Curling's Over, Time to Run

We just finished up the 50th curling season at Mayfield Curling Club.  For the last five months, I've been spending five nights a week at the curling club.  That makes it tough to squeeze in any long runs at night.  I now have no excuses to get ready for the 24-Hour Worlds in May.... except the weather. 

I know, I should be used to it.  I grew up in Wisconsin but I think I have gotten soft living so many years in balmy Ohio.  Last year, global warming was in full force here and we had multiple days in March where the temps hit 80!  This year, the ice age has returned and each morning I've been greeted by cold and snow.  Now that I have free time to run at night when there is more daylight, I still am stuck with snow, ice and cold.

Running the Green Jewel 50K this March -
it was supposed to be "green," not "white."

Curling's over and I am officially DONE with winter.  I don't want to see any more ice unless it is on a curling rink.  OK, I am now done with my rant.  Time to start running....

Ultracurling vs. Ultrarunning - The verdict is in

I can now check ultracurling off of my bucket list.  This past weekend, I helped Mayfield Curling Club celebrate its 50^th Anniversary by participating in “50 hours of continuous curling.”  While I didn’t curl the entire 50 hours, I was able to curl 15 games, which translates into 30 hours of curling over a 2-day period.

The event kicked off with the 6:00 PM draw on Friday night, February 1st.  I started curling at 10:30 PM on Friday night when the regular draws had concluded.  Everyone was full of energy  and the stereo was cranking.  During “breaks,” some brave souls surfed on the rocks for our entertainment.  It was a continuous party!

Aubrey rock surfing

El Presidente displaying his talents

With the bright lights of the curling club and lack of windows, it was similar to being in a casino… easy to lose track of time!  When 5:00 AM rolled around, I couldn’t believe it as the time had flown by.  At 10:00 AM Saturday, I still felt wide awake but the regular men’s draw was starting so I went home for a few hours sleep.  I returned for the 4:45 PM draw on Saturday and continued until 8:30AM on Sunday, went home for more sleep before returning at 6:30PM for my regular mixed doubles draw, which concluded the 50 hours at 8:00 PM on Sunday night.

Julia, Jason, Steve and me ending 50 hours of curling at MCC.

 So what are the advantages of ultracurling over ultrarunning? 

1.        Everyone is much more social.  When I run ultras I go into my own little world and don’t talk to anyone. Ultracurling was highly entertaining!

2.        It is definitely not as tiring as ultrarunning.  I think the bright lights are a big help in staying awake.  Maybe I need to find an indoor ultramarathon?

3.        I can drink beer and eat hamburgers while ultracurling.

4.        I did not get one blister.

5.        I did not lose any toenails (but this is probably not a fair comparison since I currently only have a combined total of 4 toenails on both of my feet).

6.        I did not have to deal with rain, mud or wind (although there was a snowstorm outside).

And the disadvantages?

1.        While not as tiring as ultrarunnng, ultracurling has more repetitive use of certain muscles and joints.  I am right-handed.  Due to pushing out of the hack with my right foot over and over, my right quad, knee and Achilles were starting to protest at the end of the event.

2.       While I listed the social aspect of ultracurling as an advantage, it is also a disadvantage.  One of the things I like about ultrarunning is getting in the zone and not talking to anyone!

3.        Ultracurling involves a lot of thinking; what shots to call, when to sweep, etc.  Ultrarunning is much more relaxing because you don’t have to think about anything and can clear your mind – almost like meditation.

So, would I try ultracurling again?  Definitely!  But at the end of the day, I will stick with ultrarunning.

Ultrarunning versus Ultracurling

So I am about to embark on a new adventure of an "ultra" kind - ultracurling.  Now, I have done a bit of ultrarunning and more recently timed ultra races.  I have not ever participated in an ultra curling event.  That is about to change.

Mayfield Curling Club, of which I am a member, turns 50 this curling season.  One of the events dreamed up to celebrate the anniversary is to hold a "50 hours of curling" event.  This LONG curling party starts at 6:00PM on Friday, February 1st, and will finish at 8:00PM on Sunday, February 3rd.  Due to other commitments, I am at this point planning to curl from 10:00PM on Friday to 10:AM on Saturday..... then start up again Saturday afternoon at 4:45 PM until 11:00 AM on Sunday.... then I have a "regular" curling game in Sunday at 6:30PM to 8:00PM to finish up the event.

Not having done this before, I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep to my plan.  This seems more difficult than "merely" running for 50 hours.  The ice is hard, like concrete.  You don't want to fall asleep, stumble and hit your head on the ice.  Bad move!   

When its over, though, I'll be able to say whether I prefer ultrarunning or ultracurling!