3 years and 30 races later...

Its been 3 years of mostly continuous road running. Ever since the summer of 2003. 1 1-mile race, 5 10Ks, 3 10-milers, 1 12-miler, 2 20Ks, 2 30Ks, 1 20-miler, 9 half-marathons, and 6 marathons. Three years and 30 races now. Going past the finish line has easily been the most addictive feeling of my life. It even beats Bridge.

All that is in the past. I ran the last of those 30 races 8 months ago. Over those 8 months while I sacked out and tried my hand at increasing my girth (with some success), all I did about my running was introspection. The details of that soul searching process is for a different post. However, the conclusion was it was time to do the next thing. Initially it looked most likely to be biking, Austin being Lance's city and what not. Briefly swimming was considered, and then images of gross ineptitude rose in front of the mind's eye and it was promptly relegated to later in life. In the end running was the easy winner, for the pure joy of the process. Again briefly, running to set a PR in a marathon was considered, and again relegated because Steve said, running an ultra is the easiest way to get a PR in a marathon.

After all that, and given the fantastic support structure to run the ultra in Austin -- the team, the coach, the trails, and Santhosh's unintentional humour, Sunmart 50M it was. The decision taken, the training started, and the legs still not hurting too bad, I can still say it has been a fun-filled journey so far... or in the words of Bilbo Baggins:

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the hill where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.