Hula Hoops and Ultramarathons

Hula Hoops and Ultramarathons

Posted on 26. Mar, 2010 by Writer in On Living

Tomorrow I am getting up at the ass crack of dawn and running my first ultramarathon – 32-miles of dirt, sand, and rock.  And mind you I am no hardcore – I simply decided to attack something on the life list.IMG_0722

This morning, I revisited the life list hoping to rouse some confidence and panicked.  Then I did what any reasonably human being would do and bought a hula-hoop.  The truth is I didn’t want to fail miserably at the first thing I attempted on my life list so in order to make myself feel better I successfully accomplished a superficial task and purchased a cutie hoop from HipEHoops on Etsy.  Plus I’ve really wanted a serious hula hoop for some time now and it collapses and can fit into a backpack – stoke!

I can’t remember the last time I tried to do something that I wasn’t very well sure I could do – maybe I have never done anything I didn’t feel totally capable of.  I quite honestly don’t know if I can run 32 miles and this isn’t just the pre-race jitters talking.  50-kilometers is a long ass way and up until 3-years a go I had never run over a 5K.  Sure I’ve trained but seriously what the freak was I thinking?!?

Last night I listened to this Buddhist meditation talk and it spoke about acknowledging your fears as away of accepting them and letting them go… So what am I afraid of?  My hamstrings cramping up, hurling, my ankle swelling up (cuz it does that sometimes for no apparent reason), passing out, quitting and then having to tell everyone that I suck, losing control of my bowels (all you long distance runners out there will understand this one and the rest of you will go ewe), weird leg itchy phenomenon, and getting charged by buffalos (yes buffalos).

I know I have the cardio to make it that far but there are just too many other factors and I seriously question the ability of my stomach to deal with such stress.  I love this Sunny Blende quote – “Ultras are just eating and drinking contests, with a little exercise and scenery thrown in.”  I totally agree.  I just get so darned hungry (I am blessed with a super high metabolism) and tend to eat everything in sight at the aid stations.  I regretfully grabbed a handful of candy corn towards the end of the last race I did and sadly hurled them up right before the finish line.

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So tomorrow when you wake up – think of me running.  Then tomorrow when you are enjoying your weekend brunch and drinking mimosas – think of me running.  Then tomorrow when you are reading a book and taking your afternoon nap – think of me running.  Then tomorrow when you start thinking about eating dinner – think of me still running…

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11 Responses to “Hula Hoops and Ultramarathons”

  1. Dona

    26. Mar, 2010

    You’ll do great and what a sense of accomplishment you’ll have once it’s all over! Major props to you!

  2. robyn

    26. Mar, 2010

    good luck on your ultra-marathon this weekend! i will be flying between Omaha and Detroit for family stuffs, but will be thinking of you for sure!

  3. Run Junkie

    26. Mar, 2010

    Good luck. Have a great run and don’t taunt the buffalo.

  4. JoAnna

    26. Mar, 2010

    You are such a super star and inspiration Amiee. Good for you! I was excited when I ran my first marathon. To add an additional six miles onto that would be a whole different situation.

    And, now that you have an awesome, collapsible hula hoop, we need to get you to Burning Man. I think you’d really enjoy it.

  5. Abbie

    26. Mar, 2010

    I’m SO excited for your ultra – you’re going to do great! I can’t wait to hear all about it when we go to J-Tree!

  6. Robyn

    26. Mar, 2010

    Holy Cow. Yes I’ll be thinking of you all day long. Please write a post telling us how it went! You will do great. And I’m glad you’re pursuing your life list!

  7. Nancy

    29. Mar, 2010

    Wow. Can’t wait to hear all about this! I know you did great. It’s such an accomplishment to even attempt a marathon and/or ultra. (Hell, it’s an accomplishment to attempt a 5k in my eyes!)

  8. Writer

    30. Mar, 2010

    Thanks for all the well wishes. It was quite the experience and I did finish! Post to come :)

  9. Betherann

    02. Apr, 2010

    Wow, amazing! I look forward to your race recap. I wandered over here from hooping.org, and now I’m subscribing. :)

  10. Running with Buffalo: Relections on the First Ultra | Dirtbag Writer

    02. Apr, 2010

    [...] Hula Hoops and Ultramarathons [...]

  11. Bonie

    02. Apr, 2010

    Nice job. I was humbled by my last ultra and decided to stick to the smaller races for a while. Congrats to you. It’s a huge accomplishment.

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