I want to be clear that I don’t shave my body hair. I have it waxed. I’ve taken to waxing off my chest hair because I now need to have a heart monitor patched to my left breast a couple of times a year to check for atrial fibrillation. And health clinics are not spas. If they do shave a patch of hair off first, which they haven’t the last few visits – ouch – it’s only a patch and nothing more. I initially waxed off my entire front side but Karen felt like I’d surrendered my man card, so I’m allowing the belly hair to grow back. Chest only going forward.
I just received the results of my recent heart patch and it recorded zero A-Fib over a week’s time. Even better, my doctor said he was okay with me running the Bandera Ultra in January. I should be happy with that. I don’t like that I’m at that age where I need to check with my doctor before I do fun stuff, but I am at that age, so there you go. I can check off the A-Fib box, clearing me to run Bandera. But if I’m honest, there was maybe a part of me looking for an excuse to not have to run it. I’ve set myself up for something that I’m just a little bit scared of. A 62 mile run through the Texas Hill Country.
Except for a couple of short runs around Boston this past week, I’ve hardly run since the Boulder Marathon. I have two months to try to lose another ten pounds and prepare for this ultra in January. I don’t mind setting myself up for failure. I’m actually quite comfortable with it. I think it’s the pain I know I’ll endure that has me scared. I don’t like admitting I’m scared, but I am.
I don’t know why people run ultras. I don’t know why I want to run one. I suppose because I don’t know if I can do it, but I can’t explain why that appeals to me. It just does.
While in Boston earlier this week, I stayed at the Lenox Hotel and my room looked out at the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston in front of the Boston Public Library. That photo is below. I found it inspirational. I’ve never run it. I came within 3 seconds of qualifying for it in the Boulder Marathon in 2015, six months after a prostatectomy. It’s on my list still. There’s a lot still on my list.
georgeschools said:
Well, a lot of stuff in there! Just picturing your belly man-bun as I type. You just can’t drink enough to erase THAT picture. But. Yes. One of the best parts of ageing is realizing that you want to stop doing things you are afraid to do because they are hard, and then doing them. You figure you’ve paid your dues, and now you deserve to just relax, for chrissakes! And then you picture that kind of life, and know you are not dead yet, so you put in the work and give it a shot. You know it will make you a better version of you, for yourself and also for the folks along with you for this big last stretch. After all, you’ve got to be somewhere; why not on a trail doing something badass, even if you fail? Trying and failing something like that is astronomically better than sitting at home waiting for the clock to hit 5 PM so you can have your first glass.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ed Mahoney said:
That really does capture how I think. And Brit and Eric just committed to pacing me, so yet another hurdle to backing out. But I ran 15 today in the snow and I feel good.
LikeLike
georgeschools said:
Ha, ha. Now you can’t back out.
LikeLike