Going the distance

After running an ultra marathon at the awesome Run Woodstock event in Pinckney, MI for the last two years, I decided that, although I was not running this year, I would offer to volunteer. Seeing as how I jump into everything with two feet, I signed up for two aid station shifts. I worked at Richie's Haven during the midnight shift and at Gracies for the end of the race.

Working these two shifts provided me with an unanticipated treat. At Richie's, I was able to see all of the 100 milers as they ran through the night. I saw a few breakdowns and a couple in rough shape, but overall they were a motivated, cheerful group.

Then at Gracie's, 12 hours later, I saw the same group of runners as they worked on completing one of the hardest challenges of their life. There were still a couple of runners who looked as fresh as if running a 5K fun run. However, the majority of them had the look of worn down warriors, yet they soldiered on.

As the race deadline came close, I found myself staring down the road, willing the last remaining runners to make an appearance and beat the clock. Every time one did, I felt such pride for them. They were in obvious pain and at their physical limits, but they kept moving. The last 100 miler was a girl who I heard had blisters covering her feet. Instead of quitting, she had them taped up and shuffled along. I was amazed by the sheer strength of this girl's spirit, of her toughness, of her fortitude. As she left the aid station, with plenty of time to make the cut off, I had question begin to nag me.

Am I that strong? Am I strong enough to keep moving when everything is telling me to quit? Am I strong enough to keep running when it would be so easy to give up? Am I strong enough to beat every doubt, every desperation, every desire that lures me to the just sit down and go home?

This question haunted me continuously. It still haunts me today, but I have decided to find out the answer. I have decided to run the Woodstock 100 miler in September of 2014. It's time to see exactly how strong I am. It's time to see if I can go the distance.