In the mid 90's I came across a show on television called the Eco Challenge. It showcased teams of 4 people who had to work together to complete 500+ miles of racing via running, mtn biking, kayaking, rope work, and other crazy things. I told myself that one day I just had to experience this. I completed my first race in 1999 - a short 12 hour event on the island of Catalina. Years later I crossed the finish line with my teammates at one of the most epic events I've ever participated in - Primal Quest Montana. It took us almost a week to finish and we slept less than 8 hours in those 7 days - we placed 8th. The initial dream had taken me farther than I had ever imagined and pushed me well beyond any so called limits.
The marathon dream came back into focus in 2008 when I decided I wanted to chase another dream. A shot at running a sub 3 hour marathon. I needed over 13 minutes to make that happen. My first attempt at the end of 2008 wasn't successful but I didn't give up hope. A year later I ran the California International Marathon and ran a 2:57:55.
So that leads me to now...where the time has come for another crazy dream. One that makes me nervous, excited, scared, determined, and honestly a bit uncertain if I can actually achieve it. I'm almost certain that I have these feelings each time I set off to chase a dream or achieve a goal. However, this is the first time I've shared my aspirations so freely with others.
So what am I all worked up about? I'm going to go for the Olympic Trials Qualifying standard for the marathon - a sub 2:46. It's lofty, it's ambitious, and it's beyond my comfort level and slightly out of my reach but that's ok....because as Robert F Kennedy once said "only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." I may not achieve my dream but I won't know until I try and I'm excited to see where this journey takes me.
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