This past weekend, I did 50k at the Back on the Ranch running event in Los Olivos. For the record, I am not a runner. The longest run I had done in the two years prior to this was about 8.5 miles. I repeat: I am not a runner.
You may be thinking, Silly Goose, why are you writing about running? This is a blog about bikes!
The answer is really simple—it’s my website and I can do what I like and you can’t tell me what to do and you’re not my mom and I definitely don’t have any unresolved trauma at all. So ha! Running post!
My original plan was to come out and support my girlfriend who is, in fact, a runner. She signed up for the 12-hour race, treating it as a practice event to kick off ultra season. Just to get the legs movin’, ya know? For 12 hours. No pressure. No big deal. I’m not intimidated, you’re intimidated.
Anyway, she signed me up (consensually) for the three-hour race. The idea was that I would run a few laps around the 3.2-mile course and then return to what I’m best at: drinking copious amounts of beer and cheering from the sidelines.
Unfortunately, what I failed to account for is the fact that I am both a golden retriever girlfriend and a complete simp, and I sure as hell will follow my badass partner in circles for 10 hours.
Look at her go!
So for the next 10 hours, we ran. And we walked. And we chilled out in-between laps and drank a lot of beer. Like, a lot of beer.
By the end of the day, we had 50k in the bag.
This is by far the longest I’ve ever gone on foot in one day. Oddly enough, other than a flare up of a minor ankle injury that I chose to ignore like the smart person I am, my legs feel fine—I attribute 100% of that to our very restorative diet of Fireball, Whiteclaws, and Mich Ultra.
I had an amazing time, and I think I might have caught the running bug. It’s either that or I just love following my girlfriend around in a state of perpetual dehydration. Maybe it’s both.
The end result is the same: I will be signing up for more races in the future. I will try to go further distances on foot. And if for whatever reason I can’t, I will be on the sidelines holding an encouraging cardboard sign, drinking too much beer, and freaking out (supportively) as people run by in various states of organ failure.
Oh, one more thing… If you’re the marketing director for Michelob Ultra and you’re interested in sponsoring a really shitty runner, hit me up. I can’t promise race results, but I can promise it’ll be a very good time.
Deuces. ✌️
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