How many miles are in 24 hrs??

It is the beginning of another week of “training” and I am looking forward to the challenge ahead of me. As many of you may know I am heading to Missouri on Friday for my first 24 hr Ultra ~ just how many miles are in 24 hrs? I will be happy with reaching the 80 mile mark, but 100 miles is my true goal. I will use this weekend to figure out how my mind and body feel and/or react to the different, new, and exciting challenges that I will endure throughout this time frame. I need to learn what it is like to push myself through complete exhaustion, severe aches, pains, and cramps, and how to control my caloric intake to sustain a healthy body for that amount of time. As I put training in quotes earlier, this is just that, a training run and an opportunity to strengthen and build my endurance prior to my 100 and 200 mile events that are further down the road. Over the past two weeks I have not had the best training runs to date, but I cannot dread on the thoughts of injuries I have sustained or whether or not I am prepared. I want to become the best runner I can be and it is time to start now. I will not spend the rest of my life wondering if I can do this, run this far, or overcome the obstacles I will face. Please follow my blog as I continue down this path in life with relentless forward motion. I will blog pre and post race with pictures and a video documentary of the 24 hr run.

"Mental will is a muscle that needs exercise, just like the muscles of the body."
-Lynn Jennings

Life’s battles...

Throughout the previous week I had battled injuries and illness. I have been able to lace up and hit that road to two hundred again and I'm not looking back. As I am preparing for my first 24 hour ultra in less than two weeks I think about the battles that I have faced before this momentous occasion and the ones I will face throughout the long day on my feet. In the sport of ultrarunning you are faced with multiple challenges, but most of which are presented again and again (sore legs, cramps, tired feet, blisters, aches & pains, etc), so you learn how to be mentally tough in those situations and push through them. I am also motivated to keep that relentless forward motion when I think about the battles that others face in their daily lives. I have a choice and I choose to put myself through that pain and mental challenge, but there are many more unfortunate persons out there that struggle with more severe pain, heartache, and health problems daily.  As I have said before, I love to run for organizations and races that are raising money for a good cause and now it is my turn to raise money myself for those dealing with one of life’s unique and very challenging battles.  If you would please read through my previous post and the Miles for Muscles campaign, I would greatly appreciate it. Our friend and community member is in need and I would love for us to support him in any way we can in his current life battle.

“Life’s battles don't always go to the strongest or fastest man,
But sooner or later the man who wins is the fellow who thinks he can.”