Running 50 miles. Some people wake up each day with this feat immediately on their mind. Training constantly, preparing both the mind and body for completion. For others, this activity will remain unthought of for their entire lifetime. It won't even cross their mind, and if it does, the individuals that take on this task are often thought of as absolutely insane. My boyfriend is one of them :) And on Sunday he ran 50 MILES!!
Let's take a second to digest this. 50 miles. Think of what lies within 50 miles of your current location. Your state capital? A large city? An ocean? Another state? Definitely another zip code. CRAZY!!
So he took on the Ice Age Trail 50 Mile Run. The night before, his biggest fans went on a sign-making frenzy, keeping with the theme of Cool Runnings of course. We created a new nickname for Michael, "Junyah" - very appropriate since he really is Michael Jr., and because well, it's a funny part of a great movie. So our signs were obviously fantastic, and we were ready to be the best cheerleaders possible! He started in the wee hours of the morning in 35 degree weather. The rest of the day was composed of torrential downpour trading off with intense hail, separated by quick glimpses of sunshine. I joined his family and roommates and we drove from aid station to aid station, catching a glimpse of him as he'd run across the street, throwing him a ham sandwich and some more gatorade. We'd be napping in the car, waking up in disbelief that Junyah was still runnang! He looked great for the first few hours and then his face transformed from smiles to a look of intense determination. He'd come out from the forest trails and he couldn't see two feet in front of him, but he could see the finish line. After 11 hours he achieved his goal, crossed the finish line and ran straight into a hug :) After a wild day, he can now add the title of an ultra-marathoner to his list of accomplishments, and I could not be prouder!
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