On a lazy Sunday afternoon a few weeks back, I happened to be channel surfing and came upon a documentary titled “Desert Runners”. Considering myself somewhat of a runner ( more on this later) I turned it on to see what it was about. After 90 minutes of intense watching, I turned off the television and sat in amazement. After a few long minutes of silence, it started to seep in. You know that feeling you get when you see something that really motivates you, that thing that makes you want to get up and jump right into whatever it is you just saw? I had that feeling, and I’m motivated and determined to see it through to the end.

Desert Runners is a documentary that followed a few individuals, or should I say runners, through their journey competing in the 4 Deserts race challenge. This challenge consisted of 4 seperate races, across baren deserts across the globe. Each race lasted 7 days, the first 5 days requires approximatley 20 plus miles of running, with the 6th day consisting of approximatley 40 to 50 miles, and the 7th day a 10K run to the finish. The total amount of each of the races is 250K, or 155 miles. Here are a few more WOW factors for you, there are 3 races that have set locations, they include the Gobi desert in China, Atacama desert in South America, and Africa’s Sahara desert. The fourth race is a rotating race, that has been run in Antarctica in the past. These races are also self-sustaining, which means all competitors must carry their own food and water to sustain themselves during the stages.

Now, back to my claim that I am a runner. Being in the military for 16 years, I have prided myself on being phsyically fit. I’ve survived deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait and have put a lot of mileage on my body doing the job I do. At 35 years old, I feel like I have just past my peek regarding physical fitness. One thing that I have come to thouroughly enjoy is running. There is a certain joy and appreciation for what you have done after running a fast 4, 5, 6, 10 miles. Not only does running make you feel good about yourself, but it gives you a certain mental edge when it comes to confidence, and the belief that you can accomplish certain goals and aspects of everyday life. I have but only one full marathon under my belt (3:43 minute finish) and that was 3 years ago. These days I run a minimum of 5 miles a day, but as of the last 9 months, my desire has been sporadic which cost me all the benefits of the hard work and dedication I put into the train up leading to that marathon. I don’t think i’ve run further than 25 miles a week over that time, and with the addition of being moved to Colorado Springs, and the crazy altittude here, you can say my running has gone to sh#@.

It has picked up over the last 2 weeks though, especially after watching 4 Deserts. I found the spark, the flame has been reignited. Sitting there in amazement, my mind was going a hundred miles an hour thinking about ways to challenge myself. I found the 4 Deserts website, saw the price and soon realized I would not be able to participate in those races just yet. So i googled ultramarathon races in Colorado and nearby states. I came across the Across the Years run, near Phoenix, AZ. I saw that they had a 6 day race, timed, but at your own pace. I immediatley new I wanted to do it.

I pride myself on not only being physically fit, but also mentally tough. Lord knows you need to be when you serve in the military for going on 16 years now. I researched the website for the Across the Years run, and soon saw that the course was a 1 mile loop across the Camelback Ranch. What better way to test my mental and physical toughness by running for as long as I can, in a 1 mile circle for 6 days.

Figuring this is the run I wanted to challenge myself to do, i next turned my attention to the total distance Iwanted to set for myself. A realistic goal, to help push me in my training and motivate me to give it my all. Having been thinking long and hard, doing research, and a lot of soul searching, I still can’t come up with a good number. While I want it to be realistic, I have come to find out about myself, that if I set a goal for myself, I do everything and anything to achieve it. I don’t want to set a goal, only to find out that it, a. was never possible, or b. it was too easy to achieve.

So as of right now 350 miles is where I set it. I am inclined to make it 400, but at the same time I know this is something that is going to be extremely tough. I am between a rock and a hard place trying to figure it out.

What do you think?