Eating of the Mileage

It's been an exciting and intriguing few weeks in the ultra world...

 

Hardrock and Vol State have held the rapt attention of many, while the Race for the Ages, Leadville, and UTMB loom ever so enticingly on the horizon.

 

It's easy to fall into the trap of feeling a little bored with the daily grind, to lose sight of the all-encompassing experience inherent with something as seemingly mundane as a daily afternoon run, the simple eating of the miles.

 

Aerobic base-building, eating up all the long, slow miles one can get, has never been the most glamorous, sleek, or sexy part of a running cycle, at least at first blush...

 

But it has a way of endearing itself if given a chance...

 

Neighbors greet, drivers wave, even once-barking dogs now lazily trot up for a pet and a friendly sniff; all have come to recognize us as part of their environment after a while, just as much as we come to recognize them as a part of ours.

 

The eating of the miles has transitioned from simply being a part of a process as a means to an end, to being a goal unto itself.

 

That's not to say that goal races and events are to be abandoned...

 

The eating of the miles is still a part of that process of preparation, and races are undeniably exciting events to those who are prepared...

 

We've just got to keep some perspective on the joy that can be found in the systematic eating of the miles.

I'm anxiously awaiting my next ultra, but I'm also pretty stoked about getting to run this afternoon, too...