Kingston 6 hour recap

Wow! I can't believe it has been so long since my last post. My last race was in 2014 when I completed the Niagara Falls 50k race. Between my last post and now my life has been a whirlwind adventure. As with any adventure there have been highs and lows. Such is life of course. In summary I have changed careers, was married then divorced and lived in 3 different houses. Through all of this there has been one constant in my life. Running. I don't run as fast or even as far as I used to but that never really was what I enjoyed most about running. Running is and always will be an escape a distraction and therapy for me. It also allows me to push myself mentally and physically. I still have some competitive juices flowing inside of me and that is why I decided to enter one of my favorite races..The Kingston 6 hour self transcendence race. I have always had great memories of that race. Having completed it 3 times, I knew what I was getting myself into. For 6 hours a small group of runners run around the Royal Military College. (A 900 metre loop) Each runner is assigned a "counter" and each time we complete a lap we must make eye contact with our counter. Beside the counter there is a table with anything and everything you can think of to help fuel us for the 6 hours. I call it a runners mini mart. When I tell people about this race I get the "are you serious" look. The fact that most people would not attempt such a race is probably what inspires me to do it. I'm not the fastest runner but what I lack in speed I feel I make up for in mental toughness. I have met the most amazing athletes at this event and though I haven't been a regular at these races since 2009, everyone remembered me and welcomed me back with open arms. The day itself started out chilly but soon warmed up. I ran the first 2 hours with a woman who actually got me into running so we were able to catch up on life while we ran together. My goal was simple. Finish! During my training the longest run I had done was 3 hours and 15 minutes so I was asking my body to almost double that. I suffered through some slight cramping but always kept pushing through. 8ne of the runners there had a shirt which said "Don't you dare give up!" At the 5 hour mark I knew that I was going to complete my goal and also realized that I had ran 44kms. I wanted to see if I could reach 50k. With under 10 minutes to go I passed my counter for the last time. Each runner towards the end of the race is given a bag of sand with their name on it. At exactly 3:00 pm, 6 hours from when we started, dozens of car horns are turned on. Wherever we are, when those car horns are heard, we drop our bag if sand and the final measurements are calculated. The best I've done at this race was 58kms but that was when I was in my prime shape. My final stats were 51.28 kms but more than the distance completed I was most happy with just doing what I love to do with the people who I admire the most. I'm using this race as a starting point and I'm hoping to complete another 6 hour race in July. I 2016 I would like to really get back into trail running and do at least a 50 Mile race.