Stage 2

hey there,
 
wow what an amazing trip. day 1 was great but it was an eye opener.  there aint no way were running this dumb ass race.  the first day was 6 hours and today we finished day 2 after about 8.5 hours.  the good thing is that we are feeling very strong.  it was very hot and lots of people are dropping out.  i really think the probe up the bum for 10 days has paid off cause i really didnt feel all that crazy hot.  the cobbers for the neck are our best friends and we kept a very steady pace.  day 3 is supposed to be shorter and less intense but ive heard that before.  we miss everyone and really appreciate the emails through the racing the planet - email the competitor.  thanks to everyone that sent them.  i love you all and cant wait to show you the pics. we had the hand cam with us today to keep an eye out for our footage. the desert is absolutely amazing.  very scenic and so peaceful.  
 
joy the shoulder pads are working perfect.  and i had a profound moment today when i was walking along the vast expanse that never seemed to end.  i was remembering our trip to kingfisher.  how funny that my nickname ended up being princess walk-a-lot!!
 
love to everyone.  





Stage 3

hello everyone,
 
just a quick update from the desert.  things are going great.  weve managed to finish day 3 without much damage.  i have a very raw middle toe and a few other minor blisters but other than that i feel great.  jay and marc are also doing great.  the day was amazing.  i think we past through 5 different terrain types.  most of it is soft pack with a bit of crust.  very much like walking on fairly packed snow.  most of it isnt terribly hard to walk through but there are certainly some soft parts.  the dunes weve seen are freaky.  there is absolutely nothing around and no sounds.  no birds, no trees, nothing... just sand.  it is beautiful and incredibly peaceful. ive been in great spirits and havent had any black moments so i hope this continues. marc and jay seem to being doing great as well.   once we get back to camp the time flies.  we try and clean up, tend to any foot issues, have some rehydrated food, email, then its off to bed. all the other competitors are very friendly.  weve picked up another gal that wants to walk with us and shes very friendly.  shes very nice to chat with.  yesterday and today we made it back to camp at about 4:30 and the sun goes down by 5:00 so bed time is usually about 8:00.  we have one more 40k stage tomorrow then its the big one.  and then its done.  bizarre.  i love and very much appreciate the emails.  im very lucky to have such a fantastic group of friends.  ive been taking lots of pics and cant wait to tell the tale.  i love you all!  cheers from somewhere in the sahara ;-)

Yet again I sit in disbelief at how quickly the year has past! We leave for Cairo in 10 days and when I look back I'm amazed at everything that has happened. Jay, Marc and I now operate as a very close team. We seem to get to know each other better and better with every 20 mile run. LOL! I also can't believe how close my family has become. I had no idea this would be such a bonding experience for all of us. I'd recommend this for personal development and family therapy to anyone. I thought we were close before but this has brought us together in a way I never imagined. Today we start heat acclimation in the environmental chamber at Simon Fraser University. We have two wonderful research gals helping us out and collecting all the data. Thanks Selima, Miriam and Dr. Matt White! Kinda fun to finish this experience as a lab rat. We will run an hour a day for the next 10 days with the heat set at a balmy 40 degrees. I also need to figure out how I'm going to pack all the gear that is covering my dining room table into my pack. Oh well, one day at a time. Today I'll get through the heat chamber.

It's Sunday August 9th and the 50 mile monkey is finally off my back. Since we started our training about 10 months ago, the weight on my shoulders has been the thought of running 50 miles in one day. Well, it is with great pride that I can confidently say "I can do it."  

The voluntary torturous day started with a 4:00 am alarm without a snooze button, oatmeal in the dark, swatting mosquitos away for 45 minutes, all followed by a 6:00 am start time. The weather was overcast and about 17 C, but in my mind, perfect conditions. Marc, Jay and I were all there as a team but seemed to be experiencing our own personal anxiety. Jay kept us at a slow pace and we finished the first half feeling strong. I was glad that we had run most of the course in previous training runs but we still managed to encounter more hills. I must admit by mile 47 I was cursing the hills and the race course co-ordinator. It seems that the miles that were new to us were all uphill. I get that's not possible but at the time I was convinced it was true. My combination of nuuns, sharkies, banana chips, potato chips and some clif bar seems to have kept me fueled. I also popped a few ibuprofen and thermolites along the way. We managed to hold a steady pace for the second 25 miles and finished the race feeling great. Happy to be done and still standing.

To help break up the miles there were plenty of well stocked aid stations along the way. The volunteers were supportive, helpful and friendly. As usual, I had my very own extraordinary cheer squad which included my kids Natasha & Macguire, my sister Tanya, nephews Zayden & Quinn along with my fabulous mommy.  They sleepily wished me luck when I snuck out of the hotel at 5:00 am, they filled their day tracking us down at a few aid stations then they cheered, whistled and clapped as we crossed the finish line. It always brings tears to my eyes to see them and it makes the miles pass a little bit faster.  My thoughts were also filled with the positive vibes coming from my incredible hard working hubby, who misses the races to make the money to pay for them. 

It's been a long 10 months and I can't imagine trying to run this race without the support of my team mates Jay & Marc. Through the many miles of training we have gotten to know each other very well and I think we can read each others moods. We know how to motivate, encourage and keep each others spirits high. Jay seems to have created the perfect training schedule for us and I certainly wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for his amazing research, planning and attention to every detail. We are a strong team and our next big adventure is the real Macoy. In 9 weeks we're off to the desert.

Thanks to everyone for all the continuous unbelievable support!
 

Wow, here I go with another post.  I really thought I'd done more than one.  Time is passing by so quickly I can't believe it.  I feel like we're starting to get our heads around the adventure we've begun.  The training has picked up and we're into the 70+ mile weeks.  On the good side, I feel like I'm not as consumed by the idea so it's taking less of my time now than when we first started.  

Jay and Marc have been great at trying out new things and researching what we should or shouldn't take.  I told them I'd leave the research in their capable hands and they can just tell me what I need and where to get it.  I've accumulated a few items but I certainly need to make a thorough list.  The days, weeks and months are passing by and before you know it I'll be stuck in the middle of the desert with just the pack on my back.  Yikes!  What have I signed up for?  

We're going away the end of this month to do back to back runs and try out some food.  We'll do a pot luck dinner of dehydrated entrees to see what tasty treats we'll take with us.  Can't wait.  The kids are looking forward to it too.  I figure they should get a taste of what I'll be eating for a week.  Make it more real for them.  They have been very excited and talk about the event whenever they can.  

Fund raising has been going very well.  We've reached about 30% of our goal.  Not bad but I hope we can get some events organized for the summer.  We hope to do a hot dog sale at the local Thrifty Foods on July 1st.  Might even update my blog to post our success!

Apparently now that I’ve started a blog I’m supposed to be creative and post updates.  Hmm, I think I mentioned that I’m not a blogger but for the sake of the masses I will make an honest effort. 

This past weekend was our first 50K training race.  The weather was fantastic and the three of us managed to make it through the 6 hours.  For the most part we stuck together but we did manage to have our own Zen time.  I always enjoy being able to loose myself in the moment when we are out on the trails.  The scenery was spectacular.  The birds were singing and the sunrays were peaking through the branches.  It was, however, a harder race than anticipated.  It seems we missed a major section when we ran the course three weeks ago.  Perhaps it was for the best.  I’m not sure the race would have been as enjoyable knowing that we still had to concur the “Chin Scraper”!

For some reason I’ve mentally broken the down the training into three parts and this completes the first.  We get to cut back for a few weeks then start the training for the Squamish 50 miler.  Yikes!!  I’m guessing the longer days and warmer weather will help keep our spirits and motivation peaked.  We all seem to be enjoying the training and are looking forward to the next big race in August.

Well after much procrastination the blog has begun.  My biggest fear is that I'll become addicted to this and spend all my waking hours blogging.  How will I have time to train?  As this is my first entry I'll keep it short.  Training seems to be going great but we've just begun - so far so good.  Our website is going to launch today www.trailwinders.com and as this is linked.  I'll try and keep this updated for those enquiring minds that want to know!