get to Chelsea Pier.
Twenty plus miles in, the guys and I started to feel it a little. However, we just had one goal in mind. This is where that mental aspect of running comes in. My body was yelling at me to quit and I easily could. However, I can go so much further than I could have ever possibly imagined.
We kept on putting one step in front of the other, we kept on moving. We hit the marathon distance of 26.2 miles in Chelsea Pier. We finally found a vending machine to get fluids since all of the water fountains for whatever reason weren’t working. Realizing we had five more miles to go felt like a relief yet forever.
After Chriss decided to get a burger a marathon in, we started running to Battery Park. Mile by mile I found out what my body was capable of. Also, what I was capable of mentally. Seeing 31.1 miles on my watch felt like the most euphoric feeling in the world. I did something I never thought I could do, which is such an addictive feeling. It was the biggest high in the world.
Sharing those miles with my friends gave me perspective on things I would have never had if I never laced em up. Chase the things that seem impossible and the things that scare you. It will help you grow immensely as a person. So, if you are reading this you may ask. “What is next?”
To answer your question…… I don’t know what’s next, and that’s the fun part.
