Saturday, October 27, 2007

A Number Not A Name

I competed in, and completed, a 50k run today. That works out to 31 miles for those who, like me, are kilometer-challenged.

Actually, it was 3 races in one. A 50 miler. A 50k. And a marathon. You could tell who was who because we had different colored numbers pinned to our bodies.

I'm sore.

I've done this event twice before, and this was my best time so far: 6 hours, and 6 minutes.

It was in the 50s (F) and overcast and windy. Conditions must have been favorable, because a guy set the American record for 50 miles.

Because I'm too tired to come up with my own rhyme, I'll finish with a rhyme that was shouted to me on the course by a spectator. Her words were probably true when she uttered them, at mile 21. At mile 31, the story was different.

She addressed me by my race number:

"98,
You're looking great."

I replied, "Hey, that rhymes!", and she laughed.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOw! Amazing John! So, tell me... do you run non-stop for 6 hours or 31 miles? I would imagine that that's even physically impossible. But apparently not!

John Enright said...

There are people who can run non-stop for the distance. I did not manage it. I ran most of the way, stopping mainly for "aid stations," - i.e., food and beverage stops. But towards the end, after mile 22, I started walking a bit, and the last mile was pure walking - I couldn't run anymore.