Well, Unfortunately I'm battling a cold, but hoping that lots of rest and fluids will leave me sniffle free at the start line. Currently attempting to glue the velcro for my gaitors to my sneakers...it's going...well it's interesting haha. Next up are the patches. I started packing. I think I've decided to pack my food in my checked luggage, so that I will be able to carry all my race gear on board with me. I am flying out of Boston Wednesday afternoon and arrive in Calama (via Miami and Santiago) at 10:10 AM on the 3rd. I'm hoping to see some backpacks at the airport and hook up for the final leg of the journey to San Pedro. Feel free to shoot me an email if you are arriving around the same time. Can't wait to get there and meet everyone! Ok. Now to unglue my fingers. Cheers! Anne

WoW! I cannot believe that in less then a month I will be racing..... or crawling..... or doing something anyway in the middle of the Atacama Desert. I am getting the last of my stuff ready and I have to tell you that when I got my Raidlight pack I looked at it and thought "uh oh" I have purses bigger then this! No worries I'm telling myself (repeatedly) all the racers before me and with me will be carrying similar supplies in similar packs. THEN I walk out of REI last week with 2 shopping bags of stuff.....hmmm....not a physics major here, but I am going to have to to some creative packing. Oh yes, and I did buy my food yet! So much to do and so little time. Training: I mentioned before that I am coming off a knee surgery (3rd one arggghhh) that was in November 2010 and I had to take it pretty slow with the training. I had a minor complication with a Bakers cyst and I had 2 choices.... 1) Continue to amp up the training to get my endurance back to 90-100% and irritate the knee or 2) take it easy and let the knee heal as much as possible and go in with the knee feeling, well, as close to 100% as possible. I went with option 2. I'll go in with the knee feeling as good as possible and the endurance.......... let's hope it's like riding and bike and combine that with my motivation and stubborn as a bull attitude and I AM going to finish this thing. Back to the pack issue...... are there some special tricks that alter the laws of physics and will get everything in my teeny tiny raidlight? Will I wind up strapping some stuff on with a bungee (ie sleeping pad)? The pad is super light, but def will have to be clipped or bungeed in somewhere. I did buy the lightest smallest things possible. Test run with the pack fully put together this weekend. One more question speaking of space. I have read a lot of people having trouble sleeping for various reasons. I was wondering anyone brining any sort of pillow? I though of bringing one of the travel u shaped pillows, but space and weight may be in issue, but might be worth it to be well rested. Thoughts? I would love your advice! See you all soon!!! Cheers, ANNE

Dear friends and family, I finally had a chance to set up my fundraising site. I am raising funds for a fantastic organization called the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. BARCC's dedicated volunteers support survivors of sexual assault along with their family and friends. BARCC supports survivors from the hospital and thoughout the journey to recovery. Here is some info about them: "The Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) is the only rape crisis center in the Greater Boston area and the oldest and largest center in Massachusetts. Our vision is to end sexual violence through healing and social change. BARCC was founded in 1973 by a group of women dedicated to building a hotline to answer calls from rape survivors. Today, we are national leaders in providing comprehensive, free services including a 24-hour hotline, 24-hour medical advocacy, individual and group counseling, and legal advocacy. We also provide community awareness and prevention services through partnerships and training with organizations and communities. BARCC assists thousands of sexual violence survivors and their families, friends and communities each year, regardless of sex, gender identity, race, physical/developmental disabilities, income, ethnicity, class, religion, or sexual orientation. With the help of our professional staff and more than 100 dedicated volunteers, we serve 29 cities from our offices in Cambridge and Boston and community sites in Chelsea and Dorchester. We provide services in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and French, with other languages available upon request." - BARCC Website When I am in the desert and think I can't take another step I will be thinking of how all your generous donations are going to help support survivors and that will help keep me going. You can follow my journey from training to updates from Chile during the race through this blog. Thanks for your support!!!! Cheers, Anne Visit my personal page to donate directly to BARCC: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/annemurray/racing-the-planet-atacama-crossing You can donate online with a credit card. All donations are secure and sent directly to Boston Area Rape Crisis Center by FirstGiving, who will email you a printable record of your donation. Please send my page on to anyone who might like to donate!

Finally!!! After 7 weeks of PT, the bike, elliptical and holding back I am going to be able to get back to running next week! I feel like I am losing my sanity without it! Hopefully my endurance hasn't taken a huge hit and I can bounce back relatively quickly. I've been doing a lot of work on learning chi running and can't wait to see if it lives up to my high expectations. I bought a couple pair of minimalist sneakers, some Nike Free 5.0 and a pair of Newtons. Absolutely dying to go for a run in them! I got my first batch of equipment from RTP last week and should be getting a second this week including my pack (YAY :) I can't wait to try it on and see how it feels while I am working out. Booked my flight this week. I decided to arrive a day early on the 3rd to adjust to the warm/hot weather as I will be coming from a New England winter and I'm hoping to acclimatize at least somewhat to the altitude difference. Hopefully I can get a light jog or long walk in. I am so excited to meet all the other competitors/staff/volunteers!!! I imagine it must be a amazing group of people! So, final post op with the orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday and then I should be cleared for take off! Biggest Fears: Airline losing my baggage (yowza- that would be terrible) Blisters (I'm coming prepared and hoping for the best!!) Knee flare (no comment - the knee and I are no longer on amicable terms) Desert + Bathroom = should be interesting hahah Most looking forward to: Meeting everyone Sleeping in tents under the desert stars Enjoying the beauty of having the opportunity to experience such a unique place The fantastic pictures I will be able to take! Forgetting about the destination and enjoying the journey!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (until I see that finish line :))) Post race pizza and a massage first thing when I get home! I can't wait to meet you all!!! If you have any tips or pearls of wisdom please do share :) Cheers!!!!

Recovery from Knee Surgery on 11/17 is going well. I am back up and on the bike, elliptical, and walking longer distances each day. I am thinking of getting into the pool and swimming until I am able to start running again to keep (or regain) my pre surgery endurance levels. I'm excited and nervous. Undertaking a race like this under ideal circumstances would be a challenge, but I am really pushing my limits to be doing it with only 2 1/2 months to get back into maximal condition. I WILL get there though. Already ahead of schedule with physical therapy. Can't wait to start running!!!