Well, yesterday we went 21 miles. If that sounds like that is a long way, that is because it is. It was any absolutely exhausting experience that won’t be soon forgotten, and will be looked to for strength on race day. We ran a 7 mile loop 3 times and had a nice mix of hills in it. We kept a pretty moderate pace for the first 14 miles, and then (upon recommendation) sort of went our own way for the final 7. For me, the final seven was very difficult. I picked up my pace and wanted to finish strong, but found there wasn’t much left in the tank. I pretty much slammed into a wall around mile 18, where I caught up to Mike. We ended up staying together for the remainder of the run, finishing the last 7 miles in about an hour. Had it not been for having Mike there with me, even though nothing was said, it would have been extremely easy to give up and walk for a bit. But having him there fighting along side me motivated me to dig deep and keep going. I am an extremely independent person, but yesterday more than ever, I was extremely thankful that I am a part of a team. I am so proud of all of us that have come this far. So far, this journey has allowed me to see parts of myself, as well as my teammates, that few other activities could have shown. This experience is certainly creating a bond that won’t easily be broken. Those who have not pushed themselves to pursue something of this magnitude (naysayers and fans alike), can never appreciate the struggles that it entails, or the boundaries that it pushes. With that, I will leave you all with an excerpt from Teddy Roosevelt, one that UK president Lee Todd gave me when I was still playing football and encouraged me greatly, called “In the Arena”:
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
Good job, guys. 3 more weeks.
