St Pats 24

I was never a person that always wanted to do the same races every year. I like trying out new things. What were different challenges? What did different trails look like? But for four years I always came back to st pats 24 hour.

Maybe it's the great food, maybe it was my friend Sherri that's always there, the camping onsite, the flushable toilets, the row of pine trees at the end of the loop, the glow sticks at night, the fact that it was a fundraiser? But every year, it felt like magic.

And this year was no different. 

I'm not much of a runner anymore, so why would I sign up for a 24 hr race? The main reason is that for 24 hours, I get to ignore everything else and just adventure. And whatever I accomplish during the race is a win. 

This year I went in with one ten mile walk and lots of ultrateering (time on feet) so my only expectation was to have fun. Mission accomplished times a million.

I made new friends, saw old friends, laughed until I almost cried, ate until I almost couldn't eat sugar anymore, walked, laughed, and walked some more. 

There's no standard race report here. It was a 3.1 mile loop, with .25 mile out and backs for the last half hour. I did 32 miles total. I slept for at least six hours and had a full day and night of time in nature. I feel rejuvenated and ready to face all the shit that comes next.

My feet hurt and they were mighty swollen when it was all said and done. I am currently a bit creaky and it takes me a minute or two to get moving. It was all so worth it. 

I guess this is one of the things I do miss from running races. That feeling that you participated in something magical. That time stopped for a bit and you could just focus on a goal even if the goal was to just stop time for a minute. And you can hold that magic with you when you face the real world garbage that hits you the next day.