67 Ultra Marathon

7 January 2017

Today was cold and sunny but the lack of wind meant that is was the prefect day to set a new distance record. I was glad that Cheryl agreed to accompany me since I would be voyaging into unknown territory and finishing might be difficult. The planned route was about 80% farther that I had managed before so finishing was a bit of a gamble. I agonized a while over footwear since the road still had lots of ice (like in the picture) although it had been graded in the centre. I finally decided on my running shoes with the short metal cleats.

The first part of the route went well despite the extensive ice coverage. Cheryl just had her Winter boots and no cleats so she stayed in the centre of the road.  There were only gentle hills but they were a good warm up for the major climb that was just before the half way turn around point.
 


It was quite a shock when we reached the climb and my legs felt weak. All the previous walking and stationery biking had not required such effort. I remembered that shortening my stride and breathing  deeper was all that was needed and we slowly approached the summit next to the Parkway toll booth.

 It felt so good to reach the summit and we paused for a while and relished the idea of the long and easy downhill that was the start of our return leg. By this time we were fully warmed up so the centimeters seemed to fly past.

We continued to keep up a good pace but the final half kilometre was very difficult for me. As is so often the case, the nearness of the finish inspired me to continue when my legs were dead. Sitting down at the finish felt so good and after a shower we both relished the runner's high after walking a whole four kilometres. For me it was a new distance record since my radiation.