So I’m into week 8 of my 12-week training program, and I’ve added running to the regimen for my cardio training. This is a head-on challenge for me, and a direct jump up to hitting one of my big goals: running a mile without stopping. Half of the training time so far has been getting myself ready and training my joints ‘n stuff for running. And now’s the main event.
How’s it going? Awesome. AND hear more about the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard about in the history of human endurance, after the jump.
My legs are holding out great, even though I’ve been taking it easy this past first week of run training. As of tonight, I cranked the treadmill up even faster. And even though part of our interval training, allows the room to walk in between minutes of high intensity running, I chose to continue running and just change the speed of that from, pretty fast to real fast. And I could hold out. Even faster from Thursday, and TONS faster from last Tuesday. But I knew I could go faster then, I was just staying safe with my legs.
This is all REALLY encouraging and exciting for me, as being able to breathe while running was one of my big hurdles pre-training. And as I’ve written before, I’ve really wanted to run a lot in the past years. Even had dreams of just running, but my lungs and tendons gave out before I could get to that state. But now, I’m really getting back there. I pushed myself just far enough and just fast enough to get my lungs to start burning, but I knew I could keep going. So I’m hopeful. And already I traveled about two miles tonight. If I can get used to running more and more of my minutes, without stopping to rest with walking, I can hit my physical goal of running one mile without stopping, sooner than I expected. I’m feeling really good with it. And there’s a lot of room for improvement here. A lot. Especially considering the development of ultramarathoning.
For those that don’t know about ultramarathoning, I’m gonna let you in on some crazy shit here. Now I’ve already known about ultramarathoning (at minimum, defined as any distance race above 26.2 miles), but I found some EXTRA, no, ULTRA crazy shit this past week about it that BLOWS. MY. MIND. So get ready.
So there are people who COMMONLY participate in 50 mile or 100 mile races. These are like running two or four marathons without stopping, and the often run them threw deserts or cross-country terrain just to make them that much more difficult. Sometimes instead of distances, time-limits are applied, such as 24 hours or 48 hours, and in those settings they are often run on closed-tracks. The world record for a 24 hour ultramarathon is held by Yiannis Kouros of Greece with a distance of 188.590 miles in 1997. What the FUCK?! But, no, the fun does not stop there. Sometimes these races are over multiple days, meaning that you not only are running nauseatingly long distances, but you’re doing them repeatedly for MANY DAYS at a time. And this is where ultramarathoners fall into a completely different breed than the rest of us humans.
We can train for a marathon, and even run them. Even run multiple ones a year. But the physiology of ultramarathoners allow their bodies to take a much more savage beating than the rest of us, and there is little-to-no repercussions. We’re talking people with a training regimen that involves waking up, running a marathon, work, come home, run a marathon, have dinner, play with the kids, run another marathon and go to bed. And that’s just the day-to-day. That’s incredible. There are even stories of guys in training calling pizza places miles down the road, ordering the pizza ahead, to pick it up as they go by and eat all of it while running, for the fuel. Like it AIN’T. NO. THING. Incredible.
So here’s the most goddamn fucked up thing in human endurance I’ve ever heard of. More fucked up than David Blaine holding his breath for 17 minutes. Check it:
The Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. 3100 miles to travel. Race time is 51 days. Average distance is 60.78 miles, every day, FOR 51 DAYS. And here’s the most fucked up part. It takes place in Jamaica, Queens, New York City - not starting in Queens. It all takes place in Jamaica, Queens. On one extended city block. 5649 laps. The block is just over a half mile. FOR 51 FUCKING DAYS.
That is insane. Talk about self-transcendance, that race has got to be about more than just you and your body and your ego for someone to run on that distance.
I’m out.
So what I’m saying is - my running is improving. And for humans, there is a LARGE range for improvement. Hooray for me. Ballard out.