Last year’s Bull Run Run 50 Miler was my first, so I was careful not to make the rookie mistake of starting out too fast. Nor did I finish too fast. In 2013 I just beat the twelve-hour mark on my first ultra, and given the weather and my utter lack of training in 2014 (one impromptu 18-mile jog in February snow), my realistic goal this year was to do no worse. My hopeful goal was to attend the 6 p.m. award ceremony, and my conservative goal was again to avoid a DNF. This despite the wisdom I had since encountered on the value of “achieving” a DNF in order to explore one’s limits.
What impresses me most, besides the run itself, is that you remember so many details. Were you recording as you ran?
My favourite line: "Absolutely no distraction from any thoughts of the outside world, just one single task upon which all attention is focused."
It's worth doing for that reason alone.