MudRunFun Magazine Aug. 2013 | Page 30

till the end. Mile 2-3 of this specific race seemed to take forever. My quads were burning, the heat/ humidity of the Florida morning was beginning to kick in, but I continued to steadily count down the miles while maintaining a steady pace. Just past mile 4 our course intersected with the 5K race, and we melded in with a new group of runners. The race itself was a bit longer than 5 miles (MapMyRun clocked me at 5.36 miles), and I ended as I had hoped, happy with the run and proud of my results. Although the race itself makes us uncomfortable, gives us pain, and in many cases causes a great internal debate of mind over matter as we desperately convince our brain that we will continue on despite it screaming that we can not succeed, crossing that finish line feeling like a success makes it all so worth it. So am I stubborn? Absolutely! But I truly believe that possessing the tenacity of a determined runner is not all that bad. We don’t quit, we push through the pain, and we live with a true passion for life. It makes me constantly thankful that I am blessed to call myself a runner. ~Holly http://www.MuddyMommy.com 28