Ok....so if you havent heard yet...it was an eventful day at the Merrills Mile Ultra Running event in north Georgia! Let me start by saying that Willy NatureBoy Syndram put on an amazing event! The volunteers were just SUPER, the aid station was over and above expectations, and Willy kept everyone having fun and feeling special about their accomplishments! I am proud to announce that we have a new @UltraRunner in the family: my wife, Robin Bowden Ridgeway! She went out their just having fun, and beating it around that loop...and before you know it she had knocked out a marathon. And being within striking distance she accepted the challenge to click of a 50K...31.5 miles! So please show her some love on her personal wall. And apparently we have a new emerging runner in the family. My daughter Abbey arrived late in the day, but decided to crank out some laps. She kept going, and going, and going, and going. When she got to 10 miles she said, Daddy....is 10 miles a something? I said, YES baby!!! Its TEN MILES! She said, But it doesnt have a special name. Whats the next thing up with a special name? Next thing you know....that girl has run a half marathon! It was great to have mom and dad up for the event to cheer us on! They ended up walking 5 miles themselves. Im super proud of that accomplishment. I dont know how many miles my son Nathan got in, but I know he did several with me when I was hitting a slump! It was so special to have him there beside me for those miles. Going into the race I told you all that my minimum goal was to go farther than I ever had, which would be 33 miles. The first 2 hours went great; I was pacing well. As the sun began to beat straight down on us, it took its toll on everyone, myself included. At mile 10 I already had 6 emerging blisters, so I stopped briefly for a tape job. At mile 17 my back began to spasm, and it continued throughout the rest of the day, getting worse with compounding pain. At mile 20, I considered stopping and calling it day, since I havent run double digits in 2014 yet, and I had already gone quite a distance; but I pressed on after a dose of Advil. My left IT Band began to inflame and my feet were feeling destroyed by the mid twenties. At mile 30, more Advil and the pain in my back was almost debilitating. But I wasnt going to stop without going my farthest distance at this point, and somehow my pace began to quicken again. So I pressed on to get in those 33 miles...umm 34. Yep! I thought I was at 33 and somehow lost track (and my mind), and realized I was at 34. I felt a spurt of energy, so I knocked out miles 35 & 36. Then I sat down. I was done. Finished. I just couldnt handle the back spasms anymore. And then....here comes Philip Sustar, my dear friend and coach: Dude...you do what you want to. But I dont wanna get that phone call from you on Monday saying, why didnt you push me to 40 miles when I was that close? And in essence, thats exactly what he was doing...pushing me like a good coach does. And so I laced up a fresh pair of shoes on top of a fresh pair of socks, and got back out there. It was a nice surprise to that Lisa Foster & Paula Ann Waters come out to cheer us on. They were kind enough to keep me company on a couple of miles, and the conversation was lovely, even though my feet felt 100 lbs each, and I had to stop a few times to try to stretch out that back. And then for the grand finale, Philip came out and paced me home to my very 1st 40 Miler!!! It was emotional! Im not a runner. I dont have a runners physique. I havent trained for running all my life. But my friend Philip has passed on the gift to me, and stood by me on my journey. I am grateful. Know this: you can do anything you want to do. Anything. It might be painful. It might require some serious blood, sweat and tears. But anything worth having is worth fighting for. Today I fought! And I won. Congratulations to the other guys and dolls who took on The Mile up at Camp Merrill today. It was one for the ages! I was so honored to share the day with you! It was great to see Jason Rogers and Noemy Leyva Clayborn (who is still out there earning her belt buckle for her 1st 100 Miler! Im so proud!!). My body is wrecked with pain, so Im going to bed. But I guarantee you that when I lay my head on pillow in about 5 minutes from now....theres gonna be a HUGE smile on my face! Because today....my family was victorious!! And Im proud.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 04:20:00 +0000