{"id":5561,"date":"2009-10-08T16:42:33","date_gmt":"2009-10-08T20:42:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nomeatathlete.com\/?p=5561"},"modified":"2019-11-13T10:56:10","modified_gmt":"2019-11-13T15:56:10","slug":"bitten-by-the-ultra-bug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nomeatathlete.com\/bitten-by-the-ultra-bug\/","title":{"rendered":"Bitten by the Ultra-Bug"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nifty Fifty (Miles)<\/h2>\n

I know what I want to do next.\u00a0 Run 50 miles.<\/p>\n

\"WoodedPerhaps the most exciting thing about qualifying for Boston<\/a> is — well, that I don’t have to do it anymore.\u00a0 I don’t mean I’m happy that I can sit on the couch and eat potato chips now, though I have done quite a bit of that this week as a little break and reward.\u00a0 (Replace “potato chips” with “coffee, wine, and pizza” to get a more accurate picture.)<\/p>\n

No, fun as that may be for a week or so, what I mean is that now I am free to choose something new to go after.\u00a0 Not because I love running<\/a> so much, but because I’m discovering what I kind of already knew — I need to have the next big, scary thing on the horizon.\u00a0 For seven years, the goal of qualifying for Boston was the guiding light in my fitness life, and now that’s gone.<\/p>\n

A lot of people have suggested taking a break, slowing down to enjoy the anticipation of our first child.\u00a0 The problem is that “maintenance” doesn’t work for me.\u00a0 Sure, I could get on with my life without setting some crazy fitness goal.\u00a0 But without one, I wouldn’t be me.<\/p>\n

I know because I’ve tried it before.\u00a0 If I’m not training for something, here’s what happens:\u00a0 I don’t run.\u00a0 I don’t eat well.\u00a0 And I most certainly do not inspire.<\/p>\n

A three-hour marathon (a time with a “2” in front!) is something that I’d love to do.\u00a0 And since my 3:10 marathon last weekend was over ten minutes faster than my previous best, I think I could do it.\u00a0 But taking more time off my best doesn’t excite me right now; I need something completely different.<\/p>\n

A triathlon is also on my list; I’m especially intrigued by the Ironman distance.\u00a0 (I always pick the easy stuff, huh?)\u00a0 But that’s too far off right now.\u00a0 I can barely swim and I don’t own a roadbike.\u00a0 I’d have to work my way up through the shorter distances, and right now the idea just doesn’t inspire me like it would need to for me to work that hard.<\/p>\n

But 50 miles, now that sounds like fun.\u00a0 When I started running marathons, I didn’t even realize that people ran that distance.\u00a0 When I first read about it, I thought it was a typo intended to say “50K.”\u00a0 Not to mention 100+ milers, but let’s not go there (yet).<\/p>\n

50 miles lights my fire.\u00a0 And for precisely the above reason: there was a time when it was inconceivable.\u00a0 For me, that’s what it’s about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nifty Fifty (Miles) I know what I want to do next.\u00a0 Run 50 miles. Perhaps the most exciting thing about qualifying for Boston is — well, that I don’t have to do it anymore.\u00a0 I don’t mean I’m happy that I can sit on the couch and eat potato chips now, though I have done […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":5567,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5561","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-motivation","8":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDeciding to Run an Ultramarathon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" 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