One week countdown to Avalon 50 mile race

Exactly one week from today, at 5am, equipped with flashlights, a small group of ultra runners will be toeing the line at the Avalon 50 mile race, in Catalina Island. I have completed the race seven times. My best time was 9 hours 30 minutes and my slowest time was, well, we don't really need to talk about that, now do we? The race runs through some of the most breathtaking ocean views that California has to offer. You may even see a buffalo or two. They were brought out years back to film a movie and have proliferated.

My plan is to hike/jog the first 25 miles with Kerry, Andrea and Michele. And let me tell you, I will be challenged to be doing that. Since the knee surgery, my longest mileage is only 10 miles. I suppose this recovery time is a blip on the radar screen of life, but I think that patience is highly overrated. Rico, Michele and I did a 10 miler today at El Moro and towards the end, I was complaining pretty heavily in my mind. The ultra running community does not tolerate wimps. That's what I love about it. So, Rico and I started running down the list of all the things in our bodies that do work really well. The list was long. And one of the things that he came up with at some point during our list making was the fact that some of the guys running the trail this morning were appreciating my new Nike running shorts. Leave it to a man to come up with that statement, but buddy, I'll take it!

As I sit here on the sofa with an ice pack on my knee, I am amazingly grateful and happy that I am on the trails. Period. Send good thoughts out, blogger world, and I will be reporting back after next Saturday to let you know how it went.