You Must Think I'm Crazy...

Most people who run or exercise, with the exception of gym pass, do so free of charge, you know, they run on the streets, run on a treadmill in their house, ride a bicycle, run on a track and so forth. Well, what about those idiots who pay to run...oh yeah, I am talking about me. So lets add up the figures...

So far in 2012:
Rex Lee Run: $30
Camp Pendleton 10k Mud Run: $65
DayBreak Triathlon: $90 + $125 airfare
Ruby Mountain Relay: $50 + $40 gas and food
Red Rock Relay: $85 + $35 gas and food
Extreme Rhythm 5k: $17

So, for a grand total of $507 so far this year...and it's only August. Let's break down a little bit about what goes on for one of these races. I just got back last weekend from the Red Rock Relay, so while it's fresh in my mind, I will talk about that one.

I paid $120 to be able to:

Run 187 miles with 11 other team members. It took us 25 hours and 30 min. During the whole trip, which was around 35 hours, we drove from Provo to Brian Head, Ran (and drove in a car when other team members were running), 187 miles, and then drove back to Provo from St. George where we finished. In the process, I slept 20 minutes total, ran who knows how many miles (I think around 15?), ate around 500 calories, burned around 4000 calories, got really sick and couldn't eat so I literally had no food in me for about 50 percent of my runs, used port-a-potties way more than I ever wanted to, set a personal record for my mile time, and most importantly, I finished the race.

Now, if someone had told me that and I hadn't done it, I would say well that sounds miserable, and yes, at times, it was, like when I was running at 11 am in the middle of Zion's up a huge hill in 90 degree weather. Yes, that was miserable, but the feeling you get when you accomplish something you have not accomplished before, makes up for all the misery. I haven't had that much fun in a long time, and I look forward to my next race in the future.

Stats for my new life so far: 
Races: 5 (and another on Saturday)
Crashes on bike: 3
Running injuries: 2
Miles Biked: 900+ miles
Miles Run: 250+ miles
Money spent on gear: $$$$ Too Much
Pounds Lost: 44
Lives Changed: 1