IAU 6HR Virtual Global Solidarity Run

After the Olympic Trials, after Atlanta, Natchez, Baton Rouge, Houma, NOLA, after the first murmur of a virus and the subsequent chaos, I thought to myself - What sounds fun? Remembering: during a rafting trip in the spring, exclaiming into the still between white water - I think I'm a Hedonist! To which the raft guide clucked, I don't think so. The word, Hedonism, swirling like whiskey sour on the froth of the river. After the marathon, what sounded fun was The Mile. I felt like the OT's ended up being a celebratory event, not an expression of pure faculty. How could I actualize pure faculty? Where neck dips into the cup of shoulders, chin juts and a line of electricity ferments up the meat of your calves? An acidotic expression. The Mile. It was fun. It's the kind of training I'd always felt most akin to. I got down to 4:50 and stayed there, not fast but fastened. 

In June, after a track session of 200s, my heel started to hurt. I thought it was a bone bruise, then Achilles tendinitis, and then finally and accurately, plantar fasciitis. My first foot injury aside from broken toes & a cuboid bone bruise. I trained through it. Because I'm really smart. Because there were so many races. Because there was the self-imposed desire to break 4:50. Then we found out that the 2020 IAU 50K World Champs set for November in Jordan would be cancelled, but that the IAU had created something to keep us motivated, something called the IAU 6H Virtual Global Solidarity Run set for August 29-30th. I signed on. A chance to compete on Team US, even if virtual, plus I'm pretty down to do anything my friend Liz Eder-Northern does, who would also represent. I think I had a month to go from mile training to 6HR race ready, which let me tell you, is stirring.

The IAU/US contingent allowed us to raise money for a cause of our personal choosing in relation to the event. I was proud to connect with NAMI Whatcom in honor of my aunt Jenny, who we lost a few years ago. I feel strongly about the mental health of our society against the backdrop of Covid, 2020, and all the myriad ways it has affected the world. Because of some rad followers, family and friends, we raised well above the goal I set. It meant a lot to me. 

I wasn't sure what I was capable of in light of the extreme shift in training and with PF, but the pressure was non-existent and I was a hedonist. I chose a lake loop called Lake Samish, which is a little over 6.5 mi around; it undulates, has some pretty hefty hills, but long flat stretches and low traffic. My friend and teammate Nick ran a marathon of it with me. My friend LB ran a portion as well. M set up a table with snacks and a poster of Prefontaine. A prius tried to run me over. My foot ached; had to switch shoes halfway through to relieve the pain that was accumulating along my 5th met as I altered my foot strike to not land on my heel. Watch went wacky. My diet consisted of Maurten, Spring Energy gels, Honeystinger, chews, gummy candies, water. Hands sticky in the ick of sweat and torn packaging and wet sugar. I passed the 50 mile mark in silence, smiling inwardly. I had never run farther than 32 miles in my life. Nick, LB, and M on bike were beside me as I finished the 6 hours having run 52.69 mi (over 8 laps of Lake Samish). We stood for a picture. I removed wet gummy worms from my sports bra. I could barely walk on the PF leg. We soaked in the lake. Disbanded. Watched as the results from the team and other countries came through. I found I'd run the most miles among the US contingent of men & women. Each chose a route, cause, challenge that excited them. For being such a self-created/self-inspired/self-actualized virtual event, it really did feel like I was on a team. The IAU did what they set out to - keep us inspired, motivated, and connected. 

IAU 6HR Virtual Global Solidarity Run US Results HERE