More than me!

Deciding, planning, training for and running a 100 mile race is not, all in all, a solitary adventure. While many of my training miles to date have been solo I have an amazing family and group of friends and supporters rooting me on. To embark on such a journey, as this, time away from family is a given -- countless hours of training in the mountains and on the road is time spent away from my son and husband. I woke most weekdays before they were out of bed to get in a run and many, many weekend days I was out all day while they played and did life without me. It is not always easy to be a spouse of an Ultra runner; it takes patience and understanding, but most importantly it takes time. Steven has driven me to race starts and waited for me at the finish line nearly every race. At Wilson Creek Frozen 50K he waited 2 extra hours in the freezing cold for me to finish. We have traveled several hours to get to races, taking time away from other family activities to make it all happen. I am lucky! While I know that my husband does not fully understand my desire to run far, he does love the me that loves running far. My journey to my first 100 mile race has taught me about love, motherhood, balance in a marriage, push and pull, effort and ease, it has taught me about commitment and true friendship, this journey thus far has reviled to me a drive to be AWESOME! I want to finish what I start not only in the racing sense of the word but also in the life sense. I am making it happen for my family, I am teaching my son that anything is possible if you want it bad enough and if you are willing to work for it. And if you are willing to work for it remember to ask for help and to be willing to show both strength and weakness. With just a few days before I step on to the IMTUF course; I feel grateful that I let people in and that I have shared this journey, even when it did not seem all that interesting, I feel ready in mind and body, most of all I feel supported by a great big handful of people both near and far. I will resist the urge to get up and give me very best Oscar Award winning speech, at least until after the race....