I've been running three times a week and working out on the off days since January pretty much for two reasons. The first is I'm 44 years old and I have a four-year-old daughter. Keeping up with her was getting harder and harder. I was quickly reaching the point where I realized that if I didn't do something to strengthen my endurance, I wasn't going to be able to be the kind of dad I want to be. The kind of dad that plays with his kids when they want to play. Who isn't too tired after work to go to the park. Who isn't too tired by the end of the day that he couldn't still do the things he wanted to do for himself. The second reason I've been working out since January is the Warrior Dash, a 3 mile and change run that mixes in 12 obstacles along the way. In no way was I ready to tackle the challenge in January, but I knew dangling it out there in front of me would get my every-broadening gut and butt off the couch and into gear. And so from January until today, that's exactly what I've done. Today was the payoff. 
The Warrior Dash is an event in every sense of the word. It's a national event, in that it's held in numerous states. The Nebraska version reportedly attracted 23,000 people over Saturday and Sunday. It's a fun event. There's a festival like feel to the grounds, complete with giant stage and band, food, drinks, people of all sorts of flavors and ages, sunshine, and a good all around vibe. It's a personal event in that it's very much a mental and physical challenge beginning with the half mile run to start that goes straight up a steep hill on through the waist-high trudge through a pond full of mud and muck and finishing with a couple of jumps over fire. Once conquered, the Warrior Dash is a monumental event in that the sense of accomplishment is undeniable and something that can't be taken away from you. 
Today, I learned a little bit about myself. I learned that there are times when I really want to quit. I just want to pack everything in, take my proverbial ball and go home, find a nice comfy place on the couch and never leave it. But I learned there something residing somewhere deep inside me that is stronger than that desire to quit. I just have to find it and let it out. Today, I was gassed. Exhausted. Fatigued. Mentally and physically shot. But yet I keep taking another step. I learned you can always take one more step if you want to. Doesn't how matter how quickly you take it, but you can take it if there desire is there. Maybe it was the 61-year-old lady climbing along the rope in front of me that inspired me. Maybe it was the older men who ran like teenagers. Maybe it was seeing the finish line off in the distance. Maybe it was just the fact I didn't want to fail. I also learned that it sure the hell helps if you have someone by your side whispering in your ear, "Dude, you can do it."
Man, I have to say thanks to those dudes who took the challenge with me and helped me today. Each finished. Each ran his ass off. Each was in high spirits afterward, as he should have been. Each pushed me along the trail, even when they didn't realize it. Much appreciation for the inspiration.
What a day. What a positive experience. What a great culmination to months of hard work and a great gateway toward more great events ahead.
Thanks Daryl, Tom, Randy, Steve, Chris, and Tim.
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