Running Down a Dream

Deep within the often unexplored caverns of the spirit and mind there exists a push and pull that drives internal conflict, strife, struggle, constitution, passion, and perseverance. In the week and days that have passed since the Mogollon Monster 100 Mile Endurance Run, I have sought to better understand the experience and how it relates to my relationship with running and people and other things. Since this is a blog mainly about ultra running and finding peace, it seems like a good venue to explore some of these ideas. The Exploration When an explorer sets off to experience and investigate a new frontier, the other side of the ocean or an island known to exist but has yet to be discovered, there exists and exciting and great unknown and uncertainty. Will the explorer make it and survive the journey, will the ship survive the tumultuous tides of the sea, will the new frontier be hostile, will the new found cave have a buried treasure or other interesting findings? These

If life were like the old computer game the Oregon Trail, then I probably would have died out there while trying to navigate the mountains and trails of the Mogollon Rim. Yet, life is not like a computer game nor is it like a box of chocolates. At least with the box chocolates you know you're going to get chocolate. To me, life is like running 100 miles on a hard adventurous  mountain course. I suppose, since I started this blog today,  this is my first official unofficial race report.  The Race I woke up Saturday morning knowing I had put in all the work I could in my training, was coming off a second place finish at the Vertigo 52k.  Despite sorting through some remnants of the past, I was focused and prepared. While loading up the car that morning I remember thinking about this annoying bug bite on my left calf and as I said to myself, this thing is annoying, I also thought if that's my biggest problem today I am good.  The energy before the race was elect