I won't lie. As bad as my knees hurt and as tight as my IT bands are I am getting freaking EXCITED about the Provo River Half Marathon in August. This may be, in part, because I haven't run in almost two weeks, and I am not letting myself run again until I am home for Spring Break in hopes that my knees will stop being angry at me.

Having said that, tonight I went to a presentation given by Dr. Smith (one of our school physicians) about how she is into Ultramarathons. An ultramarathon is any race more than regular marathon distance of 26.2 miles, they are usually 50, 62, 100, or 135 miles. Dr. Smith explained how she got bored of running regular marathons, and decided to to ultras. The specific race she talked about tonight was a 135 miler through DEATH VALLEY. In Death Valley, the day time temperature is around 120* F, soda condenses to syrup in 11 minutes, and your sweat evaporates so fast you never feel it on your body.

Now, believe me, I understand runner's high. I understand the feeling of being invisible and strong. The feeling that sets in during the middle of your run where you are just cruising, where it seems as if you are moving effortlessly. I understand pushing your body to its limits, realizing that these limits are only mental, and pushing yourself even further.
But Death Valley seems a bit much really.

* From Ultramarathon Man. Great book.