As you've probably gathered, things were a little crazy yesterday. Hats off to the team who arranged to get everyone off the mountain and into warm, dry housing for the night! I was at the overnight checkpoint (CP5), and so was part of the team that got to break the news to many competitors. Some were (and remain) competely pissed off.  A few were happy, and most were just accepting of the fact that safety has to come first. I'm just grateful that everyone is safe. (The pass they (we, if I was still in it) would have had to cross last night was covered with snow this morning.) I'm going to cut this short for today, as many people are waiting for a computer. I'll try to get more detail out later.  For now, let's just say that this whole thing has been amazing, and I'm very glad that I'm here.

Well, well, well. It hit me on the bus on the way out here that I'm here and I'm doing this. I know I said that it hit me before, but really? Not until I was on the bus. I'm flabbergasted. I took lots of photos of the welcoming ceremony, but I can't upload photos until I get home. Trust me though, it was really something! For now, I've had my dinner and I'm getting ready to head to bed early. Tomorrow we head through the "Mysterious Stone Valley". Can't wait! Please keep those emails and comments coming! New blog tomorrow.

54 hours after I left home, I finally made it to Bole! Got to the hotel around midnight, after they literally turned off the lights at the airport and left us standing outside in the dark! I think it says something about this bunch of people that nearly everyone shrugged and wrote it off as part of the adventure.

I'm sitting here in the airport in Beijing, trying to wrap my head around the idea that I'm actually going to get to do this race. It's been a year of planning, training, coursework and work-work, and I've been so busy that it really didn't hit me until last week that this race is really going to happen, and that I'm going to be a part of it. I'm antsy to get to Bole, in part so I can explore a little bit, but also (I have to admit) so that I can get some sleep! For now, I think I'll go walk around a bit. This sitting still business stinks!

On my way tomorrow morning, and I can hardly wait.  Looking forward to seeing you all in China!

I guess I've put so many people through the "testing" wringer on the treadmill that it finally came back to bite me!  This was today's "light" workout.  I guess I'm ready for the hills, but I'm leaving the mask and hose at home!  (Whew!)

They say time flies when you're having fun.  They neglect to mention how quickly time flies when you're really busy too!  I can't believe it's almost time to head out on this little jaunt, but I can hardly wait.  There's only one more tweak to make to my backpack, and a few things to pick up at the store.  Then?  Time to put it all together and go.  Unbelievable.

Holy smokes, it's 2013... and there are only 151 days left before the race.  Unbelievable!

We finally got some winter weather around here, and it's taking a bit of getting used to.  I did a short race about a month ago, and my basic snow-grippers were fine.  However, a recent cold snap has required that I get the real spikes out for the ice!  (Whoever invented Kahtoola micro-spikes was a genius!)  Alas, that has also meant that I've done little real running of late.  :-(  I've got a bit of a wonky stride, and the spikes- of course - limit foot rotation at the ground.  The last time I took off running on ice without sufficient practice, I ended up back on a cane for a couple of days, so THIS time, I'm playing it safe.  Slow and easy does it.  (I'll also be able to get some time in on the treadmill once university is back in session.)  Next Saturday is the local Fat Ass 50k, and I plan to get out there and go as best I can.  I'll probably end up walking most of it, but it'll be good to just keep going that long.

I've also managed to get my website up and running, so that I can tackle fundraising for my chosen charities at full speed.  Please feel free to take a look and send some feedback!  There's a link on the right under "blogroll" to www.muddydogs.net

Happy New Year!

Sometimes I feel like I'm workin' my tail off, and yet I never seem to get anywhere.  Months go by and I think I'm standing still.  Then, all of a sudden, I notice just how much progress I've made.  One day I see that my heart rate is lower than it used to be, but I'm going a little faster.  Another day, I find that I'm just shy of getting my first, unassisted pull-up in... oh gee, I won't say how many years!  It's so close I can taste it, and I'll probably get it in another week or two.  That feels darned good.  Little things like that can make it a whole lot easier to get out the door.

There is another thing that's given me a boost on those rough days though, and that has been looking at blogs, photos, videos, and race updates for every one of the 4 Deserts events.  (Thanks to the RTP staff for putting - and keeping - all of that up on the web!)  Stuff from a couple of years ago is just as uplifting as getting the breaking news updates from the recent Sahara race.  Crazy how that is.  I look at those pictures and think "I really, really want to do that."  I don't care how many people think I'm nuts.  There are just some things that you won't get to see, and can't really understand until you experience them for yourself.  I don't want to reach the day when I drop off the twig thinking "I wish I hadn't been such a chicken".  I'd rather live while I can, and make the most of everything I can do while I can do it.  The ol' bod ain't what it used to be, and it won't do what it used to do, but it can still do a lot.  May as well enjoy it!

I'm looking forward to meeting so many of the people I've been reading about, and whom I've learned so much from already.  Seven months seems like a long time from now, but I'll bet it passes in the blink of an eye.

It's official!  I'm going to China next June!  I'm excited, terrified, pleased... all at the same time.  I'm going to find out if the saying "You never know what you can get away with until you try," is all it's cracked up to be.  :-)

The last few months of training have gone well, but there is still a long way to go.  Having a new training partner (my lovely dog Maddy) will make some of those hours a lot more fun. 

Now that my entry is official, I can also get started on fundraising for my two chosen charities:  The Payden Memorial Foundation and Memorial Sloan-Kettering's childhood cancer research arm.  More about those in another entry.  For now, I'd better get a move on!