Stupid is as stupid does

Get ready to feel some extreme jealousy when I tell you about what I've got on the docket.

Last January, I ran the PHUNT race. This race is amazing because it's free - everyone just brings an item for the aid stations. It's also a trail ultra in January, so it only attracts those super fun totally crazy type of runners.

Much like this year, last year I had taken some time off training after a November 50 miler and was just slowly gearing up again, so the 25k option (about 16 miles) was perfect. I really wanted to do it again this year, but I procrastinated (which is the leading cause for all problems in this post) and missed the cutoff by one day.

On New Year's Day, my friend Matt let me know spots were open, so I contacted the race director and tricked Kara into coming on board (check out her post for the series of events leading to this wise decision, complete with gifs). The race director reads my blog! I felt like a celebrity!

We had originally planned to do about 15 miles this weekend, so it was just that perfect.

Then I got a startling surprise. As I was chatting with Matt about carpooling, he casually mentioned the course had changed. It was no longer two 16 mile loops, but one big 31.8 mile loop. Meaning...it was 50k, or die trying in the woods.

Well, I haven't ran double digits since the Stone Mill 50 in November, so you might think that right there I was in for a challenge. However, Mother Nature didn't quite feel that was enough.

So, we got some snow today. Here in Maryland, that's front page news. The race is about an hour north, so they got some too. 3 inches according to the RD, 7 according to Kara. Growing up in the tundra of Rochester NY, I'm no stranger to running in snow. I fell so hard on ice one time that my CD flew out of my Discman, that's how long my history with winter running goes back. (If I have any young readers, Discmans and CDs were archaic technology used to play music in ancient times before MP3s).

However, 31 miles in the woods in snow is a horse of a different color. I've done two trail races (PHUNT last year and an 8 miler) where the trails were all snowy, but it was more like snow here and there, not a complete fresh covering.

The good news is that the overnight low there is 2, and the high tomorrow is 30. You know what that means. No melting! The snow will stay snow! The real danger, ice, shouldn't be a problem. There's always a silver lining. Even better, Kara is sending her husband on an emergency trip to Dicks to get us YakTraxx, which are basically snow tires for your running shoes. I've been wanting them for years to help me run in Rochester.

There's one more thing. Remember when I got that terrifying root canal and then came back all cocky, like "it was fine! didn't even hurt!". Well, that was true. Until the following day. And then I was in immense pain, and the stupid prescription strength IB profin they gave me did jack (although it was covered by insurance, which was nice, since I'd already turned over my life savings to pay for the root canal in the first place).

Why is this relevant? Apparently my nerve damage was so severe that the dentist has to treat me to a two-parter. Part 2 is today, and they've reminded me twice that it will be an hour and a half procedure. Then I get to head over to my regular dentist to get a crown put in, and 3 cavities filled. (That's where the procrastination problem I mentioned comes in). I could have done it in two days, but I figured I might as well just stick to one terrible FML day, and also only waste one sick day. And now, today is a snow day, so I'm wasting zero sick days!

Since the pain didn't kick in from root canal part 1 until about 48 hours later, I have high hopes for tomorrow's race. However, this does present a problem when it comes to fueling, since these procedures require a ridiculous amount of novocaine. Basically, I'll have to rely on milkshakes.

In summary: I'm doing a snow covered trail 50k tomorrow that I'm not trained for, and I won't be able to eat tonight.

On a lighter note, three of my friends/family got Poison Study as a result of Wednesday's blog post, and  found out my BFF Nicole has already read it, AND we have a 3 hour train ride coming up together to talk about it! I think this author should send me a thank you note.

Please share a time you make a totally stupid decision and it worked out GREAT. That would be comforting right now.