


And “tough athletes” don’t ever let the idea of quitting cross their minds…or so I told myself. I wanted a 100 mile finish so bad I could physically FEEL it. Because I truly believed I wouldn’t WANT to quit.

What I didn’t do during all of those times thinking about my upcoming 100 miler was ever allow myself to think about what would happen if I wanted to quit mid race. (I probably also had a soundtrack playing in my head for this imaginary highlight reel of the race where I persevered and proved to the world what a badass I was… you know exactly what I’m talking about.) Sure, I envisioned that it would be hard…it’s 100 miles after all! But I pictured myself holding my head high, believing in myself, and pushing through at all costs. During my endless training runs, I would pass the time by reassuring myself that I was tough enough to get that 100 mile buckle. When I was training for my first few 100 mile attempts (yep, it took me a few tries before I finally finished my first) I would spend a lot of time picturing how awesome the finish line would feel.
