I am officially halfway there!! I got into a great run out here on Whidbey island this week... 15.1 miles! It was tough, grueling even at the end, but we made it through the hills, a little sun, a little rain, some views of the sound, some wonderful trees, and a lot of deer starring at us as though they were thinking “what the hell is this human and dog doing?!”

Two months ago, when I came up with this idea, I certainly didn’t think that every few miles I added would be another challenge, another hurdle to overcome. For some reason, I expected it to get easier as I went along - after all – I already persevered through the challenges of getting from six to eight miles and from eight to ten, etc. That is certainly not the case though, every few miles that are added to the end of my distance record are a few miles that require special attention, acceptance of a little pain, personal ambition, and effort. After I get through those last two miles, the two hard miles of the run, the two miles that I put all the effort to run the first thirteen miles to get to, the reward is amazing! My feet are sore, my hamstrings are tight, and my knees feel like they would give if I had to move sideways… but my adrenaline is up, a feeling of conquest has taken over my body, and I feel like I am on top of the world for the rest of the day.

Some people put all this effort in so that they can come home and eat all the food they want, some people give themselves “rewards” of material items, some people brag on and on, etc. I like to cherish my victory somewhat privately. I announce my success because it is a success for me – I rarely post victory’s when the run felt like crap (because I don’t feel like I accomplished anything). I nearly always announce or publish the victories though. The runs that give me that feeling of being on top of the world.

With another 15 miles to go before I reach my goal, I know there will be a lot more days where I feel like an amazing human being, pulling off feats of grandeur. There will also be more days where I feel like I didn’t accomplish anything with my run and will try to make some excuse like my running partner Buddy was pulling on his leash or something.

Well, onwards and upwards – we only have 15 miles to go!!