Patience

With less than two weeks left until the start of the Hunger 500 I have officially entered my least favorite part of training: the dreaded taper.  The taper always seems to come around just when I am beginning to really hit a groove; when I really find my stride so to speak.  Just when the miles start to roll off a little easier than they have been is when I am forced to not push the limits.  I have a theory that this attitude or state of mind happens at this exact time precisely because I know I have to start tapering.  That if I did not have to taper, I would not be as enthusiastic about my miles.  This is not a novel sentiment by any means.  Much of what we desire as humans is linked to a wanting of what we cannot have.  As soon as I know that I should not be off running for hours and hours on end, it is exactly what I want to do.  I find myself making excuses to run longer, where usually I make very convincing arguments for the other side.  So why put myself through the agony of a taper?  Many runners only utilize a minimal taper, but for an event like the Hunger 500 the danger of going in with tired legs is too high.  As a very inspiring ultrarunner, Kelly Ridgway, has said, "It's better to be undertrained than overtrained".  During a taper, running becomes the giant elephant that follows you around wherever you go.  At times, the want to run can be consuming, despite knowing that it is not in my best interest.  Successfully tapering requires a great deal of forethought, patience and projection.  So much of running is about being in the moment, experiencing life as it comes at you.  One of my favorite aspects of running is that it requires very little forethought.  If I want to run, I can put on my shoes and head out into the world.  Tapering removes this aspect of running and replaces it with an annoying voice that constantly asks you if you should be running this hard or this far when your event is so close on the horizon.  But, like the other difficulties I have faced in preparing for the Hunger 500, there is nothing to do but embrace the taper.  So I have decided not to fight the taper this time around, but to enjoy it.  To enjoy only running a little bit.  To enjoy being off my feet more than usual.  Because in less than two weeks I will not have the opportunity to do so.

Practicing Patience,

Joe

Doubtful

Doubt can creep into almost any situation.  Like a frigid breeze when you step out the front door for a morning run, it hits you before you know it and can stop you dead in your tracks.  Doubt is a funny sort of thing.  It is a rare sort of ailment that seems to worsen if you attempt to treat it.  I am a problem solver by nature, I inherently want to fix situations immediately.  Doubt laughs at this way of thinking.  It is almost as if focusing on doubt in any way only feeds the beast, a beast with a voracious appetite.  If not addressed properly, doubt can balloon out of control in mere moments.  We have all felt the fingers of doubt grab us at one time or another.  Before a race, a presentation, a job interview, we tend to think, "Can I really do this?".  If left unchecked, doubt will sabotage your big moment every time.  Doubt can undo weeks, months, or even years of training and preparation in a heartbeat.  Doubt can make a minute seem like an hour, a mile seem like a marathon.  With the start of the Hunger 500 less than four weeks away, doubt has started to rear its ugly head.  I have started to ask myself the same questions others have been asking me for the last few months.  More recently, I have felt the beast gaining strength, preparing to take me down.  Perhaps it is the final preparation of the logistics involved, or the building interest from media and sponsors, or perhaps it is simply my innate need for self-preservation.  Doubt tells me that I should stop now because if I go for it, really go for it, and fail, I will only have myself to blame.  There is a tremendous about of vulnerability in putting oneself "out there", so to speak.  The Hunger 500 has left me feeling exposed at times.  But is vulnerability or exposure a bad thing?  If we never put ourselves out there, never test our limits, will we ever grow?  I argue that creeping feelings of doubt should be embraced.  That if doubt never bothers to make an appearance, you are never expanding your limits.  The presence of doubt can be a barometer or sorts, used to measure your ability to push yourself.  There is no denying that the Hunger 500 has been and will be a limit-pushing experience for me.  I have decided to embrace doubt and know that it will only hold any power over me if I am fearful of it.  So, can I really complete the Hunger 500? I know I have prepared my mind and body to go beyond its normal limits.  I know I have the support of family, friends, classmates, coworkers, and teachers.  I know that doubts will creep in.  Accepting that doubts are inevitable takes away their power, much like disarming a soldier.  I can only lose this battle if I allow doubt to defeat me, something that I do not plan on doing.

Stay Doubtful,

Joe

Finding Balance

Happy New Year and sorry for the delay since the last post; between graduating, holiday events, working, training and hunting for a career to start after the Hunger 500, my world has been hectic.  I have felt the need to center myself as the start date continues to draw closer.  I am not sure if it is the enormity of the mileage that I will cover on a daily basis, the logistical hurdles that continue to appear, or the pressure to make the event a success, but I have been feeling relatively overwhelmed in recent weeks.  I have found my needed balance in the support that continues to pour in.  The fact that friends, family members, classmates, coworkers, teachers, and even complete strangers are willing to support this event has kept me focused during the chaos.  Although much still remains to be solidified I am encouraged by the faith that others continue to place in me.  My training has been going well, largely thanks to Cody and my running mates from the Birmingham Track Club, who have accompanied me on some of my longer runs.  I ran the Rocket City Marathon in December with Bo, Troxell, and Andrea, and set a personal best of 3:28 for the 26.2 miles, despite not tapering for the event.  I will continue to ramp up my strength training and mileage in the coming weeks, before tapering a bit in late January and early February.  The Hunger 500 team has remained aggressive in our efforts to secure sponsors, participants, and media exposure.  Although it feels as if we are calling on deaf ears from time to time, it is vital to the success of the project to continue to push on these fronts.  If I have learned anything during this process it is that continued patience and focus is often rewarded.  I know the road ahead is filled with challenges, but I find strength to persevere in your support and thank you dearly for your encouragement.  As always, we welcome any advice or help in making the Hunger 500 as successful as it can be.