My Story
My fiftieth birthday was spent in quarantine. Covid quarantine. Ironically, as a Nurse Practitioner working in a walk-in clinic and in a nursing home, I treated hundreds of covid patients over the previous three years but never contacted covid. So funny it would find me right before my 50th birthday. And right before both of my kids’ high school graduation ceremony. And right before my first ever 50k race. It was a Triple Whammy.
I started to get into trail running in my late 40’s after I went on an Alaskan cruise. How does a cruise, where we mostly sit, and eat, and eat more, motivate one for trail running? Well I took an excursion by helicopter to a glacier and was in awe. That beautiful scenery made me want to get in better shape to get OUT THERE MORE. The Alaskan Wilderness is WILD and it demands fitness to explore. I was a decent runner and ran my first 10K race when I was eight. But I had kept it up minimally in my 20’s and 30’s while starting my nursing career and raising children. Mostly for my sanity. For 27 years I never ran more than 3-5 miles at a time, three days a week, and several of those years included pushing a stroller and dragging a dog on a leash. But in my late 40’s I attended a trail running camp and ran for longer. I learned that trail running includes a lot of hiking. I expanded my miles and it felt good. But I never really had the motivation to run an ultra race until my 50th birthday and I ran the Wy’east Wonder. That’s when I realized I had stepped into an amazing community.
Hence the 50-50-50 project was born. What better way is there to make friends in the ultra running community and explore some of the most beautiful scenery in the United States? Once I sat next to an 82 year old man on an airplane. He was TWO marathons shy of completing a marthon in the 50 states. HE gave me the idea. I hope he finishes! My plan is to get it done within the next five or six years. I am purposely entering races that are organized by local running communities and preferably use routes that have survived years and have stories to tell. I want to feature race directors who spend hours and hours of time to make these races happen so that local communities and runners come together to cheer each other on. In a sport that is rapidly evolving into big corporate owned races, my hope is to highlight some of the independent gems and grass-roots organizations to bring them recognition for what they do to enrich the lives of so many people. I also want to provide tips for other runners of all categories, but specifically my insight is derived from what it feels like to be an ultra runner over 50.
But this project isn’t just about myself. Running multiple ultra marathons can feel like a long slog at times.
When it gets rough, to keep it going, I realize that life is fragile, and time is not infinite. If there’s any doing to be done in our lives, it’s best to get going while we can. So off I go, no time to waste. And In my going I will think of the people I know who have affected me positively, given me strength, or inspired me in different ways, and I will thank them. I think of people with mental illness, families touched by suicide, breast cancer, or even the wounded Veterans who have fought various wars who are no longer able to use their bodies the way they used to. For each race I make a charity donation as one way to spread positivity and humility in their memory. These people are my daily reminders that life is challenging, and that we are at the mercy of our environment and circumstance, and that I must not take my days for granted. If this project succeeds, it will be fueled by the resilient people I’ve known as they are my inspiration.
In the meantime, my plan is to keep on running.
