The One Thing That Has Made All The Difference

One thing can be found at the foundation of all that I have accomplished over the past 8 months or so, going from overweight and out of shape to a finely tuned (newbie) runner on his way to his first ultra. What is that one thing you might ask? The support of Rachel, my beautiful and lovely wife.

Rachel and me at the finish line of the Rocky Raccoon 25k—she volunteered at the start/finish line

It takes a lot of commitment to live and love a person who (1) radically changes his diet in ways that have not always been palatable and (2) spends a good tons of time running or studying (I'm also a PhD student)—especially with my long runs on Saturday, which is otherwise dedicated to time together.

Though she is not herself a runner, she still shares my excitement and supports the totally insane idea of me running for 31 or 50 or 60 or 100(+) miles at one time. I couldn't do this without her by my side, nor would I want to.

So, here's to you, my love. Thanks for all of your support. I hope that this year will find you enjoying your dreams to the hilt—and that my support is felt every step of the way.