Transrockies Run

My best friend Nadia and I are off to Colorado for the TransRockies Run. It's going to be so much fun.
I am feeling guilty since I leave my kids again. This time however it's for my best friend, Nadia and I try to do a race together, just the two of us. last year we run Boston to celebrate my 40th b-day and it was a blast. This time is Nadia's turn to celebrate her 40th.

There are other reasons to get away as well, Nadia is going trough her separation and we have a lot of catching up to do. I haven't been there for her, she couldn't have time it any worse, just before my first race in Brazil. Thankfully, her and Magnus are great to each other and are best friends.

You should see my house now, it has become the head quarters of single mothers, between Nadia, Lisa Kuffmann and myself we have 7 boys between the ages of 14 and 11, my house resembles more the Tijuana strip. It's nice to know our boys are out of trouble, hopefully for a while. Lisa, Calgary's original supermodel, moved back from Brazil with her two sons, Christiano and Caetano, we only met a few months ago but it's like we been friends forever.

TransRockies Run is 113 miles, starts Aug 23rd to 28th from Buena vista to Beaver Creek, Co. its a team event, Nadia choose the name for the team, Crash and Burn, my choice was Cinderella's Ugly Stepsister's since prince charming isn't exactly riding in the wind towards Calgary.

There are some friends coming to the race as well, Leslie who also supported me in Australia is coming with her husband Keith. Also Katrina, Rob and Lenny from Toronto who were my tent mates at Gobi March this year, coincidentally they are also the three people that have summited all 7 highest peaks on 7 continents and are the ones that got me thinking when we where hanging out in the tent in Gobi that this is something I could do. It's funny how things seem impossible until you meet somebody who has done it, then it becomes a possibility, sort of when nobody could break 8 minutes per mile, as soon as it was broken, then everybody did it.

This is sure the best way to celebrate the end of the summer. I am looking forward to the race, I have been overwhelmed with the preparations for the climb. I go for training the last two weeks in September and if everything goes well, i start climbing late November.

I met with Jamie Clarke, Calgary's elite climber who is heading to Everest in the spring, I am asking him to be my adviser, since I don't have a lot of experience climbing, I need somebody who is not bias to judge if I am ready for Everest in the spring if everything else goes well. He is a bit hesitant to make it his call, " what if I say to go ahead and you die?" " I will hate that" of course I told him that I can't see myself dying, why survive all the things I have survive so far, the kidnapping when I was 17 for example just to die?, Mexico is notorious for young girls disappearing and never seeing again, taken in broad daylight, I am one of the lucky ones that escaped. Of course there is always a risk, event though I don't intent on dying, I am 41 years old and have had a full life, Karl is only 14, he deserves a lot more than life is offering. I feel calm and compose and can picture myself accomplishing it, sort of Richard Dreyfuss on Close Encounters of the Third Kind, where people though he was crazy but things seemed so real to him.

I haven't forgotten that after all, i am dedicating my life to make sure my sons are OK, how can I relax when I can see pain in Karl, he shakes it shortly because he is wonderful but his pain lingers in me, we make the best team, he gets over thing quickly, i don't. Things are a bit more difficult for him since his friends are taking their learners permit and are starting to ask girls out. Karl pretends he is to busy to care.
No matter how many times I hear that this is great, that I can relax and let things be, but I can't, as long as I can physically do more, I will always feel like,as a mother I have to do as much as I can. I am not afraid of climbing Everest, I am very afraid of watching my beautiful son Karl go blind.

Amazingly, my inspiration lately is coming from Miley Cyrus with her new song " The Climb"

I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith