Are you Crazy???

This was asked of me by a random guy driving by as I ran at noon today - the heat wave we've been having here has not yet let up.  Crazy? Well, yes, I believe that fact has been clearly established - I am training for Ironman.  And in a Georgia summer no less.  However, I take solace in the fact that I am not as crazy as some.  Yes, I am talking about one of my amazing teammates, Jen Vogel, mentioned in my last blog post.  And Yes, I have an athlete crush on her - how could you not??  ;)  She finished Badwater (http://www.badwater.com/) yesterday in 29:42...yes twenty nine HOURS and forty two minutes.  Of straight running.  Through the desert.  And up mountains.  from the lowest point in North America (Death Valley) to the highest (Mt Whitney).  for 135 miles.  and 13000' of climbing.  No, not in a car or even on a bike...on her feet.   Like, seriously, who thinks of this shit?  And then, who thinks they can possibly do it?  Well, I guess people like Jen.  She was the 2nd female, 8th overall, and had the second fastest climb up Mt Whitney ever.  One of only a handful of women to come in under 30 hours (not this year, EVER).  To even be invited to do this race is a huge accomplishment, but to do it in that time...Damn!!  She's the biggest Bad Ass I know.

Tracy and I had a conversation about the incomparable Jen Vogel this morning as I was deftly putting off the main set in the pool  ;)  'Is it inspiring or just plain crazy??' she asked.  Yes!  was my answer.  It is both inspiring AND crazy.  'I can never imagine doing that, but that's the beauty of it - these people can!  And then they do it!!' I told her.   And isn't that truly the most amazing part of it?  Imagine where this world would be without that kind of human spirit - of the willingness to imagine crazy things and then do them.  Or better yet, imagine where it would be if we all embodied this kind of self-belief - I mean, WOW.  Lose the self-limiting beliefs and just go do shit!  I recently learned that Jen has had this as her goal for the last 10 years (I think it's 10).  And she just went about getting it done.  Now that's something that is truly inspirational...even if it is crazy.

So, ya, it's hot.  But hey, it's only  "93/feels like 99" today.  ROFL ... that's a lot cooler than the last few days when it was "feels like 112".  Ya.  FRREAKIN NUTS.  And, surprisingly, you'd think at that point, it's just 'damn hot', but it *really* did feel better.  (...all relative...).  Why the HELL were you running at noon you ask?  Well, several reasons:

1. Coach made me.  tee hee.  Well, he certainly put two workouts on the calendar for today, one of which was Masters swimming, and that time is fixed, in the AM.  Inherent implication is that the run happens later in the day. 
2. I had a last minute meeting put on my calendar by our head honcho at work...from 6-7 pm.  So, now I had to rearrange my workouts...if I'm gonna do the run, it's gotta be midday.
3. Temp was only gonna get worse. End of the day is just hotter and more humid here in the land of asphalt.  The radiant heat is a killer.
4. There is a part of me that after Sunday, wanted to re-prove to myself that I could do it in the heat.  It was actually Jen who said to me when I told her I was worried about potential heat in IMC, because I can't run in the heat - "No, you DO know how to run in the heat.  If you've been running here, you can run in the heat.  You just gotta remember that."  Part of the human condition I guess - we sometimes take bad experiences as more valid than good ones, until we train ourselves otherwise.  I realized she was right.  Now I know this could have backfired, but regardless I had to run.

So I ran.  And I actually felt GREAT.  I know, sick.  No walking involved.  A lot of water involved.  Drank 98 oz over the 9 miles that I ran.  I'm still way dehydrated from Sunday...can't catch up no matter how much I drink it seems.  So no aid stations today - fuel belt, with the big bottles, and refill each loop.  When I started out, I just figured whatever pace it was, it was.  If I could get it under 10, that would be great in this heat.  As it turns out, I did it at an 8:52 pace, far exceeding my expectations.  In that heat, I think it's stellar.  

So thanks Jen for being my inspiration to get out and do it today.  And congratulations on such an amazing accomplishment.  

Happy Training, and stay hydrated

Kat