A lovely lesson in positive mental attitude, from Paige Dunmore's report on being a pacer for Brad Koenig at the Hardrock 100 miler this year:

What an experience!! And what a great reminder that life is what you make it. You think it sucks, but seriously, shut up and get over it. Around the next bend is the most amazing experience. To quote what I posted on Facebook after it was all said and done (because I just can't sum it up better than how I did in the moment): Hundred mile runs (especially the rough experiences) are such a metaphor for life: sh*t gets real, it gets hard, it hurts, it makes you cry and then smile in the same moment ... but you never give up, because that's not an option. You don't check out when plans fall through; you reassess, regroup, put your head down, and keep moving forward.

Brad went at least 9 miles off course and still finished the race. Shades of the observation by Rayna Matsuno (Weise) on getting lost at the Laurel Highlands ultramarathon in 2005 ...

^z - 2013-07-23