By SZ

The whole running thing started as a way of kicking it with a friend.

Years had gone by before I picked up another active lifestyle. I hadn’t picked up a sport since wrestling and that made me non-vegetarian. This time, I took a crack at a proper diet with exercise. Started at 2 miles eventually getting talked into 13.1. Mind you, telling mile-long stories is now a hobbie.  

This new operating level came with unknown limits. I thought to myself, I should take it easy. So, let us run a 15-mile desert trail relay race. Simple. Get to running 15 miles straight on a dirt gravel rocky unpaved shit trail. That should equate to doing partial loops over a day gradually reaching 16. Simple.

Or so I thought.

Race day came and we finally met the team. We were all camping in the middle of the desert. Even the moon was out. A perfect scene and we started the race.

Lap 1. Yellow loop. Went without a hitch. No kankles. WoooO.

Lap 2. Green loop. This loop was different. The night air was crisp. I could hear all sides of me. I knew nature was watching. And I was bound to give her a show. Footsteps were gaining on me but I refused to turn around. I knew this would lead to a loss. I press forward. No fucks given about energy levels or pace. I had one shortsighted goal. Win the imaginary battle with a person I had not seen…  Do not let that person pass.

I won the battle. My time placed me at the top of my group’s set. But there was still 1 more lap.

Lap 3. Red loop. The hardest loop of the set and I am running it at 4 AM. No worries 6 miles will flash by. I get through mile 3 and my body quit. My pace was my reg walk, which is always less than slow. I’m at the halfway mark. My friend knows my pace and wont be too concerned until I traverse another 1.5 miles later.

There is no turning back. There is only putting one foot in front of the other. I tried everything, ate my energy bar, drank water, but nothing was working. I burnt out. I succumbed to my ego and washed over my training. The price was my body. It quit. I hit my limit.

Won’t happen again but limits are endless.

Worst Best part is you can only find limits when you are at risk.  

Place your bets. How long will it take me to finish a marathon?

UPDATE:

It took 5:10:49 and I raised over 700$ however, with Covid-19, I am keeping some space with my little since he and his fam are highly at risk. SZ