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From a Run or Two

A good run is so much more than just putting one foot in front of the other and yet... At times, that's all it really is and that makes everything just alright!

Train I Must!

Sooo... it's been a great week of training!

I mean, while many people are still sleeping off their last can of Ol' Bullfrog from the night before, I am out running.

And while many are watching Wheel of Fortune at night, I'm running home from work.  Tonight will be my 3rd day in a row of run-commuting after work.  

I know, a lot of folks don't understand and that's OK.  I thought about that last night as I was standing in about 10" of fresh snow on my run home.  It occurred to me that "Crazy" is different for each person.  What a lot of people think of as unreal, crazy, maybe even ridiculous... such as running through 10" of snow for five miles after working for 12 hours; for others like myself, is the only option.  What seems crazy to me is sitting inside, in front of a TV, eating bon-bons (sp), just because its cold outside.  Yes... maybe in the moment on one level... it sucks, hurts (a lot) and maybe I even want to quit, but on a whole different level... I am energized, invigorated and empowered beyond your wildest imagination just knowing I'm doing it!

I keep going back to the same statement in my head: "A 100 mile ultramarathon won't care what excuses you had for not training enough when you're ready to quit at mile 75!"  Quitting is not an option!

That's it...

Train I Must...

No excuses!

It's Real Now!

Tony Robbins says something like: "When you talk about something, it's a dream; when you envision it, it becomes a goal; when you schedule it, its real!"

With that in mind... I signed up for the Winona Lake Trail Ultra 50 Mile.

That's right!  I had been talking about running the Rocky Raccoon 100 in Texas the beginning of February and finally came to the conclusion that it just wasn't going to happen as I have struggled a little with getting in the amount of training I needed with the winter here in Michigan.

Don't get me wrong... I have been training and I mean a lot... just not enough to meet an early February deadline.  On top of that, I had not signed up yet for the Rocky Raccoon 100 (kind of an omen).  I have to admit that the first time I actually heard the words; "I'm not going to run Rocky Raccoon" come out of my mouth, I almost panicked.  And yet, I always believe that if one plan doesn't work out try something different.

That lead me to yesterday.  While searching for a substitute for Rocky Raccoon, I stumbled across an event that met several of my criteria.  I wanted something that I didn't have to do a lot of traveling for (This is just across the Michigan-Indiana border).  Additionally, because of a 2:30pm start time I can literally drive down the same day.  I wanted an event that was sooner than later and yet not in February.  This is a 10-mile trail loop (much easier for a first-timer to self-support).  And... I didn't want to be freezing (Feb, March, April can still be kind of cold around the Great Lakes). 

And so... here I am!  Signed up and ready to run.  No more playing around.  It's freaky cold here and I've got a race to get ready for!

It's Real Now!

Rocky Raccoon is not out forever, just for now!