Sneak Preview of the 2010 Rocky Raccoon 50 miler

Here is my second to last picture of my mom and I from last year's Rocky Raccoon 50 miler. My mom was so happy for me and really helped contribute to my PR for the 50 mile distance.

She showed up at numerous aid stations along the course and even ended up cheering from the top of one of the hills at a GREAT location for all the runners. From her experience as a track coach she knew where runners started to need a little extra motivation during events.

She was my hero, biggest cheerleader and just a wonderful person. I am so glad I got to see her during the weekend at Rocky Raccoon last year and am so thrilled she was able to share in my victory. It meant so much to have her there.

I wish so much I had said this to her while she was still alive. I do miss her so much and know I was incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful mom.

Tomorrow assuming the massive storm about to hit the Mid-Atlantic does not strike until sometime after my 10:10 a.m. flight to Houston I will be running my second Rocky Raccoon 50 miler in Huntsville State Park. Although I will be running with a slightly heavy heart (since this was the place I interacted with my mom last), I am looking forward to this race.

I hope to break my last years time of 10:25 and even surpass it with a sub-10 hour finish. I am feeling strong and know what to expect from this race so am pretty optimistic.

I have many friends running both the 50 miler and the 100 miler that I know of (like Jamie, Dane and Frank). But I also expect I will run into a bunch of friends from last years RR50 as well as a bunch of other surprise friends (some runners I only know by face, not name).

Finally, I am really looking forward to volunteering overnight. I love the energy of ultra's. Runners are always so kind to volunteers and it feels so good to give back to a community that is so supportive, encouraging and just so great in general. I am so proud to call myself an ultra-runner!

I know my mom will be with me in spirit and I hope she will be smiling down on me from heaven and that my performance will make her proud.