What's Up, Doc?

I like carrots. 

I find them tasty. Especially with hummus. Yet they are not always my first choice when looking for a snack. Something else may seem more appealing at the time, even when all I need are a few carrots to feel satisfied.

However, a carrot is not always a carrot.  Sometimes it is more than a simply snack.  On occasion a carrot is more that a mere garden vegetable.  A carrot becomes more when that carrot is...

An Ultra Marathon.

My carrot is the next ultra.  Turning this exercise fad, this passing fancy, this wild-eyed pursuit into a lifestyle is my ultimate goal.  Along with the titles husband, son, father, and friend, I want to be known as an ultra runner.  Not for reasons of ego or excess, but as a statement of what I am.  So that people will know I do not make commitments lightly.  That I follow through.  That I pursue to the last.  That I do not give up.

For the uninitiated, endurance training is a selfish endeavor.  Participation in endurance events is an expensive pastime.  Unfortunately time and money are held in excess here.  If you know then you know.

However, the carrot that is ultra running will give me an extra push when work sucks and the life gets tough.  Giving my best efforts personally and professionally will make toeing the starting line so much sweeter.  I will tackle the tough days with the same tenacity I found on the trail, to endure, to overcome, to persevere.

***Race Schedule Update - My next race will be the Cactus Rose 100mi in Bandera, Texas this fall.  The humbling aspect of selecting this race this early is that I received an anonymous donation toward travel expenses.  I am still shocked.  Finishing that course would be the best thank you I can bestow.