Psycho Getaway
It’s been awhile. Yes, quite some time for so many things. First, it’s been quite some time – almost a month and a half – since I posted on this blog. I’ve felt disconnected. Second, it’s been awhile since I’ve really gotten away from the craziness that my life has relentlessly presented. In this way, I’ve felt way too connected. Well, last weekend was my “Psycho Getaway” to disconnect and reconnect at the same time. To be more specific, I ran the Psycho WyCo Run Toto, Run 20-Mile Trail Run in Kansas City last Saturday. At the very least, I was able to accept a beating from the brutality of the race course: hilly, rocky, rooty, snowy, muddy, icy, and did I say hilly? Sometimes hitting rock bottom (or muddy bottom) can be the surest way to success. World War II General George Patton said it best:
Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.
At best, this race for me represented an introduction to a mysterious population: the ultrarunners. The event also included a 50k (31-mile) race, which draws a crowd much different than you would see at a road race. Trail runners & ultrarunners seem to compete with much more of a “big picture” mentality. In a line of runners, the front runner is always happy to pull over and let those behind pass. Road races are more free-for-alls and it’s the runner in back who carries the burden of fancy footwork to side-step the front runner. You see, trail runners realize that the stealthly runners looking to pass everyone will most likely tire sometime before mile 31, or even 20 or 10. It was nice to be exposed to such a big-picture mentality…maybe just what I needed as I start my career in the difficult world of education. The best things in life cost us blood, sweat or tears, or some combination of the three.
Anyway, coming back to the surface, the race was a wonderful experience. For now, though, I’ve got my sights on my next marathon, even two. It’s looking like Lincoln for the spring, and Chicago for the fall. If I can’t measure my life in any other way, then it’ll be one marathon at a time. That’s my big picture.