the support I have received has been tremendous. It as beyond my wildest dreams. I just got back home and I am amazed at the response and success 777 Run for sight. Thanks everybody I am left without words
Here are some of the articles that the media has graciously wrote about my journey
Calgary Sun's Kelly Doodle
Calgary Herald's Valerie Berenyi
CTV
MLA Dave Rodney
City Light News
Impact Magazine
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
777 Run For Sight- Mission accomplished!
Today July 11th about 12:58pm Switzerland time I crossed the finish line of my last race in the 777 Run For Sight. Las stage was 27K long, with the same altitude that the previous days but instead of taking four hours I finish in under three, I felt like Forrest Gump on his movie where he is been chase by the bullies and he literally run from his leg braces, all of a sudden the heaviness of my legs lifted allowing me to run and run.
I wasn't the only one, all around me people where smiling and running faster than we had run before. Rob Fransen run a perfect race today, he crossed the finish line smiling and feeling amazing, hard to believe he just run 350K, couldn't tell but looking at the way he was moving.
I was worry that because I was running the shorter distance it was going to be anticlimactic, but through the 3 hours of my run, the last few months played on my head like a movie, sleep depravation in Brazil, the pain in Namibia, the laughter in the tent in Gobi, the amazing moments I have experience, it was sure to grand to ignore. i arrived from Geneva to Basel 7 days later forever changed, I am still the same mom worry about her son who has an incurable eye condition but instead of feeling despair I am now full of hope.
Here are some stats of the last 7 months
Total distance run officially- 1272 Kilometres
Weight before the race 110.8 lbs- after 104.9 lbs
Number of tonails lost- 7
Number of running shoes used- 14
number of Honey stinger bars eaten- 74
Number of gels- 103
distance traveled- 48,425
Number of hours spent running- 283
I have spent some time with the most amazing people in the world and they have expanded the boundaries of what's possible, Benat Zubillaga of Spain is one of those friendships I have form, even among endurance athletes there is a breed that is different that the rest, some are just content in trying to improve their time on their current event of choice like a stage race or a 100 miler, then there is people like Benat, who is here for the adventure, we spent hours talking about different events that we both wanted to participate, I was hesitant at the beginning not knowing if this was the end of the road for me and if I was going back to my former life, then Benat notice the sparkle in my eyes when i talk about my dreams and hopes for next year. he said that I can never go back, that I am one of them now, like the Twilight series and I am now a vampire.
Nicola Fontanesi was at the end of the finish line and I was so glad to see him, not many people at the race knew who I was or what I had just done, i liked it since it allowed me to run the race without distractions, at the end how ever it was nice to have somebody that knew what it all meant to me. I spent the rest of the day trying to be in the moment, after all I have dreamt about this moment for so long wondering how I was going to be feeling. We are off to Italy for a few days, I much needed vacation before I embark on my next quest.
The overwhelming response to 777 Run For Sight show to me that like me there are many people in the world are looking for a more meaningful life. And of course you might be wondering what's next. I am planning 777 Climb For sight, I will be climbing all 7 highest peaks on 7 continents and it might happens as soon as March 2010, I will be aiming for 7 months, the unofficial record is 7 months by UK adventurer Annabelle Bond, but out of safety I will finish at a time that is safe for me. I am teaming up with Adventure Consultants to accomplish that, as well as climbing I will be also running a marathon before each climb.
Of course my family was a bit hesitant when I told them of my plans, after all when my mom showed concern when I started running ultras I told her not to worry, that it wasn't like I was climbing mount Everest or something like that. At the end they understood that I was going ahead but as usual I was checking my ego at the door, I have really nothing to prove, this is just a way for me to do everything I can to fight global blindness.
At the end, somehow instead of feeling like is the end of a story I am left feeling like this is the beginning of something wonderful.
To be continue...
I wasn't the only one, all around me people where smiling and running faster than we had run before. Rob Fransen run a perfect race today, he crossed the finish line smiling and feeling amazing, hard to believe he just run 350K, couldn't tell but looking at the way he was moving.
I was worry that because I was running the shorter distance it was going to be anticlimactic, but through the 3 hours of my run, the last few months played on my head like a movie, sleep depravation in Brazil, the pain in Namibia, the laughter in the tent in Gobi, the amazing moments I have experience, it was sure to grand to ignore. i arrived from Geneva to Basel 7 days later forever changed, I am still the same mom worry about her son who has an incurable eye condition but instead of feeling despair I am now full of hope.
Here are some stats of the last 7 months
Total distance run officially- 1272 Kilometres
Weight before the race 110.8 lbs- after 104.9 lbs
Number of tonails lost- 7
Number of running shoes used- 14
number of Honey stinger bars eaten- 74
Number of gels- 103
distance traveled- 48,425
Number of hours spent running- 283
I have spent some time with the most amazing people in the world and they have expanded the boundaries of what's possible, Benat Zubillaga of Spain is one of those friendships I have form, even among endurance athletes there is a breed that is different that the rest, some are just content in trying to improve their time on their current event of choice like a stage race or a 100 miler, then there is people like Benat, who is here for the adventure, we spent hours talking about different events that we both wanted to participate, I was hesitant at the beginning not knowing if this was the end of the road for me and if I was going back to my former life, then Benat notice the sparkle in my eyes when i talk about my dreams and hopes for next year. he said that I can never go back, that I am one of them now, like the Twilight series and I am now a vampire.
Nicola Fontanesi was at the end of the finish line and I was so glad to see him, not many people at the race knew who I was or what I had just done, i liked it since it allowed me to run the race without distractions, at the end how ever it was nice to have somebody that knew what it all meant to me. I spent the rest of the day trying to be in the moment, after all I have dreamt about this moment for so long wondering how I was going to be feeling. We are off to Italy for a few days, I much needed vacation before I embark on my next quest.
The overwhelming response to 777 Run For Sight show to me that like me there are many people in the world are looking for a more meaningful life. And of course you might be wondering what's next. I am planning 777 Climb For sight, I will be climbing all 7 highest peaks on 7 continents and it might happens as soon as March 2010, I will be aiming for 7 months, the unofficial record is 7 months by UK adventurer Annabelle Bond, but out of safety I will finish at a time that is safe for me. I am teaming up with Adventure Consultants to accomplish that, as well as climbing I will be also running a marathon before each climb.
Of course my family was a bit hesitant when I told them of my plans, after all when my mom showed concern when I started running ultras I told her not to worry, that it wasn't like I was climbing mount Everest or something like that. At the end they understood that I was going ahead but as usual I was checking my ego at the door, I have really nothing to prove, this is just a way for me to do everything I can to fight global blindness.
At the end, somehow instead of feeling like is the end of a story I am left feeling like this is the beginning of something wonderful.
To be continue...
Friday, July 10, 2009
Swiss Jura Day 5
Today's stage was 53k for the long stage and 28k on the half distance. I was fine going to bed but it was hard to see my former group leave this morning while I waited on the later start.
To the untrained eye, the emotion I felt would have been called envy, disappointment but to me it was called desire. The desire to improve and be better next time. I have enjoyed this race tremendously, I have never run better on a race before even if I am falling short on my results and its because everybody else around me is better so anything less than 100% is unacceptable. Swiss Jura race is the opposite of Boston marathon where the man have harder times to qualify than women or so is the common theme if you go to running forums, here women have the same time limits but an average male can run faster than a woman of the same fitness level, so every year about half of the women move to the shorter distance and only about 1/3 of man do but instead of feeling its unfair it motivates me to want to be one of the female finishers.
Today was 28k long and very little climbing about 400m or about 9k for the 175k distance, I felt fantastic and run it all at a reasonable pace to let my body recover while still making a great time. I crossed the finish line 6 female in about 3 hours and 45 minutes, I feel guilty to tell you that I had such a great day and enjoyed every minute I was there.
We usually start 3 hours after the early group, we drive to the half way point then start the last two checkpoints, this is the first time that I got to see the dates runners on the chase, over all leader of the 350k is Nemeth Cesna of Hungary, this is his third year defending his title, the race directors call him the swiss watch because he logs identical times every year, he comes to swiss Jura to win for the prize money, he said that allows him to take his family to a vacation every year.
While not winning but certainly doing amazing is Rob who is now on 16th place, he comes looking fresher as we go along, now here is an inspiration for us all, he was out last year and he almost didn't come this year because of injuries and family illnesses but he is here and having the time of his life, sometimes you just have to go for it.
The other north American competitor Maria Medueno is doing great but not to her standards, she is still in pain from the burns she suffered a few days before coming, it has been raining hard everyday that makes it hard since the dressings stick to the burns but she is a trouper hardly complaining, although according to her family she is the original Mexican running wild.
Yesterday I told you that we where like one big family. Things got a bit strange today. As usual we arrived at the next place where we are spending the night, it rained hard and I was full of mud and looking forward to a nice shower, when I walked in I found the shower full of naked people, man and women, just one shower room for us all, close quarters too ,now, I am sure even families aren't that close thankfully, I saw my friends Judith Julia and Lydia Gomez of Spain showering already with all the guys so pretended I was European too and not bother at all, remember the German running on his speedo yesterday?and I though I had seen enough.
I am slowly panicking, two more days and this is it,777 run for sight will be a reality, it has changed me for ever and it will also impact many people's lives because the fundraising was so succefull, I am full of hope that if I can accomplish something that seem impossible just a few months ago then is not difficult to imagine a cure for my son Karl either. after all all this crazy quest started because a mom, me, just wanted to show her kids that while things that seem unfair will happen ,together we can ovecome anything. Hans, Karl mom misses you
To the untrained eye, the emotion I felt would have been called envy, disappointment but to me it was called desire. The desire to improve and be better next time. I have enjoyed this race tremendously, I have never run better on a race before even if I am falling short on my results and its because everybody else around me is better so anything less than 100% is unacceptable. Swiss Jura race is the opposite of Boston marathon where the man have harder times to qualify than women or so is the common theme if you go to running forums, here women have the same time limits but an average male can run faster than a woman of the same fitness level, so every year about half of the women move to the shorter distance and only about 1/3 of man do but instead of feeling its unfair it motivates me to want to be one of the female finishers.
Today was 28k long and very little climbing about 400m or about 9k for the 175k distance, I felt fantastic and run it all at a reasonable pace to let my body recover while still making a great time. I crossed the finish line 6 female in about 3 hours and 45 minutes, I feel guilty to tell you that I had such a great day and enjoyed every minute I was there.
We usually start 3 hours after the early group, we drive to the half way point then start the last two checkpoints, this is the first time that I got to see the dates runners on the chase, over all leader of the 350k is Nemeth Cesna of Hungary, this is his third year defending his title, the race directors call him the swiss watch because he logs identical times every year, he comes to swiss Jura to win for the prize money, he said that allows him to take his family to a vacation every year.
While not winning but certainly doing amazing is Rob who is now on 16th place, he comes looking fresher as we go along, now here is an inspiration for us all, he was out last year and he almost didn't come this year because of injuries and family illnesses but he is here and having the time of his life, sometimes you just have to go for it.
The other north American competitor Maria Medueno is doing great but not to her standards, she is still in pain from the burns she suffered a few days before coming, it has been raining hard everyday that makes it hard since the dressings stick to the burns but she is a trouper hardly complaining, although according to her family she is the original Mexican running wild.
Yesterday I told you that we where like one big family. Things got a bit strange today. As usual we arrived at the next place where we are spending the night, it rained hard and I was full of mud and looking forward to a nice shower, when I walked in I found the shower full of naked people, man and women, just one shower room for us all, close quarters too ,now, I am sure even families aren't that close thankfully, I saw my friends Judith Julia and Lydia Gomez of Spain showering already with all the guys so pretended I was European too and not bother at all, remember the German running on his speedo yesterday?and I though I had seen enough.
I am slowly panicking, two more days and this is it,777 run for sight will be a reality, it has changed me for ever and it will also impact many people's lives because the fundraising was so succefull, I am full of hope that if I can accomplish something that seem impossible just a few months ago then is not difficult to imagine a cure for my son Karl either. after all all this crazy quest started because a mom, me, just wanted to show her kids that while things that seem unfair will happen ,together we can ovecome anything. Hans, Karl mom misses you
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Swiss Jura Day 4
Well you can't blame me for trying. I desperately tried today to make it to the end but I was still 10 minutes to late. I feel great about it, is rare since anybody that knows me, can tell you I am not the best looser.
Feel good for two reasons, I gave it all I got and I was still running strong. As usual we got up at 4am, breakfast at 5, pack your belongings and start at 7. I awoke around 1am to a thunderstorms, we were sleeping at a tennis complex and the sound of rain on the tin roof woke me up, it rained solid until the just before the start of the race, not a good sign if you are hoping to better you previous time, I remember thinking, if that's not a sign that its all over I don't know what it is. It was worth it if only to see competitor Joerg Schreiber from Germany running on his speedo, nothing rare if you were in Iron Man but not here in the mountains and he also tucked his wallet, and mp3 player on it.
Today's stage was 47K long with +2020 total ascend and -1770 total descend. I run very well the first 14k, not far from second and third female, it looked very promising, the second checkpoint was a bit harder to get to on time because of the climbing and the incredibly slippery conditions. My lungs burned trying to get enough oxygen like an asthmatic at a smoky bar. I missed the checkpoint by 10 minutes. I was disappointed but I am still glad that I am still healthy to finish the seventh continent if for a shorter distance. Now for Rob Fransen's followers, he is still running strong after four days, and i stand corrected he said is not a blister that is bothering him but a swollen toe, I saw him finish today and he is sure looking strong and having fun, he is going to make Canada proud.
I wanted to try hard, I wanted everybody to know I didn't take things for granted. My fundraising has been extremely successful, not entirely by me, Mr. Brett Wilson's famous garden party did a record fundraising of $110,000 dollars for 777 Run For Sight. I think that his celebrity status and the fact that his beautiful and talented girlfriend, singer and song writer Sarah McLachlan who performed at the party where a mayor factor of why people were so generous but the reason doesn't matter, I am glad we successfully passed our fundraising goal, cnib, Foundation Fighting Blindness and Operation Eyesight do amazing work and deserve every penny. I saw my series sponsor Bolt Supply's President Mr John McCann at the party, now here is an amazing story, Bolt Supply sponsored my series not because they want to convince people to buy their fancy shoes or anything, but for the simple reason they believe in investing in the community.
I now move to the 175K distance, I am still feeling healthy so I am expected to finish the race and accomplish my record on time. At this moment I haven't really had time to think about what it all means, at this point I am still taking it one day at a time. As usual we gather around the diner table talking about how our day was, like we are one big family, we become close event though we are complete strangers because we rely on each other so much. All of a sudden the world seems a lot smaller now that I have a much larger family.
Feel good for two reasons, I gave it all I got and I was still running strong. As usual we got up at 4am, breakfast at 5, pack your belongings and start at 7. I awoke around 1am to a thunderstorms, we were sleeping at a tennis complex and the sound of rain on the tin roof woke me up, it rained solid until the just before the start of the race, not a good sign if you are hoping to better you previous time, I remember thinking, if that's not a sign that its all over I don't know what it is. It was worth it if only to see competitor Joerg Schreiber from Germany running on his speedo, nothing rare if you were in Iron Man but not here in the mountains and he also tucked his wallet, and mp3 player on it.
Today's stage was 47K long with +2020 total ascend and -1770 total descend. I run very well the first 14k, not far from second and third female, it looked very promising, the second checkpoint was a bit harder to get to on time because of the climbing and the incredibly slippery conditions. My lungs burned trying to get enough oxygen like an asthmatic at a smoky bar. I missed the checkpoint by 10 minutes. I was disappointed but I am still glad that I am still healthy to finish the seventh continent if for a shorter distance. Now for Rob Fransen's followers, he is still running strong after four days, and i stand corrected he said is not a blister that is bothering him but a swollen toe, I saw him finish today and he is sure looking strong and having fun, he is going to make Canada proud.
I wanted to try hard, I wanted everybody to know I didn't take things for granted. My fundraising has been extremely successful, not entirely by me, Mr. Brett Wilson's famous garden party did a record fundraising of $110,000 dollars for 777 Run For Sight. I think that his celebrity status and the fact that his beautiful and talented girlfriend, singer and song writer Sarah McLachlan who performed at the party where a mayor factor of why people were so generous but the reason doesn't matter, I am glad we successfully passed our fundraising goal, cnib, Foundation Fighting Blindness and Operation Eyesight do amazing work and deserve every penny. I saw my series sponsor Bolt Supply's President Mr John McCann at the party, now here is an amazing story, Bolt Supply sponsored my series not because they want to convince people to buy their fancy shoes or anything, but for the simple reason they believe in investing in the community.
I now move to the 175K distance, I am still feeling healthy so I am expected to finish the race and accomplish my record on time. At this moment I haven't really had time to think about what it all means, at this point I am still taking it one day at a time. As usual we gather around the diner table talking about how our day was, like we are one big family, we become close event though we are complete strangers because we rely on each other so much. All of a sudden the world seems a lot smaller now that I have a much larger family.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Swiss Jura Day 3
Well day three is over and I am still on the race, sort of.
Today's stage was 56k long, total ascend +1650 and total descend was - 1920.
I am going to be brief on my post since I have to blog on my Blackberry, we have been sleeping at arenas and such so there is no internet.
I had an outstanding day today even if the outcome was less than desirable. I felt great if a bit slower but I managed to keep up with a lot of people. The view was as usual spectacular, it reminds me a lot of Canmore with a french flair.
I was doing great and was running with 3 other women who had previously pass me for more than and hour, but at the end we all time out including three other males. We are all allowed to be late once, the catch is that I have to not only finish on time from now on but also meet the checkpoints cut out times.
I feel a bit like Rocky Balboa on his movie. Rocky' where he is down for 9 counts and saved by the bell.
We had to decide to either stay on the 350k and try or move to the 175k. Maria Medueno of Tijuana, Mexico decided to switch, she is a 3:10 marathoner with 10 years of ultrarunning experience and a former Olympian in cycling.
Everybody else is going to try. The stages are getting harder and I am getting slower so it will be very tough to accomplish this with 4 days to go, but its not impossible. I don't want to go home and wonder if I could have done it, if I try and I still fail then I will know for sure.
For all of Rob's friends, my fellow Canadian competitor, he is still running strong but has a blister, I told him not to be a such a princess so he is expected to continue and run well, he can't stop smiling since last year this is as far as he could go, had to pull out because of an injury.
I will tell you tomorrow of the stars are aligned, and like my best friend from Calgary Nadia Larsson said once when I had a hard time on a race, run strong and when your legs can't carry you any longer, run with mine. Well Nadia, hope you are ready for tomorrow.
Today's stage was 56k long, total ascend +1650 and total descend was - 1920.
I am going to be brief on my post since I have to blog on my Blackberry, we have been sleeping at arenas and such so there is no internet.
I had an outstanding day today even if the outcome was less than desirable. I felt great if a bit slower but I managed to keep up with a lot of people. The view was as usual spectacular, it reminds me a lot of Canmore with a french flair.
I was doing great and was running with 3 other women who had previously pass me for more than and hour, but at the end we all time out including three other males. We are all allowed to be late once, the catch is that I have to not only finish on time from now on but also meet the checkpoints cut out times.
I feel a bit like Rocky Balboa on his movie. Rocky' where he is down for 9 counts and saved by the bell.
We had to decide to either stay on the 350k and try or move to the 175k. Maria Medueno of Tijuana, Mexico decided to switch, she is a 3:10 marathoner with 10 years of ultrarunning experience and a former Olympian in cycling.
Everybody else is going to try. The stages are getting harder and I am getting slower so it will be very tough to accomplish this with 4 days to go, but its not impossible. I don't want to go home and wonder if I could have done it, if I try and I still fail then I will know for sure.
For all of Rob's friends, my fellow Canadian competitor, he is still running strong but has a blister, I told him not to be a such a princess so he is expected to continue and run well, he can't stop smiling since last year this is as far as he could go, had to pull out because of an injury.
I will tell you tomorrow of the stars are aligned, and like my best friend from Calgary Nadia Larsson said once when I had a hard time on a race, run strong and when your legs can't carry you any longer, run with mine. Well Nadia, hope you are ready for tomorrow.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Swiss Jura Day 2
What a day today. The stage was 45 kilometers long with the same altitude as yesterday 1679 meters of elevation as the highest point. Last night was a bit hard since everybody seemed to be finding things so easy. I felt lost since I felt I didn't belong here either.
I had a great chat with 51 year old Rob Jansen Of Aldegrove BC, he works in agriculture. He was born in the Netherlands and move to Canada about 30 years ago, I guess you can call him dutchman running wild. Rob will be the kind of guy you will love to hate if its not because he is so nice. He is a strong runner that also manages to have fantastic pictures. He is still running strong even after day two.
Last night Rob was sitting with his brother and fellow dutch friends when they asked me when I came in. I told them I came with only 30 minutes to spare, one of them call me a eco runner.
I had no idea so he explained that the eco runners are the slow runners that are always stopping to take pictures and lingering at checkpoints like its a cocktail party eating and drinking. Then it hit me, he just called me a jogger, my ego was sure bruised specially since I had yet to go as fast as I could.
In the morning things became a bit clearer for me, the worst thing I could do was to be beaten mentally. Then and there I decided to fight hard until the end. I also decided to be smarter and not to try and keep up with everybody, just to run my race.
My race is between my body and my mind, and the race to fight and stay in the 350k distance. I started at a conservative 8k per hour knowing that I needed at lest 7, I run slow and even some of the hills at a much conservative pace, yesterday I was doing 11k per hour to only bonk at 30k.
I felt great but I was still worry about timing out, about 32k into I was passed by absolutely everybody, then it became more real that for sure I was timing out if I didn't find the strengh to run hard. Have to thank my kids for putting music on my iPod and the Foo Fighters for that matter,
What a day today. The stage was 45 kilometers long with the same altitude as yesterday 1679 meters of elevation as the highest point. Last night was a bit hard since everybody seemed to be finding things so easy. I felt lost since I felt I didn't belong here either.
I had a great chat with 51 year old Rob
Jansen Of Aldegrove BC, he works in agriculture. He was born in the Nethelands and move to Canada about 30 years ago, I guess you can call him dutchman running wild. Rob will be the kind of guy you will love to hate if its not because he is so nice. He is a strong runner that also manages to have fantastic pictures. He is still running strong even after day two.
Last night Rob was sitting with his brother and fellow dutch friends when they asked me when I came in. I told them I came with only 30 minutes to spare, one of them call me a eco runner.
I had no idea so he explained that the eco runners are the slow runners that are always stopping to take pictures and lingering at checkpoints like its a cocktail party eating and drinking. Then it hit me, he just called me a jogger, my ego was sure bruised specially since I had yet to go as fast as I could.
In the morning things became a bit clearer for me, the worst thing I could do was to be beaten mentally. Then and there I decided to fights hard until the end. I also decided to be smarter and not to try and keep up with everybody, just to run my race.
My race is between my body and my mind, and the race to fight and stay in the 350k distance. I started at a conservative 8k per hour knowing that I needed at lest 7, I run slow and even some of the hills at a much conservative pace, yesterday I was doing 11k per hour to only bonk at 30k.
I felt great but I was still worry about timing out, about 32k into I was passed by absolutely everybody, then it became more real that for sure I was timing out if I didn't find the strengh to run hard. Have to thank my kids for putting music on my iPod and the Foo Fighters for that matter, I put music on and the song the pretender came on and the lyrics spoke loud to me,
"what if I say you are not like the others, what if I say I will never surrender, you are the pretender". I was not the pretender I am a runner not a jogger, I run hard for the last 10k the faster I run the faster I wanted to go, I made a decision, to be who I am and not to be afraid. For the first time in my life I allowed myself to say, I am an athlete, I felt every bit as I fought hard to not be disqualified on the 350k distance. Something changed on the last hour. I made the decision to be happy with who I am to be proud, to focus on the wins but not on the losses, to see them as part of the journey.
Things are changing at the race, people are hurting, while I came smiling and in better shape than yesterday most people found it harder today. There are no way to predict who will finish or who will not today I did it, tomorrow is an other day and I will welcome it for the wonderful opportunity of becoming the person I was born to be.
I put music on and the song The Pretender came on and the lyrics spoke loud to me, what if I say you are not like the others, what if I say I will never surrender, you are the pretender. I was not the pretender I am a runner not a jogger, I run hard for the last 10k the faster I run the faster I wanted to go, I made a decision, to be who I am and not to be afraid. For the first time in my life I allowed myself to say, I am an athlete, I felt every bit as I fought hard to not be Disqualified on the 350k distance. Something changed on the last hour. I made the decision to be happy with who I am to be proud, to focus on the wins and not on the losses, to see them as part of the journey.
Things are changing at the race, people are hurting, while I came smiling and in better shape than yesterday most people found it harder today. There are no way to predict who will finish or who will not today I did it, tomorrow is an other day and I will welcome it for the wonderful opportunity of becoming the person I was born to be.
I had a great chat with 51 year old Rob Jansen Of Aldegrove BC, he works in agriculture. He was born in the Netherlands and move to Canada about 30 years ago, I guess you can call him dutchman running wild. Rob will be the kind of guy you will love to hate if its not because he is so nice. He is a strong runner that also manages to have fantastic pictures. He is still running strong even after day two.
Last night Rob was sitting with his brother and fellow dutch friends when they asked me when I came in. I told them I came with only 30 minutes to spare, one of them call me a eco runner.
I had no idea so he explained that the eco runners are the slow runners that are always stopping to take pictures and lingering at checkpoints like its a cocktail party eating and drinking. Then it hit me, he just called me a jogger, my ego was sure bruised specially since I had yet to go as fast as I could.
In the morning things became a bit clearer for me, the worst thing I could do was to be beaten mentally. Then and there I decided to fight hard until the end. I also decided to be smarter and not to try and keep up with everybody, just to run my race.
My race is between my body and my mind, and the race to fight and stay in the 350k distance. I started at a conservative 8k per hour knowing that I needed at lest 7, I run slow and even some of the hills at a much conservative pace, yesterday I was doing 11k per hour to only bonk at 30k.
I felt great but I was still worry about timing out, about 32k into I was passed by absolutely everybody, then it became more real that for sure I was timing out if I didn't find the strengh to run hard. Have to thank my kids for putting music on my iPod and the Foo Fighters for that matter,
What a day today. The stage was 45 kilometers long with the same altitude as yesterday 1679 meters of elevation as the highest point. Last night was a bit hard since everybody seemed to be finding things so easy. I felt lost since I felt I didn't belong here either.
I had a great chat with 51 year old Rob
Jansen Of Aldegrove BC, he works in agriculture. He was born in the Nethelands and move to Canada about 30 years ago, I guess you can call him dutchman running wild. Rob will be the kind of guy you will love to hate if its not because he is so nice. He is a strong runner that also manages to have fantastic pictures. He is still running strong even after day two.
Last night Rob was sitting with his brother and fellow dutch friends when they asked me when I came in. I told them I came with only 30 minutes to spare, one of them call me a eco runner.
I had no idea so he explained that the eco runners are the slow runners that are always stopping to take pictures and lingering at checkpoints like its a cocktail party eating and drinking. Then it hit me, he just called me a jogger, my ego was sure bruised specially since I had yet to go as fast as I could.
In the morning things became a bit clearer for me, the worst thing I could do was to be beaten mentally. Then and there I decided to fights hard until the end. I also decided to be smarter and not to try and keep up with everybody, just to run my race.
My race is between my body and my mind, and the race to fight and stay in the 350k distance. I started at a conservative 8k per hour knowing that I needed at lest 7, I run slow and even some of the hills at a much conservative pace, yesterday I was doing 11k per hour to only bonk at 30k.
I felt great but I was still worry about timing out, about 32k into I was passed by absolutely everybody, then it became more real that for sure I was timing out if I didn't find the strengh to run hard. Have to thank my kids for putting music on my iPod and the Foo Fighters for that matter, I put music on and the song the pretender came on and the lyrics spoke loud to me,
"what if I say you are not like the others, what if I say I will never surrender, you are the pretender". I was not the pretender I am a runner not a jogger, I run hard for the last 10k the faster I run the faster I wanted to go, I made a decision, to be who I am and not to be afraid. For the first time in my life I allowed myself to say, I am an athlete, I felt every bit as I fought hard to not be disqualified on the 350k distance. Something changed on the last hour. I made the decision to be happy with who I am to be proud, to focus on the wins but not on the losses, to see them as part of the journey.
Things are changing at the race, people are hurting, while I came smiling and in better shape than yesterday most people found it harder today. There are no way to predict who will finish or who will not today I did it, tomorrow is an other day and I will welcome it for the wonderful opportunity of becoming the person I was born to be.
I put music on and the song The Pretender came on and the lyrics spoke loud to me, what if I say you are not like the others, what if I say I will never surrender, you are the pretender. I was not the pretender I am a runner not a jogger, I run hard for the last 10k the faster I run the faster I wanted to go, I made a decision, to be who I am and not to be afraid. For the first time in my life I allowed myself to say, I am an athlete, I felt every bit as I fought hard to not be Disqualified on the 350k distance. Something changed on the last hour. I made the decision to be happy with who I am to be proud, to focus on the wins and not on the losses, to see them as part of the journey.
Things are changing at the race, people are hurting, while I came smiling and in better shape than yesterday most people found it harder today. There are no way to predict who will finish or who will not today I did it, tomorrow is an other day and I will welcome it for the wonderful opportunity of becoming the person I was born to be.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
swiss Jura day 1
I am glad to find out that I have internet. I can't guarantee that I will be able to update you daily but i will try whenever possible.
Todays stage was 47 kilometers long and 1677 feet of elevation. At 6:45 we got on the busses to be transported to Geneva for the start of the race. At 8am we stated along the waterfront towards St. Cergue. Swiss Jura is not an ultra race like the ones I am am use to. Swiss Jura is a fast race, today we had 7:30 hours to finish 47K with elevation, I have been worry about timing out and today my worries didn't seem to be unrealistic.
i run the first 22K hard, or at least I was in pace with the top 20. I knew I couldn't mantain their speed when I saw them running hard uphills. Rule number one in ultraraces for anybody specially if you are not elite, walk the hills, I coun't believe when I saw them attacking the hills like Lance Armstrong at the Tour.
The next 20K where really hard, I found having to tell myself the same things I tell people on the races about not giving up, its only pain and don't think is 350K just think next check point. I was in so much pain. Everything is for sure catching up, I feel tired and my legs had just about enough. Usually this is not a problem since they are generous on their times but Swiss Jura has a very strict time limit and they don't welcome power walkers, walking poles are banned form the race.
The course is sure beautiful, we mostly run on dirt roads and some neighborhoods in the surrounding areas. It was so hot at the beginning i burnt right though my shirt then about half way it poured, I was absolutely soaked, fortunately I had only a couple of hours to go.
I am worry about the possibility of timing out, I arrived with only 30 minutes to spare, not much of a buffer if you ask me. Now the worst case scenario will be that if I time out, I then get moved to the shorter distance, 175K so usually a half marathon a day, I know I should be excited about the possibility of running less and enjoying more, since I will not be disqualified, I still get continent number 7, but the truth is that I really want to run the longer distance.
I could have sign for the shorter distance from the beginning but when I was planning the races, I wanted to be the most difficult challenge my body could and my mind could ever imagine. I lay here in my sleeping bag feeling sad with the possiblity of not being able ot accomplish this.
I had many emotions during my run today, doubt has been consuming me more than ever, maybe because i didn't anticipated the ripple effect of such quest. I am still very passionate about my kids and the charities but when i get home is harder and harder to find my place. Life keeps going and I feel that I don't quite belong there anymore. I care for the people in my life and it its hard to get home and find out that my kids friends are more important or that my best friend might have an other best friend since I am not around as much anymore. I have lost as much as I have gain since starting my races but in life there are no guarantees. One thing for sure is that running makes me incredibly happy, this is for me as much as for my kids and the charities. I am not sure I want to live my life without passion.
If i was writing this story I might not write it the way is happening but I am determined to let destiny take it's course, I am living a much fuller richer life now, and I want my kids to live their life with passion and purpose. Hebbel said it best “Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.”
Todays stage was 47 kilometers long and 1677 feet of elevation. At 6:45 we got on the busses to be transported to Geneva for the start of the race. At 8am we stated along the waterfront towards St. Cergue. Swiss Jura is not an ultra race like the ones I am am use to. Swiss Jura is a fast race, today we had 7:30 hours to finish 47K with elevation, I have been worry about timing out and today my worries didn't seem to be unrealistic.
i run the first 22K hard, or at least I was in pace with the top 20. I knew I couldn't mantain their speed when I saw them running hard uphills. Rule number one in ultraraces for anybody specially if you are not elite, walk the hills, I coun't believe when I saw them attacking the hills like Lance Armstrong at the Tour.
The next 20K where really hard, I found having to tell myself the same things I tell people on the races about not giving up, its only pain and don't think is 350K just think next check point. I was in so much pain. Everything is for sure catching up, I feel tired and my legs had just about enough. Usually this is not a problem since they are generous on their times but Swiss Jura has a very strict time limit and they don't welcome power walkers, walking poles are banned form the race.
The course is sure beautiful, we mostly run on dirt roads and some neighborhoods in the surrounding areas. It was so hot at the beginning i burnt right though my shirt then about half way it poured, I was absolutely soaked, fortunately I had only a couple of hours to go.
I am worry about the possibility of timing out, I arrived with only 30 minutes to spare, not much of a buffer if you ask me. Now the worst case scenario will be that if I time out, I then get moved to the shorter distance, 175K so usually a half marathon a day, I know I should be excited about the possibility of running less and enjoying more, since I will not be disqualified, I still get continent number 7, but the truth is that I really want to run the longer distance.
I could have sign for the shorter distance from the beginning but when I was planning the races, I wanted to be the most difficult challenge my body could and my mind could ever imagine. I lay here in my sleeping bag feeling sad with the possiblity of not being able ot accomplish this.
I had many emotions during my run today, doubt has been consuming me more than ever, maybe because i didn't anticipated the ripple effect of such quest. I am still very passionate about my kids and the charities but when i get home is harder and harder to find my place. Life keeps going and I feel that I don't quite belong there anymore. I care for the people in my life and it its hard to get home and find out that my kids friends are more important or that my best friend might have an other best friend since I am not around as much anymore. I have lost as much as I have gain since starting my races but in life there are no guarantees. One thing for sure is that running makes me incredibly happy, this is for me as much as for my kids and the charities. I am not sure I want to live my life without passion.
If i was writing this story I might not write it the way is happening but I am determined to let destiny take it's course, I am living a much fuller richer life now, and I want my kids to live their life with passion and purpose. Hebbel said it best “Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.”
Friday, July 3, 2009
Swiss Jura Marathon
Swiss Jura Marathon
I am in Paris and making my way tomorrow Saturday the 4th to St Cergue for the start of the race Sunday Morning. I arrived in Paris because this is where the points could take me; I beg and borrow points for flying to friends and this is the closes that I could get to Switzerland.
I never been to Europe so this is a treat. Paris is so alive. I am only shocked at how expensive Europe is. My other races have been in remote mostly developing countries so my money lasted a lot longer, I did get to see Johnny Depp on Champs Elysses on the premiere of his new movie Public Enemy, so I guess it’s all worth it broke and all.
I have been so nervous about this race, it’s the last one and I was having trouble sleeping at home. My kids are out of school so I took them to Houston to meet their father for summer vacation, he lives overseas but has a place in Houston, so they see him usually during holidays.
The race starts Sunday at 8am and it will finish Saturday around 3pm. There are about 63 competitors and 11 of them are female. Most of the participants are Europeans but there is a Canadian Rob Fransen from BC. Daily distance ranges from 47K to 53K and the daily climbs are between 1410 and 2020. At 350K and 11,000 feet of elevation it will be a very though race. It also has a very strict time limit, around 7 hours max time limit. There are also great things about the race, I will not be running with a heavy pack like in Gobi or Namibia, they also feed us at night and the menu looks amazing, I will be able to shower daily and have a massage as well. There is also a friend coming to watch the end of the race, for the first time I will have somebody to cheer me at the finish line. 39 year old Nicola Fontanesi from Italy was a tent mate in Gobi, at 6’3 he looks more like a volleyball player than a ultrarunner but he is light and faster than me, we used each other as pacers, he never wanted to finish behind me, an ego thing and I knew that if I finish not far behind I was usually top 20.
The race is low key and we will be sleeping on school gyms and such, if I have cell reception I might be able to twitter at http://twitter.com/utrarunwild but I will not have access to email so I will not be able to blog until the end of the race.
Wish me luck, I hardly feel ready for Swiss Jura, maybe because my short time at home was hardly enough time to recover from my last three races that where back to back, with everything that was going on in my personal life and my kids end of the year activities kept me busy as well. There are times however that I am amaze of things that happen around me, I was approached at Notre Dame by an older lady, she came straight at me and without hesitation gave me a gold ring, she spoke in French of course, I panicked and told her I didn’t speak French she then spoke in broken English, she told me she wanted to give me the ring because I was lucky and pretty, the ring is a wedding band, I didn’t know what to say, well, define lucky, there are many times that I feel extremely lucky but this is a wedding band after all, being divorced for the last 9 years I am sure that I am not that lucky at relationships, but she just kissed both of my cheeks and left, I kept it, she did say lucky so I am taking it with me to the race along with my the lucky charms that my kids made for me. Author Tim Rice did say, “We all dream a lot - some are lucky, some are not. But if you think it, want it; dream it, then it's real. You are what you feel.”
I am in Paris and making my way tomorrow Saturday the 4th to St Cergue for the start of the race Sunday Morning. I arrived in Paris because this is where the points could take me; I beg and borrow points for flying to friends and this is the closes that I could get to Switzerland.
I never been to Europe so this is a treat. Paris is so alive. I am only shocked at how expensive Europe is. My other races have been in remote mostly developing countries so my money lasted a lot longer, I did get to see Johnny Depp on Champs Elysses on the premiere of his new movie Public Enemy, so I guess it’s all worth it broke and all.
I have been so nervous about this race, it’s the last one and I was having trouble sleeping at home. My kids are out of school so I took them to Houston to meet their father for summer vacation, he lives overseas but has a place in Houston, so they see him usually during holidays.
The race starts Sunday at 8am and it will finish Saturday around 3pm. There are about 63 competitors and 11 of them are female. Most of the participants are Europeans but there is a Canadian Rob Fransen from BC. Daily distance ranges from 47K to 53K and the daily climbs are between 1410 and 2020. At 350K and 11,000 feet of elevation it will be a very though race. It also has a very strict time limit, around 7 hours max time limit. There are also great things about the race, I will not be running with a heavy pack like in Gobi or Namibia, they also feed us at night and the menu looks amazing, I will be able to shower daily and have a massage as well. There is also a friend coming to watch the end of the race, for the first time I will have somebody to cheer me at the finish line. 39 year old Nicola Fontanesi from Italy was a tent mate in Gobi, at 6’3 he looks more like a volleyball player than a ultrarunner but he is light and faster than me, we used each other as pacers, he never wanted to finish behind me, an ego thing and I knew that if I finish not far behind I was usually top 20.
The race is low key and we will be sleeping on school gyms and such, if I have cell reception I might be able to twitter at http://twitter.com/utrarunwild but I will not have access to email so I will not be able to blog until the end of the race.
Wish me luck, I hardly feel ready for Swiss Jura, maybe because my short time at home was hardly enough time to recover from my last three races that where back to back, with everything that was going on in my personal life and my kids end of the year activities kept me busy as well. There are times however that I am amaze of things that happen around me, I was approached at Notre Dame by an older lady, she came straight at me and without hesitation gave me a gold ring, she spoke in French of course, I panicked and told her I didn’t speak French she then spoke in broken English, she told me she wanted to give me the ring because I was lucky and pretty, the ring is a wedding band, I didn’t know what to say, well, define lucky, there are many times that I feel extremely lucky but this is a wedding band after all, being divorced for the last 9 years I am sure that I am not that lucky at relationships, but she just kissed both of my cheeks and left, I kept it, she did say lucky so I am taking it with me to the race along with my the lucky charms that my kids made for me. Author Tim Rice did say, “We all dream a lot - some are lucky, some are not. But if you think it, want it; dream it, then it's real. You are what you feel.”
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