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.
