"Thinking Out Loud"

Lately, while I'm in the last weeks of training for my Ultra.. I try to read about inspirational stories to help me get through those rough patches while on my training runs and also implant these events in my head while trying to attempt to complete the 50 miler in a couple of weeks.

I'm reminded of this.

Interviewer: "So what do you think about when running an Ultra?"

Ultra-Runner: "I think about everything and almost nothing.."

I also right this post for Keri, my TRI club teammate. She finished her 1st Marathon last year in Chicago and planned to be back in '07. Then comes a foot injury and by a doctor's blunder, she is worst off than she was before. My thoughts are with her as she hopefully will finally have surgery to fix the problem that has plagued her the past couple of months. But the kicker is that the current doctor told her that she "might not" be able to run again. ~ Sorry, Keri you can tell me to F*off later, because I'm posting about your situation :). But, I wish the best for her and miss her having being my "unofficial" pacer on my training runs.

I do not pretend to know what she is going through. But from the stories of athletes who struggle to take that extra step or even a step at all. It does reaffirm my belief. If you are still have breath in you, you still have that opportunity to take that step.

What do you have to loose,,, nothing,,, but gain everything.

But that step cannot never be forced or be told to you. It has to be inside you, then only then, can you take another.

Danelle Ballangee

Her story you can listen on competitive radio or look at the video from the today show ~

"Danelle Ballengee is without a doubt one of the greatest endurance athletes on the planet having won everything from Eco Challenge to Primal Quest to the Duathlete of the Year title. She also climbed all 55 14,000 peaks in Colorado in a little over 14 days, completed seven IronMan races, won the Catalina Marathon and won the Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon 10 times. So when she took a 60 foot fall in Moab a few weeks ago, shattered her pelvis, lost one third of her blood volume and was exposed to the elements for over 56 hours, we all were obviously very concerned. She came on the show with Bob and Paul to share the amazing story and to tell us about how her dog Taz saved her life."

So listening to her interview I was pretty amazed about her attitude toward her life. She struggles each day to just sit up in a wheelchair now. But she is just happy to be alive. She has a lot of struggles to overcome but has the attitude to just take it one day at a time. Like everybody else, I know one day she will back doing what she loves most.

Plus, if you ever run with your dog you have to listen how Taz the "mutt" dog lead the rescuers to where she had fallen. Literally saved her life.

Besides of her amazing story, other things have come into my thought these days as well. Talking to my parents and hearing about my uncle starting Kidney Dialysis last week. He talked to my parents about what he could have done to avoid what he going through now. Regrets about how he has lived an unhealthy lifestyle.

So as I struggle to get out of bed some days to start my long runs, I start to "thinking about everything" out there.

What do I have to complain about?

Nothing really..

Minor aches and pains, nothing a little icing will not fix..

As long as I have the inner desire to take that step, then that extra step will be all I need.

Spring is here, kinda of anyway. Time for another long run and more steps to take along the way.

It's really great to be alive. Don't you think?