The Zen of Ultra Running

This was my 3rd Regal Beagle 50K. I have run this race (and the distance) every year since it's started. The good thing about this race is that it's in my backyard (only 10 minutes drive from my house). The race is also part of the Running Forward and Giving Back race series. So I have every reason to support the race. Regal Beagle course is fast and very runnable. Many people run this race to get a 50K PR. Last year I was running well but the course was really muddy so it slowed me down. However, this year the course and the weather were PERFECT. It was about 20 degrees at the start but it got warmer (up to 50 degrees) toward the end of the race. They also changed the direction of the course this year so I felt like we were running downhill most of the time (with only one big climb in each loop). The course is a 5-mile loop. The 50K runs it 6 times. They also have a 25K (3 loops) and a 5 miler (1 loop). The week leading up to the race day I was working on a couple of dea...

Sorry for the late post. I'd been busy with a BIG deadline, grading, and other school stuff that I did not have time to update the blog about my two races in October. I am now at a somewhat critical point in my career that requires me to focus on work and less on the play. The end of October and early November is usually a super busy period (research, midterm, grading, final projects, etc). So, running has become a tool for me to release stress. I enjoy an easy run (with or without other people) and prefer to spend time catching up with friends during a run, rather than trying to do a structured run or get a certain amount of miles in each week. There were a couple of things that happened to me in October that put me under a lot of stress and anxiety. I knew I was entering the state of mind where if I did not do anything to fix it, it would become worse. So, I decided to use running as an outlet to release stress by telling myself "every run should be enjoyable and bring h...