palpitations

timer-camera shot on Baldy

timer-camera shot in Mill A

my friend Brian emailed me the other day that his palpitations have begun.  despite having finished several 100-mile trail races, he still gets nervous.  i'm starting to get concerned too, but am mostly focusing on how much better prepared i am this time in so many ways.  i'm not getting palpitations so much as i am getting electrical charges through my chest and down my legs.  nerves.

although i'm nervous, i haven't been nauseated as in years past.  i didn't puke once at my last race a few weeks ago in Afton, Wyoming.  i did a 15-mile training run (the last of my big runs) yesterday with a couple of girlfriends, one of whom will be my pacer on event day, and i was chowing down the food.  partway through the run i stopped and told my pacer, "You know, if it's this warm on race day, a Jamba Juice sure would taste good out here."  she replied by asking me if i wanted protein powder in it or not.  a true friend.

my girlfriends asked me on the training run why it was that i do such things as running crazy-long distances in the mountains.  i tried to put it into words.  there is an almost indescribable sense of accomplishment by training for and taking part in ultra-distance events.  i told them, i am a healthy, able-bodied individual and i love spending time in the mountains with my friends and my dogs.  why not ultra-run?  "Seriously," i said, "i enjoy sitting on the couch drinking beer, eating ice cream, and watching sports.  but i don't get much of a sense of accomplishment out of that."  and they laughed.  and i laughed, too.

so it's nine days and counting, and i'm actually feeling pretty good, despite the nerves.  need to just keep myself reigned in and do a few very short runs (<4 miles) over the next few days to keep the legs loose.  the dogs will appreciate that.  it's going to be a day and a half of fun times in the mountains with my friends.