Barkley 2018: One Official Loop
Oh boy. I finally ran my first attempt at the Barkley Marathons this past weekend. (Watch the movie first if you don't know what I'm talking about.) It lived up to the hype. The weather was gnarly, the course was awesome, and I had the time of my life (on loop one). I've dreamt about the race for years, and I have been applying since the 2013 race, maybe missing one year. I got on the waitlist for 2016, and as is the practice, moved my way up over the last couple years. I started in spot seven this year, and was accepted into the race mid-February. Unfortunately, I was unable to train much, because I was on the economics PhD job market. I wrapped up a long 2017 running season in the fall, and essentially took November, December, and January off, running only ~100 miles per month. Instead I finished up drafts of two papers, submitted one to a journal, sent the other to 130 employers, interviewed with a dozen, and flew to visit four. Finally, after the second-r...