The Zen of Ultra Running

After I ran the marathon at Run with scissors last month, I was considering doing BBA 50K as my first ultra because friends told me that I could take the marathon as the last long run. However, BBA 50K was full so I volunteered at the race instead. I found a "free" 50K race in Medina put together by Medina County Road Runners (MCRR), a running club in Medina, OH. The race was "Buckeye woods 50K" and it's free for all members. The membership fee is only 20 dollars so I just paid 20 dollars for the annual membership fee. This race is a good strategy to get more new members. Buckeye woods 50K was advertised as a flat 50K (that's why I wanted to do it). Runners began with a 1-mile loop and then traversed the 5-mile loop around lakes and through woods six times, which made it 31 miles. The route had 2 sections - limestone and trail. Runners who ran 3 loops or more (25K) but not as far as 50K (6 loops) were considered 25K finishers. There was only one aid stat...

I have to admit I'm still in shock after the election result came out on Tuesday night. Donald Trump was elected the President of the United States. Most people I know felt the same way and people posted all kinds of emotional messages on social media. My day started with several back-to-back meetings, which did not go very well. In fact, the messages that I received at the meetings made my day even worse. After the afternoon class, I was mentally and physically exhausted. I was drained. Luckily, I organized a trail run with MRTT ladies that evening. So I had something to distract my negative thoughts. My bad day ended with good conversation and nice run with friends. What I realized from the news (about the election and my work) is that I can only control what I can control. I can control my teaching and research but I cannot control the policies and people around me. #peace

One week after my first marathon so many things happened. The Cleveland Indians played in the World Series against the Cubs but they lost in Game 7 (final game). The whole town went crazy. This year Cleveland has been a non stop party beginning with the Cavs became the NBA champion. Then, RNC in July and last week was the World Series. I signed up for this race because friends in the MRTT group who also ran the marathon last week were doing it. It's a 5 mile race on cross country trail in a farm. Supposed to be fun and beautiful. The weather this morning was gorgeous. 50F and sunny. I could not have asked for anything better. I arrived at the race quite late so they ran out of t-shirt and cap. They said they would mail them to me later. Joined other MRTT runners for pre-race photo. 5 miler is not my favorite distance as I don't really know if I should aim for speed (like 5K) or endurance (10K). I decided to do a 50K race at the end of this month. So, I went out and ran ...

No, I did not really START running for the first time in my life on this day. I'd been running at the gym since I was 20 for fitness and health purpose. I always preferred running to other activities at the gym since I started going to the gym. Aerobic dancing was too loud and full of screaming old ladies (back then). I almost had heart attack the last time I went to a class. Running (on a treadmill), on the other hand, gave me peace and focus. I listened to the music that I LIKED and zoned out from everything around me. It calmed me down. One thing I know is I like exercises. Any kind of exercise that makes me sweat - running and tennis in particular. Recently, I started getting into triathlons and, to date, it's my most recent addiction. I stopped exercise here and there. The longest I ever stopped exercising completely was during the first 3 years of graduate school. Life was not very pleasant then. I was under a lot of stress and was lonely. I gained 10 pounds. When...