I took up running about five years ago to battle a weight problem that had caused severe sleep apnea as well as more minor problems like indigestion, shortness of breath, and other typical weight problems.
I'm not a talented runner. I'm slow, but I enjoy it, so I have gotten better. I've run a half marathon (Dec '03 in 2:04:52, 3 seconds ahead of the world record for a whole marathon) and managed to finish a 50K (31 miles) a couple weeks ago, though it took 7 1/2 hours.
My ultimate running dream would be to tackle the Badwater ultramarathon, run from 252 feet below sea level in Badwater, CA to the gates of some state park on Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in the continental U.S., though the gates are only at 8,000 feet up. It's a 135-mile run through Death Valley run in mid-July. That may well never happen, but it is something I've hoped to make happen by the time I'm 50 (more than 4 years left).
It's probably a nutso dream. I watch the documentary on Badwater, called "Running on the Sun" every two or three months, so I've seen it over 10 times. My wife thinks I'm brain-damaged, but I have three friends who want to do it with me. Maybe in a couple years we can submit an application together.
Any other runners here who like to talk about running as well as evolution?
Suggested forum is Coffee House, of course.
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