Coldwater Rumble 100 Mile

Coldwater Rumble

 

The course

Coldwater Rumble is a 100 mile running race in Goodyear, Arizona.  It was 5 loops, each loop 20 miles long.  The race is desert trails that wind through the foothills of the rugged and jagged Sierra Estrella mountain range.  It is a total of 10,000 feet of elevation gain.  Trails are rough.  The first 8 miles of the trail is a small incline with rocky trails.  The next 4 miles is sand.  Yes sand.  It's like running on a beach.  The next 8 miles is rolling hills with rocks and steep inclines along the way.  By far this was the toughest trail run I had done.

Training 

For my training I took this race a little more seriously.  I was a little nervous for how much elevation gain there was.  This race was the most elevation gain I had done.  I trained on the trails around my house running 20 miles with 5,000 feet of elevation gain.  These runs would make me so sore the next day I could barely walk.  But those were the days I had to run 20-35 miles.  Running 20-35 miles sore is extremely hard.  Mentally though I feel it prepared me for the race.

I had a few bad falls, but nothing that took me out of training for a while.  I took these injuries as a part of training.  When you fall and your bleeding on your knees, hands and elbows and you still have 15 miles left in order to complete your run.... You learn to push through the pain.  And the next morning when you wake up still sore from your fall and you have to run 35 miles that day... Well you push through it.  In ultra racing your body ALWAYS hurts.  Everyone hurts.  Those who do well are the ones who can push through the pain... knowing it will soon be over.

My Crew

I was very blessed with my crew this time.  My crew consisted of 

Ryan: my fiancé who is my main man.  He knows me almost better than I know myself.  He is the one who I go to whenever I am having issues and he knows exactly how to help me.

Megan: my best friend and running partner.  I have been running with her since I was thirteen.  She is a consistent runner who pushes me mentally and physically.

Spencer: Megan's husband who is in the process of becoming a Navy Seal.  Him and I are on the same mental strength level.  "You push yourself no matter how much you hurt"

My parents: this race was special because my mom came.  I know it was a big decision for her to come, but I am so thankful she did because now she understands why I sign up for these crazy runs.

Let's Race

The race started.  I took the first 8 miles very slow.  I slowly jogged the first 8 trying to warm my legs up.  Once I made it to mile 9 I turned my  music up and was ready to go.  Slowly I started catching up to the front group.  I had to keep reminding myself that I still had a long way to go, so to take my time.  At mile 20 when I came into the pit my crew told me I was second female.  I was a little disappointed in myself because I didn't want to be up that far this soon in the race.  In the pit I changed my clothes, and I was out again.  From there on out I was ready to race.  The second loop my stomach started to give me issues.  Sadly I lost a pair of shorts that loop :) 

Each loop this girl and I were going back and forth between first and second place girl.  She was a very strong runner.  

On the third loop I needed to switch up my nutrition.  My stomach was so upset.  I kept having to go to the bathroom and kept feeling like I was going to throw up.  From here on out I ate regular food.  Peanut butter sandwiches and protein drinks.  

Loop 4.  I was so excited! This loop Megan would run with me.  Gosh I was waiting for this loop.  Megan and I took this loop as a catch up loop.  I was second place girl.  Each loop I told myself it was just a 20 mile run.  Taking each loop as a new run.  Never telling myself it was a 100 mile run.  The course was very rough.  Megan being a road runner wasn't used to having to watch out for all the rocks and uneven surface. She fell twice.  Pretty hard too.  She is a tough girl though.  She would get up and run it off.  Love her for that.  

Accepting Second

Loop 5 I got Ryan.  This loop for me is hard to write about.  It still hurts to think about.  At mile 84 my back gave out.  At this point in the race I was in first place for women.  The moment I could feel my back giving out I felt hopeless. There was nothing I could do.  My legs felt like they could run 50 more miles... I knew I needed to keep pushing forward because I knew the second place girl wasn't far behind.  I used my legs to keep my going, as I was hunched over.  Ill never forget passing people all hunched over in so much pain.  I would try with everything I had to straighten myself up.  But my back wouldn't have it.  Ryan would lift me up every once in a while to straighten my back hoping it would ease the pain.  Sadly around mile 90 I was passed by the second place girl.  She looked strong.  Ill never forget that feeling.  The moment I needed to accept the fact that she looked so strong, and I felt so weak.  At that moment I accepted what was happening, but I was STILL not willing to give up.  Not willing to use the excuse that my back hurt so much that I needed to drop out of the race.  Ryan looked at me, waiting to hear my response.  I told him that we just need to keep pushing forward in hopes no one else will pass is.  That was by far the longest 10 miles of my life.  My back was in so much pain, but my legs kept us moving forward.  My legs were not willing to give up.  Ryan kept telling me how he wished we could find a stick to tie around me to make my back straight.  But there was nothing we could do.  This is when heart comes in to play.  my heart and will to not give up was the reason I finished.  No matter how much pain I was in, I was not willing to give up.  When we were a mile away from the finish line Ryan told me to try to use everything I had to run in standing up as high as I could.  I don't think I did, but I did feel 10 feet tall.  So proud of myself that no matter what pain is thrown at me I can still push through and finish as strong as I could.  Running into the finish line I could see and hear my family.  It was an emotional finish as expected.  Ryan upset because I was in so much pain, my family concerned with what happened because that was the longest time we took on a loop.  But I am sure they had a feeling it was my back again.  

After the Race 

Ryan and my dad brought me over to a chair where I was given water and protein.  I then did a post-race interview where I answered a few questions.  Honestly I bet I made no sense.  Sitting in the chair, I looked around and saw my family and friends standing around me.  I could feel all the love and support from there.  By this time it was 3am.  They stayed up all night waiting for me to come in.  This was a moment in my life where I felt so blessed by the people God put in my life.  I could of not done this race without them. 

My dad then grabbed me to walk me to the car.  At this point I realized my body was done and needed to find the nearest trash can.  Yep I threw up.  Now let me tell you, in all the years I have been running I have NEVER thrown up after a run! I threw up a few times while everyone was packing up the car. 

When we got back to the hotel room... I changed my clothes and used the bathroom.  Once I was done, I noticed that I peed what looked like blood.  At this point I yelled to Ryan asking him if we should go to the hospital.  He told me to start drinking water.  I could NOT hold the water down.  Every sip I threw up.  Him and a few others advised me to drink pedialite.  I drank as much of that as I could.  I told myself that if I peed blood again I'm going to the hospital.  Thankfully the pedialite worked.  That night Ryan and I got two hours of sleep.  Between my body being in pain, and so many emotions it was hard to sleep.   Ill never forget sitting in Ryan's lap that night just crying.  Crying for many reasons; I was so happy it was over, I was so proud of myself for pushing throw the pain, was so grateful for my family and friends for believing in me and supporting me.  For all the emotions I went through for 21 hours.  

Recovery

The next day I went to my brothers house and stayed there for a two days.  It was nice because Ryan could finally get some rest from taking care of me.  Recovering from an ultra-marathon is just has long and hard as the ultra-marathon itself.  Poor Ryan.  I can't even describe to you the pain you are in after running that long.  When you walk, your muscles feel like they can not even carry your upper body.  In order to stand up you need to hold on to something to pull up your body wights.  It hurts just laying there.  Sunday night was hard.  I laid in bed crying from all the pain.  Yes lots of crying.  But to keep in mind I could not have any kind of medicine since I peed blood earlier.  We were trying to be as easy on my kidneys as possible.  

I had a much faster recovery this race than my last one.  By the end of the week I was running and cycling again! I guess you can say my body is getting used to it ;) 

And yes, I lost ALL my toenails :) 

Thank you

I want to take this moment to thank everyone who believed in me.  Who knew I could complete another ultra-marathon and place.  I love you all!  All your love and support is what gets me through all those miles. 

"Everyone thinks its your body that won't let you do something, but your mind controls your body.  When your mind tells your body to keep going, your body will"

I am ready for my next ultra-marathon.  I am learning more and more every race.  Once the wedding is over I will be signing up for my next one.  :) 

Week 10: My Birthday Week

Week 10: My Birthday Week

 

My training for the week

 

Monday- ran 8.04 miles

Tuesday- rode 44.22 miles and ran 12.61 miles

Wednesday – ran 16.01 miles

Thursday – ran 26.20 miles

Friday – rode 33.56 miles

 

Hard Days

 

I work a regular 9-5 job.  This is perfect because I do not have to work weekends, making it easy to fit in my long runs.  When I can't run long on the weekend, this forces me to do them during the week.  Meaning very early mornings.  This was one of those weeks.  

 

 Too Early

 

Waking up that morning was not hard.  It seemed like I was waking up from a nap.  I sprung out of bed because I could not wait to wear my brand new running clothes that I got the night before.  I woke up, made myself coffee, ate some oatmeal, and I was on my way.  I had to drive about 30 minutes to meet my friend Ari, whom I convinced to come with me.  She is an 800-meter runner, so distance is not her thing.  While I do my long runs she will ride her bike.  Yes, my friend wakes up at 3 am to come ride her bike along side me for 4 hours while I run.  I am very blessed to have a friend like that.  When we got to our starting destination, we put on our extra layers, because it was 39 degrees out.  We put on our extra lights, then loaded up her backpack with food and water, and we were on our way.

 

The Run

 

During the run I felt great.  No knee, thigh, or foot problems.  Ari did mention though that I seemed loopy since I did not sleep much the night before.  We ran out 13 miles.  By mile 11 I really needed to go to the bathroom.  Since the last place I saw a bathroom was at a park about 2 miles back.  I ran a quick 2 miles back to the park.  Once I got to the parking I realized that the bathrooms were closed. I began to panic.  There were no bathrooms open for miles.  I found a spot and quickly left.  

Eating During the Run 

I didn't eat much during the run.  I had two packets of baby food and stopped at a McDonald's where I got water and soda. 

There is something indescribably gratifying about having to wake up at 3 am in order to get in my training runs so that I can still go to work and live a normal life.  Although I am exhausted by the end of a day like that  I know in my heart that days like this will pay off.  On race day I will know when my body is exhausted that this is what I trained for.  I trained my body and mind to work hard when all they want to do is rest.  In order to achieve something great one must make even greater sacrifices.  

 

I Am Blessed 

 

I am very thankful to have friends like Ari, who support me on my long runs.  To keep me safe, motivated, and energized.  This sport is very demanding.  It takes up a lot of

time and makes you very tired, physically and mentally.  It is relieving to know that I have friends and family who support me and understand the time and dedication it takes in order to excel in this sport.  I have to say that's is what I am most fortunate for.  They help me keep motivated and not feel so out of place when I need to wake up at 3 AM to go run 26 miles.  My friends and family help clarify the necessity of my tough training runs when I am second guessing myself. 

Thoughts

 I feel each  training run I've been doing is preparing my body to get used to the long mileage every week.  I feel better after each one.  I'm excited to run my 28 miles on Sunday and to let you guys know how that went

Week 9: My Thanksgiving Week

Week 9: My Thanksgiving Training Week

 

For Thanksgiving week I went to Lake Havasu with my fiancé and his family.  It was so much fun.  The weather was perfect.  I had a few long runs I needed to accomplish.  

 

Here is how my training schedule went for the week

 

Monday – ran 24.09 miles

Tuesday – rode 62.92 miles

Wednesday – rode 33.88 miles

Thursday – ran 16.23 miles

Friday – ran 26.27 miles

Saturday – rode 25.12 miles

 

On Thanksgiving I ran 16.23 miles.    I ran it at a pretty quick pace.  I ran 8 miles out and 8 miles back.  The first 8 miles was up hill.  I had to push the first 8 miles, and I was able to relax a bit on the way back.  That night, we had our Thanksgiving dinner.  I had turkey, dessert, and WINE.  Not a good idea.  The next morning when I woke up, I felt horrible.  I knew right then it was a bad idea that I drank, because I had to run my longest training run of 26 miles that day.  Running that day was very hard.  I was tired from my long training week, as well as, I still felt stuffed from the night before, and the several glasses of wine was not making my legs feel any better.  My thighs were burning the whole entire time.  I did my best to ignore them.  I feel that when you think about the pain, that will only make you weaker.  My calves felt great, and my foot was fine.  My foot was giving me issues a few weeks before.  The muscle on the bottom of my foot felt like it was pulling every step I took.  It felt great that day.  And my calves felt amazing!  Usually when I run, especially uphill, my calves get crazy tight.  My calves and I have a love/hate relationship.  I love them because they take me to so many amazing places, but I hate them because they are what usually gives me the most issues when going to those amazing places.  It is funny how some days you can feel amazing and how some days issues occur that are unexpected.  

I was very blessed that day, because my future mother-in-law, Karen and my fiancé, Ryan were so sweet.  They both came along with me while I ran.  It helped me take my mind off of what I was doing, and just enjoy being around them.  Karen rode a beach cruiser, while my Ryan was on a cross-bike.  Mike, my future father-in-law gave us support out in his car to give us food and water.  I felt like I was racing with my crew and pacers.  This made it fun!  

Mind you, the first 13 miles was all up hill, so the fact that Karen rode a beach cruiser  uphill for 13 miles was super impressive.  She had no gloves, no bike shorts, was not clipped in, like most riders use.  Yes, she is a stud.  That was when I realized why she does not think I am crazy.  I have done that ride many times on  my road bike, and trust me it is extremely difficult.   Knowing how difficult of a time she was having made it easier for me to deal with my task at hand.  

*I just have to stop for a moment and say that I am so blessed by the people around me who help and support me in the sport I love.  If it wasn't for them, I would not be where I am today, which is following my dreams.  Ryan, Karen, and Mike, took time out of their day to give me the support I needed in order to have a successful training run.  I am truly blessed* 

During the run, I did not eat too much.  I had two things of baby food, a muffin, some grapes, Gatorade and water.  Usually I am craving to eat and drink more.  I feel my body is getting used to the mileage.  This makes me so happy because I am starting to feel very confident that I will be ready for my race.  Probably the best feeling in the world!!  

Trust me by the time I ran the 26 miles I was wiped out.  The ride the next day was nice and SLOW!  It's alway good to cycle your legs out the next day after a long run.  I am looking forward to my mileage increase next week!  I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving!! 

Signed Up for my Third Ultramarathon

I have officially signed up for my third Ultramarathon.  I'm super excited and nervous all at the same time. I am ready to take what I have learned from my first ultra and put my self to the test again. I am confident that I've become a better runner/ racer all around from the first two races and countless hours of training. Much of my training will remain untouched, however, I am going to do more cross training, back exercises, abs and arms. As a runner I tend to forget those vital muscle systems. I forgot how important cross training is and how will help me become a better runner. 

The race I signed up for is the Coldwater Rumble in Goodyear, Arizona. This will be the inaugural 100 mile distance of this race. It will be heldon January 25, 2014 and my  training has already started. I've completed some amazing runs. I ran an 18 mile run in Steamboat Colorado in altitude

I'm excited to share my journey of completing my second 100 mile running race. 

Runnin' in the Twilight Zone

The first official Badwater Ultramarathon sister race and Badwater Ultramarathon Qualifier, "BADWATER: Salton Sea," was held on Monday and Tuesday, May 6 and 7, 2013. For this inaugural race, Badwater Ultramarathon veterans, as well as the 2013 Badwater Ultramarathon race field, to enter and lead teams to compete in the event.  I was asked by a Badwater veteran, Chris, to be on his team with another Badwater veteran, Danny.  I was very nervous to commit to it because I had not been training to compete in an 81-mile race, and because when I heard Badwater veterans would be a part of it, it made me timid.  In order to be in this race you had to have one Badwater veteran on the team.  The man who puts on Badwater put on this race.  For those who do not know, Badwater is a 135-mile ultra marathon in Death Valley during the month of July.  You have 48 hours to complete it.  Badwater is often touted as the most difficult ultra marathon race in the United States for its Eastern Sierras high elevation climbs, and crazy hot Death Valley temperatures.  So, when I was asked to be a part of this race, I am sure you could see why I was nervous to commit. I would only have a month to train for it.  We assumed that the people who were involved in this race would be a level above me because they have competed in Badwater.  My boyfriend Ryan, did not want to me compete in it because even though I won my first ultra marathon, he felt it was too short notice because he knew I had not been training for it.  After a lot of back and forth debates with myself, I decided to sign up.  I told myself I will try my best and take this race on as a challenge.

The BADWATER: Salton Sea route was approximately 81 miles from Salton City (elevation 125 feet below sea level) to Palomar Mountain, the tallest mountain in San Diego County (finish line elevation: 5500 feet above sea level.) There was a total elevation gain of 9000 feet.

Eight of the 81 race miles passed through Anza-Borrego State Park on the California Riding and Hiking Trail from near Borrego Springs to near Ranchita. 

Team Format

All race entrants must enter and race as teams of three runners (all male, all female, or co-ed divisions), remaining together for the duration, sharing one support vehicle with at least two crew members. For 2013, a maximum of just 20 teams were accepted and every team must include a Badwater Ultra marathon veteran specifically invited by AdventureCORPS to captain a team.

All members of each team must remain together while running (within 10 meters) at all times. Teams must make their presence known at all Time Stations located along the route and may only depart each Time Station together. Team arrival times at Time Stations will be recorded and made public. All members of each team must run the entire distance and cross the finish line together to be considered Official Finishers.

The crew

My crew consisted of Ryan, my boyfriend who crewed me in my first ultra, Javelina Jundred, and Ken, a friend of mine.  My dad tagged along for the first 53 miles.  There were specific rules stating they did not want to have any spectators during the race. 

BADWATER: Salton Sea would technically be my second ultra marathon.  I want to run Badwater in 2014, which means I need three 100 ultra marathons under my belt in order to qualify.  Knowing this would be a qualifier I took this race as a challenge.  Not only to finish it, but to learn more about ultra running from other runners and about myself.  The race started at 7 am.  The next 41 hours will be the longest time I have been awake/ on my feet.  Even though it was only 81 miles, and my first ultra was 101.4 miles, it took a longer amount of time to complete it.  All the stopping, and walking my teammate Chris needed caused us to be a little over 26 hours to complete this race.

We were going strong in the beginning, jogging, but steadily.  In the beginning of ultras you need to prepare yourself for the many miles you have in front of you.  As a runner, you cannot go out fast, or else you will not have the energy for a strong finish.  The first 35 miles were windy.  I knew I could pull our team by having them follow behind me, allowing them to draft off me as I block the wind for them.  We did this for about the first 35 miles.  At about mile 30, my teammate Chris was starting to have issues.  I still cannot grasp what was wrong with him, but the next 51 miles took forever.  From the start of the race to about mile 30, the temperature was around 89 with a head wind.  At this point, Ryan and I made the decision to change the way I was eating.  We realized that this wasn’t going to be the race we had prepared ourselves for, which meant to decrease my salt intake, and stick to more base foods.  “Salt” is a term we use for electrolytes supplements.  In these pills there are different types of sodium that help the body retain water, and replace electrolytes the body uses through extended periods of exercise.  But when you are going at the pace we were going its better to save your kidneys.  Once we got to mile 35 we had to make a stop for Chris at the hotel where the time check in station was.  We had to wait for 30 minutes because Chris needed to be checked out by medical.  This is where my crew changed my clothes getting ready for the weather to change.  I actually sat down in a chair.  This normally would never happen, but I thought what the heck, we will probably be waiting a while.  At this point we were in Borrego Springs in town.  5 miles ahead would be the beginning of a climb that would bring us up to the S22 peak where the weather would be around 40-degrees.  Once Chris was ready to go, we headed out again.  At mile 41 we headed up an 8-mile trail up to S22 peak.  This is where we would not see our crew for a couple more hours.  Ryan prepped me for the climb by putting a hydration pack with 70 ounces of water on me with food, flash lights, space blanket, matches, and first aid kit.  We climbed several thousand feet in 40-degree temps and rain.  The higher we got the colder it was.  As it got colder, the more I was itching to run.  I kept praying my teammate would feel better so we could get this over with and finish already.  We could see teams off in the distance now because by this time it was dark out and we could see their lights.  At about mile 47 we were coming up the climb, and I could see someone coming towards us with a light reflecting vest.  That was when I heard someone say “Kate”.   That was when my heart filled with excitement.  It was Ryan.  He ran out on the trail from the top to come find us and make sure we knew our way.  There was heavy cloud cover, so the moon or stars could not provide light for us.  That was probably the most excited I got the whole race.  It was a long climb at a slow pace.  I felt alone through it because I was realizing my teammate was not going to get better, and may even drop out.  Seeing Ryan made me not feel so alone anymore, because I knew that he understood what I was going through.  He knew I wanted to finish and I wanted to finish by pushing my body beyond its limits.  For me that is the joy of ultra running.  Pushing your body and mind to its fullest potential and challenging yourself.  Ryan was able to motivate Chris at this point telling him we were almost done with the climb.  Thankfully Ryan was wearing extra clothes.   He gave me his jacket and gloves. They were a lifesaver the rest of the race, without it I probably would of froze.  Once we got to the top we saw our crew car.    Again we sat in the crew car and waited for Chris to rest and be checked by the medic.  Our poor crew had to wait outside in the rain and wind while we sat in the car and ate soup.  Our crew loved us too much.  This was where everyone changed into warmer clothing; me adding another jacket under the one Ryan gave me, and Chris and Danny putting on pants.  We took off again.  At this point I wanted to run as fast as I could to keep warm.  The sad thing was I couldn’t run too far ahead because that would break the distance rule from my team.  Danny allowed me to run ahead and come back to them so I could keep warm.  I kept up with this process for a good portion of the remainder of the race.  The best way to describe this situation was I was like the rabbit trying to get my teammate to want to catch up to me, while Danny, my other teammate was the motivator, trying to make sure no one quit. 

Ultra running does not only show how physically fit an athlete is, but how mentally strong they are.  It tests every part of you. 

Chris kept getting into the car, not realizing every time he did so he was cooling his body off, making is harder for Danny and I to stay warm. 

Chris walked while I ran a half-mile up, and would run back to them.  I needed to stay warm, running was the only way I could do so.  Technically yes that was against the rule, but by this point I was thinking of it as my own survival and I was trying to keep the distance as tight as possible.  With all the running I did back and forth, that would cause me to sweat.  Then when Chris would stop I would get COLD because I was all wet from rain and sweat.  At one point after Chris stopped at the car for about 15 minutes for another nap… I stood there freezing… Ryan told me to run ahead a bit to warm myself up.  As I was running off, my teeth literally would not stop chattering.  That was when I knew from now on I needed to look out for myself.

At mile 52, 12:10 am in the morning, Chris decided he needed to stop on the side of the road to take a 20-minute nap.  It was about 40 degrees, windy, and raining.  Our crew was only a mile and a half up, but he wanted to sleep on the side of the road.  While he did so, Danny and I ran up and back around him to try to keep warm. 

At mile 56 at about 1:10 am Chris decided to run again after another 15-minute nap.  This was the first time we were all running again since mile 35.  At mile 60, at about 2:26 am teammate needed to walk again.  This was when I continued to run back and forth to keep warm.  By this time my crew became very impatient.  They were so tired from being up all day, and were starting to realize they had a long night ahead of them as well. 

We got to mile 70 at about 6:09 am.  We were about 11 miles from the top of Palomar Mountain, where the finish line would be.  Our crew kept going, because they didn’t want to stop and make more delays. 

At race mile 79, with 2 miles to go, 9:10 am and 39 degrees out and rainy, a race broke out between us and another team.  We finally caught up to someone.  Our team was motivated to pass them when the van of first place finishers came by us.  They were able to cheer Chris on to keep moving forward.

The race was finally over.  It took us 26:35:00 to complete it. 

I have never wanted to run so bad in my life.  I felt like I was like a caged horse ready for someone to give me the okay to run to the finish line.  I have the mentality, the faster you run, the sooner the race is over.  I would much rather push it hard for 16 hours and kill myself than be on my feet and awake for 28 hours.  We had 28 hours to complete the course. 

Now you have to remember, not only are we awake and moving, our crew is as well.  They have to be awake this whole time, caring for us, watching over us, making sure we have enough food, water, electrolytes in us, keeping us cool and warm.  As a crew, races like this are just as taxing on them as it is for the runner.  Some word of advice to other ultra runners out there, your crew is your heart and soul.  Always remember when you are having a tough race; your crew is as well.

What I learned

I was very fortunate to run this race, because I learned a ton about myself, my crew, and ultra running in general.  Danny was able to give me a ton of incite on what ultra running is all about.  To me, Danny is a legend in the sport.  He is known for always finishing the course, and right after he will go and run the course backwards. 

Through this race, Ryan and I were able to test different foods and ideas for hydration.  I was able to learn better ways to fuel myself during the race, as well as what a runner should and should not do when in pain.  I look forward to my next challenge, wanting to continue with 100-mile races.  I am so fortunate that I finally found what I am passionate about.

After this race I realized I can do Badwater, and I am excited to take that on as my next challenge.  

Being Prepared for Life

In life you are given challenges.  Challenges you need to face and overcome.    Sometimes it is hard to understand why these challenges are occurring, and people often ask themselves how they going to get through them.  For me, running helps me face these everyday challenges.  Running teaches me not to give up when it seems like life is getting too hard.  It teaches me that the more effort I put into whatever I want to accomplish the more I will get out of it.  It teaches me that sooner or later the struggles I am going through will be over.  When I workout, I have my good days, where I feel like I can run forever, and my bad days, where I just need the run to be over with.  Some days are harder to get the pace I want, or even to motivate myself.  Without those hard days I would not appreciate the easier days as much. 

Working out also helps with inner confidence.  It helps me feel better about myself.  Not only does it provide me with more energy, but it also gives myself better self-esteem.  It teaches me that I can do anything.  Whenever I am going through something hard in my life, I reflect back on the long run I had the weekend before and how hard that was for me.  How during that run I was able to push myself to finish it, even when I felt I wasn’t going to.  

Running helps me with self-discipline.  It has taught me to understand how the more I put to something, the more I will get out of it.  Nothing can be given to you.  

Working out is another way for me to meditate.  It’s my time to reflect and have time for clear thinking.  I have always said that after a long run, I have my whole life figured out.  Whatever I had on my mind that day gets worked out during my runs.  I am stressed going into the run, and by the time my run is over I have the problem figured out in my head on how I will fix it.  Working out is a time for myself.  Whether I am  with a friend or by myself.  It is a time to be in my own thoughts, and it helps my life physically and mentally. I do better in work, relationships, and rest of my life when I am consistently exercising.