Jason Eads's blog

There is no one on this planet than I admired more than my Grandpa Eads. My grandpa always told me to set my goals high. Even if I didn't reach them, he argued, I'd get further along than if I had set the bar lower. Well, it stuck and this mentality is evident in my 2010 running plans. A couple of these races are tentative due to travel/logistical challenges I need to work out. Of course it ALL hinges on me staying healthy & injury free. 

At the 6:00am start there were several SLUG's ready to throw down with Green Rock trail. In my opinion, it's one of the more difficult trails in the St. Louis area. Green Rock is named as such because it's a 10-mile point-to-point trail that connects Greensfelder Park in Eureka, MO northward to Rockwoods Reservation in Wildwood, MO. The terrain is difficult, but the positive is that the weather was supposed to be clear and cool with a high of 40 degrees F.

My wife, Lauren, works on the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday – every year. It’s a bit of a bummer, but that’s the way it goes. This year, like usual, I was faced with deciding what to do with my 4-day weekend. It’s typically a choice of: (A) driving from my home in St. Louis, MO to visit my mother in Arkansas, or (B) staying in the St. Louis area to spend the holiday with my Dad & his side of the family.

My first 100 miler was not easy, but then, is any 100 miler easy? I don’t think so.

I expected to be more nervous and sleepless on Friday night before the race, and especially at the start. Much to my surprise, I was actually totally relaxed. I can’t figure why because I’m usually a bit nervous before a race of any length, and I would have expected especially nervous before a race of 100 miles, which I’ve never done!

100 miles is a long way to run, especially since I've never done it before. It's just about here - starting at 6am CST on Saturday, November 7th!

Canada's very own Ryne Melcher is toeing the line as well and I know he's going to be one of the front runners here in Missouri's inagural 100-mile event - AWESOME!

It's a really exciting time for me, and I look forward to posting a report for CFA after the event concludes...

Best for now,

Jason