"Its Good Training" they said.

16 miles, 92' degrees, water bottles emptied, sweating like a stuck pig, eating alive by bugs,
"IT"S GOOD TRAINING!"

Not gonna lie, it was nothing shy of awesomeness.
It was a total mental game.

Before we even started running the trails I voiced my concern.
"Ahh, I think I have a problem...I don't think I have enough water."

I only had my handheld. I knew it wasn't going to be enough.
I was embarrassed when I saw the other runner only running with his handheld, the same size of mine.
He actually offered me his extra small handheld. Not shyly at all, I TOOK IT!
I filled it with an electrolyte tab and filled my larger one with water. I ran with both.
I didn't have a swallow left in either one. I would have licked the inside of both if I knew there was anything left.

There is no pride in a 16 mile trail run in mid day high heat.
We all were soaked in sweat, red faced and walking the hills like a life line.
My freshly shaven legs were dripping in sweat, which after a few miles turned into filth. I felt the sweat drip off my elbows and sting my eyes.

Around mile 12, they wanted me to take a picture of the trail. I couldn't even get my phone out due to my fingers sweating so bad. My pony tail was dripping sweat down my back.
It sounds gross...and normally I would be gagging.
Oddly enough..I didn't care.
It was "Good Training!"

Me: "Really, run at 10am?"
Them: "It's good training."

Me: "It's 92' degrees out"
Them: "It's good training."

Me: "....Yeah, I ran 10 yesterday...."
Them: "OH yeah, and 16 today, that's good training."

Me: "..you outta water? I am almost out..." (Slight concern because we were one at mile 11!)
Them: "... Ahh, it's good training...."

"This is good training for Cloudsplitter..."

The last few miles we ran smart. We slowed our pace down, added more walk breaks and dug in for the final stretch. Like an old cows tail, I trailed behind them.
"Anita, you can go ahead..."
I seriously laughed to myself.
As tired as I was, I would never have gotten out of the woods. I would still be running around lost.

I was secretly happy to hear them breathing heavy and taking extra long walk breaks. I felt guilty seeing them sweat so bad and happy about it.
THEY WERE HUMAN!
I thought these runners were a strange breed of elite running machines. Fueled by some crazy secret ingredient I was not pleasured with.
They sweat like me.
They stunk like me.
They are still more beastly then me, but they are HUMAN!

My Final Saving Grace: Prayer. Waterless, exhausted, hot and tired, I prayed. I asked God to give me the strength to finish it out. I reminded myself there just wasn't any option. Only to suck it up and finish.
I would do it again, It was good training. One to go down in the books.

"I can do all things through Christ who Strengthens me." Phil: 4:13. HE strengthened ME to run this. I was already prepared to finish before I started.

Anita~