Sh*t Just Got Real

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Alicia Keller Thompson, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

At the Hampton Inn at 5am on December 17, 2016, I found a card next to my bed with a kitten sitting in a basket embossed with gold letters that said “shit just got real.” When I found the card, I was in full on panic mode, getting ready to run Lookout Mountain 50 Miler, my first 50. I love the card, what says hardcore more than a kitten in a basket? I decided then and there, if that kitten can sit in that basket, then I can run 50 miles.

As I waited for the race to start I felt excited and slightly nauseous. I knew it was going to be hard, thats sort of a given. But what I was hoping for were some transcendental moments in the woods, the ability to stay focused and energized, and a positive mind. Turns out thats what I got, and I think that kitten in the basket had a lot to do with it. Seriously.

It took me 12 hours and 57 minutes to finish Lookout. I crossed the finish just 3 minutes before the final time cutoff. I was the 3 to last finisher. It was a long day and you know what got me through it? It sure wasn’t my body, my knees started hurting before I got to the first aid station and then completely crapped out by mile 24. It was my mind. Enter kitten in a basket.

My boyfriend left me that card because he knew I like kittens and he knew I was going to be freaking out. That card totally broke through my freakout and made me laugh. You had better believe that stuff matters when you are heading out into the woods to run for 13 hours. Any little bit of positivity counts, anyway you can shift your mind away from the fear, pain, and fatigue makes a big difference.

A lot of really cool things happened during Lookout, besides my kitten moment. I pushed myself harder than I ever thought I could, thanks to Robert Jackson my “safety runner.” I first saw him at mile 22 and he had the most amazing butter cream cookies known to man.

The next time I saw Robert was at mile 34. By that time, I couldn’t run, my knees where trashed. This is nothing new to me, my knees always hurt during long races. What was new was the way I approached the pain. I considered dropping. Obviously, I didn’t. Instead, I acknowledged my situation. I couldn’t run. Truth. Then I asked myself, well, what can you do? It turns out I can power walk like no body’s business. So that’s what I did.

Long story short, instead of running a 50 miler next time I am going to get some Hokas and join a mall walking championship, where I will crush all those stay at home moms! Just kidding. No offense to SAHMs or Hokas.

So, back to mile 34. We started out on a 5 mile loop that most people referred to as their “dark night of the soul.” I did what I could, which was walk really fast, and laugh about my prospective mall walking career.

It didn’t really get tough until the last 9 miles. I think the darkness, the fog, and the looming time cutoffs were finally getting to me. Those are the miles that I am so grateful to have had a support person with me. With enormous encouragement from Robert, I ran/shuffled and a few little whimpers even escaped me. I won’t lie, it hurt. I had saved my knees a lot by hiking for 8 miles, but they were still stiff and crunchy.

All whimpering aside, I had no idea that I had it in me to keep pushing. I didn’t think I had anything left. The truth was, I totally did. Robert’s presence and encouragement helped me access it. I always thought, if I am going to suffer, I don’t want anyone to see me. Surprisingly, it was pretty dang cool to have someone there witnessing my suffering and still telling me I could do it. Someone who believed in me, when I didn’t believe in myself.

And the moral of the story is all I needed to run 50 miles was a kitten in a basket and some good cookies. I don’t think I’m even going to train for my next one, which, incidentally is Dark Sky 50. See ya’ll on the trails.

www.aliciakellercoaching.com