I finally ran to Barr Camp this past Friday. It was a lovely and cool morning, and the mountain was peaceful and as beautiful as ever. But goodness, that run tore me up. I thought I was in good shape, but as I zeroed in on my goal, by knee began to ache, my hamstrings burned, and my right calf began to have random charlie horse cramps.

And on top of everything, I ran out of water. Oh how I wish I had a water filter when I hit Barr Camp.

The run down was relatively painless, except for my aching knee that would much rather run uphill. But after 14+ miles, I felt old and tired. The rest of my day was tricky, as I slowly ascended and descended the stairs in my house and at work. And I won't deny that I drank more than my share of gin and tonics that evening.

I took Saturday off. Completely off. Today I ran 6 relatively flat miles and I still felt tired. But I also felt a sense of achievement that most people never experience. I will conquer that awesome mountain in August, along with my fellow teammates, and several thousand other brave and fit souls. We are dreamers. We are competitive. We are strong. I am now part of the Purple and Gold Nation, but I am also one of thousands of local trail runners, who runs up mountains for the sheer joy of breathing in the crisp air, watching the sun dapple through the trees, clomping through streams, and experiencing the awesome accomplishment of winning my own race.

Go team COS.