MS Monday- What Running 175 Miles Means To Me

Happy Martin Luther King Jr day! I love these holidays to use time to reflect on all of the amazing things they said and did for our country. He was truly a special man. 

No Mountain Monday?!? Yes, that's RIGHT! I have switched Mondays temporarily over to MS Mondays to help shed some spotlight on my MS Run The US relay segment and wanted to share today what being a relay runner for those 175 miles means to me. 

Running 175 miles actually seems pretty crazy to me and I'M the one having to do it come May 22nd! I know that when the time comes, I'll be able to do it because being chosen as one of the 18 relay runners means everything to me.

It means that I'm a runner, I'm strong, I'm fearless, I'm running for my grandfather, I'm capable of doing hard things, I can overcome a challenge, I can climb mountains, and I'm able to do all of these things with the support of my family and friends. 

I will finally be able to showcase just how much running for those who can't means to me when my start line comes. Each mile that is added to my count will be dedicated to someone else who has an impact on my life (a runner or maybe a non-runner), but someone who has pushed me to begin at this start line and inspired me. 

I love to rely on a list of those who have had a meaningful impact in my life when I'm in the middle of a hard training run or in those hard miles of a marathon. What keeps you motivated when the going gets tough? 

SO, my list (I'm going to start compiling it because a list of 175 people is a BIG one) will definitely be one way where I'll be able to pay tribute those people who have helped me get to my start line healthy, happy, and STRONG. 

I think it's also kind of weird to say that this is 'my redemption' because I'm not really redeeming myself from anything, but it kind-of feels that way. I'm still in this stage in my life where I'm trying to build myself up without having necessary 'titles' or 'physical things' or 'experiences' to back-me-up and rely on more of my self-worth, so hopefully realizing this and moving forward will help me with that. It's great that I am able to put this on my resume, but that is honestly not why I'm drawn to doing this relay or running all those miles. I want to use this as an opportunity to speak out about Multiple Sclerosis and how it tried to shatter our family, but instead brought us closer together; and also use this as an opportune time to commemorate my grandfather for the wonderful and strong person that he was. 

So, with that I leave you and ask, what brought you to running or your favorite sport and what continues to propel you to push forward with it?

Who do you run/hike/walk/bike/train for?

Would you ever run 175 miles over 7 days?!