A World Without Races
Well. Hi guys... I’ve never written a blog before, so here goes nothing.
For starters, I simply want to connect with other runners. Let’s go for a run, let’s chat and connect, let’s be vulnerable, real and share all the things! Let’s encourage others to get out there!
But there’s something else I need to get off my chest…
It’s been a crazy year, obviously. We’re living in a scary, uncertain Covid world right now. Every race has been cancelled or postponed, and honestly it’s left me begging for a goal to train for and something (anything) to be motivated by.
It all began with my DNF at the Leadville 100 last year.
I made it past the hardest parts of the race - up and down Hope pass, twice. But coming through Twin Lakes with literally seconds left on the cut-off clock, I let my mental state dictate the outcome. After a slow and brutal climb to the next aid station, I dropped at mile 65. That outcome was a direct result of under training and inadequate mental preparation. Plus, that altitude is no joke.
Going back a bit, the year following my Pinhoti Slam finish, I was struggling with motivation. I also had some things happening in my personal life that were amazing and wonderful, but definitely stole away from training. After careful reflection, I now know that I could have finished, but I let myself believe I couldn’t. And that’s a hard pill to swallow.
Leadville was my only 100 mile attempt last year, and that void has weighed so heavily on me. I planned on running Hellbender 100 in April, but it got pushed to November. Things got so bad, I was pumped just for the Leadville run camp, then that got cancelled. I was so excited and determined to go back to Colorado in 2020 for redemption, and now that can’t happen.
I don’t want all my training and all my miles to go to waste. So, I’ve made a new plan.
In October, I will be making an attempt at the Pinhoti FKT.
This plan is so scary to me, it sounds crazy. Which I guess makes it a great motivator. Just a few weeks ago, when I came up with the idea, the previous record was set 10 years ago.
Literally, the morning after I made up my mind, I woke up to news that someone (Caleb Yawn) was CURRENTLY on the Pinhoti going for a new FKT! And he was in his final push. Wait. What?? Someone is already doing it??
And he did it. He crushed it actually. Making it a really tough standard to go after. So, now I have my motivation and my new goal. I’m gonna try to beat the record. I’m going to run 350 miles, from Alabama to Georgia, in 5 days.
I legitimately might fail.
So here I am. I have a website. I’m blogging - what?? I’ve never done this before and quite frankly I don’t know what I’m doing. But I need some accountability. And I want you to do that for me. In return, I’ll be your accountability partner too! Trying to set the Pinhoti FKT gives me something to work towards in a world without races. So follow along and see what happens.
