18 days into the GVRAT1000k

It started out as a whim. The race director of the Barkley Marathons, Lazarus Lake, had started a virtual race across Tennessee (#GVRAT1000k). Anyone could sign up and participate, unlike the Barkley Marathons where only 40 people from a pool of thousands get picked. It felt like a chance to be included in the circle of wildness that is The Barkley Marathons. And it is.  The challenge is to virtually run or walk 1,021.68 kilometers from one end of Tennessee to the other between May 1st and August 31st. 

To translate that into something more understandable it means running 635 miles in 4 months, or about 36 miles per week, or about 5ish miles a day.  This is nowhere near what I normally run. For the last 4 months I have averaged about 70 miles per month, or about 18 miles per week, give or take. Completing this race will require me to nearly double my current running regimen. 

So, in a heartbeat, at about 11pm on May 1st, I signed up. I logged exactly zero miles on that first day. But I knew I had a 10 miler scheduled for the weekend, so I'd make up those 5 miles. It's always about how to make the numbers work in your favor. While I am feeling good and strong I will log extra miles and bank them for the days when I just can't run, or the weather is hazardous, or we go away (like that'll ever happen, thanks Covid-19).

But it's also about keeping myself healthy. And to that end, I am allowing myself to walk for a minute after each mile. I want to finish this race, which means that I have to stay healthy and uninjured. Last summer I learned a very valuable lesson; I had a really miserable time running in the heat, but I found that if I just gave myself a short, one minute walk break between each mile, I was able to finish stronger and faster than if I had run 100% of the time. This simple little tweak was a game-changer. I gave up my death grip requirement on running every mile and found that I was happier and healthier with a brief walk break. I would rather love running than hate it, and if a walk break allowed that relationship to blossom and grow stronger then so be it. 

As of today, 18 days in, I have run about 5 miles every day for the last 18 days. I have never done this before. This morning I was genuinely surprised at how good everything still feels, more accurately - how good everything actually feels in general! The act of running feels more like breathing, like I'm not thinking about it all, it's almost effortless, like this is what my body was meant to do. And there is no pain - not in my feet, my knees, my hips, nowhere. 

But I'm not holding my breath. I am still sort of waiting for the bottom to drop out, while constantly trying to make sure I keep all the moving parts properly lubricated, stretched, rolled, and fueled. I'm listening to the little aches and pains and trying to tend to them as they crop up. There is some normal achy-ness, but nothing concerning or out of the ordinary.

To maintain flexibility and core strength, I've added a simple yoga routine to most of my evenings, which I hope to be able to add to as I improve my skills. For achy muscles I am using the foam roller a few times per week as needed, and it really does help. I've only taken ibuprofen once for a sore glute at bedtime that was just a dull, annoying ache. The medicine helped and the ache has since resolved.

So, after 18 days of running 5 miles a day and including some extra walking miles in the evening, I've logged over 117 miles toward the goal, and I'm actually making visible progress across the state! 

I never thought I'd feel this good after this much running - here's hoping it continues!