Mark Twain Endurance Run

Finding my way through a hot summer, maintaining my mileage has been a challenge.  Finding the sweetspot between time, hottest point in the day, and putting in 4-14 mile runs has proven to be a challenge, especially living in a town that offers all paved roads, and only one option of a park to hit the trails.  In order to prepare for this race, 50 miles, two laps on single track trails, 25 mile loops, my strategy has been to take on as many hills as I possibly can.  

The Mark Twain 50 mile run is also a 100 miler.  I am feeling ready to run another 100 miler again in the future, but my only options really are to wait until next years winter season.  Until then, I am going to take on a series of races next year in Febuaray, March, and April.

After th Mark Twain 50, I will continue training for the Sylamore 50k in Febuary, Three Days of Syllamo Stage race which is a 50k, 50mile, and 20k in March, and then the Ouachita 50mile in April. I am excited to see how my body and mind hold up during these three months as I also juggle school, being a new father, and mainting some sort of a life, which who am I kiding..I lost a long time ago.

So as of now, I am mentally getting prepared for this race in September.  Trying to get in my mileage which is anywere from 40-60 miles a week, depening on the week, heat, and time.  I am excited as this will be my first ultra distance race outside of The Natural State, yet I know I will stil feel at home as I will still be running through the Ozarks...Just the northern part. 

The most important thing I have learned as a runner is that it is not everrything.  It is not the most import thing in the world.  It is however, a strong part of my life.  It is a very important part of the human build and created potential that all people can harness if they choose.  Running is not the one thing I wake up for and go to sleep for, but it does drive me to wake up and get my sleep each night.  It is not the ultimate concept, but to me, it does trump the "Normalcy" of the world.  Running is the most normal thing I can do in my life.  When I run, I live.  When Im not running, I am thinking about it.  When I cant run because I am tired, I do What I can to recover so that I can run again in the future.  

Running is not everything, but it is the most normal thing in my life. 

-Cheers-

Reason to run

What it means to run

            Many paths embark on a quest to find the inner self.  One such path is to examine the capabilities of progressive movement.  Man made devices are widely used, and looked at as the norm, but what trumps their modern idea of travelling distance.  Where did the origination of tackling many miles derive from.
            There is a light that flashes in our head in today's age that says not to go to far, not to suffer to long, or to avoid suffering all together.  Is that what existence is about, finding a way to refrain from the emotional fatigue of exhaustion.  Or, are we put together as creatures that are enduring, persistent, and adaptable to our minds conjurations in order to use it for the greater good.

            In North America, many communities from Native Americans, Mormons, Adventurers and so forth traveled willingly, and unwillingly, thousands of miles with human locomotion.  Was it out of pure want and desire, survival, an ideal of a greater existence, or a known concept that by enduring and pushing the body’s capabilities, maybe an ultimate feeling of success, happiness, and fulfillment will overtake their emotionally unstable minds.

            As day to day creatures, are we content staying in our cave like dwellings, traveling to other enclosed sites to communicate our worth, translate it to some sort of universally accepted value as money, and then return home to sit and bake our minds in the dull existence of the commonly accepted normal life.

            We move.  We Travel.  We explore.  Once we find a destination, we begin to develop another unattained valley to find, or mountain to climb.  Or do we.  Maybe we just accept the dull feelings and emotions of an uneventful life.  Maybe we do not believe in fairy tales, fantasy worlds, or happy realities.

            Happiness can be derived from many viewpoints in life.  What is your view point.  Are you happy with your items, your things you accumulate.  Do you even use them, do you just look at them as if they are a trophy of your collection.

            Happiness first came from movement.  Hunting game for food.  Running from the predator.  Running for the prey.  Chasing the sunset over the hill.  Making it to the family dwelling before nightfall. 

            Before wheels on carbon a fiber frame, what was the means of locomotion.  Before, the hoof beats of horses carried us along the path we chose, how was it possible to chase the dreams of the mind.

            Running is faster then walking, quicker in close duration, and the most basic meaning to the human person.  We are physiologically designed to move with our own two feet.  Not petty distance, but abundant kilometers.  Our bodies are designed to regulate our emotions, or dilemmas, fulfill our anxieties and be our prescription medications.  Our body creates chemical regularities that promote overall well being when it is used in a forwardly progress manner.

            I do not just run because I am obsessed, an addict of sorts, or simply destined to remain antisocial.  I run because at the end of the day, when everyone remains in their modern day dwellings, feeling a little empty, longing for adventure, or wondering what they are missing out in life, I know that I did what I was created to do as a creature on this Earth.  I ran.  Simple and Free.

-Cheers-

Jonathan Miller

OT 50

(Left: Brother and Law and First Place finisher, Right: Myself)

The Ouachita Trail 50 Miler was my Ultra Running Debut in 2011.  This year was my third time to run this race, which turned out to be the hardest effort for me on the course.  I started out at a very fast pace (for me), holding around 8:30-9:00 minute miles before and after the climb at Pinnacle Mountain.  I told myself going into the race that I was either going to experience one of two things:

1) I was going to run fast, feel great, and smash my old record...

2) I was going to finish, but I would endure much pain due to my initial plan.

Of course I relished in pain for over a majority of the race.  When the hardest part of the race is the flat sections, I learned that it means that I probably went out too hard in the beginning.  By mile 20, I started feeling uneasy in my legs.  My feet and knees felt fine, just my hamstrings and Quads started to act up, which usually is fine around mile 35..BUT MILE 20!!??!  I always hear the best way to learn is to experience, well, this was one of those moments when I realized, that even though I knew not to go out hard because it would really hurt in the end, I did anyways.

Before the turn around I was experiencing a ton of pain in my leg muscles, and was feeling hopeless.  Once I reached the halfway mark, a light started to shine, and I knew I could mentally think past the pain and finish, hopefully breaking last years time, worst case, simply just finishing.

The last half, turned into a race from aid station to aid station, just try to make it to the next one, and the next.  My other Brother-In-Law paced with me the last 14 miles from North-shore aid station to the end, and was a huge help.  I probably wasn't very fun to be around for the first four miles, but as soon as we hit the last 10 mile mark, then 9, then 8 and so-on, I started feeling great..It might have been the Red bull, V8 Juice, and tylenol I took, but I am just going to say it was my positive mental game taking over. HA!

The last 2 or 3 miles or so is a finish on the road, leading to the finish.  We stepped it up to run a blistering 10 minute pace(which felt as though I was a full on sprinter at the time) to get me to the finish line.  Last years time was a 10:09.  This year I finished in 

10:05.

So even though I blew up before I even hit the turnaround, I still got a PR, which was kind of bittersweet.  I should have held back the first 15 miles, stepped it up a little, then come the turnaround turned on the jets.

Of course that was not what I did this year. Next year I will change my strategy and go for a 9:30 finish, maybe even better.