Elisabet posted: " A memory - on friends and rituals that keeps us going: Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise: Breakfast was eventually that thing, the reason that made me take on the challenge that I had first. Breakfast was also, for sure, what pushed me throu"
A memory - on friends and rituals that keeps us going:
Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise: Breakfast was eventually that thing, the reason that made me take on the challenge that I had first. Breakfast was also, for sure, what pushed me through the third and fourth intervals, those for amorning person/early bird/... deeply insane running hours - and, probably what energized me to keep me going another few...
"Run a 10K every 3 hours over a 24-hour period (everyone starts at the same time, regardless of where you are on the planet" / Ultrarunning Academy
Marzia, (this editor's sourdough guru and gener idol, who has since also arranged a Backyard Ultra event, among all the other great stuff she just does) had decided and planned to do this; she had set her date for the challenge, she had booked her hotel room for rest in between the laps/intervals, she had planned what to bring. Marzia had a plan. Marta had decided to join and also planned for it. Marta told me about their adventure. Invited me to join. Marketed their plan. With all the enthusiasm and energy that is Marta (who keeps managing remarkable ultra runs and stuff beyond other great stuff and makes it look soooo easy and effortless). They finetuned the plans, agreed to start at 9 pm rather than 12 pm. They agreed on a starting point for each lap, meeting up in between their locations. I was the one who didn't commit. I said I might join them, support them for a lap or two, daytime. Not at night. "A lap or two. For support". I had not planned for it. Had not saved my legs or prepared. So Me: RVSP as late as possible. Always. (One of my big flaws. Working on it.)
Then, there was the Breakfast Company Callout: Marzia asked who wanted to join her hotel breakfast the next morning. I was in. Breakfast had me at Hello.
The weather forecast didn't really push for it. Mid-January. Around zero degrees centigrades, 1 or 2 above or below. Rain or wet snowfall or somewhere in between, keeping the merino wool socks continously soaked. Some bittersweet winds from the side or below. For the rain or ice to tickle the nose. The day had been all grey, saving its colours greedily. For a better day. I had planned for indoor stuff. I wasn't very tempted to join even for one lap, hardly even up to bike to a friend's place. Then, during the early evening, I somehow started to think about trying it out, exploring the challenge and what it would do to me. After all.
Then, there was the Breakfast Callout. Marzia asked who wanted to join her hotel breakfast. I was in. Breakfast had me at hello. I jogged to meet her upon her hotel checkin. Jogged back home, did a few extra block to total 10k. By this time, I had already started to accept the idea that I was doing this. I knew I needed to tweak it, adding this first 10k in order to allow to preliminary have to skip one lap the next day due to meeting schedules. I also had to run one lap at 8 am rather than 9 am, due to appointments. Business calls. Trying to not appear like I had been running most of the night, thinking of toddler parents and their appearance in these morning calls. Day after day. Perspectives on actual endurance.
Getting used to wet feet, starting to appreciate the nice opportunity to see the city in (or out of) lights and at hours that we otherwise wouldn't, to appreicate having a weird but still valid reason to be outdoors at all… and, doing what we do, naturally; establishing routines and rituals.
My base camp location being further from the meeting spot, allowed me some more time jogging on my own. Tjipptjipptjipptjipp. Getting used to wet feet, starting to appreciate the nice opportunity to see the city in (or out of) lights and at hours that we otherwise wouldn't, to appreicate having a weird but still valid reason to be outdoors at all... and, doing what we do, naturally; establishing routines and rituals. For the rests in between: drying shoes and clothes efficiently, showering quickly, and having some sort of BREAKFAST. Creating patterns.
Rice pudding, oatmeal, bananas, peanutbutter, quark, eggs, water, salt. Some rest .Then - put on those semi-dried wool socks and Off We Go. Tjipptjipptjipptjipp.
The premium breakfast was served at 7:30 at the hotel. I cannot tell whether it was the situation itself, having run 50 k since last evening or not having a hotel breakfast, a breakfast in an almost public space, since early last year. Or, just not having had a joint breakfast with a friend for all this time...the most delicious* egg scramble was served at the table, sharing space on a tray with hummus, oven baked tomatos, breadroll with butter, cheese and vegetables, boiled egg with kaviar, chia pudding with nuts and berries. Coffee, teas and juices for self serving. The croissant with Nutella, grabbed on the go, as I had to get going to squeeze in lap number 6 before business meetings... *More objectively, given times of restrictions etc. which had forced some adjustments as it did with lots of public or people attracting setvices, this very breakfast was probably not the absolute best hotel breakfast of the time (it sure wasn't) at all but again. It was a big contribution in many ways.
I managed another three or four breakfasts before finishing the challenge. Slightly shaky from lack of sleep and with feet soaked again. Feeling the taste of jetlag. Dehydrated, derailed. Not missing that part of exhaustive, often business-related travel cross time zones. Harry joined our first intervals and Lars and Jesper supported the last one, the evening after we started. It was still dark, rainy again. Few things seemed to have change over the last 24 hours, though, it would take a few jogs for me to get out of the idea to always aim at 10K.
I used to call breakfast my favourite meal and by that, mean that I preferred sandwhich food, most times of the day. It might be a classic for school youth in the 1990's. It was before I started anything that could be related to a "sporty" or active lifestyle, beyond biking to school and to spare time activities (band rehearsals, and fika with friends), headbanging or dancing at indi concerts, I did very little sports. After letting running into my life, sandwhich breakfast is not that much of a core meal to me. However, during longer distances or time sequences of activity, breakfast:y food again clearly becomes the preferred option. Closing the circle - and no matter what different opinion has to say about the truth: "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" - on an ultra long run day - it definitely is.
Thanks Marzia and Marta; power people who continue to rock the world, make the crazy more sane, trying the paths outside the beaten tracks. Keep rocking, and let's share an after run breakfast soon!
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