I have a bit of an obsession with distance. No, I’m not talking about my inexplicable drive to run farther than common sense would allow, though that probably counts as an obsession, too.
No, I’m talking about my equally odd desire for each run to end on a “nice” number. My favorites are multiples of 8 and multiples of 5. So if I’m at 31 miles and dead tired I’d still rather go another mile than stop. There are a couple exceptions: 33.33, for example, is another “natural” stopping point, as is 26.2, for obvious reasons.
Am I the only one with this problem? I see some runners on dailymile with runs that end in fractions of a mile, and besides the two exceptions I mentioned I just can’t do that. At worst it has to be a full mile, if not one of my multiples.
i am willing to stop at 26.2 and 31.05 (50k).
Jason, Have you considered doing any long course triathlons? With your endurance, I think you would find them satisfying. It is a lower heart rate event, and is a race of attrition. Your mental toughness would be a huge asset. Nice running!
What happened on tues or wed. you stopped at 36 and 34? Not a multiple of 5 or 8.
I know! Don't think it didn't bug me. The Wednesday run was meant in part to balance out the Tuesday run for a total of 70 miles over two days.
That's a major case of OCD--they have medication for that but it might affect your running. I'm in awe of your mental and physical toughness. You never changed your goal--didn't you sign up for a 50 miler?