Its a tough love...

As I continue to set one foot in front of the other on my own path I am inspired by the youth and others surrounding me. As a wrestling fan, coach, and ex-athlete I have witnessed some triumphant bouts over the past weekend. As I coached my Lil' Beavers on Friday and watched the high school boys on Saturday my spirits lifted with every match won and lost. The smiles and tears after each battle reminded me that everything tough in life takes heart and that is why it feels so damn good when you accomplish something tough. I will remain steadfast in my own personal challenges and dig deep when the tough makes me want to quit, but my heart will keep me going strong. Thank you to those peewee and adolescent wrestlers that keep an aging man youthful in the mind and heart.

Coldwater Rumble 50K~ Complete

I arrived in AZ on Friday thankful for the warm weather (a cool 60 degrees as I stepped off the plane), and I drove to my family friends Bess and Larry Ruess' house. We stayed up catching up as I prepared all of my gear for race day. The next morning I made it to race start and was prepared for a 50k (31 mile) run through AZ. I had taken the time to look over the elevation changes in the course and determine where I knew I was going have some tough sections, needless to say~ it was all tough as hell! I started off in the lead group until about mile 3 and a cute little cactus decided to jump out and bite me in the foot! I spent 10-15 minutes with my right shoe off pulling cactus needles out of the side of my foot. Got over it and started to run again, with a little effort I was catching back up with a many of the runners that had passed me as I sat on the sideline. Once we were through the mountains (about 5 miles) and into the desert I pushed pretty hard.  I ended up taking a wrong turn and getting lost in the desert. Needless to say I made it back to the correct trail with the help of a fellow ultra runner who also got lost. As we proceeded to complete the course we ran through soft wash rock, more mountains, and more sand. It was an amazing challenging course that pushed my mind, body, and spirit to new heights. I am now getting prepared for my next ultra scheduled for February 19th in Lake Texoma, TX.  I will get pictures on and more updates as soon as possible!