Mississippi 50 miler results...... WE DID IT!!!!

Man, what a weekend. Myself, Poole, and Holly left Memphis at around 10:00 a.m. Friday morning and headed out. I took longer than we thought it would, about 5.5 hours or so! For me, emotions were already running high about the race because I haven't been running much due to the tendonitis in my right leg. On the way down there it was already hurting pretty bad and I was lust sitting in the car!! We talked about upcoming races and planning long runs to prepare for them and all kinds of things. All I could think about was how I would try to run this race injured.I told them I thought I had about a 20% chance of finishing this and the way my leg felt it was possible that I might just do the first 12.5 mile loop of four and have to quit. An way, we got there and set up the tents, went to pick up our race packets and had a pasta dinner at the train station. This basically just made me more on edge, seeing that MANY people eating there were wearing t-shirts that read Western States 100 miler finish, or Vermont 100, Boston Marathon. You get the picture, I was really starting to feel like I had bitten off more than I could chew.So the next morning we started running towards the trail at 6:00 a.m. and it was quiet, no one said much. As I was afraid of, my leg really started hurting at about mile 3! I was really starting to get angry, I just couldn't believe how bad it was hurting. We continued on finishing the first loop in 2.5 hours. By this time, the pain had increased to the point that my whole right leg from my knee to my ankle was going numb. This is when I had to make the decision to keep going or drop out. I just decided that I was injured for sure and that I was going to do whatever I had to do to finish , so I kept going. The severe pain lasted the entire race, increasing slowly throughout. There were some very dark moments yesterday, moments I really don't care to visit again that is for sure. The toughest loop for me was the third, mentally and physically. But I knew that if I made the time cutoff for the 37.5 mile checkpoint I might be able to pull it off. I actually was able to run the last lap almost as fast as the first, which was nice. The feeling I had while crossing the finish line of my first 50 mile race can only be matched emotionally by marrying my wife and having my kids. It feels great to have completed such a huge personal goal. I also am vey proud of Poole, who just started running a year ago last month and has already run a marathon and 5 ultras, yesterday being his first 50 miler as well. His time was 10 hours and 43 minutes. Holly also had a great run for the 20k, finishing in 2 hours flat. She then ran the fourth loop with Poole and got in a total of 25 miles for the day. I crossed the line in 11 hours and 32 minutes and I can't believe it!!!! What a great day.