THIS IS SPARTA! - The Before

Spartan is a mere 3.5 days away and I couldn’t be more excited/nervous/anxious/dreadful than I am right now. What a Smörgåsbord of emotions over a race!! I wanted to squeeze and “before” blog in before I get around to blogging my experience post-race. So why am I doing this thing of ¾ of my emotions toward it are seemingly negative-ish.. let me explain:

Now is the best time than ever to explain a huge reason why I do extreme athletic events like this with the ALS ice bucket challenge going on. ALS Association has been an organization near and dear to my heart for many years since the passing of my beloved mentor and family friend Dave Lamontagne due to this progressive and fatal illness. They are truly an amazing organization who does amazing things not just for research, but in aiding families in everything they need from wheelchairs to hospice care as their loved ones deteriorate and eventually die and I highly encourage everyone to donate what you can. Your money is truly going into a worth-while cause and being used to help find a cure and provide assistance to those in need…

Back to my reasoning: I don’t do this because I am the most athletically inclined person on earth, or even close to it. I do it for a simple reason. Because I can.

I have legs that work, good health and drive. There are many people that will never get to have this experience because they can’t. They have bad health, they were born without the ability to walk, they were paralyzed in a car accident etc.. I do this for people like them. I do it so that I remind myself to not sit on my ass and take for granted the fact that I can do these things. I could go on forever and make this long and drawn out, but it really is that simple.

 I also do this for one other reason: It changes me. It forces me to dig deep and give my all, then give more when I feel like giving up. My team is counting on me, I’m counting on myself. It’s very much a coming-to-Jesus moment. It’s one thing that is either black or white. You succeed or you fail. Failure is when you give up mentally. This impacts my life beyond the course. It reminds me to push harder at everything.

That’s all I have for now for you folks. I can’t wait for Saturday! I have an amazing team that I couldn’t be more grateful to have by my side as I strive for that awesome “Super Spartan Finishers Medal”

THIS IS SPARTA!