More than once, my dad has told me “the reason I’m still running [he’s 67] is because I never run too far or too fast.” This is his not-so-subtle way of telling me I’m being too hard on my body. For the most part, I understand his rationale. Marathons and ultra-marathons can be very hard on the body. But more likely, it’s because they seem to be hard on my body. I am constantly struggling with overuse injuries in my attempt to go farther and faster. To an outsider, it might seem logical to slow down or race shorter distances. But that’s something that I just can’t seem to do. I feel a constant need to see how hard I can push myself – both physically and intellectually. These moments of challenge and breakthrough – whether it’s publishing a new paper or running my fastest mile or reaching the top of a long hill – this is when I feel most alive. These are moments I live for.

So while I sit at home, injured again in an attempt to train for a long race, I’m keeping my eye on the  prize. Setbacks are inevitable, yet they make the taste of victory that much sweeter. And you can bet that when I finally cross the finish line (hell, at this point I’ll settle for the starting line!) of that 50 mile race, the high will be totally worth the wait.