Virtual Run Across Kansas Finally Completed!

 

The good news is I have finally completed my virtual run across Kansas.  The bad news?  What was going to take me 2 months took me about 7!  The plan was to average about 48 miles per week (an average of 6-7 miles per day) and get it done quickly.  For the first couple weeks this was no problem because I was training for an ultramarathon (race report).  I cut back my mileage to taper for race day, but I planned on picking it back up a week or two after the 50-miler and begin training for another 100.  The problem was, after the 50-mile race (which didn't quite go as well as planned), I lost my desire to continue training.  I'd get out there on the trail a couple times per week and get in a short jog or a few miles of hiking, but I couldn't get motivated to run regularly.  I suppose this is a common occurance for ultra runners, I know it's not the first time it has happened to me.

After a few weeks of low to zero mileage, and no real restraints on my diet, I got fat and lazy!  It was Winter, and there was certainly no extra motivation to get out in the freezing cold and go for a run.  As a result, I practically quit on my "virtual run across Kansas" idea. 

Toward the end of the winter, however, I got a bit of motivation back and started pushing myself.  Now that it is early Spring, I have bumped up my training again and have entered into a 20-week program I have drawn up (I'll be discussing my plan at a later time).  Mileage is consistantly over 20 miles per week and increasing. 

So, today I added up my mileage since I originally set out to "run across Kansas," and I have indeed finally made it (a few days ago actually).  Instead of the original 6-7 mile-per-day average, I only averaged about 2.25 miles per day (including several zero-mile weeks), but I still made it "across Kansas."

I thought it was the coolest idea!  Perhaps I will do something similar again sometime.  At least once per week I would look at Google Maps and determine my location based on the total miles I had accumulated.  I even did a bit of research on the little towns I would have passed by had I actually been running on that route.  I would figure out what restaurants were around...and even decide what I would want to eat that day, where my family would pick me up, what local sites we could visit...  Really, I recommend everyone try something like this sometime!