How do you wrap your mind around 100 miles?

How do you wrap your mind around 100 miles?

People ask me that a lot.  In fact, they asked me how I wrapped my mind around the Ironman and running my first Ultra distance of 56 miles. 

The answer is early on in the training-I don’t.  

I am not ready to run 100 miles (just like I was not ready to compete in the Ironman 10 months before the race).  In fact, I had never participated in one triathlon when I signed up for the Ironman.  I had never swam in the open water and had never ridden clipped in to a bike.

There were days training for the Ironman that I thought I was going to die.  I can remember after one long ride and run in the sweltering heat and humidity (mid-summer in Louisville) and trying to keep up with the group.  I finished the work-out, got in my car and cried (and I don’t cry often).  Then, when I got home, took a quick shower and before I could even get myself dressed, I sat down to take a rest and passed out….that’s how completely empty my tank was.

If I had completely focused on the fact that I was going to have to swim 2.6 miles before that  ride, add 70 miles to the bike ride and then run an extra 15 miles to the run that day….it would have been overwhelming.  That’s where and when lots of people end up giving up.  It seems so hard on one particular training day and then they can not wrap their mind around how they could possibly do anything more. 

So my advice to you is…don’t try to wrap your brain around it early on.  Just get through what you have to do for that day and feel satisfaction knowing you reached your goal for that day.  There will be bumps in the rode that will probably not allow you to complete every work-out and that is to be expected.  But, know it is a long haul and get back in the saddle and get back out there.

I focused on crushing my plan every day and that was it.  Now, the day of the first long bike ride, it’s safe to say I didn’t crush it.  But, I did what I could, learned from it and moved on.  I knew my next ride I could do that much and maybe a bit more.  It was about building my body and mind.

While I do not focus on how will I ever do 100 miles when 20-30-40 are challenging right now.  I do visualize myself running the 100 miles in Alaska.  I visualize myself effortlessly running through the trails of Alaska taking in the sites and finishing the race.   But I don’t get caught up if I am tired at the end of 20 miles right now thinking “wow….and I have to run 80 more”. I trust the plan. I trust in my work ethic.  I trust in my persistence and determination and focus on crushing the plan each day.