Not copping out.

Winter has been rough. It’s been hard to get out on the trails between the ice, mud, and well….life.  I had to resort to the road and treadmill much more than I’d like the past few weeks.  And it has definitely changed my mood.

The second race in the local trail series is tomorrow at Rocks and Roots.  I wanted to bail…but, I changed my mind.  The last race was not what I wanted due to the mud, and I wound up stopping short of the distance I was hoping for.  The trail won that day.

For the past couple of weeks, I have missed a lot of the mileage that I should have been putting in, and it is decision time.  I had hoped to do 30k/40k for the series.  I dropped to the 20k last time and I know that my training will not be enough for the 40k this time around.  But, I’m not giving in; I’m not copping out.

I am going to show up tomorrow and try for a 30k finish.  Why? Because, I know it won’t be easy.  It won’t be perfect.  It will take all of my willpower tomorrow.  This trail and I have a love-hate relationship.  It’s a tough trail.  It’s technical, twisting, and winding, but it’s a beautiful challenge.  If it was easy, everyone would be out there.

I also don’t want to miss one of the most important things tomorrow: the trail running community.  It’s a special group of people.  I love seeing familiar faces (some of them patients of mine) out there. I love how we all know how tough it’s going to be, and yet, we show up.  We dig in.  We refuse to quit.

So, tomorrow morning, I will be finding my soul in the midst of the trees.  Which is right where I need to be.

 

Run happy. Run long.

#runningtruths

Amy is an ultramarathoner and triathlete, a coach, a mother of four, an Exercise Physiologist and a Physical Therapist. She lives with her husband, Dan (also an ultramarathoner and triathlete), and kids in Ohio.