Post-Leadville Ultra Moratorium

Whenever you reach a milestone, it’s logical to consider next steps. A lot of ultrarunners suffer from a post-100 malaise, where they can’t quite figure out what to do with their lives without some epic run staring them in the face. 

Ultrarunning can be like a drug, and ultrarunners tend to be like addicts.  You run a 50K?  Time to run 50 miles.  You run a 50? Time to do a 100.  You run a 100? Gotta go do Badwater, or Hardrock, or the Iditarod, or run across Australia, or some other damned crazy thing. 

Thanks, but no thanks!

Not this guy. I’m checking out. 

I love the community of ultrarunners. I love the spirit of the races. I love running in the mountains. I like the blogs and the camaraderie and the butterflies you get when you line up to run a race that you know is going to hurt you. I respect the hell out of guys who do 10 ultras a year. 

But that ain't me.

It’s such an insane time vacuum.  And it’s so hard on the body (at least, it has been for me). 

I want to go do 5ks and Turkey Trots and run in the “D” wave of the Bolder Boulder. 

I hereby declare that I will take no part in running any formal ultra for at least one full year.  I plan to do a few of the fat-asses this winter, if I’m healthy enough, but that’s it.  I’m ready, willing and able to pace others in their quests to do epic things, but I’m done going there myself, at least for now. 

Oh, sure, I might set some goals for myself at shorter distances, and I might even do a marathon or two. But it's time to take it easy on the ultras for a while. My body says it's time.