Well.. Today complete week 1 of training for Becoming Ultra with a nice long 10 mile run. On this run I remembered something my dad told me just before I left for the Marine Corps.
"Son, your job is to keep your head down, push through it, keep going and just don't quit".
This word of advise helped me through 4 years of the Marine Corps but it has also helped me through many other areas of my life such as:
1. Learning to be married.
2. Completing my masters degree.
3. Learning to be a father for the first time.
4. Learning to become an Ultra.
This is just to list a few things.
Today on my run, somewhere around mile 8, this words of advise came back to me. My legs felt like lead, I was completely out of water, mentally I knew that I could walk the rest of the route and still make a pretty good time and was starting to feel the sunburn on the back of my neck. The struggle became real.
As a approached a good stretch of shade, I took a deep breath and remembered these words. So I put my head down, pushed through the mental and physical stress, kept running and didn't quit. As a result, I put in a pretty good time for my first long run on this new training plan.
My dad has passed down some great stuff to me over my 35 years on this rock. Like my love for the Rocky movies, the ability to grow a sweet beard and the ability to work hard no matter the situation. I know not all dads are perfect and all dads make mistakes but I am grateful for the advise, words of encouragement and most important the love and grace he shown me even what I really deserved was a good butt kick'n.
As I continue to train to run this 50 miles and while I run it in December at the North Face Endurance Challenge, I will remember the words of my dad and know that he will be cheering me on to victory.
