Strong body, strong heart, strong spirit, patient mind. This has been my mantra over the past two weeks. It’s what’s going to get me through the 100-miler, along with a lot of grit. I haven’t been nervous, yet. In fact, this taper has been nothing like those taper periods in the past. I have no doubt that I put in the training and I have ran in just about scenario that can come up on race day.

Strong Body

I didn’t realize it when I began running in December of 2011 that I would continue to train, take on new challenges, push my limits, which would bring me to this point in my running life. My body is far from perfect and is not ripped, but it has become stronger than it has ever been. And while I’ve had some aches and pains, and of course those nagging runners injuries, it has not failed me yet and I’m pretty confident that it will not fail me on Friday.

Strong Heart

If there’s anything that I can say about myself is that I have heart. A brave and couragous heart that is fiery and burns with passion for what I do and for the people that I love. It is undeniable. My heart is stong, passionate, and the fire the burns within will carry my mind and body to the finish line.

Stong Spirit

You cannot break my spirit. Many people have tried. It’s impossible. It is unbreakable.

Patient Mind

Patience is not one of my virtues. When I want something, I want it now. But running 100 miles requires a lot of patience. A shit ton of it. I will need to fight my impulses to run the hills and rush through the beginning. And trust me, it will be a struggle for me. I hope that my recent dabble in meditation will help me calm my noisy mind and allow me to find the patience that I need to be successful.

Grit

A friend of mine sent me this wonderful blog about grit by Justin Zoradi. He stated that,

“Grit is a special force that gets you down in the dirt. Grit is toil. Grit is the slow burn, over time, that nearly kills you, and yet, it’s the best indicator for success.”

I say to that, Amen brother. Preach it to us!

He also referenced Angela Duckworth’s “The key to success? Grit” on TED. In her talk, she states,

“Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

I have grit. Without it I wouldn’t be here doing what I do. At this point, I have everything going in my favor for a sucessful race. If something happens that would cause me to DNF, it would be because I succumbed to something that was out of my control. But, let’s not even think about that.

So with these final pre-race day thoughts, I say to you…

See you on the other side of 100 miles!