Right Sized

What keeps me grounded? I tend to want to think I am always right. I want my opinion to be valued. I want, I want, I want. Well, when that hapens I lose touch with what is important. My first DNF was really hard on me. I moped about for days.

Making matters worse Shana had to pack the truck after probably the worse night's sleep we have ever tried to get. So I'm feeling like a complete failure, a total poser. What am I doing?

That DNF was a gift! It took me a few weeks to really get the concept that I hadn't failed. I pulled the plug on the race at the right time. I had a goal and I was on track to hit it. But the wheels came off and rather than push into injury I hung it up.

People ask me all the time why I run ultras. I'd be lying if I didn't say it boosted my ego. "Look how far I can run (walk, death march)". But more importantly it keeps me right sized! Everytime I think I'm a bad ass runner, I get the smack down. And I like it!

Running for a purpose

Been far too long since I written. I will do my best to go back through my previous unpublished posts and work them in . Facebook is the ultimate blog killer. I tend to look at fb and call it good for the day letting my emails pile up in my inbox only to have to go back and sift through them. Anyhow I need to get to work here. Over the last year I have been an ambassador for Runwell http://

/. Running is not only the quickest way to fitness it also helps to keep me grounded and "right sized". I will get back to "right sized" in a minute. Last weekend I had the pleasure of Running the Calico 50k. In most races I start slow and do my best to finish mid pack and talk to folks along the way. Not today! I have not been training on any kind of regular basis and wanted to see what my legs had in store for me. I decided to start at the front and hold on as long as I could. Little did I realize the front runners were bookin! I held off from dropping too hard and managed to finish 14th or 15th overall. I blew through the first 2 aid stations only slowing to thank the volunteers as I passed. One of the many lessons I learned running through Egypt( Oh yea, I'll write that report) was how little extra food I need to run 50k. My ride was prompt and I was scrambling to grab my gear and head out the door. The only thing I forgot was a post race cap and my inhaler. The cap was not the end of the world but I was a little worried about the inhaler or lack there of it. Turns out it was a non issue. Made it to the race with plenty of time to spare.

Dang!

So I have this huge draft of a post that I can't seem to find and have to start over. Ugh, writing is one thing but having to do it over and over kind of bums me out.

I was fortunate to be able to go to Egypt and return. The run through the Sahara was unbelievable. My biggest concern was running day after day with the pack on. I look forward to the day I get to run 135 miles all at once at some race, Badwater, Brazil 135, Arrowhead 135. I will run one (or all) of these one day.

I am very grateful to Runwell for giving me the opportunity to run through the Sahara.  Here are a few of the people I would get to know over the next week. Timo and Kriss, my tent mates.

The entire trip seemed somewhat surreal. I had asked to be an ambassador by Linda and agreed to run the Sahara without really grasping the true vastness of the race.  We were summoned to get on the bus with our "box" lunch for the ride out to the sand. I was cracking up as I pulled my "bag" of Subway out of the many boxes sitting in the sun outside of our Buses. We saddled up on to the buses for a four hr, ride out to the sand. I quickly learned the difference between a four hour bus ride here in the states and one in Egypt. Here it would be a couple hundred miles or so, in Egypt maybe 30-100miles. Lets just say I would be happier running through the Sahara than driving through Cairo.

Not sure if that is a smile of enjoyment or the face of reality that this is about to go down. The first night in the desert was all about settling in. I enjoyed my first freeze dried meal and hunkered down for some much needed rest. Now, I usually don't sleep well the night before a race but here I was out in THE SAHARA! OMG, this is epic! This would be my home for the next week.