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What was I thinking?
Me?
An Ultra-vest?
Shoot, now I must live up to the vest and sign-up for an ultra.
An ultra!
I can't do an ultra!
Ultras are crazy!
Whoa man, calm down, breathe in, breathe out.
You can do it.
Just believe.
Believe.
I slipped this beautiful vest on the other morning and gazed at my reflection in the mirror. I searched the eyes and asked "who is this person" and "what does he need to prove" and "why does he think he can run an ultra" and "why can't he be happy with what he has". It fit so good, yet it felt disingenuous. I tucked it back into the drawer for another time and went for a run.
I can't do an ultra!
Ultras are crazy!
Yesterday I tried it on again. I fine tuned the fit with tiny adjustments here and there. I placed a few gels in the tiny side pockets. I filled the water bottles and slid them in place. Everything about this vest is perfect and intelligent. The detail and lightness are absolutely stunning. A large double back pocket and a zig-zag bungee meshing for stashing a jacket. It's all so perfect and it feels so good.
You can do it.
Just believe.
Believe.
I ran the full length of Harte Trail plus a few laps of Assiniboine Forest with the vest. Just to try it out. Just to see. Just to believe. Just to imagine. As my mind drifted and my legs and heart fell into that blissful rhythm we call running, the vest felt good. Until I got thirsty.
The water bottle would only release the tiniest amount of water. I wanted a glug while the bottle released drips! No amount of sucking would increase the water flow. I tried squeezing the bottle. I tried bending the nipple. I even tried unscrewing the lid to release some pressure inside the bottle from all the sucking. I finally gave up thinking this must be an ultra-thing (so much to learn). Ultra runners probably want to conserve their water. Yeah, that must be it. So home I ran... with a powerful thirst.
Later that evening I discovered the trick to increasing the water flow. The UD bottles have a 'kicker valve'. To release water you need to pull (kick) the nipple (valve) up. It stand out an inch from the bottle and makes all the difference. So here I am, red faced, sharing my first misstep into ultra running. Yes, I have much to learn and many, many miles to train.
The water bottle would only release the tiniest amount of water. I wanted a glug while the bottle released drips! No amount of sucking would increase the water flow. I tried squeezing the bottle. I tried bending the nipple. I even tried unscrewing the lid to release some pressure inside the bottle from all the sucking. I finally gave up thinking this must be an ultra-thing (so much to learn). Ultra runners probably want to conserve their water. Yeah, that must be it. So home I ran... with a powerful thirst.
Later that evening I discovered the trick to increasing the water flow. The UD bottles have a 'kicker valve'. To release water you need to pull (kick) the nipple (valve) up. It stand out an inch from the bottle and makes all the difference. So here I am, red faced, sharing my first misstep into ultra running. Yes, I have much to learn and many, many miles to train.
You can do it.
Just believe.
Believe.
It's a good day to be alive.
Mike
Just believe.
Believe.
It's a good day to be alive.
Mike
