My best way to describe my experience of the first few days of the Gobi March days is:

Bus #4 and purple curtains, a caravan of cars and busses, famous Ulaanbaatar traffic, grey stormy skies, a 6 hour bus ride, “rest area” coffee shop bathroom breaks, historic stone ruins, walking into camp, start line country flags waving on the winds, a community of tents, an outdoor latrine, a wonderful international race village, making new friends, a lovely traditional music performance, a truly spectacular sunset, sharing Tent 11- Gobi Desert with four incredible women, noisy air mattresses and a cozy sleeping bag, a breathtaking early morning giant moonset over ruins, a chilly beautiful sunrise over camp tents, palpable excitement in the air, yummy instant hot apple cider instead of coffee, the countdown to the start, a melody of hundreds of footsteps, infinitely stunning scenery, small pink flags marking the way, lots of strange insects, a herd of wild horses running free, crossing a river alongside a cow giving us stink eye, biting flies, 90F temps, passing family gers and being cheered on by local kids, everything felt like uphill, so much scenic green grassland and mountains, and then a tough decision.

While my race may have been cut extremely short due to injury, what an incredible adventure this has been. The stunning scenery of the course and camps. The friendly, fun, and diverse race community that blossoms and bonds leading up to and throughout this event. The efficiency, considerations, and logistics by the race organizers and volunteers are thoughtful, necessary, organized and appreciated.

My time in camps, along the trails, and on the bumpy dirt roads in between, will not soon be forgotten. I have created special memories, learned a ton, have much to reflect on and apply going forward, and I have made some fabulous friends.

The Gobi March is a incredible event and I look forward to my return in the future.

Well, after three incredible days here in Ulaanbaatar, this day has arrived…. Early morning race briefing, athlete checkin and gear check, room check out, and then boarding our busses for Camp 1.

Yikes! I don’t know why I was having a tough time yesterday focusing on my task but I found myself procrastinating when it came to revising and finalizing my food. Maybe it was because this chore has many important facets to consider: weight, calories, variety, having enough but not too much, etc. And, not making a big calculation mistake is important. Not to mention, it has to fit in my pack along with the rest of my gear.

I found the solution to my focusing troubles was to take a break outside for some fresh air and to play a bit in the wonderful snow and giant snowflakes coming down. The laughter, joy, and unexpectedness of the weather was a fantastic stress reliever and created some great memories. It was such an exciting and fun addition to my Gobi March adventure!

Next was a chance to enjoy a lovely lunch in the hotel Brewhouse, with my fabulous new friend and tent mate from NYC, while watching the snowfall as we dined. This break outside of my room and away from staring at my food bags was exactly what I needed.

Upon return to my room, I put my ipod music on, sat on the floor leaning against the bed, and took care of business. I had been really nervous about how heavy my pack would be so I kept revising and eliminating clothing and gear to help me get where I needed my pack to be. It’s a strange feeling though, to really have to calculate and guess the bare minimum of what I want, need, and can fit in the pack for 7 days of racing, without missing something that may be important.

I eventually did it though. I got my food down to the minimum I feel comfortable with regarding calories for the week. Which is still a bit above the 14,000 minimum. And, based on the hotel room scale, my pack ended up around 24 lbs before my 2.5L of water.

Whew! I can’t quite fully close the top yet but I am optimistic that after gear check, I can do some rearranging and put things exactly where I want them. That should help. Plus, thankfully, as I go through the week and eat through my food, my pack will lighten and there will be more space. Yay!

Here’s to a continued grand adventure ahead! And, Happy Summer Solstice from a snowy Gobi March!

So, what to do when jet-lag strikes and I find myself awake at 1am on my last free day before race check in? Well, since I fell asleep yesterday around 4pm and missed dinner, pouring a cup of delicious piña colada green tea I found at a local market, snacking on a yummy bar my dad sent with me, and beginning to finalize my gear sounds like a smart plan.

I still have no idea how all I think I need and all I am required to carry will fit into my new favorite pack. Forget puzzles and tetris, this is going to be the challenge of all challenges. LOL

Weight of my pack matters as that can make or break the experience. Having the right clothes matters because I only have one set. Having enough calories matters to stay properly fueled and avoid steady bonking issues. Yet, food is heavy, even the low weight-high cal freeze dried meals, and adds a ton of weight to my pack. I need to carry at least the minimum requirement of 14,000cal for the 7 days however, I will be burning a lot more calories beyond that. So while I definitely have some fat reserves to tap into 😁 I still need to carry enough food.

It sure is a fine line between just enough and manageable or too much, too heavy, and the negative impacts to my body and race. I have a feeling this well be my project for most of today…..

Revisit - Review - Revise - Repeat. Until I get my gear where it needs to be… inside and/or attached to my pack and under 25 lbs. Wish me luck! 

WOW!!!!! This pretty much sums up my feelings at the moment.

In the last 42 hours, I walked out my front door, backed out of my driveway, made my way to LAX, caught my flight from LAX to Seoul, Korea, saw an incredible sunrise upon our landing approach, sampled some local flavor airport donuts during my layover, caught my flight from Korea to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, arrived to some drizzle and beautiful landscape scenery, met a couple other race participants, spent 2 hours in traffic from the airport to my hotel in this capital city, checked in, ate a snack, and then slept for roughly 10 hours.

I am now sitting in my room in UB at 4am on Weds (1pm Tues back at home, there is a 15 hr time difference), sipping a coffee and feeling incredibly grateful for the opportunity to pursue this dream trip. 

Regardless of race outcome, I already feel a success. I am here. I signed up. I did my best with training, and I am putting myself out there. Sometimes, it truly is about the showing up and just plain going for it that makes any experience worthwhile. Everything else will just be the sprinkles and cherry on top of my cake.

Wow! I can’t believe I am a month away from catching my flight to Mongolia. It seems so long ago that I registered for the 2024 Gobi March. And back then, it felt there was so much time in between to plan, prepare, train, and wait. Yet, here I am… four weeks away from my flight. There is still much to do in these next few weeks to finish my training, shopping, organizing, and packing. In the meantime, please excuse my distracted mind and antsy restless body as they are currently filling up with nervous and excited butterflies in anticipation of this upcoming incredible experience and adventure.

This Gobi March is my first RTP event and while I have previously done quite a bit of endurance stuff, it has been several years since then. These past few months have been full of dusting of the cobwebs of my endurance experience and muscle memory, while learning new things in preparation for this new adventure. I look forward to so many aspects of this upcoming experience that I have come to realize that the finish for me, oddly, is not where my focus and joy lies. I am excited to visit Mongolia, a country and culture I have wanted to explore for many years. I am excited for the people, from all over the world, who I will meet and share this adventure with. I am excited to be stepping out of my current comfort zone and challenging myself, after all these years away from endurance sports, to see what I am still capable of and what my limits are. I am excited for my personal cycle of highs and lows that flow through long-distance endurance events; the celebrations and joy of new accomplishments and highs, along with the soul-baring learning more about myself process while working through the lows. I am excited to be a part of this year’s RTP Gobi March list of participants, and I am excited to be able to share such an incredible opportunity and experience with you.

Enjoying the trails at the Born To Run Ultra Marathon Extravaganza, 4-day running/hiking event

May 15-18, 2024 in Los Olivos, California, USA