Well, we are a couple weeks removed from completing our 50-mile training run that began at the Church of Christ Parking lot in Faribault and took us to Cornerstone Church in Austin.

We made it just shy of 52 miles in a little more than 10 hours. The weather was not ideal as it rained for eight hours and down poured for two hours straight. All in all, I would say the run was a success. I can honestly tell you I had the energy to do more. Shortly following the run we could be found at Perkins eating a large breakfast which was well deserved by all. I happened to suddenly get sleepy and can’t recall much of the time spent there. The crazy part was I only slept two hours when I got home then was up until 9:30 that night.

The pacer crew was amazing. They consisted of Tony (The Cyborg) Thoma, Eric (Spark) Fetchenberger, Todd (Happy) Dube, Danielle (The Phoenix) Nesvold, Corrine (The Enforcer) Neitzell, and of course the leader of the band Pastor Aaron (The Captain) Broberg. The real story here is not that I managed to run 50-plus miles and walk normal the next day; it is that many members of the crew ran the longest distance they have ever ran. Tony covered 44 miles, Eric covered 40 miles, Todd covered 26 miles, Corrine covered 17 miles, Danielle covered 12 miles and Aaron covered 10 miles. Aaron also drove the support vehicle the entire time he was not running.

The people that are making this journey with me behind the scenes and are taking countless hours out of their lives to run with me, train at the gym with me, help work fundraisers, book hotel rooms, build the website, order and help sell shirts, and attend pacer meetings, etc., are the real individuals making this event a reality. God has blessed me with wonderful, giving people in my life that are not afraid to go above and beyond what is expected. Each of those individuals made the run go as smoothly as possible. Whether it was taking a baseline set of vitals every ten miles for comparison in the later parts of the 100, should my health start to fade, to handing out Rev Wraps to eat, to mixing electrolyte drinks, to ordering pizza in advance of our arrival at a checkpoint to … you name it — they had it all lined up and ready.

Hebrews 10:25 states: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (NIV)

I can only hope that we will continue to forge our friendships in the years to come and that we will all find another cause to take up to better the world we have around us. It has been a blessing to work with each and every one of them to date, and two more will be on board for the 100 mile run.

Here are 10 things we learned in the process:

10. I now know where Tail wind electrolyte drink got its name.

9. The church van is really a pontoon boat.

8. After 6 hours of running in the rain it is possible to not realize it is still raining.

7. Over-spray from a live stock semi at 65 mph is as tasty as it sounds.

6. Staying up until 4 a.m. turns Redbull into expensive Kool-Aid.

5. If Pastor Aaron tells you a half mile of road construction is part of the race route be very afraid.

4. It is possible to take an 8 hour shower and not completely dissolve.

3. I learned coffee is a powerful, powerful drug. We need a barista on the bus.

2. There is such a thing as too much pizza.

1. When you follow God’s orders the impossible becomes possible.

Kelly Nesvold, owner of Wellness 1st Chiropractic, is running 100 miles Oct. 11 and 12 to raise money to buy 100,000 meals Through Convoy of Hope. Read more at www.austindailyherald.com/?p=616644.