Hard work, patience, and faith.
That’s what it takes to finish a 100 Mile Race. Or, at least
that’s what I THINK it takes to finish a 100 mile race. Since I’ve never
actually run one. Oh, I’ve done the training. And read the best books on the
subject. And spoken to plenty of people who have gone the distance. But, the furthest
I’ve ever run at one time is 50 miles - which barely gets me half way!
So, what makes me think I can do it?
Hard work, patience, and faith.
So far, 2014 has been a very busy year…
I’ve logged 2829 miles through 41 weeks - for an average of 69 miles per week. Or, about 10 miles a day! My weekly average is 9 miles per week more than my biggest year. And, 17 miles per week more than
I’ve averaged over the last 5 years. Which works out to one extra long run,
every week! Speaking of long runs, my AVERAGE long run this year has been 24
miles.
That’s like running a near-marathon every week, all year long!
A few weeks ago I put out the call for Help, and that call was answered…
On Saturday October 25th, I will be running my first 100 mile race. And I’ll be doing so
with the help of 7 wonderful people who will be pacing me (in shifts) for the last 70 miles of the race. So basically, from early Saturday afternoon until early Sunday
morning, I will have a team of runners whose sole purpose is to make sure I get
to that finish line. I feel so very fortunate to have so many great friends who
have absolutely nothing better to do than run back and forth with me through the woods.
So, without further ado, I’d like to introduce my “Dream Team” of pacers for
the Ghost Trail 100m and a little info about what makes each
of them so special...
"October. And the trees are stripped
bare, of all they wear. What do I care?”
Autumn is a season
of decay. The grass turns brown, the flowers wither, and the leaves fall off the
trees. The bright warm days of summer are long gone. There is a chill in the
air, a frost on the ground, and a foreboding sense that winter is right around
the corner. Traditionally, this time of year is a melancholy one for me. As the
weather gets colder, and the days get shorter, my thoughts turn darker – like
the days ahead.
This year feels different, though. This year I feel hopeful. And, I’m not sure why.
