Since September 2012, I have
run over 1300 km’s in preparation for one day; June 2nd, 2013.
That’s a lot of running that’s involved a massive adjustment in my day-to-day
lifestyle. I’ve learned a lot about my body and ultimately its capabilities and
its limits. Apparently, one can push their body significantly further than our
brains convince us of during that moment of absolute physical exhaustion (i.e.-
running ultra marathons or climbing Mt. Everest, for example). I am looking
forward to challenging that theory during the Comrades Ultra Marathon.
It’s completely unknown
territory for me. That is, running nearly 90kms in one day. The longest I’ve
run in one day is now 56kms during the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon. How will my
body react? Am I capable? How will I cope mentally through out the race? What
kind of pain will I feel? Is this all worth it? These are some of the many
questions and thoughts that are racing (sorry for the bad pun) through my head
as race day speedily approaches.
I’ve lost a few pounds/kg’s
during this journey. People are constantly asking me “Have you lost weight
recently Derek?.” And if you know me well, I didn’t really have a lot of weight
to give…so yeah, I’m pretty skinny at the moment. It’s an interesting concept
how much food long distance runners actually consume. I mean, it’s so much that
we’ve been compared to grazing cattle. I can pretty easily sum up my life
lately with 4 simple words; Work, run, eat, sleep.
Some have asked me, what do
you think will be going through your mind when you arrive at that starting line
at 5:30 in the morning? My answer is simple-I’m anxious to taste victory at the
finish line. I couldn’t have possibly trained any harder than I did for that
moment. So basically yeah, I’m ready for this.
Now, only time will tell.
I hope you all are great.
Thanks again for your support, encouragement and thoughts through this entire
process. It means the world to me.
Derek
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