40 for 40

About six months ago, right after Covid threw a wrench to my 2020 race calendar, I decided I was going to run 40 miles to celebrate my 40th birthday.  

Why?

Because I believe humans have to do hard things to thrive and feel alive and our current society conspires to make us soft, I have to counterbalance the urge to stay home and watch tv deliberately. 

Because of what the decision triggered, this goal served as a Troyan horse for discipline, process, and practice; I need to have a reason to wake up at 5 a.m., stretch, go to track workouts, and to put down the ice cream scooper, it doesn't matter is if invented - I made a contract with myself -.

Because I wanted to do something memorable for my 40th birthday and running non-stop for 40 miles will, for sure, create a memory or two. Case in point, a week later, I still remember very vividly puking my brains along Greenough Boulevard (a subject for a different blog post, but GI distress is my Kryptonite).  

So how did it go? I went really well (until it didn't), the weather was on point, my body felt great, and I had all types of fun - and occasional melancholic moments - thinking about the past with the help of my personal soundtrack (you'll be amazed at how much you can remember with the right triggers). 

What did I learn? Nothing new, really, but I got two BIG reminders.

It’s always better with others; in fact, this was one situation in which I couldn't have done it without friends and support. Family and friends showed up to run a couple of miles with me and cheer me up. Without company, I probably would have "dropped" at mile 31 when the going got tough.

Preparation is essential. I have done this many times; I know what my body needs, and I had ample time to prepare, yet I wasn't thorough enough to remember to add electrolytes and salts in my running bags. I was overconfident, and it bit me in the ass. 

Now it is time to rest and recoup. I might just have started a new tradition, until 50 for 50...