My personal training and racing sights are set on July 16, 2011. It will be hot. It will be mountainous. It will be a physical and mental challenge. It will be a very long day.
It wouldn’t be the aforementioned dilemmas if it wasn’t the Vermont 100. This infamous course will be my second challenge in the 100 miles endurance sports.
Above all, there is always a means to an end… As such my training has officially started this week with a countdown of 13 weeks. This does not provide a lot of time to think and strategize on how to approach the training but it does provide the ability to quickly and efficiently plan out in an ad-hoc format. This is the fun part…All events provide the thrill of beginning the race…but training gives you the uncontrollable challenges and obstacles that we face daily – training through unforeseeable weather, balancing your personal life with your job duties & responsibilities, and above all never forget that you only have one family and must do anything in your power to keep ‘em afloat.
This brings me to the overall point of this message today. My main reason for running these distances is in complete honor of my daughter which was born with ‘some’ complications…to be exact…with a diaphragmatic hernia. Three years later following a lengthy stay at the hospital in NYC in order to medically intervene and get her back to speed with children of her age, she has truly captured my warrior spirit and ignited it with an unprecedented ball of fire which gives me motivation to dedicate my time and personal being to the unique world of ultrarunning.
Overall, she is doing outstanding in regards to her overall development and diaphragmatic issues. However tomorrow morning she will undergo a cardiac surgery to repair a Patent Ductus Arteriosus(PDA). This in itself is a challenge to me mainly because (like any parent) I worry about the outcome of this surgery. And it also sets my mind straight again and not have to ask myself or fumble to clearly indicate to people who ask me WHY DO I DO THESE ULTRA RACES. Plain and simple. Everybody has their own unique motivation and reasons why they decide to go through so much pain. But the end of the tunnel/race it’s a beautiful thing when you could say that you have accomplished your training. Accomplished your goal. Or your heart continues to lead the charge so that Daddy could continue racing…
Find out what a Patent Ductus Arteriosus
