The End of the Road

Again, wow. What a day. A day full of all kinds of excitement. The weather, the goals realized and the goals that some had to let go and save for another day. All in all it was an exceptional day. Hat's off to the Fargo Marathon race committee. So many things were done right in the past years that I didn't even think could be or needed to be improved upon. The committee does listen to runners and takes their comments and concerns very seriously. You voiced your concerns and they have responded. I know right now they are planning on how they can make things even better for next year. A very impressive group of individuals who of could not have accomplished their objective without the support of the community and the volunteers which are exceptional. From the aid station workers to the police and traffic volunteers who kept us safe and though were focused on safety were able to offer a cheer for runners as well. I truly appreciate the effort all have made to provide me and 20,000 other runners a safe, fun coarse to run on.

It started off well with our family and friends group of runners gathering at the motor home outside the dome as we have for these past 5 years. A rainy star turned into a nice but humid day. I'm ok in heat but the humidity took it's toll on me, averaging over 80% before we finished, but had little impact on my sister Jodi as she made her Boston qualifying time of 3:45 by crossing the line with a minute (and 2 seconds) to spare.

My running buddy Jon struggled late in the event but gutted it out and finished strong with a big smile on his face. Asked if he was going to plan for another marathon there was no hesitation at all when he said he would. I'm so proud of Jon for keeping a positive attitude through such a difficult event. 26.2 miles is a long way to be alone with your thoughts. The distraction of the crowd is nice but in the later miles it seems like all you can hear is your body telling you to stop. We all go through this. That is the test of the marathon.

So with sore legs and my thoughts moving forward to an event I have coming up in a couple weeks, it is kind of sad that my work here is done. Fargo Marathon asked me what my 20x10 was, "To encourage and support others in reaching their goals" and asked me if I'd blog about it. I did. I had fun and I hope that I was able offer some encouragement and support to some of you out there that have read the blog, contacted me or talked to me on the street. Along with that, I hope some of my goofy adventures have entertained you and maybe offered you a little insight as to what makes me tick. For me, I'm still trying to figure that out so if you know, don't tell me. I hope I never figure it out as I don't want to stop trying. I'm having way too much fun. So long for now. It's been fun.

Rick

P.S.
I will have some more runs and events coming up in the future where you can track me. If you are interested in following along or hearing more about the events and my thoughts, let me know and I will keep it going.