Time to catch up!

...wow, its been a LONG time since I've posted anything!

The past few months have been a little crazy:

* went through some down times after PQ (just couldn't seem to find much motivation to do anything for a while)

* one of my best friends moved to NY (way, way too far away!)

* work has been super busy

* did a very cool run/hike in the Tetons

* volunteered at the GTR races - and had the honor of running with Sister Marybeth for part of her 50 mile race! She is one amazing woman! And she does incredible work to improve the lives of kids who have been orphaned because of AIDS.

* ran the Wasatch 53 (ok ... so I know its called the Wasatch 100, but I just don't like the sound of DNF - just wasn't in the cards that day to finish)

* visited family in TX after hurricane Ike - got to spend some quality time with my super-cool 4 yr old nephew.

* had the opportunity to crew for Marshall Ulrich as he was going through Utah on his quest to break the record for RUNNING across America. He is a superstar - I've never known anyone who has the mental and physical strength as he does. He's been averaging over 60 miles per day! Oh yeah, and he's 57! definitely inspirational.




Cool views behind the Tetons




Sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses (or take pictures of flowers)





Yes, Sister Marybeth ran the 50 mile race in her habit!!











Course marking on the Wasatch 100 ... felt like those were my bones! :-)



Taking a break during a hike through the "dark, scary woods" ... which turned out to be not so scary during the day with Aunt Becky around.




George, giving Marshall a refill on food and water. I think this was on day 15 for Marshall...still going strong!

Aftereffects

Last night I went for a great trail run! I just love running at night - its cooler (very nice this time of year), I often have the trail to myself which makes it feel like a great escape & adventure, running under the moonlight is magical for me, and I also usually think about a lot of things from a different perspective. I really cherish these opportunities! Last night's adventure included part of the Wasatch 100 course and it was a little more of an adventure since I grabbed a headlamp w/o checking the batteries. Luckily it was a full moon because the headlamp didn't have much juice!

One of the many subjects I thought about during my run was the aftereffects of Primal Quest. Any time you go through such a long, taxing journey like that, you're guaranteed to have some effects or changes. I'm sure that some of these effects are just short term, but I have a feeling that some will have more of a lasting impact (and hopefully in a good way!)

Physically, I'm recovering very well. No injuries at all, which is really wonderful. The big aftereffect here is that I just don't seem to have the reserves and certainly don't ask me to sprint because it would look like a jog! I went running with my great friend Wendy earlier in the week and she put the hurt on me - I was gasping for air & my legs were burning running uphill - meanwhile, she was talking and telling me stories. Last night was a little better, but I can tell it will be a while before I'm 100%. For this reason, I've decided to run an aid station at the Speedgoat 50K next weekend instead of running it. That's a great race and I highly recommend putting it on your list for next year or future years! Lots of great vertical in a BEAUTIFUL setting! Instead, I'm planning on running the Hurl 50K the following weekend ... one more week to recover!

Mentally and emotionally, well ... some could argue that there needed to be a change there even before the race, but that's another story. Since I've been back, its been a little slow getting back into the swing of things mentally at work. Ok, before you go and tell my boss about this, I am still getting my work done, but I feel a little detatched. Just not as stressed out or concerned about some of the stuff as usual. Its more of an attitude shift - not sure if its good or bad, but its different and kind of strange.

Also during my night time run, I had a flashback to a couple of memories from the race. I was caught off guard by some lightning strikes and I think the surprise somehow jolted these memories. The first memory was one from before the race. I had numerous dreams/nightmares that something really bad was going to happen to me or one of my friends during the race. I dreamed that I was trapped in rapids or pinned in the water - or that I was falling off a sketchy mountain ridge. I knew that this was generated purely by my apprehension of the unknown, but it was such a strong feeling before the race that I updated & validated my beneficiaries for my insurance! Of course, finishing the race with everyone safe and fully intact was a huge relief for me.


The second memory was a recurring theme during the race. There were many times that I could have sworn that I had 4 additional teammates, not 3. Times when I'd look around after we took a short break and wonder where the other teammate was. I swear that I saw another person with us, although I never saw his face. He had dark hair, but it wasn't Serge (the only guy on our team with dark hair). Often, I'd say things to encourage my teammates or to thank them for helping me through sections - and I remember several times where I kept thinking that I had lost my mind because I couldn't remember the "fifth teammate's" name. It was such an odd sensation - so very clear that there was another person with us, but every time that I consciously thought about it and tried to remember his name or wanted to check and make sure he made it through a section ok or went to take a picture of him, he wasn't there. Not sure what exactly happened here, but it sure makes me think that there's more going on in our world and/or our minds than we consciously realize. Hmmm - something to think about...

Primal Quest '08 - Montana!!!

As many of you are aware, we successfully finished Primal Quest close to midnight on July 1st ... 9 days of the most incredible and challenging adventure I have ever experienced. It will probably take me a few posts to share this adventure, but there are a few things that I want to get out there sooner rather than later. This picture was taken after the race ... after a much needed shower & some sleep. ...Just love these guys! Serge, James, (me), Jeremy, Todd, and Scott.


First of all, this was seriously an amazing journey on so many levels. I learned so much about myself, my teammates, what expedition adventure racing is, how your mind controls so very much of what you are able to do (or what you can't do), how to control that fine balance between moving forward and managing food/hydration & sleep deprivation, and many more things that will come out in later posts.

We also saw some of the most incredible things during the race - the most amazing mountains and scenery deep in the wilderness, wildlife including moose, mountain goats, deer, elk, and even a bear & her cub. I honestly felt honored to be able to experience this because we were far enough removed from "society" that it felt very special to be in a place that is not frequented by many.

Although this was technically a race, due to the length, variety, and intesity of the event, it really felt more like an expedition. There were several times over the 9 days that I completely forgot that it was a race - times when I was intently focused on the terrain and my movements to avoid falling hundreds of feet, times when my teammates and I were having great conversations about "life", times when I was hallucinating and seeing all kinds of crazy things around me, and times when I was just stunned by the beauty of the scenery around us. ...Maybe this attitude contributed to our "second to last" finish, but we didn't care at all. Our goals for the race were to:
1. Be safe
2. Have fun
3. Remain friends
4. Finish the race

Happily, I'm reporting that we succeeded in all these goals! We didn't sustain any injuries - except for blisters (more on that later). We had a great time and got along very well. I couldn't have asked for better team dynamics - everything worked out just great. And, although we were put on a "short course" since we missed a few time cutoffs, we finished as a ranked team - 40 out of 41 teams that finished. There were quite a few teams (15+) that did not finish for various reasons, so we still consider this to be a big success.

A few BIG THANK YOU's:
* To my awesome teammates who never gave up and helped me in so very many ways throughout the race (including carrying my pack sometimes and talking me through the "scary" parts!) I am forever grateful for the experience!
* To Scott and Todd who were the absolute best support crew - being tough when we needed a push, feeding us awesome food at the transition areas, and picking up after 4 smelly people w/o a single complaint ... They're amazing!
* Especially, to all my family and friends who sent us comments on our race website/blog, tracked us on the PQ website, and sent us good vibes. It helped more than you'll ever know for us to know that people were watching us and cheering us on while we were out in the middle of nowhere.
THANK YOU!!!

I'm in the process of downloading pics from my camera and will put them out on my picasa site soon, but for now, here are a few of my favorites.


Serge and me right before the race started. Serge was the power-house of the group! I have no idea how this guy has so much energy. :-)















Climbing the ridge of Lone Mountain - the first ascent of the race.















One of the many beautiful sunrises ... this one was right after we finished the trek along Telephone (or Telegraph?) Ridge











One of the many, many river crossings! Here we were lucky to have a log because the river was raging! It was interesting to cross it though because it wasn't as smooth as it looks in the picture. Definitely a time when I pulled out a pair of pants.





The stunningly beautiful Crazy Mountains!!












Happy to be alive and in the mountains!!

Time to party!

Although there's lots more to share, this is going to be a little shorter of a post since I need to go and get a little sleep before the big day tomorrow. :-)

We spent the morning and early afternoon doing last minute prep on our packs - trying to balance the desire to have a lighter weight pack with the necessity of having all the mandatory gear and warm enough clothes to make it through the CHILLY nights! In Big Sky right now, its 45 deg (at 7000 ft) and it will be much cooler at the higher elevations!

At 3pm, we went to the pre-race meeting (3+ hrs long) where they gave us additional safety info (particularly on potential wildlife encounters) and we got previews of the course - then we got our set of maps, 11 of them. At that point, the race was on to efficiently and effectively plot the UTM coordinates of the 31 checkpoints and the 14 (or was it 12?) transition areas (where we transition to different events and support crews can help us reload on food, etc). It was quite a big job ... all 4 team members worked on this and we just finished a little while ago. The really great beta that Jeremy (our primary navigator) had was leading us to a table in the lobby of one of the condo buildings with a fireplace and comfortable chairs. This was so, so much nicer than our other option of plotting the maps inside a cramped RV trailer! We also got to talk to Don and Dawn Mann - the big chiefs of the race - and even had film crews in taking pics of us sweating it out. It was VERY helpful that I had picked up a few extra local mountain biking trail maps when I visited here a month ago because the maps they gave us did not have trails identified very well at all. ...probably since the data was last updated in 1983, compared to the IMBA trail maps which were updated just a few years ago. :-)


So, the first challenge for us tomorrow - climb Lone Mountain! This is the beautiful icon that you can't stop staring at if you come to Big Sky. Up on the ridge, they have ropes set up that we'll have to tie into for safety. After that, there's another big trek, then its time to get on the inflatable kayaks then riverboards. That's as far ahead as I can think about right now ... one step at a time. :-)

Be sure to check out the team website: http://team18.ecoprimalquest.com/ (sorry - struggling with actually adding the link, so just copy and paste for now) Our awesome support crew has already uploaded pictures and videos, so be sure to check those tabs at the top of the site also. They'll be updating this relatively frequently, so you can track us there.

Ok, one last thing before I sign off. To my family and friends, I love you dearly and really appreciate all the moral support and encouragement. I will be thinking of you and these happy thoughts are what will help me through the tough times. Know that you are with me in a very important way throughout this journey! Cheers!