Building Your Base

 by Catherine Dilts

The annual Ultra running event 24 Hours of Palmer Lake began at 8:00 the morning of September 28. But preparation began long before racers crossed the starting line.

An Ultra is a footrace that exceeds the marathon distance of 26.2 miles.

I registered months before. My younger daughter says her puppy is a food motivated dog. Will behave for treats. I’m a goal motivated runner. I need a running event to work toward, or I start slacking off on my training.

In Sue Grafton’s alphabet mysteries, Kinsey Millhone simply dashes out the door for a three-mile run when she can squeeze it in between solving crimes as a private investigator. That’s the way many folks approach their running. Catch as catch can, and the same workout every time.

At my older daughter’s urging, I joined the Women’s FIT Team in 2016. Coached by accomplished runner Judy Fellhauer, this club changed my running life. And those changes spilled over into the rest of my life.

Judy’s Principles of Training involve building a base, a concept echoed by Sakyong Mipham in Running with the Mind of Meditation. This foundation requires gradually increasing time and distance, followed by recovery periods. Consistency is essential, but not the consistency of doing the same thing over and over, like Grafton’s heroine. Training is progressive, followed by a recovery week of less running – but not no running!

Coach Judy retired last year to spend more time with her husband, and their growing and far-flung family. I’m grateful I was able to receive Judy’s coaching. Her lessons soaked in.

What does my running journey have to do with my writing?

When I first had the dream of being a fiction writer, without knowing I was doing it, I built a base. A college degree in English literature, joining writing groups, and reading how-to books. In critique groups, I read others’ writing, and had my own reviewed by peers. This led to my ultimate goal: publication.

Like running a race, crossing that finish line left me with a “what next” feeling. A runner doesn’t simply enter one event, then walk away, never to run again. Nor does a writer complete one novel, then walk off into the sunset. (Okay, there are exceptions to every rule.) 

I applied Judy’s principles to my writing. Consistency – working on a regular writing schedule. Progressive stress – trying new projects and genres. Recovery – giving myself permission to slack off on the hours I work – but only for a limited time.

Now back to the 24 Hours of Palmer Lake. The stats: the first place male runner completed 123 miles, and the first place female 110.7 miles. The least miles accomplished was 1.64. Very few people participated for the entire 24 hours. My daughter and I left at 3:30 am (19.5 hours after the start of the race).

In my first Ultra event success, I completed 32.81 miles. This was my daughter’s fourth Ultra. She completed 42.64. Neither of us trained properly for these distances, but had a solid base due to Coach Judy’s influence. And both of us are amazed we could do those distances.

I’m not a sprinter. I’m a distance runner. In my running and my writing, I’m in it for the long haul. Both require building a strong base.