Day 4,118—Three Runs Until the Badger 100—

 

         I have been trying to watch the pre-race meeting video from last night, but I haven’t been able to pay attention. I enjoyed my run today. It felt good to be out there for more than a short run, but this will most likely be my longest run of the week, which makes me think how few miles I have run in July. I went over to Blackburn Park and sat and read some of my writing on my phone for a while, and reflected on some things I had said. It is odd how distant my voice sounds. Even if it's something only written a week ago, it seems like it's somehow coming from a person who doesn’t exist anymore.

         I was hoping I would be more motivated today after my grandmother’s funeral, but I am feeling just as unmotivated as I have felt for the past couple of weeks. I was looking into some of the more popular races I have heard of because Travis was telling me the Badger would count as a qualifier for some big race. I started looking through the qualifying races for the Western States and was disappointed that I hadn’t done any of them except the Tunnel Hill a long time ago. The Mamba 100 is on the list, and it would be nice to go back and finish that race after I didn’t finish two years ago, but it is in a state where I have already completed a 100-mile race, so it makes me think I should pick something else. There was one in the first week of December in Texas that looked promising, but it would be roughly a 12-hour drive, which would equate to a lot of needed days off work, so I don’t know. 

It would be around my 40th birthday, and I was born in Texas, so that is a connection worth exploring. I like the idea of doing a 100-mile race in Texas for my 40th birthday, but I don’t know. There is also no guarantee I will get into the Western State even if I do it. I only have two more races on my calendar this year, the one on Saturday and the OT in October. I think I could make room for one in December, but it is going to be tricky with work, and this is my first year in a new position, so it makes me hesitate to put too much on my calendar. I would like to have something to look forward to in December.