Consistency is key to the success of any fitness program. Like most runners, I go through periods where I am consistent, but it doesn’t seem to take much to derail my training program. This fall, I experienced the worst derailment since I started running 3-years ago. I had just finished the Heartland 100-miler (recovery is tough), my family was in the middle of purchasing a new house (moving is stressfull), and the weather here in Indiana was starting to turn cold (running in shorts is easy). As a result, I went almost 3-months without so much as an easy recovery jog.
With my finish at the Heartland 100, I successfully qualified to enter the selection lottery for the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run. Although I did not get selected this year, I noticed that there were two other people in the lottery who lived in a neighboring town. I was curious, so I contacted one of them and quickly gained an invitation to one of their daily group training runs.
I reported to the local high school parking lot at 4:45am the next day. The temperature was below freezing and the streets were deserted. I was briefly introduced to Bo and Ron, the two runners on the Western States lottery list, and we headed out onto the city streets for a brisk morning run. A few more runners joined in along the way, and I started to feel like Forrest Gump was visiting town and I was just along for the run.
Since that first day, I’ve learned a few things about Bo and Ron that are worth sharing. First of all, they’ve been getting up early and running everyday for nearly 30-years (yes, that means Saturday and Sunday too). I’ve been barely consistent with breathing for that long. Even when the weather is bad, I can tell you exactly where to find Bo and Ron at 4:45am in the morning on any given day. Even when Ron was forced to stay at work past midnight for several days in a row, he still showed up for the daily run the next morning (although, he did show some confusion about what day it was).
Another item to note about Bo and Ron is that they are what most people would call “old-school ultrarunners”. These guys are hardcore and just like to run … and run … and run. It doesn’t take a fancy race in the mountains to attract these guys. In fact, their favorite ultra is a 24-hour run on a high-school track where they have each consistently covered more than 100-miles every year. Since my ultra experiences thus far have been limited to trail runs in somewhat exotic locations, my first question was how they dealt with the boredom. “Why would we get bored? We get to change direction on the track every 3-hours.”
On New Years Eve, Ron and Bo have a tradition where they run a marathon around a 1-mile city block. Feeling like it was an initiation of sorts, I had to join in. Six runners successfully completed the marathon, with two other runners completing at least 10-miles. Although it was challenging, it was more about the socializing, camaraderie, and enjoyment. Something that is easy to forget when you are too focused on the competitive nature of running.
2007 New Year’s Eve Marathon It’s now been a month and I’ve managed to remain consistent on the early morning runs with Bo and Ron. I’ve even went so far as to sign up for that 24-hour track run. I’m sure I’ll have something interesting to write after that one. Regardless of whether I personally manage to continue getting up so early during the cold midwestern winter, I guarantee that Ron and Bo will still be out there running.
