I wake up the next day and I can barely walk. My feet are in a lot of pain, but yet I have a smile on my face.  I knew this was going to happen because I signed up to do it. This is what running 50 miles will do to you the day before. It was all worth it.

It is the morning of the race and frost is on the windows of all the cars in the parking lot. I can believe I am going to go outside in this weather and run. The gun goes off at 7am to signal the start of the ultra-marathon. I pass a bank sign that displays the temperature outside; it reads 22 degrees! I tell myself it's going to be a long day.

The first 15 miles are on the Appalachian Trail...a hiking trail with lots of rocks and rough terrain. I took this part slow and walked the hilly sections. It's really a scenic run and just enjoy my surroundings. I knew my support team (Eamonn and Therese) with supplies and food would be waiting for me at the end of this section so it's a welcome sight to see them again. I grab some warm soup and tell them that I am feeling ok so far.

The next part was the dreaded C & O Canal (Chesapeake and Ohio), which is a stretch of 25 miles on a flat dirt trail that seems to never end. I was lucky enough to run with Len and John from Reston Runners and we ran together most of the way. They had a system of running 15 minutes and walking for 3 minutes. There were aid stations every 4 miles and something to always look forward to. I changed my shoes and socks at one point from trail shoes to road running shoes which was more comfortable.

I had my phone on me so I was text messaging my brothers and sister on the progress I was making and what mile marker I was at. They were very supportive and encouraging. My running partners (Len and John) were great because they provided some relief to the boredom, so we talked to each other to pass the time by. Although Len went ahead to beat last years time, I was glad to have John left.

There were some low points along the way that were mentally and physically tough. At mile marker 30, my feet hurt and was running at a slow pace. This continued for a few miles and I wondered how I was going to make it to the finish line. I had to tell myself just to run from aid station to aid station. My outlook improved and felt better and made it to the end of the C & O canal: mile marker 42.

The next four miles were hell. It was on paved rolling country road that tested your physical and mental stamina. I was in another low point in the race. John went on ahead since I could not keep up. I was running the down hills and walking the uphills, waiting for the next aid station to appear. I took some ibuprofen at mile marker 44 and knew that I would see my support crew at mile 46 so that kept my spirits up.

Reaching mile 46 it was getting dark and cold outside. I put on a blinking red arm band light and knew that I have 4 miles to go. I look at my watch and see that it's been 10 hours and 23 minutes since I started the run. The ibuprofen must have kicked in because I was feeling fresh again and energized.  I took off and sprinted the last 4 miles hoping I would finish under 11 hours. I made it back at 10:58. I passed my running buddy and lots of other people that were in bad shape walking the rest of the way to the finish line. It was a great feeling to finish strong and have that medal put around your neck. Even though my muscles are in pain, my spirit is smiling! A special thanks to Eamonn and Therese for being such a great support crew!