The Journey to a 50K -- and More to Come

Have you ever thought how much better, faster, farther, stronger or greater you could have been if only you had done something differently?

If only ...

If only ...

If only ...

That is what has crossed my mind a few times now. But that is not to diminish what I achieved over the weekend. I accomplished a goal of running a 50K -- 31.1 miles to be exact and then some -- at the Run Under the Stars 10-Hour Endurance Run held June 7-8 at Carson Park in Paducah, Kentucky. I am now an ultramarathoner!

My longest training run was 12 miles, so put an extra 19 miles and some change on top of that and see the damage that can do to the body. But if only I had more long runs, I could have ran farther.

If only I had hydrated better, I could have ran more.

If only I had stretched more often, I could have ran a few miles more.

If only I had consumed more calories throughout the night, I would have ran farther.

If only I had done something -- anything -- differently, I would have reached 50 miles.

Yes, yes, I know -- the if onlys need to stop. What I accomplished over the weekend was no easy feat, especially for someone like me who suffers from low confidence. I long always have had a can-do attitude for others but rarely have had the same for myself.

Remarkably, I am not in much pain. I credit that to knowing how to recover, something my triathlete husband Russ has taught me well. Sure, my quads hurt, but after lots of resting, rolling, stretching and hot tubbing (I had to be consistent in my gerund use.), I feel like I can go outside and run a couple of miles. However, I promised myself a week of rest before I start training Monday, June 16 for the St. George Marathon, Oct. 4 in Utah. Tomorrow, however, I am swimming and cannot wait to get in the water.

I ran the entire 50K on a half-mile horse track that consists of soft-crushed gravel. For 10 hours, from Saturday night until early Sunday morning, more than 200 people ran around this flat track in the same direction. This means the same muscle groups in the legs are used, and such constant repetition is hard on the body.

At the start of my journey to a 50K, I was doing quite well. At mile 7, I stopped to see my husband who was promoting his Murray Transition Massage business and offering free services to runners throughout the night so that he could stretch me and work on my legs. I thought if I did this every 6 or 7 miles, I would be in fantastic shape.

The problem came after mile 14. I wanted to stop in to see him, but he was working on someone.

"I will come around next lap," I yelled at him.

"OK. See you in a bit," he said.

The next lap, he was working on someone else. I figured I would just go another lap. When I came back around, he was working on a different person and had someone else waiting. Next lap, he had two people waiting. The next time I saw him, there were four or five in a line, with a couple more sitting in the chairs we brought. Good for him, bad for me.

Sometime after mile 14, I started a ratio of running two laps, walking a lap. At mile 17, with Russ still working on other runners, I finally decided to at least get the stick roller and roll my legs. That helped a lot. Russ had to remind me to eat and drink. I always have been bad at not taking in enough nutrients.

When I reached 20 miles, I was ecstatic but getting slower. By this time, I was running one lap, walking two. Only 11 miles and some change were left. Then at the near-marathon mark of 26 miles, my mind and body began to fight.

"Come on, Mel. You can do this! Only 5 miles left," my mind said.

"Why do you really want a 50K? For the sticker?" my body countered. "A marathon is good enough. We can end this right now, go home and go to bed."

My husband later asked me if I ever thought of throwing in the towel. I said that I came close to giving in, to letting my mind shut down. But something kept me going. I like to think my mind is getting stronger, that I am building mental power. There's more to it than that.

After nearly nine hours, I had three laps left to a 50K. My poor husband, who had put in a hard training day and worked on runners all night, was asleep in the chair. I gently awoke him to let him know I had three laps left if he wanted to start dismantling everything so we could go home.

During those last three laps, I talked to God, something I have been doing more and more in my Christian walk. Without Him, my goal would not have been possible. He is how I got to those last three laps. We can't do things by ourselves. Our talents, gifts, skills, abilities and goals are not just ours; they are God's, too.

With less than a quarter of a mile, Russ met me to walk to the finish line. It was our victory walk. In the almost six years I have been married to him, those steps together were the best ones taken.

My medal and bib number will be displayed proudly on my office wall. It will be a constant reminder that I can do anything.

It took me 9 hours, 12 minutes and 16 seconds to travel 31.5 miles on my feet. I placed 107th overall out of 191 running and walking enthusiasts.

Today, I am rejoicing still at my accomplishment. I am going to the local running store today to buy that "ultra" or "50K" vehicle decal, or both. On the back of my SUV, I only have three stickers -- "5K," "I (heart) running" and "I (heart) to tri." I have done every distance from 5K to 50K. But there was a time when I groaned at anything past a 5K. I have mentioned this in previous posts, but distance running was not my friend during the year of my doctoral dissertation. That whole dissertation process hurt me mentally. I thought I wasn't smart enough to tackle this, a crippling belief that transcended into my running. I wasn't good enough for anything past a 5K -- and I was content with that. Not anymore.

Now that I am working hard in a tenure-track faculty position, I have re-embraced distance running. I thought about a lot of things going around and around on that track. Funny, because during my long runs, I thought about a lot of things, too. All this running is helping me to think through my research, take my mind off the pain in my legs and just run.

This is not my last ultra. There will be a 50-mile and 100-mile run in mid-November at Tunnel Hill. I am considering the 50-mile option. I do have a goal of running 100 miles, but I want to do this wisely. I know I can do 50 miles, but the St. George Marathon in early October is my priority. Let's just say I am not discounting the idea.

What I enjoy the most at this present moment is the idea, the belief, the attitude -- my faith -- in knowing that I am capable of doing anything. And I am never alone in my pursuits.