For six months now I have set my sights on completing a four day 120 mile run through the Scottish Highlands. I followed the instructions of my running coach to the letter, running literally hundreds of miles. I worked with an awesome physical therapist to stay healthy. I met with my personal trainer twice weekly to balance all the running I was doing with strength training and mobility work. I monitored my diet and my sleep. I carefully tested my shoes, gear and food that I would need for the event. By all accounts I was ready for the task.
On Saturday April 27th at 8am I toed the line for the start of the event. The challenge ahead was to run 30miles each day for four days. Under the shadow of Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Scotland I knew I was ready to go. That first day was brutal. While I have run multiple Ultra Marathons in the past and was expecting something similar this was something different all together. The paths trails were more primitive, loose rocks and uneven surfaces were the norm. That is until the last 3 miles where the “path” was barely 6 inches wide and steep, in both directions! I finished day one not in the expected 6 hours but in 8. I was exhausted and humbled.
As always, the sunlight of day two brought new optimism. After a great night’s sleep I readied myself for the task ahead. The pre-race briefing talked about the need to head up and over a mountain for the first 10 miles. As I began to ascend the mountain, I began to regret my complaints about the status of the trails on the first day as today, there were no trails. There were only green and yellow flags placed in the ground to mark the direction of travel. Typically it takes me just over an hour and a half to run 10 miles, this day I navigated the route in just over 4 hours. After descending to the valley floor, I realized that I still had 20 miles to go and would be lucky to finish by dark. Just before 8pm, almost 12 hours after I started, my bush whacking, off trail 30 mile journey through the Scottish Highlands was over for day 2. Exhausted, I ate a quick dinner and got ready for day three.
The morning of day three I knew I was in trouble. Whether it was due to a virus or fatigue, my night’s sleep was interrupted by stomach issues. When I awoke, I checked my watch and it indicated that I had a total of only 3.5 hours sleep. I was dehydrated and completely exhausted. I tried to drink water but I couldn’t. Breakfast was out of the question. When I got ready to run the day’s route I knew it was going to be a challenge. I started off fine. It was a beautiful Scottish morning, fog in the valley, cool with a slight mist. The first mile went fine, then the second. I thought “I got this!” Unfortunately around mile 3 the cold sweats started. I suddenly felt weak and tired. By mile four I had pulled out my hiking poles not to help me ascend a steep part of the trail but to keep me from falling on level ground. I quickly realized that my race was over but I also understood that I had 5 more miles to go before I reached the remote first checkpoint where I would find a support crew and would be able to “Tap out”.
Those last 5 miles have to be the toughest 5 miles of my life. Surrounded by amazing Scottish countryside I struggled to keep my balance and put one foot slowly in front of the other. Finally, down the trail next to a bridge, literally in the middle of nowhere , I saw the check point. In what seemed like an eternity I stumbled my way to it. Completely spent, I told the medic what I was experiencing and we all agreed that I had had enough.
Normally I would be crushed that I had not completed my goal. To that point I had never not finished any event that I had entered. But this day, for some reason I was at peace with the situation. I somehow was experiencing a satisfaction of pushing myself as far as I could. While maybe on another day, in better health, the situation would have turned out differently, but at that point I knew that I had “Left it all on the field of play.”
Grinders Win, but not necessarily each event or everyday. Grinders Win because they set big goals, create a plan to achieve them and push themselves to see things through. I may have stopped 50 or so miles from my goal, but I achieved a feeling of accomplishment knowing that I left nothing in the tank. How do you find your limits in life? You push the envelope. Big things are accomplished by normal everyday people who dream big and go after greatness. You may not win every race or accomplish every goal, but if you keep pushing, keep grinding your dreams will come true!